I do agree the loco drivers have no choice and are following the rules, totally the right thing to do, I just couldn't live near it.
Oh I don't know, I stayed in Cajon pass Motel (for over two weeks) which is close (6-800 yds) to Transcon 2, so easily 100 trains a day, you have two choices, the side next to the 8 lane Interstate or the 4 main line Railroad, I picked the Railroad....naturally.
You get used to it pretty quick, they horn all night too, kinda cool waking up and standing on the balcony in the early sun watch 12,000' container trains grind up hill or heavy manifest's on full dynamics whining down grade.
The motel is the red roof just below the 76 sign, the Palmdale cut off is just to the left out of sight.
I loved every second of it and wished I'd got up earlier and stayed out later, even though most days were ten hours of
rail fanning.
Speeds here are slow, but when you get out to the flat lands in the desert they really get going, a two mile long double stack at 75 mph is really rather impressive rocking down grade from Goffs....apologies for the blur, Route 66 is not the smoothest of roads at these speeds....
or grain trains stomping along the arrow straight main east of Barstow.
I've no idea how fast this was going, easily up in the 60-70 mph range and even given the reasonably good MOW, those covered hoppers were having a good old bounce along.
Sorry for the distraction, I like my railroads, hot and heavy.