Rockridge Sounds

by James K. Sayre

Besides the natural sounds of wind, rain and birds singing, the Rockridge district of Oakland, California has a few characteristic background sounds. For example, one may hear the metallic squeal of the BART trains as their steel wheels rub against the steel rains. This sound is often more evident in the evening as the automotive traffic sounds decrease. Besides hearing local street traffic sounds, on some days one can hear a dull background roar from freeway traffic on Highway 24, as it cuts across the northern part of Rockridge. Late at night, you may sometimes hear the faint whistles of the freight trains as the wind their way through the Oakland flatlands (about two miles away) going on their northbound or southbound journeys. Thankfully, we are not under the direct flight paths for the Oakland International Airport, although when there are rainstorms, we sometimes get overflights in our area.

According to a recent article entitled, "Whistle Stop" in the Fridays section of the San Francisco Chronicle (16 April 2004), there are three different train lines which go through the East Bay: the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, the Union Pacific Railroad and AMTRAK. The article said that about sixty to seventy trains per day passed through Richmond, while about fifty-four trains per day went through Martinez. No numbers were given for Berkeley or Oakland, although they would most likely be about the same as for Richmond..

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Web page last updated on 20 January 2005.