PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Residents of a Portsmouth, New Hampshire, neighborhood say they love living in a city with a rich working history.
Ships and freight trains have been common sights for centuries in this seaport, the second-oldest community in the state.
Neighbors knew when they moved there that the Portsmouth Rail Yard was right next door. They thought of it as quirky and quintessential New England.
But in recent months, that has changed.
They say trains are left idling for not just hours, but days at a time. The noise and smells are frustrating, and the diesel fuel spewing into the air has them concerned for their health.
"For 72 straight hours, a train sat here idling," Nicole LaPierre says.
No trains sat in the railyard Sunday morning, but Randle Wright attributed that to "Murphy's Law," and said a train could come along any time, "and then it stays running," he says.
"I don't have an issue living near a train yard," LaPierre says. "This has never been a problem in the 15 years I've lived here, up until recently when they decided to idle the trains long periods of time."
When those periods occur is unpredictable, neighbors say.
"You hear it and it's constant and it wakes you up," says Robin Husslage. "It's very, very loud, and that's just the idling sound."
Husslage is also concerned about long term health effects. "When it's idling, it spews diesel exhaust, which is a known carcinogen."
In 2014, people in a Brunswick, Maine, neighborhood made headlines when they expressed similar frustration over trains idling nearby.
A year later, more complaints came from people living near Rigby Yard in South Portland.
In both cases, the rail authority said it would look into making changes and using anti-idling technology.
In Portsmouth, these folks say if they had their way, the trains would be relocated further down the tracks.
"A short-term solution, move the train to an area that isn't as densely populated," LaPierre said.
"It's time for a change," Wright says. "Pan-Am has to change."
We reached out to Pan Am Railways. Spokeswoman Cynthia Scarano says the company is aware of the complaints.
Scarano says that as of last week, Pan Am has asked crews to shut down locomotives in every situation, even if they would be running for four hours or less.
She says about half of the Pan Am fleet already has anti-idling technology and the company is committed to installing it on the remaining trains.
But she says there's not much the company can do during the winter because when temperatures drop, locomotives will freeze if the engines are shut down.
Scarano says the option of moving the trains further down the tracks is also something they're looking into.
While Pan Am says new instructions went out last week, folks in the neighborhood say they've heard such promises before and nothing has changed.
Only time will tell if the city, community and company can find truly effective solutions.