In case you just tuned in, there are noises in Norwich, a riverside neighborhood in Southwest Roanoke. Readers have reported more than one type of noise. But the one that got this started was an artificial whooping that would happen at odd times. Suddenly starting and suddenly stopping.

Reader Jon Stephenson, who asked the original question, put it this way: "It is not a source of distress for me, only an intriguing mystery."

Readers suggested many possible solutions to this mystery. The best of these solutions featured Norfolk Southern refueling its trains. An anonymous reader gave me some good info, but we needed something firmer to put the case to rest.

And now we have it, direct from Norfolk Southern's Robin Chapman: "I can now officially confirm that we do have an alarm that sounds when locomotives are moved onto the fuel pad."

Now we can return to solving the other countless mysteries of life, including this one, which affects us all.

(This item appeared Sept. 21, 2009, in the Roanoke Times.)