trainmania100
Established Member
Heard a class 37 test train leaving Brighton once. Heard it from Preston park, so a few miles away. I can hear horns over in hollingbury some times, a good 3 4 miles away
I live about 0.8 miles from the South Devon Main Line in Exeter and the most I ever hear is horns, and even then only at night.I lived a similar distance from the railway in Cambridge for some years. There I couldn't hear any trains! Cambridge is significantly noisier than Ely though.
In the 60s I could often hear the GEML from Rise Park, which would be at a point between Romford and Gidea Park over a mile away across the A12. With modern traffic I don't recall being able to hear the railway when visiting my mother in the noughties.In still conditions at night the whistles from the whistle board at Burley-in-Wharfedale can be heard roughly 2.5 miles away from where I live.
I can also remember how I could here both the sound of the traction motors from a Class 321, as well as the run sound from every train travelling along the GEML at Harold Wood, roughly 2/3 mile away from a relatives house at night with the window open, and that’s with the A12 in between.
Sure it wasn't a set of empties going to or from Uckfield?
The first one down in the morning was 04.43 from Selhurst Depot, unless it was a deicing or sandite
Just because there's no passenger trains scheduled, the branch is still open!
And its uphill, so will be powering away!Don’t forget that the Selhurst to Eastbourne ECS for the Marshlink service runs down the BML just after 04:00 in the morning.
And sat on Malton Station you can hear them accelarating away from Huttons Ambo bridge, thats about 2.5 miles, and it doesn't need particularly favourable conditions. You can also hear them leaving Scarborough when sat waiting at Seamer if its quiet and still, e.g. early morning.A few weeks ago I could hear class 68 hauled trains leaving Malton North Yorkshire from a point 3.2 miles away at Bulmer Farm
Yes, the OLE starts to make a quiet whistling sound at my local station before the train is in sight.I don't know the distances involved, but I've noticed when waiting at a quiet local station you often hear the rails start to "sing" before you hear the train itself.