Trivia - Furthest away you can see a train?

[Sun Chariot]

As a young child, I could clearly make out the blue of Peaks and Duffs, with the blue-grey rakes of carriages behind, from Lamorna Close in Limbury Meads - approximately two miles away from where the Midland Main Line passes Leagrave.

My parents used to remind me how, at my bedtime, my head would appear from under my bedroom curtains; and I would negotiate: "One more train each way?" before getting to bed!

The tallest publicly accessible point in the UK is the viewing area of 22 Bishopsgate in London, which is 254m high. Roughly speaking, the distance to the horizon from there is 19.5 miles.

This is presumably the upper limit for how far away you could theoretically see a train in the UK.

With good weather conditions, no haze (good luck getting that in London) and a very stable and good quality optical platform, I reckon this would be possible to achieve.

Resolving with the eye, a train at that distance (notwithstanding the number of obstructing buildings), I rather suspect it's not possible.
I've looked out of the 48th floor of Canada One (the first of Canary Wharf's towers). I certainly didn't see trains far away, due to all the buildings in the vicinity. By the mid distances, making out a tiny train (seeming to barely move, at that far away) was a non starter

 

[styles]

I suspect the air quality in a big city would limit the field of vision to the point that, a lower altitude somewhere slightly more rural may be a better vantage point. I know we're beyond the days of true London smog, and when you're up close you don't notice any visible pollution, but if you go into one of the skyscrapers you can absolutely see that it obscures your distance vision.

To that end, I'd be more inclined (see what I did there hurr hurr) to say somewhere in the Highlands, where the heights are high and the volume of traffic is much lower.

Mind you, there was a photo on another forum here a while back of someone who was up on Bleaklow and could see Snowdon on one super clear day - got an amazing photo of it.

 

[Grecian 1998]

Not going to win, but I climbed up White Horse Hill in Oxfordshire on Saturday and you could clearly see trains going past on the Swindon - London route. I'd estimate that's about 2.5 - 3 miles away. It was far enough away that they didn't look like they were going particularly fast even though they might have been doing 125mph.

 

[Oxfordblues]

As a child growing-up in Beaumaris in the 1950s I could just make out the steam from trains on the opposite shore of the Menai Straits, but not the trains themselves.

 

[racyrich]

Resolving with the eye, a train at that distance (notwithstanding the number of obstructing buildings), I rather suspect it's not possible.
I've looked out of the 48th floor of Canada One (the first of Canary Wharf's towers). I certainly didn't see trains far away, due to all the buildings in the vicinity. By the mid distances, making out a tiny train (seeming to barely move, at that far away) was a non starter

Well, you can see that Canary Wharf tower from the c2c train from East Horndon. About 22 miles away. Next time you're up there, look east!

 

[Class15]

How far is it between Hampstead Heath and Finchley Road & Frognal? You can see a train at the other end of the Hampstead Tunnel.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Well, you can see that Canary Wharf tower from the c2c train from East Horndon. About 22 miles away. Next time you're up there, look east!

It's a lot easier to see a ruddy great building from a distance, than a c2c from that same distance! I could also see the tower from the southern end of the M11. Couldn't see a c2c though.

 

[DanNCL]

Probably cheating but I’ve seen quite a few trains out of aircraft windows before. Obviously wouldn’t know the exact distance away they were but they haven’t always been directly underneath so could easily have been a few miles away.

 

[Bald Rick]

Varying the question a bit - places you can see the train from or close to the station where you are going to catch it, long before it arrives -

Starcross - across the Exe Estuary (~1.5 miles) to just after it leaves Exmouth. Doesn't arrive at Starcross for about 40 minutes.
Barmouth - to well before it arrives at Fairbourne. Maybe 3 miles? Perhaps 15 minutes before it arrives at Barmouth.

If you stand at Brimsdown station, up platform, you will see you train approaching as it rounds the corner at Slipe Lane Crossing 5 miles to the north.

 

[Sun Chariot]

If you stand at Brimsdown station, up platform, you will see you train approaching as it rounds the corner at Slipe Lane Crossing 5 miles to the north.

Thar takes me back! 1994 to early 2000, my house faced the line and was less than 200 yards from Slipe Lane crossing. I was looking at my photos taken stood there, the other week.
Mainline 58s with bitumen tanks, those were the days!

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

It may not be entirely in the spirit of the OPs question but I suspect on a perfectly clear day you could see a train from an airliner at 40,000ft which is approx 7.5 miles in vertical height; more when you consider the viewing angle as a passenger.

 

[Sun Chariot]

It may not be entirely in the spirit of the OPs question but I suspect on a perfectly clear day you could see a train from an airliner at 40,000ft which is approx 7.5 miles in vertical height; more when you consider the viewing angle as a passenger.

A quick internet images search, of View from 40000ft proves how impossible it would be.

 

[LUYMun]

Had the footbridge not been in the way, I reckon you could see a train passing through Fleet along the dead-straight SWML section from the adjoining road bridge at Farnborough Main station (3 miles away).

 

[Brent Goose]

You can get good views from Arnside across the estuary as far as Kents Bank, which I think is pretty decent from almost sea level.

My grandparents lived there when I was a child and as trains were somewhat a novelty (my home town’s station had long since closed) I used to watch them crossing from the signal just before the viaduct on the Arnside bank and well on towards Grange Over Sands

 

[pokemonsuper9]

I would say that space is probably in the running (might be a bit difficult to see by eye, but cameras on satellites have incredible zoom).

 

[D6130]

The longest straight stretch of standard gauge railway in the UK is the approximately 18 miles between Barlby and Hessle on the Selby-Hull line (Down line only - the Up line has a kink at Gilberdyke). I reckon that on an exceptionally clear day - and with a good pair of binoculars - you could probably stand on the platform at Wressle station and see a train shortly after it leaves Hessle, about 14 miles away.

We discussed previously, but I've never had a chance to try it, there being some hilltop point near Wincanton, East Somerset, where you can see both the Paddington line near Castle Cary and the Waterloo line near Templecombe at the same time. Crew from both routes said the point was visible.

That's King Alfred's Tower on the top of Kingsettle Hill near North Brewham on the Wiltshire/Somerset border....once part of the Stourhead estate, if I remember correctly.

 

[jfowkes]

Resolving with the eye, a train at that distance (notwithstanding the number of obstructing buildings), I rather suspect it's not possible.
I've looked out of the 48th floor of Canada One (the first of Canary Wharf's towers). I certainly didn't see trains far away, due to all the buildings in the vicinity. By the mid distances, making out a tiny train (seeming to barely move, at that far away) was a non starter

Yeah by high quality optical platform I meant with very good magnification and something to reduce vibration etc.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Just wondering anyone for example who is high up in a flat or office tower etc whether they can see trains from miles away (with a zoom lens or naked eye) and what the furthest distance is?

Does this count?

https://www.railpictures.net/photo/829742/

Yeah by high quality optical platform I meant with very good magnification and something to reduce vibration etc.

Google Images shows trains clearly. So, perhaps the farthest distance, is the orbit of those satellites?

 

[Tetchytyke]

That's pretty good. Do you know the elevation for completeness?

I’ve not tested it with good enough binoculars, so it’s a guess. But you can see Sellafield very clearly on a crisp day so it figures the train in front of it around Braystones would be visible.

Snaefell is 2,037ft above sea level.

 

[Taunton]

In Eryri, from Carnedd Llewelyn you can see without aid, the steam from the locos on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) about 10 miles away.

Was written that in independent days long ago the operating superintendent of the Somerset & Dorset was based in a small head office in Glastonbury, on the Highbridge branch, and could see from the signalbox, with the aid of good binoculars, the steam from locomotives climbing the steep bank from Evercreech to Shepton Mallet on the main line, and judge how well they were doing. That's about 10 miles away as well.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

A quick internet images search, of View from 40000ft proves how impossible it would be.

With binoculars it could be done.

 

[Sun Chariot]

With binoculars it could be done.

Attached image is the city of Erbil, taken at 40,000ft.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with  t".

 

[Nottingham59]

Google streetview from Pettycure Beach in Fife gives an unobstructed view of the Forth Bridge, 9.5 miles away. With a good pair of binoculars, it should be possible to see trains crossing the bridge.

Edited to add screen capture:

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Attached image is the city of Erbil, taken at 40,000ft.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with  t".

Maybe a telescope then

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Probably cheating but I’ve seen quite a few trains out of aircraft windows before. Obviously wouldn’t know the exact distance away they were but they haven’t always been directly underneath so could easily have been a few miles away.

You beat me to it and that definitely puts a new angle on it. Flying into Stansted last night I saw a train trundling along the London-Cambridge line. From how small it was, it must've been a couple of miles away. Not a big enough distance to compete with some of the suggestions here, but it is a potential alternative way to see a train from far away.

I would imagine that would only work for a plane that's still climbing after take off or descending to land. I can't imagine that it would be possible to see an individual train from an airliner's typical cruising altitude of 10-12 km, though you might be able to make out larger railway features.

I would say that space is probably in the running (might be a bit difficult to see by eye, but cameras on satellites have incredible zoom).

As demonstrated by the existence of Google maps

 

[The exile]

On a clear day you can see France from a train at Shakespeare Cliff. If SE had bright red trains would the reverse be true, I wonder.

 

[DelW]

Varying the question a bit - places you can see the train from or close to the station where you are going to catch it, long before it arrives -

Starcross - across the Exe Estuary (~1.5 miles) to just after it leaves Exmouth. Doesn't arrive at Starcross for about 40 minutes.
Barmouth - to well before it arrives at Fairbourne. Maybe 3 miles? Perhaps 15 minutes before it arrives at Barmouth.

The best possibility I can think of: from the hill above Harlech station (or the castle) it might be possible with binoculars to see a train on the coastal line just outside Pwllheli. From Google maps the line of sight is clear of Penychain headland, the distance is 12 miles and train time about 55 minutes.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

As demonstrated by the existence of Google maps

Yes, but most of Google map's satellite view is actually taken from planes

 

[Bradford PA]

Emley Moor was the first thing I thought of. You can see it from the Penistone Line and the Hallam Line. Definitely viewable from a number of stations on the Penistone line.

Emley Moor mast is also close to the Kirklees Light Railway to Clayton West. When visiting the railway, I walked up to the mast and on to Emley village itself. The exposed bits of the railway (ie: not in the woods or cuttings) could be seen from the moor.

Varying the question a bit - places you can see the train from or close to the station where you are going to catch it, long before it arrives -

Starcross - across the Exe Estuary (~1.5 miles) to just after it leaves Exmouth. Doesn't arrive at Starcross for about 40 minutes.
Barmouth - to well before it arrives at Fairbourne. Maybe 3 miles? Perhaps 15 minutes before it arrives at Barmouth.

The Cumbrian coast line runs in and out from the water north of Foxfield. Trains are visible at a couple of points distant from Foxfield and they can also be clearly heard as they toot for the various occupation crossings so you know that they are on their way south.

 

[cjw714]

Not sure if you could see the train itself but from Rhoose or Barry it would be theoretically possible to at least see the steam coming out of a train passing through Blue Anchor or into Minehead on the WSR.