It was a day for bells yesterday. We live near a train line and are within hearing distance of a level crossing. Yesterday the gates were stuck down and we were treated to the ding-ding-ding of the bells for an hour or so. I wandered around and watched the cars dice with death driving around the boom gates and had a look for a faults number. There was none but I eventually found it – listed under railway pedestrian crossing faults.
The ringing had faded from ears by the time we hopped in to bed only to be replaced by the distant sound of an alarm screaming. It was a quiet and still night so it carried from a long way away but it went all night. Each time we were woken by one of the kids having a grizzle I could hear it going and it was still sounding as I left for work this morning at 6:45. I feel sorry for anyone within a couple of blocks of where ever it was – there is no way anyone would have been sleeping through that.
I used to live round the corner from where you are now about 5 years ago and I loved the combination of sounds of the carrier trains repetitive “ca-ching, ca-ching” and the foghorns from the big ships in the bay at 3 in the morning – and yeah those gates used to get stuck all the time. But that’s insane that an alarm can go all night with no-one doing anything about it. Hope you catch up on some sleep soon.
Funny you posted that on the same morning I posted this
http://www.danielbowen.com/2008/01/29/the-crossing/