Originally Posted by indyfabz

This sort of thing has since been preempted by federal law, at least for freight. A freight trains is required to sound its horn at a crossing unless what is known as a "quiet zone" has been established. Establishing one usually costs a lot of money. The municipality is responsible for the cost of the installation and maintenance of the additional safety measures required. That's why you usually only find them in wealthier communities.

The reason for preemption was to eliminate a patchwork of local ordinances like this described in the article. Allowing local jurisdictions to regulate horn usage is akin to allowing local jurisdictions to regulate cell pone usage while driving. Every few minutes you could be operating under a new set of rules as you cross municipal boundaries.