Living by the line

[apk55]

The other side of the road on which I live (narrow suburban street) directly edges on the mid Cheshire line and Metrolink. It is about 17M from the front of my house to the tracks. A number of freight trains use this track but I rarely notice them. Most noticeable for vibration was when they used two Axel wagons for the Tunstead Winnington limestone trains, but the current stock now used is much better.

 

[dickdarlington]

The ECML is at the bottom of my garden (no more than 30ft), just south of Darlington station. The wee one loves it. Coincidently, my dad lives about the same distance away a bit further up the line.

Our house only vibrates to the full coal wagons, everything else is okay. It makes a big difference to the noise now that most trains stop at Darlo. And can anyone else count the Flying Scotsman as their alarm clock? It passes my house at 7.29...when it's on time. LOL.

The day we really notice the railway line is Christmas Day. When there are no trains.

When at uni, one of my ex's lived on Marleen Ave off Chilly Road in Newc. She had a front room, and it looked out onto Heaton depot. In the year she lived there, I don't think I ever got a full nights sleep. Noise and spotlights constantly. I think it lead to us splitting up...he says thankfully.

 

[Blindtraveler]

re flying Scotsman alarm clock - usually 5.42 with a loud hoot it passes near me. its great particularly as Im attempting to be the first in the swimmingpool when it opens. That said I can as easily ignore it!

 

[themiller]

I live on the Cumbrian Coast line just north of Millom. No problem with being kept awake at night as the last regular train passes at about 2030 and the first at 0630. Sunday is a day of rest with no trains at all. BTW when we moved here about 10 years ago there was jointed track but NR have now installed CWR so the trains just glide by.

 

[PaulLothian]

I have just realised that of the 11 houses where I have lived in my life, all were within a mile of a railway, and most were much nearer than that. We now have a much worse view of the Edinburgh - Glasgow mainline than when we moved to our present house because of tree growth, but at least the range of traffic is much less interesting than in the 80s, and we can still watch the Fort William sleeper pass at 00:20 if it's not too cold to open the bathroom window!

 

[Shimbleshanks]

The houses opposite me back on to the Brighton main line at Purley so we have a train going past every minute of the day on average and even two an hour in the small hours of the morning. Provided we keep the double-glazed windows shut, the noise is not too intrusive and has reduced with the retirement of the Mk2s on the Gatwick Express and the old slam door trains. The people opposite do though complain about the noise from the Class 66s shunting the Days Aggregates terminal in the early hours though in fairness even this noise has much reduced since it was redesigned to keep the locos away from the built-up area. Give me railway noise over the constant thrum and swish of traffic on a busy main road any day.

 

[KingboyD]

My parents house is 1 street away from the Manchester/Chester line right by the entrance to Oakleigh sidings! When I lived with them the paired 37`s and the old ICI wagons used to shake the house to bits! The signal for the exit onto the mainline was opposite the house so the 37`s and later on the 60`s would often sit there idling away waiting for ages for that one sprinter to pass.

 

[Ploughman]

A lad I used to work with got very excited when he got a house share in York near Holgate bridge.
He thought it would be great right outside York Station he was going to be in his element, dream location.

He lasted 2 nights.
MGR workings changing crews right outside and the amount of wheelflats did him in.

 

[T8KE0FF]

My house is literally right next to the WCML. You have our back garden, a road and then you have it. I don't mind it so much, but when you have the windows open in the summer, you can't hear anything when a train goes by. But it's not too bad as the Pendolino's whizz by after a couple of seconds, it's just the slow freight trains that annoy me!

 

[Polarbear]

Where I live, the house backs onto the Chester - Liverpool line.

Not too exciting these days (ooh, there's a 508; ooh, there's another one).

I suspect it would have been a little more entertaining up until early 1967 when the Birkenhead - Paddington service ceased to run.

 

[stuartmoss]

I grew up in a house in Darfield near Barnsley, that looked across the Dearne valley towards Wombwell, there used to be a line to Mexborough or Doncaster that is now Wombwell bypass, and from our house I used to sit with binoculars watching the trains as a child, I was fascinated.

My nan lived in Pangbourne on a street that ran parallel to the mainline that goes through their, again as a kid I remember hearing the trains coming and knowing if it was a 31, 33, 37, 47, 50 or 125 before it was visible. Their was some amazing freight in those days, including numerous car trains, and trains of military vehicles including tanks and dismantled helicopters.

Now I live 500 metres from the Harrogate line, I can see the units between the houses, but in terms of transport, the view I have of Leeds Bradford Airport and landing / taking off aircraft is much more spectacular.

I like this thread!

 

[Clip]

Lived for many years backed onto the east Kent line through to Ramsgate. Got used to it so quickly too when moved down there. Added bonus of seeing the odd steam hauled special too

 

[Accura]

I live about a mile and a half from the WCML just south of Preston. I can't see the line, and generally I can't hear it. Only at night when there is no road traffic, I can hear the rumble and horns of passing freight trains. I can also see the Ribble Branch from my bedroom on the other side of the river, but not a lot to see there!

I used to live in student halls smack bang next to the WCML at the junction with the former Preston-Longridge line. Despite trains passing constantly, I noticed them far less than I do from my current home.

 

[HawkeyeTheNoo]

I live a street away from the Glasgow/Newton line so very handy for my daily commute! Traction not very exciting though, predominently 314 emus with the occasional 380 too. Also get the occasional Voyager early on a Sunday morning, Network Rail MPV mostly in Autumn and the highlight of last year the sound of a 37 which I unfortunately didn't see but the knowledge it was passing by was fantastic!

 

[Statto]

I live 1/4 of a mile from the Railway line, although my Road is quite busy with a 10 min bus service plus a Secondary School at the end of the road, when it's quiet i can here the train[when it's quiet, i can also here the barriers going down at the level crossing], although it's class 507/508 units with the occasional works train.

 

[The_Van]

I have always wanted to buy one of the houses that you see in the pictures of Parsons Tunnel, Teignmouth, spectacular sea and railway views.

 

[4SRKT]

My parents nearly bought the house by the footbridge to the south of Holgate Junction, York in 1976. This would have been unbelievable, with freights stabling yards from the back door, and excellent views from the bedrooms of deltics accelerating away from the station. As it was they bought a house half a mile along the road, from where the line wasn't visible, but still very audible. I grew up to the sound of hump shunting at Dringhouses Yard, and 37s, 40s etc, starting away on the Speedlinks, not to mention the deltics and later [despised] HSTs on the ECML.

 

[tirphil]

Have lived in nine different houses during my lifetime and a railway was visible from all of them, although one of the railways was a preserved line! It hasn't been anything concious. Just happened that way.

 

[Cheshire Rover]

As a child our garden used to back onto the Helsby to Mouldsworth line. A plethora of class 25, class 40 and class 47 plus the odd (now heritage) DMU in the summer and Peaks on rail tours. Happy days.

 

[323Matt]

I live around 30 yards from the Stockport to Stalybridge line so not much going on there apart from tonnes of late night freight which usually 'rattles the radiators' as my Mum says Having said that, I do also hear the odd horn from trains passing Heaton Norris Junction on the Manchester branch of the WCML when there are works going on during the day as there are currently.

 

[trentside]

I live close to the Lincoln to Barnetby line. It took a little getting used to but I now find it quiet if I don't have trains passing. We used to have a real problem with vibration, but this stopped a couple of years ago after track and sleeper renewals.

 

[Stewart]

I live in Leeds city centre about 300 yards from the Leeds to York line. I can also see the Leeds-Liverpool canal and am under the flight path for Leeds Bradford Airport!

 

[paulb1973]

Alongside the Coventry - Rugby section (West Mids part) of the WCML line, the Sowe Viaduct is a 10-min away. On the other side of the line to me is a district of Cov called Willenhall - an area which had a reputation for tresspass and vandalism for some years.

 

[YorkshireBear]

I live in Leeds city centre about 300 yards from the Leeds to York line. I can also see the Leeds-Liverpool canal and am under the flight path for Leeds Bradford Airport!

You must be close to me then, live alongside the line just outside burley park. and the planes i can see coming right over my head as i look out of the window.

 

[Lampshade]

I live just over a mile from the WCML, I can hear horns every now and again.

 

[222007]

I used to live right next to the Birmingham-Stansted line the thing was my colleagues knew so would give me a toot my son loved it that said. Its surpringly a busy line with the 2 passenger trains and many freight. I found it interesting even working on the railway when there was engineering work outside. Even now i only live a short walk from the line and can here the freight rumbling through town and the whistle of the trains giving a good blast on the horn

 

[Robinson]

When I was at boarding school in Manchester we were just 2 minutes' walk from Manchester Victoria station; if you were in the right side of the right building you could see (and sometimes hear) the trains coming and going on the approach from Salford Central.

 

[mickpop]

For some years I owned one of the Midland Railway cottages at Long Marton on the S&C. In those days it was not as busy as now and there was no night traffic.However one night after midnight I was woken by a tremendous noise coming fron the embankment above. I thought it was a derailment or at least a failure but on peering from the window realised it was a pw occupation complete with floodlights,tamper etc and lots of banter from the workmen. As someone used to the occasional fox or owl it was quite a shock!

My grandmother grew up living in the station house at Neston South on the now long closed Hooton to West Kirby branch. Her elder sister told tales of how as kids they used to spit out of the bedroom window to try to hit the bowler hats of the 'men of commerce' on the platform below waiting to commute into Liverpool. Quite a shock for someone who knew his gran as a demure ex schoolteacher!

 

[Chapeltom]

I live about 400 yards from the freight line that runs through Chapel en le Frith, thats as the crow flies, occasionally hear freight at night.

 

[TCDD]

I live opposite Staines station. Can see the trains from my sofa in the sitting room or even from my bed. When the main line through Surbiton is blocked for engineering works it gets awfully busy, but despite a junction and a 'squeaky' curve the noise is barely noticeable. Must have been noisier in the past with the slam door trains, what with all that banging. Can't see why people worry about the prospect of a railway line next to their homes, it's quite a nice feature really, even for non rail enthusiasts...