Apartment overlooking railway. Where would you choose

[side effect]

So you are in a position where you could relocate to an apartment/house where your favourite stretch of track is.

England i would choose flats looking into Euston station and in Scotland it would be just outside Inverness where the sleeper waits for the time it takes for a train going into Inverness.

Where would your idyllic location be.

Sorry if its a boring post and feel free to delete.

Regards

 

[Iskra]

I’d probably choose Bolton-le-Sands on the West Coast Mainline, although they aren’t apartments there, more traditional houses and bungalows.

Or maybe just South of Hest Bank.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Southall - plenty of mainline action plus the heritage stock at the depot.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Probably Manchester overlooking Castlefield. Lots of choice of apartments there too!

 

[BeijingDave]

So you are in a position where you could relocate to an apartment/house where your favourite stretch of track is.

England i would choose flats looking into Euston station and in Scotland it would be just outside Inverness where the sleeper waits for the time it takes for a train going into Inverness.

Where would your idyllic location be.

Sorry if its a boring post and feel free to delete.

Regards

May be an autocorrect error but idyllic means peaceful and Euston station certainly wouldn't be that!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Whatever location I would choose in such circumstances, it would always be a house - not a flat.

 

[birchesgreen]

Somewhere in the countryside that backs onto the Chiltern Main Line, i'd like a nice summer house with a good view of the trains.

 

[Western Sunset]

When I first met the person who would later become my wife, she lived in a flat that overlooked the Brighton mainline between South Croydon and Purley Oaks.

 

[John Griffiths]

There are a couple of blocks of student flats just east of Newcastle city centre overlooking the ECML and the Metro line. Some of them face the lines with balconies, so you could get good views west to the city and E to the Byker viaducts. If I were young again...

 

[YorksLad12]

I'm living in one now, overlooking the western end of Leeds Station. It'll be nice when it's finished (the station, not the flat).

I used to live on a street that stopped at the railway line just north of Headingley Station, although I could only see trains when I was in the front garden. Could certainly hear them though, especially the HST set on it's way to Harrogate.

 

[Freightmaster]

I’d probably choose Bolton-le-Sands on the West Coast Mainline,

Excellent choice - highly recommended!



MARK

 

[Iskra]

Probably Manchester overlooking Castlefield. Lots of choice of apartments there too!

Quite rare to see anything actually interesting though

 

[Cowley]

For me (and we have actually considered this), somewhere on the Newton Abbot side of Teignmouth overlooking the railway and the river.

 

[Western Sunset]

For me (and we have actually considered this), somewhere on the Newton Abbot side of Teignmouth overlooking the railway and the river.

Shaldon; just need a good pair of binoculars...

 

[scarby]

I don’t know where it would be, and the choice must be much slimmer than many years ago but I always think it would be nice to live next to a freight line that gets just one or two services a week.

There would be something strangely reassuring about this.

 

[Cowley]

Shaldon; just need a good pair of binoculars...

It is nice over there. Bit pricey though so I wouldn’t be able to afford the binoculars as well.

 

[The Pelican]

I think the most varied current section of track would be the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly.

The London termini are all reasonably separate (and even Clapham Junction isn't that varied although the trains are frequent) and Birmingham New Street has lots of its approaches in tunnel.

South of Piccadilly with the London pendolinos, Scottish 397s, TfW trains, Liverpool-Norwich trains etc is pretty varied- especially if one of the West Midlands Trains Manchester services starts running to Piccadilly.

 

[billh]

Shaldon; just need a good pair of binoculars...

I have very distant relations that live there.

The trains are a fair distance away and from the ones I saw, not very exciting.

Many many years ago my father managed a textile business near the eastern end of Manchester Victoria . On Saturday mornings I'd go with him to work and by going to a corner window of the building , got a good view of the start of Miles Platting Bank and lines to Redbank. No diesel locos then but double headed Liverpool Newcastles , an L & Y 0-6-0 banking engine, old Bury EMUs etc.

I believe that building is now apartments so might be a good place?

 

[BeijingDave]

I think the most varied current section of track would be the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly- the London termini are all reasonably seperate (and even Clapham Junction isn't that varied although the trains are frequent) and Birmingham New Street has lots of its approaches in tunnel. South of Piccadilly with the London pendelinos, Scottish 397s, TfW trains, Liverpool-Norwich trains etc is pretty varied- especially if one of the West Midlands Trains Manchester services starts running to Piccadilly.

But you would have to live in Manchester

 

[eastwestdivide]

There's a terrace running parallel to the line at Hasland just S of Chesterfield, I think where a Railcam is installed. The fronts face the railway. Not a bad spot for freight and passenger.

 

[zero]

I've lived next to various busy railways for about 8 years of my life and I wouldn't do so again. So if I was forced to choose somewhere it would be along a PSUL route. It might only have one train a day late at night, or maybe no trains at all for months or years, then be very busy during a holiday period when it's being used as a diversion.

For example the most recent PSUL I did was Lostock/Farington and I did wonder if any of the residents backing onto the line were curious about why they suddenly had trains every hour for a few days - but I didn't see anyone peering at the trains through their windows or backyards.

 

[Iskra]

I suppose another good spot would be those houses at the end of Barmouth bridge, or possibly in the vicinity of Arnside or Grange Over Sands.

 

[JRHurst]

I back on to the North London Line. Never know what to expect living by the NLL, lots of variety : -)
But no peace and quiet at night.

 

[DerekC]

There are some decent looking flats that overlook the back of Alton (Hampshire) station. The steam action would be nice, but I am not sure I could put up with a solid diet of 450s on the main line side! My ideal really would be a suite in one of the converted Pullmans at The Sidings near York - but I don't suppose they would do a deal!

 

[oldman]

I’d probably choose Bolton-le-Sands on the West Coast Mainline, although they aren’t apartments there, more traditional houses and bungalows.

My parents lived in BLS after retiring but I don't think many houses had a railway view, though some backed on to it. The old village by the canal is some distance from the railway. I remember the night trains passing and going to see the west coast postal around 2220 but I can't work out where from Streetview.

It was a very attractive place to live.

 

[JohnofWessex]

I stayed at a holiday development at the top of the cliff at Aberdovey above Penhelig station - Hillside Village?

You could look across the Dovey Estuary & see the Aberystwyth line in the distance

 

[Welly]

Whatever location I would choose in such circumstances, it would always be a house - not a flat.

Do you remember the estate agent blurb for a flat overlooking the tracks out of Waterloo with the description "perfect for a deaf trainspotter" way back in the 1980s?

 

[D1511]

I went to view a handsome house in the Newington area of Edinburgh that had the sub at the bottom of the garden - with a strategically placed shed with an excellent view in both directions. I thought that would be pretty decent......not loads of irritating units rattling past.....just reasonably interesting slow moving freights and stock movements every now and again.....and a nice large garden to reduce any noise or vibration.
Couldn't really afford the house though, so that put an end to that!

 

[OuterDistant]

I saw a lovely house for sale a few years ago, adjacent to the railway at Norton Bridge. Some day it will surely come on the market again...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Do you remember the estate agent blurb for a flat overlooking the tracks out of Waterloo with the description "perfect for a deaf trainspotter" way back in the 1980s?

That was actually at East Croydon, but yes - I do remember it. I think about that every time I go past the property in question ( it's still there! )