At just 12 years old, Noah has a remarkable talent that sets him apart from his peers: he can identify various Metra trains by the sound of their horns. Living in the bustling suburb of Arlington Heights, his extraordinary ability reflects his deep knowledge of passenger rail systems, particularly the Metra system and train horns.
“Horns are different,” he says, before adding, using language few outside the industry would understand, “P5s come off F40s type locomotives, either the F40CF40PH or the F40PHM25. K5LAs come off the F59, which I am a really big fan of.”
“I also like the SD70MACHs (Metra’s newest locomotives). I like how they rebuilt them and made them a lot more common, because trying to find one on one of the six freight railroads is hard. Not everybody owns them, and most of them are put into storage.”
Noah’s fascination with trains began when he was very young, inspired by the rumbling sounds of locomotives passing by his home.
“We lived in Jefferson Park and in 2017 we moved to Arlington Heights and the deal was that we move near a Metra station and we did,” he said. “I can see the trains from my house and when I grow up, I want to be a Metra engineer, but I don’t know which line yet.”
Diagnosed on the autism spectrum, Noah has used his unique perspective to develop an impressive breadth of knowledge about trains. His mother, Amy Streff, highlights how his passion has become a source of pride and comfort.
“Kids that are on the spectrum can be a little obsessive. They find their one thing and that’s what they love, and his is trains,” said Streff. “When he was little, he would get overwhelmed a lot by sounds, which is so funny because trains are loud and you know, you wouldn’t think that those two things go together but they do, that’s his exception. We are probably the only family that looks forward to getting stopped by trains.”
