After months of lobbying by residents and local officials annoyed by excessively loud horns from Long Island Rail Road locomotives, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced a plan it says will address the concerns. But some residents say more needs to be done.

MTA Chairman E. Virgil Conway announced in November that the MTA/LIRR has developed an engineering design alternative to the shrill horn on new locomotives which meet the federal decibel level requirements for safety.

"Concerns about the loudness of the horns on the new LIRR locomotives by residents and elected officials prompted us to take a hard look at what design changes could be made," Conway said. "The challenge was to come up with a modification that resulted in a significantly less intrusive horn sound while still complying with the minimum 96 decibel standard required by the Federal Railway Administration."

Retrofitting of the 46 new locomotives began in December and is expected to be completed by spring, at a cost of $125,000. Reaction to the plan was mixed, especially in areas like Mineola and New Hyde Park, which have several LIRR crossings.

Mineola resident Bob Naftal had written several letters on the matter to public officials, including County Legislator Richard Nicolello and Gov. George Pataki, as well as the MTA. Upon learning of the MTA's plan, he zeroed in on what he sees as the real problem.

"The decibel level is not the problem; it's the blowing of the horns themselves," the Clinton Avenue resident said. "Did you ever go to a ball game and sit near a person who is blowing one of those little air horn cans? That's what we must tolerate all the time."

Wondering if it were possible for the LIRR to use an alternate device for alerting pedestrians and cars of oncoming trains, such as flashing lights, Naftal did some investigating. He was told by the LIRR that a Federal law requires trains to blow horns at graded crossings. He then learned that, just like with speed limits, the federal government defers decisions on train safety to the states.

"Who's got the ball here and where does the buck stop?" Naftal said.

Naftal's letter-writing campaign for a good night's sleep included a letter to Nicolello dated Aug. 17, 1999, in which Naftal vented his frustration about the legislator's apparent inability to make headway with the MTA:

"I would like you to know that 'they won't budge' is not an acceptable answer nor is it an answer that we would expect to hear from their organization," Naftal wrote. "While the residents can understand their regard for internal regulations, they cannot understand why the trains must blow their horns four times or more at each crossing, causing such a commotion, waking us up at all times during the night. Here in Mineola, we have a number of crossings and the trains seem to blow their horns just to irritate the residents."

To his defense, Nicolello wrote several letters to the LIRR on behalf of area residents. In one, dated Aug. 9, 1999, he wrote: "Your professional staff should be able to determine what sound level is needed to alert motorists and pedestrians. You should then lower the emissions from all of your engines to this level, which should be as close as possible to the minimum decibel level requirements."

The MTA has done just that, according to Conway. On the new locomotives the LIRR has introduced over the past few years, the horn configuration was considerably more noticeable, even though MTA officials claim it was not louder. A cluster of five horn bells, with frequencies that differed from older trains, produced the shrill sound residents complained of. The modifications include changing to horn bells with "smoother, mellower tones."

The horn on new locomotives will also be relocated from the current roof-mounted position to the front, right above the windshield, so that less sound is directed upward and outward to areas adjacent to the tracks. Lastly, the control mechanism that activates the horn will be changed from an "electric solenoid type valve to a pneumatic activation valve that allows engineers better control of the horn blast duration."

The MTA said the new horn system will still be loud enough to alert motorists and pedestrians of oncoming trains.

"Safety is paramount at the Long Island Rail Road," Conway said. "LIRR train horns communicate information that is vital to the safety of our customers, employees and the residents of the communities we serve."

The plan was lauded by North Hempstead Councilwoman Doreen Banks, who called it, "music to residents' ears.

"Safety is certainly the main consideration in modifying horns, but quality of life is an issue hard fought for area residents," she said. "Hopefully now the future will offer a modicum of both for those affected by the shrill noise of the past."

Some would say residents like Naftal have no right to complain, having known the inconveniences that come with buying a home near railroad tracks. But the way he figures it, he did not sign away his right to sleep.

"For those people who might say that we received a lower purchase price on our properties because of the nearness of the tracks, all I can say is that we pay much higher electric bills due to the greater air conditioning use because we cannot sleep with the windows open," Naftal said. "And after 10 years or so, the money that we saved on the purchase price is now gone."