Loud stretches of track - past or present

[Philip]

I'm interested to know of any currently noisy stretches of 'rail roar' on the network, or of any that you can remember previously (from whichever era and on any line whether in use or closed now). I'm not talking about the clatter on jointed track, I mean the smooth low or high pitched roar that comes from the wheels on the rails.

For those old enough to remember, when were the railways at their loudest? I can remember 15 years ago there were still plenty of noisy stretches, but very few now.

 

[Western Sunset]

To me, they sound noisier nowadays. Especially when arriving or departing stations. So many "squeals from the wheels".

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I always thought the lines to Oban and FW were noisy

 

[Mcr Warrior]

So many "squeals from the wheels".

The Stockport to Navigation Road line, particularly on the section between Skelton Junction and Deansgate Junction, seems rather prone to that. Especially if a Pacer type unit is still being used on the tight curve there.

Must be a noisy nightmare living nearby!

 

[jamesst]

Get a train round the Liverpool loop with the closest window open, its a screeching pleasure...

 

[Philip]

I dont mean 142 style screeching, rather the smooth roar caused by corrugation on the rail head. It's a sound I used to hear a lot on the 90s/00s but hardly ever now.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Thameslink trains rounding the curve into St Pancras? That can be loud. Can that be beaten?

 

[Leeds1970]

during the late 1980's early 90's the north Wales coast line - the area from Rockcliffe Hall signal box through to Talacre on the down made quite a noticeable noise at speed particularly in the Mostyn area - its hard to describe the noise as it wasn't a squeal as such, or unpleasant I'm not sure how true it is but i was told it was because of the profile of the railhead being worn out.

 

[apinnard]

Witham up road, coming off the main into the loop for p1 was very noisy for years.

 

[CBlue]

Bethnal Green station on the Lea Valley is always impressively noisy. Strangely the 317s seem to be worse for it than the newer EMU's.

 

[hexagon789]

The Subway - the small and cavernous nature of the system seems to amplify the wheel squeal to levels I've never experienced anywhere else. It can be almost "ear-shattering" at times.

 

[SteveyBee131]

On the last mile approaching Thorne North when heading towards Doncaster (so travelling SE) in the early 2000s, the track used to make a deafening roar. It didn't make a difference whether it was a Pacer or Sprinter, stopper or express, the line absolutely howled!

It is dead straight and on an embankment too so ruling out tunnels or bends which could make it louder. I don't often travel that way these days, but don't recall hearing it last time I did.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The up line out of Epsom towards Ewell West has a short particularly loud bit of track; I'm deaf and can hear it from about ¼ mile away...

 

[thenorthern]

Far North line I am told is joined track most the way so is rather noisy.

 

[Rob F]

Settle and Carlisle was very prone to roaring rails in the late 80s.

 

[superjohn]

If we’re allowing London Underground then the Jubilee westbound in the tunnels just after Canning Town is incredibly loud.

 

[Kilopylae]

The southern approach to Exeter St Davids is loud enough that it can be heard from half a mile away at Bury Meadow or the Uni.

 

[Taunton]

The Wirral electric line beyond Hoylake to the West Kirby terminus used to make this lower-pitched "roaring rails" noise, quite different to the rest of the line, it used to start quite suddenly and last for about a mile. It was readily audible on the overlooking hilltop at the war memorial, itself about a mile distant from the tracks. I used to suspect it was an issue with the formation, possibly laid on sea shingle instead of ballast. The houses that backed onto the line must have found it infuriating.

Noise from flange squeal on curves is different, but the worst of these is surely the reverse curves west of London Bridge, a continuous ringing background to Borough Market underneath the viaduct and even inside Southwark Cathedral nearby. It's always been like it.

 

[nlogax]

If we’re allowing London Underground then the Jubilee westbound in the tunnels just after Canning Town is incredibly loud.

You beat me to that one. At certain points on the eastern end the Jubilee is a proper assault on the ears.

 

[Mathieu]

The approach to Oban can be rather deafening on the curve into the station on Platform 3

 

[james60059]

I could always remember when the HST ran from Fishguard to London Paddington in the early hours of the morning (First Great Western), use to be quite loud on parts of the single line between Fishguard Harbour and Clarbeston Road, it was interspersed with the "clickety-clack" on the jointed track too. The last time I travelled last year on a Class 150 from FGH in the afternoon, there didn't seem to be much "roar"

 

[plannerman]

Going back to my childhood, the section from Gobowen to Shrewsbury was terrible for this, especially southbound. This would be in the 80's.

 

[Brooke]

You beat me to that one. At certain points on the eastern end the Jubilee is a proper assault on the ears.

What causes the noise and can it be fixed? I’m also unfortunately very familiar with the Jubilee, as well as the deafening noise on the eastbound Central Line just before Bethnal Green.

 

[70014IronDuke]

On the Midland main line back c 1970-72 or so, there was a section of track on the down fast at ... what was the former station? - around MP 115, so south of the present EMP - which was always noise and any Mk1 B1 bogied stock would hunt like billiow at 80 mph or above.

 

[Ben Bow]

The one I remember the most for "roaring rails" was on the up in the deep cutting between Doncaster and Conisbrough in the early 80's, jointed track too - it was deafening.

 

[AM9]

Thameslink trains rounding the curve into St Pancras? That can be loud. Can that be beaten?

That isn't the 'rail roar' that being discussed here. The 'howl' that trains make when leaving or entering St Pancras low level southern end is due to the small radius of the bend. With wheels on a rigid axle, the inner wheel covers less distance than the outer wheel. The result is that one (or both) of the wheels slips on the railhead making a low howl. Tight bends in the track also cause flange squeal which is when the back of the flange touches the check rail. Rail roar is the noise made by wheels running over small transverse corrugations on the track caused by railhead crack and profile grinding.

The one I remember the most for "roaring rails" was on the up in the deep cutting between Doncaster and Conisbrough in the early 80's, jointed track too - it was deafening.

I remember several parts of the Portsmouth Direct line having noisy roar stretches in the early '70s. One particular section seemed to be between Shalford Junction and Farncombe Station, which was usually taken at speed.

 

[satisnek]

I remember several parts of the Portsmouth Direct line having noisy roar stretches in the early '70s. One particular section seemed to be between Shalford Junction and Farncombe Station, which was usually taken at speed.

The Up line across Whitmoor Common (south of Worplesdon) was another, although I remember this from the late '70s/early '80s.

I would guess that modern rail grinding, with its characteristic 'whine', has eliminated the old-fashioned 'roar'?

 

[Merle Haggard]

There were roaring rails on the down between Roade and Northampton - from Middleton box to Hunsbury Hill - certainly into the electrified period.
Colleagues from the Civil Engineers at the time said that, if one slid one's hand along the rail surface at these sites, very slight corrugations could be felt. Most oddly, re-railing only temporarily silenced trains; the sound came back after a while, and, because of this, one theory was resonance in the earth below the formation, possibly very ancient rotted vegetation - alternatively inadequate compacting during construction.
For those who haven't heard it, roaring rails were very noisy and sometimes sounded like a gale-force wind blowing through the carriage underframe.

 

[Irascible]

Various sections of the Berks & Hants at various times. One of the worst offenders had to be the Victoria line from Severn Sisters to FP ( quite some time ago now ), what with it actually being fairly quick there & the noise it felt like a demonic rollercoaster. Actually I'm not sure you could even describe the Vic as roaring, it was practically howling.

 

[AM9]

Slightly OT, but I do remember there were differences between the trackside overall rail noise made by EMUs back in the late '60s. I did frequent journeys from Ilford to Earlsfield, travelling on GE/SR MK1 EMUs at both ends of the journeys. The GE trains had a normal, (to me) mainly high frequency metallic noise whereas the SR units sounded more hollow with a pitch around several hundred Hz. Would this be a track characteristic or a wheel/bogie related sound impact?