What's it Like Living Next to a Class I Mainline?

You will probably only hear a horn if the property is near a railroad crossing or a bell if the property is near a station.  Most trains running on welded rail are pretty silent these days.  This is the reason so many people walking on tracks are killed.    

My uncle had a house that was near a mainline railroad track when I was kid.  We could clearly see the trains about 100 yards from the house.  Everyone got to used to the sound of passing trains.  We basically didn't hear them.  

You should probably ask the neighbors about the noise.  Everyone has different tolerance levels.  NH Joe

Awesome.  My grandmother lived about two blocks off the former PRR mainline in Lilly, PA.  So eastbound trains were usually working pretty hard.  I used to love to sleep over and listen for the horn signals at the grade crossing about a mile eastward.

Well, just my opinion but, I would NOT purchase a house "near the railroad tracks". The sound and vibrations are beyond comprehension. We currently live about a mile south of the BNSF/METRA three track main line (former CB&Q East End) in the western suburbs of Chicago, thus it is a "quiet zone" with no horns (unless there is some sort of emergency). In summer months, with the windows open, we still here the METRA commuter trains, as well as the all the BNSF freight trains.

I can not imagine what it would be like living actually "next" to such a 79MPH three track main line!

Agree with Hot Water.  My aunt lives in a house that backs to UP tracks.  The tracks are behind a tree line and down a bluff.  It’s not too far down, maybe 20-30 feet.  It’s just enough that if you go look at the train, you’re looking down on it.  Anyway, even with the trees and elevation change it is LOUD.  No horn but just the rumble of the locomotive and wheels on tracks is enough for me to say no thanks.  If I were you, I’d go there and listen to a train go by.

I have lived 300' ( and had a business with in 100' ) of 2 deferent railroads both double mainlines, its loud at first, at night with the widows open, but after a week or so you dont even hears them

Agree with Hot Water -- Don't! I live in a quiet residential neighborhood about 3-4 miles due north of (and 800' up in altitude) from the village of Fonda, NY. The New York City - Chicago  CSX main line (formerly the NYC "Water Level Route") passes through that village with multiple trains daily. I can hear them - horns included - quite clearly here in the house with all the windows and doors closed. It becomes annoying on warm summer nights when the barometric pressure is low.

I live about 3 blocks away from the CN line that is also a Metra route into Chicago.  No horns thru here.  It’s no problem at all.  I live on the 2nd floor of a house that was built in 1927, and sometimes you get a wiggle while watching tv in bed, but as far as noise it’s not an issue at all.  Only thing that bugs me is I sell lumber for a living and all I hear is about supply chain issues raising prices while I can count a hundred cars of lumber in a train roll by thru my kitchen window.  Where’s it goin!

That’s not an exaggeration, I counted over a hundred empty center beam flats in a unit train heading back north to get filled up again.  Keep choppin those trees down boys.

Cheers,       W1

Some years ago back in ‘04, we moved back to PA from ME. We lived on / by the Piscataway River in ME. The ship horns approaching the old Portsmouth - Kittery Bridge on occasion would wake us. In PA, we initially lived in a very cool house on cool street that backed up to the Keystone / Septa regional R5  / historic Main Line in Haverford. When we first arrived we always knew when the trains passed as they were approaching or departing. The house shook. Over the course a few late evenings (ie I was asleep) Amtrak replaced all of the wooden ties with modern concrete ones. It woke and scared me. After that we didn’t hear a thing. My bride and I would love sitting out back seeing the passenger trains pass by. It was some very happy times for us. Today, we live near that same line and near the Septa Norristown High Speed Line (P&W). I hear the horns for both occasionally overnight. Neither is that close. I find all of this comforting. We are train people after all. For you, I would suggest a drive by at night and look quite closely up and down the subject ROW. Some for these can be quite sketchy. We were fortunate in this regard.

When I am on the road fanning or going to an event, I usually take the van.  In the back is my cot and bag etc.  Since we have no more trains in my home town, I usually go out of my way to park as close to tracks as possible.  Once asleep I never hear them.  Going west up to the snow, I always liked to stay in a small town on the Wyoming Nebraska border by the name of Pine Bluffs, a RR town on the UP just east of Cheyenne.  Train horns pretty much all night long which did not bother me, but others complained bitterly.  Same on west end of Cheyenne.  Used to sleep well in Truckee Ca. too, staying in the hotel across from the track, just beyond the Depot,  this was in the 70s and they would have multiple units in run 8 gunning for the hill west of Truckee with manned helpers mid train.  Never lost any sleep there either.  Just me I guess. So to each his/her own.  Of course I have always been a train nut I guess.

You all know there is a rule that clearly states all Boy Scout camps must be located within hearing range of any crossing. Seldom used track does not meet the criteria. I could follow the path of a train listening to its required horn at all crossings. Of course it helps when the only other sound is the wind through the leaves.  When I lived in Naperville at night we could hear the BNSF running EW to our north and the CN running NS to the west.   

Run away....run far away.......

Sorry but this is a caveat emptor moment....

I live about a half mile from the LIRR main line in mid-Nassau County, on Lawn-guy-land. Up until recently the horns were a regular disturbance. The RR recently eliminated most of the grade crossings so the horns have stopped. Even with welded rail, the clickety-clack of the trucks going over signal breaks at 70 mph is like a drum beat. And that's from M-5,7, and 9 commuter trains, not cranky old freight cars.
The NY and Atlantic runs freight back and fourth, and they typically have a mixed freight heading east around 0200. Pulled by a pair of GP-38's you definitely know they are working hard.

When we were house shopping, we looked at an area that was near a pair of major highways on LI, the background noise from the cars and trucks was bad, and it never stops.

Worst of all, what's there today could be worse tomorrow. It's called a right of way for a reason.

Sorry.......

You need to spend time there and see what's it like for yourself.

While in college, I lived in a garden apartment complex that was bisected by Conrail's Lehigh Line in NJ, with also a passing siding. Really never heard a thing. The freight trains were that quiet. Maybe a little bit when a train on the siding would take up slack. It wasn't intrusive, anyway.

Good luck.

I think CNJ Jim gave excellent advice about spending time there and seeing what it 's like yourself.

We live near the former RF&P, now CSX  mainline.  When I moved here in the 1980s, there were only two tracks.  Now there are three tracks plus two more tracks for Metro.  Occasionally there is a little vibration but for the most part we don't notice the trains.  The occasional blowing of the horn is not objectionable; in fact, I like it.  The trains have never woken us up.  The trucks and cars on the streets around us make more noise more often.

The one thing I would watch out for is if there are grade crossings nearby.  There is a hotel in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, that's across the Juniata River from the former PRR, now Norfolk Southern, main line with a grade crossing on the street into town.  During all hours of the night, there are trains blowing their horns for the crossing and that does get bothersome.  Maybe if I lived there I'd get used to it, but I don't think I would buy a house there.

The variety of opinions and experiences is quite interesting but I think I will ere on the side of caution and stay away. I presently live in an apartment and have been woken up by neighbor's playing music or TV late at night before. Certain noises are easier for me to filter out, but based on the consensus here I don't think a train would be one of them! Thank you everyone, you have saved me from a very expensive regret!

As a follow-up to those suggesting I check out the property in person, I would if I lived closer, but it is more than a few hours away. If this was an amazing property and the tracks were the only detractor, I would schedule a showing and spend some time listening both in and out of the house, but there are other suitable properties I've found and can devote my attention to. Thank you all again for your input!

Growing up we could hear the clank of freight cars being sorted at night, seemed pretty normal in the 60's.  My sons last duty station was ft belvoir.  He had a condo in lorton station, the trains were just across the parking lot, didn't seem all the loud.

A freight train is rolling by now, I am 3 blocks from the tracks with a double hung window 12” open facing the tracks and can barely hear it.  Does give the bed a slight wiggle like I said, just sayin hi.

I grew up in NJ in a house that was near the CNJ / NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line, and there was a grade crossing directly in front of our house, about 200 yards away. Dad and I didn't mind because we liked trains. And, like others have said, after a short time we didn't even notice the horns blowing as the commuter trains flew by. For a short time, I lived about a mile north of Orlando International Airport and was right in the flight pattern. Same thing: after a short time, I didn't notice the planes either taking off or landing, depending on wind direction.

The thing I would be concerned about more than the noise from the trains is resale. When you go to sell, there will most likely be a good number of prospective buyers who are asking the same question you are asking here.

I live just North of Detroit along the CN Holly Sub and close enough to hear the CN and Amtrak train horns but far enough away to where it's actually pleasant and mixes in with the rest of the everyday sounds of the area. 

I currently live less than a quarter mile from a reasonably busy main and have for nearly 14 years.  I hear the trains if I'm awake and don't when I'm asleep.  Can't say that I'm aware that they've woken me up if they have.  It's like most things, at least for me.  If it's a "safe sound," I adjust to it, accept it as normal and mostly  tune it out. 

On the other hand, I will never adjust to "unsafe sounds."  There is an ambulance substation about the same distance from where I live and if one leaves with siren blasting, no matter the time of day, I hear it.

The highway in front of my house has also become background noise.  Some adjust better than others.  You have to know your level of comfort.  Since you feel you need to ask the question, I think it might not be for you.

Besides the train tracks 3 blocks away, I have the fire station literally right next to me on the east side and the cop station right next to me on the north side.  And live on the main drag thru town, Grand Ave. on the south side, and a lively bar at night right across the street on the west side.  I’m right in the middle.  Can’t say any of it bothers me at all.  I guess it depends on the person.  At least I know I’m alive.

Keep in mind that wind direction will make a big difference in noise levels.  So, if you actually visit the area, make sure you evaluate noise levels at different wind directions.

If someone has always lived in the vicinity of railroads you may not, or probably won't mind living near a Class I...  If you haven't before, then buyer beware is probably the best approach...

With that said, I live right on the BNSF (former CB&Q) line in one of the small towns between Ravenna and Alliance in Nebraska.  It's a double track mainline with many trains per day, and even occasional switching of the local AG business in town.  My house is probably about 100 yards away give or take.  Yes it can be noisy at times, and the occasional train may vibrate or shake the house a bit - not always, but occasionally.  Do I mind it?  Nope - of course I enjoy watching and paying attention to what's going on "on the railroad". 

Growing up as a kid in Lincoln Nebraska it was a similar situation along the BNSF / BN, with faint memories of even the Rock Island before they shut down if looking out the back picture window.  My parents' house was further away, say several hundred yards away give or take, but as a general rule we could always hear when they went by.  So, I've spent the vast majority of my life living within earshot of a busy mainline.  So, between being an enthusiast and also being conditioned my whole life, it doesn't bother me a bit.

Actually, I'm bothered more when the trains aren't running and there's the absence of the sounds of them going by.  This has happened twice in the last 10 years...  First was for a major snow storm which pretty much shut everything down in the area for a couple days.  The second was the horrible flooding a couple years ago from the spring "bomb cyclone" that passed through.  Areas that I never dreamed would flood were flooded all around, and the BNSF tracks were left hanging in the air a few miles from where I live when the grade beneath totally washed out for a stretch.  It was silent for about a week then - and the total lack of activity on the railroad was a sure sign that things were not in a good way!

and watch the train passing scenes in My Cousin Vinnie--

As a youngster in the 1940's I lived a block from the station and yards of the LIRR in Patchogue, never remember it waking me up except on VE Day when they blew all the whistles and bells they had for hours.

Every night whether or not the windows are open and no matter which direction the wind is blowing right around 3 am I can hear trains on the old B&A in Westfield mass quite well.  There’s only one crossing where the horn is blown and at 5.5 miles away it’s real easy to hear.

I couldn't do it.   Regardless of what others say I would not get used to it.  Luckily I am about 2 miles away from my local tracks (as the crow flies).  Been there 41 years and I still hear them.

Being the "engineering" type, I'd experiment.  I'd take a car horn and car battery down to the back of the property and have an assistant aim it at the house and blow while you're inside with the window's closed . Yes, screwy idea, but if it the property checks all the other boxes it might be worth the effort.

Also, evaluate what kind of windows the house has. If it's single pane, then "soundproof" windows

https://www.pella.com/performa.../soundproof-windows/

might be a possible improvement. ( Note: I have no connection to Pella other than having their windows in my house )

My ex-wife's grandmother lived across the street from the N&W main going thru Suffolk Va.  This was a couple decades ago but I can recall the vibrations throughout her house and she said coal dust got into everything. Plus when a long train came thru there was no way to get in/out of the neighborhood until it passed.  Bad in case you need an ambulance.

If you want to see trains get a house that has a mainline within driving distance...kind like a boat, the best boat is the one owned by your friendly neighbor!!!

As someone who has professionally dealt with train noise and residential areas, here's what I would suggest you investigate:

• When was the house built, and by whom? Certain modern home builders take care to upgrade windows and exterior walls if they are near a rail line.  I know KB Homes does, and has acousticians on retainer in states where they are going to build (not a pitch, I just know their criteria)
• Proximity to grade crossings?
• Proximity to yards, stations, and other locations where trains will blow horns, apply brakes, and/or accelerate from a stop?
• Major local industries?  What I've measured and observed is that hoppers seem to be older and less well maintained than other equipment, especially stone hoppers.  Intermodal and centerbeams tend to be on the quieter side.  Everything else is in between.
• Distance from the house to the tracks?  I've seen pretty consistently 75-80dB at roughly 75ft from the tracks, when there are no horns.  Sound drops 6dB per doubling of distance, i.e. if 80dB at 75ft, it would be 74dB at 150ft.  A change of 10dB is a halving/doubling of the perceived sound level.  A level exceeding 35-40dB indoors will disrupt sleep.  A typical closed window with single pane glass will reduce levels by about 15-20dB.  With dual pane glass, it will reduce levels by 25-30dB.

One other thing to add: vibration is going to vary wildly depending on soil type.  Denser soil transmits vibration better than looser soil.

I'm going to come at this from a different direction.  I'm about 3/4 mile north of the old NYC main (now Amtrak) from Detroit to Chicago, and directly under the air approach for Detroit Metro Airport's main runway (3C).

The sounds of aircraft approaching from the northeast for landing are ubiquitous, and have so mixed into the background noise over the years that we don't notice them at all, unless they're from an unusual aircraft, like the C-17 that carries the president's limo into town, the Concorde when it visited Detroit, or the B-24 based at nearby Willow Run airport on Memorial Day as it flies over to support local parades.

Fortunately take-offs only occur when the wind blows from the north, which is usually only in the winter, when the windows are closed.   The FAA and airport authorities do a good job of policing landing noise.  About every twenty years some local group will threaten to file a lawsuit over noise but it never gets anywhere, and really shouldn't because it's not that bad.

However the sounds of trains, when they come, are a welcome change.  Aircraft arrivals and departures are timed around planes flying inbound to service our transportation hub, bringing in people from all parts of the country, then outbound after taking on passengers from other inbound flights, heading out of the other side of the airport, thankfully.

In between landing clusters, and for most of the night we have quiet time.  This is when the trains shine.

In the morning for many, many years we've heard Torch Lake whistling off, taking museum visitors at Greenfield Village for their customary train ride around the site.

In the evening after dinner we can hear Amtrak's Wolverine approaching from the west, signaling for grade crossings, each horn blast getting louder as it approaches.  Now that the line has been upgraded for higher speeds this transpires much more quickly than it used to.

In the middle of the night the freights do the same, but moving more slowly.

None of it is excessive.  All of it very welcomed.

In the midst of all this one of the most interesting days in my lifetime, which was both amazing and troubling at the same time, occurred on 9/11/2001.  When the U.S. airspace shut down the silence here was deafening.  My wife likes to say that we new for sure that the world had stopped on that day, not necessarily because of the events we saw on TV in New York and Washington, but because all the hubbub that we've become accustomed to over the years simply vanished in an instant.  It was gone for several days.

All we had to fill the gap were the trains.  And they were a welcomed sign that life was still going on around us in spite of the disaster.

When you think about possibly buying that new house near the tracks, think not only of the bad but the good as well.

I'll take the trains anytime.

Mike

@New Haven Joe posted:

Most trains running on welded rail are pretty silent these days.  This is the reason so many people walking on tracks are killed.    

And I would advance that any increase in people getting killed trespassing on railroad property is not occasioned by the supposed silence of the trains, but because of the epidemic increase within the populace of cases of stupid.

Home near tracks:

Never lived in a location where busy rails were in my back yard. Closest I've lived is a few blocks away. However, I've been able to hear trains from at least 80% of the houses I've lived in during the course of my life. (Currently 70 years of age as of March 6.)

I love the sounds of railroading. Always have.

SO, every house I've lived in which I could hear trains: I loved the sounds I could hear.

I currently live about 1.8 miles (as the crow flies) from the KCS' north/south main to the gulf. The sounds of the distant trains equate to being my sedatives and mental health sounds. Every time I hear one: Good memories and warm feelings every time. (Admittedly, there are also occasional longings to be running a train again, too.)

I wouldn't want to live where I could not hear trains.

Now, whether I would want them running scant yards from my home? I don't know. That might be different. However, I truly suspect I'll never find out, for we intend to live in our home that we've lived in for going on 21 years until we either pass, or have to go to a convalescing home.

Andre

It sure is interesting to see the difference of opinions. I've lived across a road from a grade crossing by a passenger station on a busy commuter train and freight line. so you got road noise, the grade crossing bells and the general engine and car noise but candidly, we got used to it and barely noticed it.

I was an engineer for BNSF, I worked west out of Kansas City. When we left Holliday and headed up the hill to Olathe, it was run 8 all the way, with trains in dynamic braking going the other way,  I can't tell you how many trains a day, but quite a few. The residents that built up & down the hill were always complaining about the noise, so they finally put in a long "quiet zone", but the trains were still there day and night. One of the articles about it in the paper quoted a dissatisfied new home owner as being told by the realtor that it shouldn't be a problem, because the railroad track would become a walking path with the next few years. This is the BNSF transcon, and they believed it would be a rails to trails or something like that !. I live about three miles from the Topeka Sub, and I can still hear the far away whistle of a train once in a while, and Amtrak about the time I wake up in the morning, and if the north wind is just right, I can hear the Union Pacific a couple of miles further north across the river, but none of it's close enough to matter, and I kinda like to hear it sometimes.

This is an interesting discussion.  My take on it is different from most.  I would be more concerned about a possible derailment than train noise, if my property backed up to a main line railroad.  The noise would not bother me, but railroad equipment coming through my back fence is a definite "No".

Not all realtors are dishonest, but there are a bunch who will lie through their teeth about train frequency and noise, when showing a railroad-adjacent house.  I dealt with a few of their victims when I was still working.  They wanted me to stop the whistling, make the trains slow down, and make the trains stop running between 7 PM and 7AM.  

One couple in rural Texas had wanted to make a killing on Emu Oil, and had purchased a large number of emus when a lot of others had done the same, only to find that there was not going to be a demand for them.  They accused our Engineers of intentionally sounding the whistle while passing their place, frightening the emus and resulting in dead birds from panicking and stampeding into the fence.  I tried to be nice with them and checked numerous event recorder downloads on a spread of dates and times of day, only to find out that no trains were whistling within two miles of the emu operation.  The man was completely unreasonable and had a pistol conspicuously strapped to his belt the last time I visited them.

Deciding to buy within easy earshot of a railroad is a very personal decision.  If you like to hear trains and are willing to risk lower resale price, an unhappy wife, agitated and unreasonable neighbors, as well as having to cross a mainline track when coming and going from home, then this might work for you.  If having any of those trade-offs makes you even slightly hesitant, then perhaps a different location would be better suited for you.  

I hope that you are able to look back a few years from now with confidence that you made the right decision.

@Number 90 posted:

Deciding to buy within easy earshot of a railroad is a truly personal decision.  If you like to hear trains and are willing to risk lower resale price, an unhappy wife, unreasonable neighbors, as well as having to cross a mainline track when coming and going from home, then this might work for you.  If having any of those trade-offs makes you even slightly hesitant, then perhaps a different location would be better suited for you.  

The truest statement yet...

Rusty

@Number 90 posted:

Not all realtors are dishonest, but there are a bunch who will lie through their teeth about train frequency and noise, when showing a railroad-adjacent house.  I dealt with a few of their victims when I was still working.  They wanted me to stop the whistling, make the trains slow down, and make the trains stop running between 7 PM and 7AM.  

I'll also point out that some just may not know better.  I had an architect tell me that they didn't think the tracks were in use, they'd been on site all day and not seen any trains..... That was because they all came between 10pm and 7am, all 8 of them.

I lived across the street from a rail line from the time I was born until I was in my forties - admittedly, not a mainline. To me the big issue would be the horns. If it's just the train rolling by, it's not a big deal. You'll quickly get used to it. If there's a grade crossing that requires a horn, it may be different. The railroad I grew up by used Hancock air whistles, which were no where near as loud as the airhorns that started being used once the railroad changed hands.

@Rusty Traque posted:

The truest statement yet...

Rusty

I think your intent was "the most beneficial statement yet".

All of us that previously posted our thoughts told the truth, but Tom summed up the practicalities of this question in the most beneficial way yet.

Andre

I live about 1/2 mile from the UP North Metra line that runs passenger service to and from Chicago beginning weekdays at 445am and ending about midnight.  At the point where it goes through my town (Winnetka) it is below street level.  On days with the wind blowing the right direction, I can hear it, but most days I can't.  

I would not want to live close to the trains and some houses' property lines back up to the tracks, but the property on the tracks cost less, and for a reason.

John