The first hours of daylight are, sonically, the most beautiful hours of the day. Waking from their night’s slumber, songbirds give it their all. Going into some of the more remote areas a busy railroad passes through in our region, these recordings are intended to present the sounds of the railroad in the context of the natural environment during these sonically vibrant hours. Some sounds are recorded close to the tracks, while others are recorded from some distance.
The recordings on this CD presents the sounds of trains passing through the environment, rather than being the sole focus. If you are looking for ONLY the sounds of passing trains close to the microphone, some of our other many titles may better suit your tastes.
Track 1 - It’s approaching 5:00 a.m., and we are in the Union County Wildlife Area in deep southern Illinois, just north of Reynoldsville. From the north comes the droning of diesel locomotives and the chime of an air horn as a southbound Union Pacific freight makes its way down the Chester Subdivision toward Little Rock and Texas. In these pre-dawn hours, the chirping of small frogs is heard, along with the occasional plop of water as one jumps nearby in the swampy area around our microphone. We are about a quarter-mile west of the tracks.
Track 2 - The Union Pacific’s tracks run east of the small town of Grand Tower, Illinois, coming alongside and then crossing the Big Muddy River in the Mississippi Valley. From our location on North Levy Road along the Big Muddy, we hear a southbound freight making its way down the Chester Sub. The faintest light of day is just beginning to show, and night insects are the most prominent natural sound as the track begins. As the train fades into the distance to the south, the first morning birds begin to sing their songs as a second freight makes its way down the valley. This train is taking it easy, running on the block of the first. As the second freight recedes into the distance, the chorus of morning songbirds grows in number.
Track 3 - North of McClure, we are across a field from the tracks as a southbound freight makes its way down the Chester Sub. Dawn has now broken, and the morning songbirds are in full chorus as the train approaches. Cars are also heard in the distance, as morning drivers travel on Illinois Highway 3 on the far side of the railroad. Moments after the end of the southbound train passes, a northbound freight approaches on this double-track mainline.
Track 4 - Back at our location along the Big Muddy River east of Grand Tower, another southbound freight makes its was down the Chester Sub. Sound carries a great distance from the south here, and the train has traveled several miles before this recording ends.
Track 5 - To the south of the last location, and twenty yards from the track in the Big Muddy River flood plain, a southbound intermodal train makes its way down the Chester Sub.
Track 6 - A short time later, we hear the distant horns of trains approaching in both directions. The Chester Sub. is single track here, and the southbound intermodal train passes first. After the southbound passes Halsey Junction, the northbound gets the signal to proceed up the single track.
Track 7 - From the south levy of the Big Muddy River at Aldridge, another southbound makes its way down the line. The train blows for the gravel roads atop both levies and crosses the Big Muddy at this location.
Track 8 - North of Reynoldsville at Control Point Potts, a southbound freight passes a set of double crossovers.
Track 9 - It’s odd how sound carries so differently in areas near each other. In a swampy area below the Mississippi River Valley bluffs near Aldridge, a northbound train passes three-quarters of a mile away. As it moves further from us up the valley, the sound continues to get louder until it drops off sharply several miles away. Birds come within a few feet of the microphone. Frogs hop into the water a few feet away. A pickup truck pulling a trailer passes on the nearby levy road. But then we hear the sound of a southbound approaching, taking to the single track at Howardton. The train approaches loudly, with the sound dropping off as it gets closest to our location. This is another natural area, located on the border of the Shawnee National Forest. It’s now nearly 9:00 a.m.
Sounds recorded and edited by Mary R. McPherson on a Xoom H4n recorder and an Audio-Technica AT-8022 stereo microphone. Edited digitally on Audacity.
Copyright 2016
A Diverging Clear Production
Running time 79 Minutes
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