November 19th, 2009
Just some quick info:
- No news from Summerhill about the vibration survey
- No reply from CN Rail about some of the track changes people have mentioned might be coming (see previous posts)
- Train seemed super busy the last few weeks, noticed a lot more shaking after a considerable period of ‘quiet’. Trains seemed to carrying heavier/taller roads (i.e., riding well above the fence height)
- As mentioned previously we have stopped phoning to complain… don’t know if that is or isn’t having any impact
- The trails through the subdivision are mostly finished, our family has been making extensive use of them… hope to see more families out and about next spring/summer
Powerlines
As many of you know (and have probably received the flyers for), there is a possiblity that large-scale powerlines will be built relatively near the Tamarack subdivision. I urge you to come out to the meeting on November 24/09 to voice your concerns — there is a chance that they might be convinced to bury the lines instead.
Details can be found at www.reta.ca
Posted in Powerlines, Subdivision, Summerhill (Landmark) Homes, Trains | No Comments »
October 22nd, 2009
After we moved into our house (a corner lot) we contacted Dundee in regards to whether they were going to be building a fence on our lot (many corner lots in subdivisions get fences supplied by the developer). At the time they said no and so we built our own.
This summer we noticed that Dundee was putting in fences on all the corner lots and we contacted them again. And not only did they come out and paint our fence (which we hadn’t done yet) they also reimbursed us for the cost of the section of fence they would’ve put up for us!
That was a pleasant surprise for us, so thanks Dundee.
Tags: Dundee, fence
Posted in Subdivision | No Comments »
September 14th, 2009
I was contacted by David Coate, a noise control specialist. We’re not going to pursue this but in case anyone else wants to talk to an expert, his website is here:
http://www.davidcoateconsulting.com/services.html
Posted in Trains | No Comments »
August 24th, 2009
We’ve done what we can in regards to improving the quality of life in the Tamarack subdivision for those near the tracks, but maintaining the blog and the petition are becoming more exhausting than the train itself! We don’t have the time to continue to track down Summerhill (on the survey issue), or CN (on the crossing arm, et cetera). If Summerhill does reply about doing a new survey, I’ll forward the information onto those who e-mailed me previously, but we won’t be participating.
We love our house, our lot, and are encouraged by what the subdivision may become. We are still frustrated at our particular situation and emphasize with those even closer to the train (especially the owners of the new condos that are going up right beside the track!), but we have grown to used to it.
This site will remain, for information, but no new comments will be posted.
Best of luck and apologies to anyone who may have been offended by my replies to their comments. I was feeling attacked for trying to better the situation in the subdivision and I was getting frustrated.
- Brent
Posted in City of Edmonton, Trains | No Comments »
August 17th, 2009
Has anyone else noticed that the train has picked up this summer?
I’m noticing a lot more shaking/noise in the last couple weeks after it had toned down for a bit. There has also been an increase in the number of signatures on the petition.
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
July 17th, 2009
You can check out the crime reports from any subdivision in Edmonton pretty easily now. Just go to this link:
http://crimemapping.edmontonpolice.ca/#
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 15th, 2009
Wikipedia
The wikipedia entry over at Tamarack keeps on getting the train reference removed thanks to someone named Boss1696. Bet s/he works for one of the builders or Dundee. I’m getting a little bored of adding it back in, so if someone else wants to keep an eye on that page, that would be great.
CN Rail and the Hypothetical Control Arm
Over a month and CN rail still has not returned my query about whether a crossing arm (as some builders are asserting) is going to be built or not. This is one of the biggest problems with make enquiries of CN — they are very slow to respond. I’ll try another contact e-mail address, I guess.
Summerhill and the Engineers
Still waiting on a quote from the engineering group (to do a vibration study). Will let everyone know when that comes in.
Posted in Summerhill (Landmark) Homes, Trains | 12 Comments »
June 23rd, 2009
So the latest I’m hearing from people who have e-mailed is that sales people for Summerhill, Lincolnberg, Avi, et cetera are still misleading potential buyers.
They are telling them that disturbance from the train is minimal. They have also mentioned that the developer Dundee has a deal with CN Rail where the whistling might stop because they’ve made a deal to subsidize a new control arm. I hope that’s true but I’m doubtful. I’ll do some doublechecking. If anyone actually contacts CN and finds out if this is true let me know.
Posted in Subdivision, Summerhill (Landmark) Homes, Trains | 6 Comments »
June 19th, 2009
It seems the trains are getting busy again, counted four very noisy ones this morning already!
In regards to the subdivision I am waiting on a reply in regards to the cost for doing another ground vibration survey. I’ll let everyone know once I know the details.
If any of you have the time there is a bit of a picnic in the subdivision (to get more homebuyers), might be worthwhile mentioning to potential new residents the effects of the trains on our lives. I’ll be posting some flyers, hopefully the salespeople for Lincolnberg, Summerhill, and such don’t tear them down right away. I noticed the Tamarack entry in the wikipedia keeps on getting the reference to the CN Rail train line removed.
In better news I took a nice bike ride behind the train tracks, near the marsh. Here’s a photo:
Additionally, some more reference links:
Whistle Cessation Guideline:
Train Whistle requirements (CROR rule 14):
Rules for Track Maintenance
For your information, your house is located at approximately mile 7.0 of the CN Camrose Subdivision and the maximum speed currently allowable on that piece of track is 40 mph (70 kpm). As discussed, many of the trains may be operating at speeds significantly lower than the maximum which may lead to the impression that some of the trains are speeding.
Transport Canada has ongoing programs to regularly monitor train speeds and track maintenance and holds the railway accountable for compliance to the requirements.
Posted in Subdivision, Trains | 1 Comment »
May 11th, 2009
After many discussions with Transport Canada, Summerhill, CN Rail and the like, it really seems the City of Edmonton made a huge mistake developing so close to the tracks — a mistake shared of course by Dundee, the subdivision developer.
We might not be able to do anything about the trains, but we might be able to influence how the other half of the subdivision is developed. I’m not sure how to go about this, but I definitely think that side of the tracks should be placed further away from the train line. Maybe more flyers would help — though I’ve noticed that the showhomes people are driving around and pulling them down. We’ve put one ad in a newspaper, we might do that again.
Any other thoughts? I really don’t want our future neighbors on the other side of the tracks to have to put up with shaking houses and cracking foundations like we are.
Posted in City of Edmonton, Subdivision | 1 Comment »
