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Advice on buying property relatively close to tracks

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lionelh

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quadring
Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying a house in a very quiet location, but when I was walking around a nearby garden I heard a very loud freight train passing by which is making me reconsider.
The house is around 600 meters from the track (this is the approx postcode PE11 4PX) and the signal would be at quadring.
The current owner reassured me that you can't hear most of the trains unless it's very windy.
I checked this website (https://live.rail-record.co.uk/) and it looks like there's quite a few freight trains passing by.
It seems like there were a few at the time I was visiting the property but I really could only hear one.

Could you advise me on the best way to check if this might be a problem? I can see from live rail that there should be around 40 trains per day but that doesn't tell me how fast they would go (except for the maximum allowed speed).
Is there any way to look for possible red flags (freight trains unlisted running all night for instance)?

Many thanks for your help!

Lionel
 
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rg177

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Looking at this link here for Spalding Station gives you a typical idea of what services are running at the moment: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/SPA/2020-07-31/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

There is a timing point for Quadring- but it's for a signal pointing northbound so doesn't give a full picture.

Basically freight trains do run all night but all of the services showing as (Q) against the booked time are merely booked paths- these services might only run a number of times a week, a month, or only as required very occasionally. As you can see, through Spalding on Friday from 00:01 to 03:59, freight trains passed at 00:14, 01:34, 01:57, 02:45 and 02:51.

However, I can say that generally you've little to worry about unless you're particularly sensitive to trains passing. My ex-missus lived right next to the East Coast Mainline (about 100m away) at Babworth which had a linespeed of 115mph(ish) and the sound of passing freight certainly didn't wake me up. You could hear the trains while awake, but it certainly didn't intrude, and that was without double glazing as it was a fairly old building. I can confirm indeed though that wind does make things a little louder if it's blowing the wrong way!
 

Llandudno

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There are posters on here that would pay more for a house near a railway line!

Personally, I would only if there was a station within walking distance!
 

Gems

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Be honest with yourself, will it bother you? Because the worst type of people are those who buy houses next to railway lines and expect the trains to be fitted with silencers.
 

lionelh

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Joined
3 Aug 2020
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Location
quadring
Be honest with yourself, will it bother you? Because the worst type of people are those who buy houses next to railway lines and expect the trains to be fitted with silencers.

Thanks for your reply. Normally I wouldn't want to be too close to railway tracks, but 600 meters from the tracks doesn't sound too bad.
I couldn't hear anything when I was there and unless I spend a whole day and night in the property I don't think I'd be able to tell.
That's why I asked for advice.
 

lionelh

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3 Aug 2020
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quadring
Looking at this link here for Spalding Station gives you a typical idea of what services are running at the moment: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/SPA/2020-07-31/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt

There is a timing point for Quadring- but it's for a signal pointing northbound so doesn't give a full picture.

Basically freight trains do run all night but all of the services showing as (Q) against the booked time are merely booked paths- these services might only run a number of times a week, a month, or only as required very occasionally. As you can see, through Spalding on Friday from 00:01 to 03:59, freight trains passed at 00:14, 01:34, 01:57, 02:45 and 02:51.

However, I can say that generally you've little to worry about unless you're particularly sensitive to trains passing. My ex-missus lived right next to the East Coast Mainline (about 100m away) at Babworth which had a linespeed of 115mph(ish) and the sound of passing freight certainly didn't wake me up. You could hear the trains while awake, but it certainly didn't intrude, and that was without double glazing as it was a fairly old building. I can confirm indeed though that wind does make things a little louder if it's blowing the wrong way!

Thanks a lot for your reply, it looks like there will be lots of freight trains at night as well.
From what I can see the maximum speed for most of them would be 75mph.
I guess it shouldn't be a problem inside the house but I wonder if it would drive me crazy sitting outside with so many frequent trains. I'll just have to go to the property again to get an idea.
 

Gems

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Thanks for your reply. Normally I wouldn't want to be too close to railway tracks, but 600 meters from the tracks doesn't sound too bad.
I couldn't hear anything when I was there and unless I spend a whole day and night in the property I don't think I'd be able to tell.
That's why I asked for advice.
I mean look, my post may have sounded a bit off. But you would be absolutely amazed at the number of people who buy houses close to stabling points and then ring up the TOC to complain about noise. Trains are noisy by definition, Freight trains rumbling past all the way down to a noisy compressor, one persons dream house can be another's nightmare.
But bare this in mind. Noise travels at night. I remember as a child listening to the St Pancras to Glasgow express rumbling through at 2.30 in the morning. (Now I am showing my age) and we lived a full 2 nautical miles away from the line. So be honest with yourself, and choose wisely.
 

johnr57

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I used to live in Tollerton, house about 400m from the ECML. Ok noticed it when i first moved in but after a week or so you just didn't notice it at all.
 

Kendalian

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I guess the first question is how much you want the house and whether that's sufficient to offset any concerns over noise.

I used to work near St Peter's Square tram stop in Manchester (before it was expanded). The original trams used to make a real whirring noise when they came to a halt. First couple of days after we moved into the office, we all looked up every time a tram came into the station. After that it didn't register at all. Following week a colleague visited from another office and commented on how noisy the trams were, we didn't notice them by then!

Will depend on the wind direction as well. I'm about 3/4 mile from the WCML, with the windows open in summer sometimes can hear the trains all night (if I'm awake) other times don't hear a thing.

Couple of days I reckon and you'll not notice the noise!
 

Horizon22

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There was a recent thread about someone else buying this time on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) but that was 25m and people were understandably concerned about the indiviudal pursuing.

Half a kilometre is a much larger distant and vegetation may also lessen the impact. Indoors I would suggest it wouldn't cause a problem and type of glazing on windows will have an impact. Obviously if they're open in the summer that negates it!
 

Bald Rick

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600m away you will hear trains, but only if you actively listen out for them.
 

ess

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Being close to track with points is significantly different from just being close to track
 

alangla

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A more general bit of advice I’d give is to visit a prospective purchase other than the time when you’re viewing it. I used to drive past houses I was thinking of buying at pub chucking out time to see if it really was the quiet area the vendor claimed it was. With that in mind, why not pick a time when Realtimetrains suggests you might see a few trains & just park nearby with the windows open? That’ll tell you what sort of issue it is.
 

London Trains

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At 600m you should be fine. In south London practically everyone lives within half a kilometre of a busy rail line, and from experience, you can only hear the trains if the area is very quiet and you listen out carefully. Occasionally some freight trains are slightly louder than others but there shouldn't be any noise issues.
 

RyanOPlasty

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I live less than 100m from the Birmingham Leicester line. Regular heavy freight trains, mostly overnight, but we rarely notice them
 

Llanigraham

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Looking at various maps of that area I think I would be more concerned with the noise night time farm work is likely to generate, and the amount of noise the transport company makes.
 

071

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The prevailing wind is Westerly, so based on the postcode you provided, it's going to be blowing the sound towards the property for the majority of the time. Of course, the wind speed will vary and tends to drop at night. However, that line looks like it could be busy enough at night.

I'm 600m away from a lightly trafficked line with little or no freight. I never hear the trains - but the line is in a cutting which deflects the sound upwards. I have lived much, much closer than that (22m and 200m) and as much as I like to hear a good thrash, I don't want it at 3am on a hot summer night when I've got the windows open and I have work the next morning.

My advice: If possible, go check it out. Park up one night and see for yourself. Only you will know if it's acceptable.

There seem to be some freight trains between 10:40pm and 11:30pm - if they run, of course. That would give you a good impression of the apparent level of noise whilst the area is quiet.
 

Deafdoggie

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Just another factor to bear in mind...my mum lives near train tracks, no overnight trains under normal circumstances. She’s deaf anyway and wouldn’t notice if there were! But there is a road access point in the fence by her house. When they’re doing overnight engineering even she notices all the plant and machinery going on. Not to mention people, noise and floodlighting. It doesn’t bother her, but it does bother some of the neighbours.
Of course, there isn’t engineering work too often, but as the access point is the only one for some miles in either direction, they can be working some way off and therefore more often as there’s several miles of track they can be working on. Worth checking if any access points in the fence!
 

071

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When they’re doing overnight engineering even she notices all the plant and machinery going on. Not to mention people, noise and floodlighting. It doesn’t bother her, but it does bother some of the neighbours.

That's a great point and I'm kicking myself for not mentioning it too.

It doesn't matter if there's an access point nearby or not, eventually they're going to need to do engineering work on the line. Often that's done at night and it can be noisy. If there's some complex work that needs to be done it might happen for several nights or weekends. Or worse, at Christmas. It's not likely to be a regular occurrence, but it will happen.
 

theironroad

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Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying a house in a very quiet location, but when I was walking around a nearby garden I heard a very loud freight train passing by which is making me reconsider.
The house is around 600 meters from the track (this is the approx postcode PE11 4PX) and the signal would be at quadring.
The current owner reassured me that you can't hear most of the trains unless it's very windy.
I checked this website (https://live.rail-record.co.uk/) and it looks like there's quite a few freight trains passing by.
It seems like there were a few at the time I was visiting the property but I really could only hear one.

Could you advise me on the best way to check if this might be a problem? I can see from live rail that there should be around 40 trains per day but that doesn't tell me how fast they would go (except for the maximum allowed speed).
Is there any way to look for possible red flags (freight trains unlisted running all night for instance)?

Many thanks for your help!

Lionel


I'd think that the fact you've identified there could be a problem is enough of a problem to say it's nice, but no thanks.

You may get used to any noise, but if you don't it's going to be a lot harder and a lot of hassle to get out of the situation.
 

holl1984

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We were offered a council house on the greenbank estate about 100 metres from greenbank station. We sleep with windows open and go to bed early and not once has the freight woke us.

We lived in another house a few years ago which was even closer to the mid Cheshire line just outside northwich station. Will never forget my partner coming out with “you only notice the trains when they aren’t running” which was true - hearing them became the norm And it was more intrusive when they wernt running
 

DelayRepay

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We lived in another house a few years ago which was even closer to the mid Cheshire line just outside northwich station. Will never forget my partner coming out with “you only notice the trains when they aren’t running” which was true - hearing them became the norm And it was more intrusive when they wernt running

I'd agree with this. I live quite near a main road but never really registered the background traffic noise until the early days of lockdown, when it completely disappeared.

My boss lives near a LUL line. I regularly hear trains passing their house when we're on the phone, especially in summer when she has the windows open, but she doesn't notice it at all.
 

trentside

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The same line that passes Quadring runs along the bottom of my garden. There are not a significant number of overnight workings (most run as required) but the container trains that do run can be very noisy even from a distance. I knew what I was letting myself in for, I’m happy to have the trains passing and am very used to the noise now. I think at 600m you won’t be as bothered by it, even outside.
 

apk55

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You should also consider how the railway is in relationship to the house house and the nature of the traffic. A railway in a in a cutting is much less noisy and obtrusive than one on an embankment or even a bridge or viaduct. . Also what traffic uses the line for example a low speed section of a commuter line is going to be quieter than a high speed intercity line. Also does the line handle freight which is more noisy.
I live about 20M fom the mid Cheshire line/ Metrolink tramway and do not notice most trains.
 

Essexman

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I would check whether there is a foot crossing nearby which may mean trains sound horns.
We live 75 yards from C2C line but rarely notice the trains unless there is engineering work nearby and they have to sound horns.

Also whether you can see the trains passing, as that must be a positive!
 

DarloRich

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simple answer: Only you know what you will consider acceptable. Speak to your solicitor, make whatever enquires of the owner and neighbours you deem fit and visit the are at different times to gauge the noise.
 

TheEdge

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My experience of living near a 24/7 depot and near a busy dual carriageway (different places) is fairly quickly it'll become the background noise that you just wont notice unless there is something out of the ordinary.
 

PaulLothian

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Like several other respondents, I would say that it's your call. For comparison, though, I would mention that I live less than 500 metres from the Edinburgh and Glasgow main line, in what was clear sight 40 years ago before some trees grew. Slight difference in alignment - we can hear the line as it goes from northwest to north as it passes us. Most common wind direction here is west to northwest. From in the house, the old Class 47 push-pull sets used to be moderately audible, but DMUs and modern EMUs can't be heard. Rare locomotive-hauled trains cannot be heard during daytime, but are just audible on a quiet evening. The odd heritage diesel heading to the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway can be clearly heard, but those are a joy!
I feel that the biggest question is the level of ambient noise. Daytime trains here suddenly became much more audible in the early days of lockdown, whereas distant traffic noise normally camouflages it.
As far as infrastructure work is concerned, we have never heard the track replacement or electrification work at all. I am sure that friends living near the railway will have a different story to tell on that, however!
 

The_Train

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Just another factor to bear in mind...my mum lives near train tracks, no overnight trains under normal circumstances. She’s deaf anyway and wouldn’t notice if there were! But there is a road access point in the fence by her house. When they’re doing overnight engineering even she notices all the plant and machinery going on. Not to mention people, noise and floodlighting. It doesn’t bother her, but it does bother some of the neighbours.
Of course, there isn’t engineering work too often, but as the access point is the only one for some miles in either direction, they can be working some way off and therefore more often as there’s several miles of track they can be working on. Worth checking if any access points in the fence!
That's a great point and I'm kicking myself for not mentioning it too.

It doesn't matter if there's an access point nearby or not, eventually they're going to need to do engineering work on the line. Often that's done at night and it can be noisy. If there's some complex work that needs to be done it might happen for several nights or weekends. Or worse, at Christmas. It's not likely to be a regular occurrence, but it will happen.

Another thing to add to these points is that if there is engineering works going on and it is not under a full possession ie some lines closed but some open, then you will have to add in the warning horn(s) from drivers of trains still going past. I live around 10-15m from the WCML and we have a week long run of overnight works going on to re-lay track and ballast but they are doing the slows and fasts separately to keep 2 running lines open through the night and that means we are being blessed with the sound of 2 tones to help us drift off to sleep :D I can't (and rarely ever can) hear the actual engineering work that is going on but I can definitely hear the warning horns.

Obviously these sort of works are few and far between (this is probably the biggest run of works in the 2 years I have been here as most is done on a Saturday night when the trains have stopped) and you just become accustomed to the day to day running noise and stop noticing it really. In fact, I actually find it harder to get to sleep on a Saturday night when the trains have stopped running compared to the rest of the week when trains run all night - the silence is clearly louder than the noise in my case :s
 
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