I've never heard of that show; is it a documentary or some kind of "reality" show?Ive seen that show on a few times and was tempted. But being a railroader myself i was afraid id constantly be scoffing at inaccuracies like i did when i tried to watch the "alaskan railroaders" or whatever show it was. I'd also probably reflexively kick a hole in the wall if the sound of a train horn disrupted the tranquility of my home.
Hell On Wheels is strictly drama; I'm sure that, like most entertainment, someone close to the world being portrayed would find all sorts of little nits to pick with it. I'm an avid hunter and shooter, and the fact that virtually everybody in the show who has a rifle (in other words, everybody) has essentially the same kind of rifle...and it's a gun which, at that time, would have been state-of-the-art, expensive and owned by relatively few people...is a bit off-putting. But the rest of the show was good enough that I was able to suspend my disbelief; the fact that my wife asked her perennial question of "Well? Are the guns right or wrong?" didn't help in that endeavor.
As far as the train whistle goes...well, don't wear your boots while watching the show...
The railroad is the setting for the show, but it's a show about people and the time in which they lived; I think you would enjoy it.