Britain's noisiest trains

[Welly]

I think this YT video is the best so far for the sound of the Deltics, engines turned on and the loco setting off. Scroll to 3 minutes.

 

[paddington]

Piccadilly between Knightsbridge and South Ken must rank highly too (well it's the one I travel on the most, while I only rarely venture onto the Central line)

 

[3rd rail land]

No a lot sooner than that I've heard it could be before the the 1972 tube stock on the Bakerloo line.

That's good because I very much dislike the 92 tube stock and rather like the Bakerloo as it trundles along rather slowly. Bakerloo has charm about it.

 

[Phil G]

What about a Western, always loudest to me when at full throttle.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

DMU-Class 155
Emu-Class 444 with fans

155s (and 153s) are particularly noisy when accelerating away from stops, probably a lack of noise insulation.

Good old British Leyland, gone but not forgotten!

 

[Doomotron]

Class 395s in the HS1 tunnels... absolutely deafening!
Eurotunnel car shuttles when they have a carriager door open if (when) they break.
Class 170/171s.

 

[alansheppard77]

Which trains do you think that is noisy?

All type of trains even steam and london underground can be included at any age.

Here are my pick which i think they are the loudest.

Diesel loco: Class 37/68/Valante
Electric loco: Class 92 aka the Worlds largest vacuum cleaner
DMU: Class 170 (With fans)
DEMU: Voyagers
EMU: Class 317 at 70+ mph
Steam: ?
Tube: Victoria Line 1967 stock

class 185

 

[reddragon]

My mobile phone can be noisy too, but I wouldn't hear it next to a Deltic, neither would I hear the 155/185/395/170/171 of Leyland National bus!

 

[randyrippley]

HST power car as originally built with Valenta and unmodified supercharger.
Seriously painful

 

[LOL The Irony]

HST power car as originally built with Valenta and unmodified TURBOcharger.
Seriously painful

Fixed it for you

 

[randyrippley]

The Fell diesel loco was apparently very loud. Is there any footage out there of it with sound? Also what about the blue Midland Pullman?

the Blue Pullman power car was effectively half a Warship with electric transmission, so presumably not painfully loud - the Warships were a lot quieter than any EE locos

 

[randyrippley]

Fixed it for you

still a type of supercharger

 

[Goldfish62]

I think this YT video is the best so far for the sound of the Deltics, engines turned on and the loco setting off. Scroll to 3 minutes.

Superb!

 

[southern442]

As far as the Tube goes, Bethnal Green to Liverpool Street and South Wimbledon to Morden take the prize for me. Although I'm sure that's not much to do with the trains themselves.
313's can sound like a DMU sometimes, with the amount the compressors rattle and that fantastic VROOM sound when they start up.
165's/166's also seem to me to be a great deal louder than other DMU's when starting up, they used to terrify me more than other DMU's when i was a kid

 

[Telegram_Sam]

Always thought the 87s were a bit more distinctive than the 86

I have to admit I couldn't tell the difference! But then I was about 11 to 14 at the time so probably not so attuned.

81s or 85s don't seem to have been mentioned (82 to 84 were just before my time apart from the Willesden ECS locos). Once they got under the roof at Carlisle they made some noise and weren't called Roarers for nothing. Not deafening but you wouldn't have got much conversation in stood next to one.

 

[AJM580]

Always thought that GW locos with a single chimney make a fair old racket on leaving stations. Not sure why, but the Manors seem to be loudest of the ones I've heard. For diesels nothing beats a Deltic

 

[RichJF]

Hearing a class 68 go past recently on full thrash I will add this as my nomination in addition to my class 700 to the loudest currently in service train. Sounded absolutely GLORIOUS!
A couple of Bluebell Railway tanks went past me when I was hiking last weekend near Kingscote & let off their release valve. Nearly had a heart attack how loud it was!

 

[trebor79]

Yes steam loco safety valves popping always used to make me jump, even though I was expecting it, acting as fireman on the loco.

OT but year ago I was opening a large (approx 6 foot diameter) steam valve at the factory I worked at. This was during start up, and meanwhile the boiler house was doing various check, one of which was to make sure the safety valves lifted when they should. Old kit so no silencer, and I really did nearly need a change of underwear as the safety valve exhaust was only about 30m away from where I was crouched under an evaporator swinging on a valve handle. The explosion and subsequent roar at 50bar was like nothing I've ever heard.

 

[xotGD]

I have to admit I couldn't tell the difference! But then I was about 11 to 14 at the time so probably not so attuned.

81s or 85s don't seem to have been mentioned (82 to 84 were just before my time apart from the Willesden ECS locos). Once they got under the roof at Carlisle they made some noise and weren't called Roarers for nothing. Not deafening but you wouldn't have got much conversation in stood next to one.

Roarers heading out of New St through the tunnel towards Wolves used to be entertaining. Happy days.

 

[Prestige15]

Deltic is loud but in my ears, isnt as load as a screaming HST with fans

 

[Nick Nation]

I think this YT video is the best so far for the sound of the Deltics, engines turned on and the loco setting off. Scroll to 3 minutes.

Now THAT'S Heavy Metal!

 

[KevinTurvey]

Looking at some Heljan models recently, this illustrated the roof/exhaust modifications to all of the Sulzer type 2 and 3's over time.

In their final state these engines were particularly noisy. Can anyone describe how they sounded with the original exhaust arrangement, and was this quieter than later modified?

 

[Rail Blues]

I think this YT video is the best so far for the sound of the Deltics, engines turned on and the loco setting off. Scroll to 3 minutes.

God that's loud Sounds like someone chucking a bag of spanners down a staircase

 

[Jozhua]

In the UK we have a strange obsession with flinging the loudest, noisiest and vibration inducing parts of a train right under where people are sitting!

*Locos 4ever*

 

[matacaster]

I'm going to nominate Britain's most powerful steam engine (Class U1 2-8-0 + 0-8-2 Weighed 178 tons had several number 2395, 9999, 69999) used for assisting coal trains up Worsbrough bank. Apparently on a good day it could be heard in the centre of Barnsley around 2 miles away.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

A 185 load 6 hammering through Standedge Tunnel from the centre cabs.

Now that's hellfire I can enjoy while at work!!! XD

 

[FrodshamJnct]

37s for me. 66s/67s have their moments but you can’t beat a 37!

 

[Esker-pades]

Class 373s when braking. The squeal from most European High Speed trains is very loud and very high-pitched so very, very invasive.

 

[swtandgw]

Electrostars when under AC and sitting directly underneath the pan while passing an OHNS. That loud VCB thump is loud enough to make people jump and be caught off guard.

 

[CHAPS2034]

The interior of a 323 on the last two Manchester Piccadilly to Stoke stoppers on a Saturday night.