News & Events

Many times, especially in the evenings, area residents report hearing a train whistle.  The nearest train tracks are miles away.  To the west a railroad goes from Mishawaka through Granger and up into Michigan.  Then there’s the line that comes from Goshen along U.S. 33.  It turns westerly in downtown Elkhart.  Finally, a line goes from Elkhart in a northeasterly fashion through Bristol.

So, why do we hear the trains? The answer is a scientific one:
 If there is a thermal inversion, i.e., a cool blanket of air on the ground
with warm air above it, sound can travel for miles and miles. Sound
bounces off the cool/warm air interface and gets directed back to
the ground instead of going up into the sky. These thermal inversions
typically occur in the evening after the sun goes down. The phenomenon
is known as acoustic refraction.

Remember that for your next Trivia game!