Just wondering

When we are in the Charlotte area, we can hear the CSX trains going through Wahaw. It was sort of busy there this evening about 7:30-8PM. Up in NY we are near the LIRR which has hourly service, more frequent during rush hours. Plenty of grade crossing action.

The nearest standard gauge railroad, the CSX Metropolitan Sub, former B&O is about 7 miles from my home. Usually in the winter, when the leaves are off the trees, I can hear the occasional horn. 

 

There is a nearby narrow gauge excursion railroad, and I was the engineer for 4 years. 2 miles from my front door to their station door. April - October, I can hear the steam whistle all day weather permitting. 

 

My school has the CSX Metropolitan Sub running right along the edge of the property. Washington Metro shares the ROW here and the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, Ivy City Yards and facilities and Washington Union Terminal are a few miles away. 

 

Tomorrow I'll be working on the Walkersville Southern Railroad, about an hour from home. We have one scheduled run and once the train is away, we will in the engine house working on the newest locomotive, 20 ton Davenport #3, in the process of a complete restoration. In addition to the #3, an 18 ton Plymouth, 25 ton Davenport, two 44 tonners, a 40 tonner, and a 45 tonner are on the property. 

I hear trains going up the local tracks through Cary NC about three times a day, but I have to listen for them: probably would not hear them otherwise.  Tracks are about three miles away from our house

I live 2 blocks from the Raritan station on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line. I pretty much see and hear trains on a regular basis every day.

I have always lived where I could here trains.  The new home is about 1/4 mile or less from the AMTRAK tracks so I hear them all the time.

I live about 100 feet from the NS tracks and trains come through day and night!(I just heard the horn again)!Music to my ears!

where I live at night I can hear the horns of the trains go by all night 

I live a comfortable distance (3 miles or so) from NS tracks through Macungie and Emmaus, Pa, on the old Reading mainline. Far enough away to hear the rumble of trains, yet far enough away not to be annoyed.

 

As a kid growing up in the Bronx I always felt bad for people whose bedroom and living room windows were ear level with the els as they roared and squealed by. However, my grandparents' Italian restaurant on White Plains Road was treated to a constant rumble of the el, yet we hardly even noticed it.

Same here, only a few short blocks to UP main tracks and Amtrak.  Love those sounds.

 

TEX

Steve

I live 10 minutes from the New Haven line that is part of the Northeast Corridor. There's is this an abandoned store right next to the tracks that I go to for railfanning. Some of the stuff I see there include the old run down Metro North M2s, new Metro North M8s, Amtrak HHP-8s, Amtrak AEM-7s, Amtrak and New Haven painted Genesis Diesels, Numerous Acelas and the ultra rare CSX freight. Can't wait to see the new Amtrak engines flying by someday soon!

Happen to live 2 miles from the LIRR.  Its fully electrical so I only have seen a diesel when we had a blizzard and or when they are doing heavy maintenance.  Now My wife is from Vermont, she is from St.Albans.  That is the headquarters for the New England Central Railroad.  When we visit I take my two boys to watch the action at the freight yard!  Behind my mother in-laws house we hear the freights go by with loads of wood pellets.  Between me and my boys we all love loud big diesel burning things!!

Close, 200 yards? I hear horns for 4 road crossings, 5 on a quite night. (I think I just heard the first of the 5) If they stop at the local industries, the coupling shakes the house just a bit, rattles the old aluminum windows sometimes, but not the dishes.

Gramps bought this house for its access to the highways, a nice neighborhood, and a short walk to the tracks for rail fanning...Nope, no train yet, must have been a semi on the highway.

I have always lived very near my favorite railroad (Maine Central) main line tracks.   The first 20 years of my life I was 1/2 mile from the MEC Waterville to Bangor line.  Then I moved to Portland and lived in a apartment building right next to the Portland to Waterville main line. (MEC/Guilford)  The apartment building would shake.  I could look out my living room window and railfan!     The last 21 years I have lived within a few blocks of the largest railyard in New England. (Pan Am/ Guilford/ MEC/B&M - Rigby yard in South Portland)  I can hear diesel horns, rumbling and frieght trains being made up 24/7.   I love it, however my nieghbors hate it.   The Amtrak Downeaster goes through many times a day.  Which is also a plus.  I love the sound of the GE P42's as a change from Pam Am railways all GM fleet.  I couldn't imagine not living near trains.

Used to live somewhat close to to where SP's Torrance Branch and El Segundo Branch met. Then my high school had the Torrance Branch running across the street from it. Ended up working at TRW in Redondo beach next to the Santa Fe Harbor sub. Seems I've always worked or lived within sight or earshot of trains -- SP and ATSF. For the life of me I have no idea why I like CNW so much since I've never set foot in CNW territory.

I grew up in a very small town along SP's mainline in the Sacramento Valley.  Up until I was a teenager I lived about a mile from the tracks; from a teenager until I moved out to start college it was about four tenths of a mile away.  When I was involved in Boy Scouts our hut happened to be a converted depot that was relocated into the city park that was next to the tracks.  The Sacramento Northern (a subsidiary of the WP) had trackage rights on that mainline between Sacramento and Chico after they abandoned their electrified service and track that ran east of town, and as I recall they ran sometime around midnight every night, primarily using GP7 and GP9s.  Used to even see BN trains go through once in a blue moon.

 

My grandparents used to live out in the country where their place just happened to be approximately 5 miles in between the SP and WP tracks so during the summers I used to spend at their house allowed me to hear both, especially at night.

 

Now I live in San Diego, and I'm about 5 miles away from the BNSF & San Diego trolley lines.  Don't hear the trolley's doorbell buzzing horns obviously but I can definitely hear the BNSF, Amtrak Surfliner, and the Coaster trains in the distance.

I live a couple miles from the CSX and hear the horns in the distance often.

Many years ago, while we were building a new home, we lived in our Airstream for a few months. The tracks were only a couple hundred feet from where it was parked. It was really fun to see the freights come through, and during the night after the first week, we became immune to the noise.

I live 150 feet from track in front of my house.There is a main and siding goes thru here.I lived here going on 41 years.The railroad line was B&O then went to Chessie then CSX then now A&O railroad a short line runs it now.   

I lived in an apartment that was only separated from the BNSF triple-track main line, in the Chicago area, by a two lane road.  Between commuter trains, Amtrak, and freight trains entering a yard about a mile east of where I lived, there was always action and clanging crossing gates (four crossings in less than a mile).  Many of my girlfriends used to wonder how I slept at night, but after the first month or so, the "rhythm of the rails" just sounded like a lullaby to me!

 

Still live within 4 blocks of the same main line, just a few miles further west to avoid the rail yard issues.

 

Chuck

I live about a mile from a CSX mainline.   We can hear trains inside the house when all is quiet, particularly on Sat and Sun mornings, and at night.   It doesn't seem bother anyone.  I like it.  

We live about 1/4 mile or so from the NYS&W freight line that runs through northeastern NJ.  Almost every night, about 7 o clock, a small freight runs through, always heading west.  I sometimes will hop in the car when I hear the approaching rumble or diesel horn and go down to the tracks to see what combination of Susquehanna or CSX power is passing through.

 

- Mike

I hear this one all the time:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/o...0263/in/photostream/

 

Plus CSX trains in and out of town (on the old Seaboard Air Line main) about 3 miles away.

I work for the railroad, so I moved as far as I could AWAY from the railroad hehe.  I'm not much of a railbuff/foamer, I just love modeling.

450 feet from the CSX Trenton Sub.

I grew up in Philly and my grade school was about 200-300 feet away from a elevated  freight yard separated by a wide city street. I could see a switcher about any time of day while in school. Where I currently live I can sometimes hear a fright train that runs a couple of miles from me.

 

 

Joe B. 

I miss living in Brooklyn a block away from what was the B train running on the El above New Utrecht ave. I can remember waking up in the AM and hearing those steel wheels rumble softly in the distance

I grew up along the burlington northern main line in Sandwich Il , now live in Ohio near the old New York Centrals Columbus O to Charleston  Wva  coal hauling line now used by the NS railroad . you can hear the horns blow for the crossings at my house.

I live next to the Bessemer and Lake Erie.  We enjoy seeing those orange engines several times a day.  The kids run to the window to watch.

 

Andy

I spent my four years in high school (Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx) sitting high above the Mott Haven yards, just as the track bends toward THE Stadium. Schoolmate Jim Policastro can better describe the site and its history. I can only say that the squealing was so disruptive that at times the brothers (a religious order, not the African Americans...lol) would have us close the windows in the non-air conditioned classrooms. No fun in the heat of May and June.

THE Stadium?  The one they torn down?

i live in Newhall, CA about a mile away from the shared L.A. Metro/UP branch line coming down Soledad Canyon from the Antelope Valley. When the windows are open, I can hear several grade crossing signals being made on a frequent basis.

I live in Palmer Township PA about 2-3 miles from some industry spurs, and hear trains every now and then.  I work in Bethlehem PA, and see Norfolk Southern trains on the mainline almost on a daily basis.

I grew up along the PRR Mainline.  We lived about 1/4 mile away on a ridge that gave a pretty good view of what was going on and could hear the traffic.  There was the 4 track mainline and a couple of sidings that shot off to a Westmoreland Coal Co. mine and some car shops.  Both were long closed when I was a kid in the 50's except for a huge smokestack(easily seen from the PA Turnpike) that came down in the early 70's, I think.

The ballfield was not too far from the tracks and there was so much traffic (or so it seemed) that we really didn't pay too much attention to what was going on.

Now I live in the country about 9 miles from my childhood home and hear,well,nothing.

 

Norm

Grew up listening to both the P&W and also the B&A which both ran through my hometown Millbury Ma. Played on the tracks and often had close up views. Once had to hug the wooden guard rail on a small bridge while hunting with my father. We got caught off guard crossing a river. Good thing train was going slow. Closer than I ever want to see a moving train again when I am not on it. Now I am within hearing distance of what is now MTA commuter trains on what was formerly Boston and Maine tracks. Fred

Wow!!Guys thanks for your replys.Turns out there are alot more people than I expected.There a town called harrisberg just outside charottle n.c.Used to help my granddad with scrapiron.We would go to a scrapyard.Ns runs through harrisberg on this line ns runs fast freights.There a banked curves were the train leans into it.The last time I went to harrisberg.There are now houses very closse to the tracks.I know they get shaken up pretty good.

I'm in Fort Mill, SC - just 2 miles away from the NS R Line - I can hear the horns from my house.  I 'm about 20 miles from the NS main line in Charlotte & 12 miles from the CSX in Waxhaw

The closest line to me is the CN, former EJ&E, about a mile away. Its fairly quiet because of municipal horn grade crossing restrictions. However, I grew up about three blocks from the Grand Trunk when they were still running steam. That was a very noisy neighborhood.

Here in Memphis, TN we have 3 major intermodal yards for BNSF, CN, and Norfolk Southern.  On top of that there is a scattering of smaller rail yards around the area also!  Memphis has LOTS of rail activity with one of the major lines running right down the center of city.  I think it has a lot to do with us having the only rail crossings across the mighty Mississippi River for a long way.  

NJ Transit stops at the train station less than a mile from my home. I love seeing the double-decker passenger cars. On the freight side, I routinely see two different Morristown & Erie ALCOs pulling hopper cars all over the area.