Anyone live beside the railway.

[johnnychips]

I can see anything in Platform 1 at Sheffield from my flat.

 

[Freightmaster]

That's a cracking position to occupy for a variety of modern railway activity. Especially being just down the line from Carnforth for steam and heritage action.

I live in a bungalow right next to the WCML, a mile or so south of Carnforth.

In my case, it was a deliberate, conscious choice to buy a property as close the line
as humanly possible and 25 years later the novelty still hasn't worn off!!

I would say to anyone with an unobstructed view why not host a railcam!

I've got one of those on my roof - "Railcam Bolton-le-Sands" is aka Freightmaster HQ




MARK

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Of the 13 (I guess) homes I have occupied in 60-odd years, only three of them were/are in sight of a railway. Many of them though were within hearing of the railway, not surprising as one of my selection criteria has always been walking distance to a railway or underground station.

Today I have a (rather frustratingly) restricted view of the Brighton main line. Mostly a diet of 700 and Electrostar units these days, with a sprinkling of class 66 hauled freights and the occasional steam or diesel loco hauled special;.

 

[3141]

1997-2012 v close to South Croydon station (5 running lines). After a short while only got disturbed by the very irregular tampers and class 37s or 66s standing at platform 4. Most memorable was waking up to silence because of snow.

That's so similar to my experience 1945-69 living in a house whose back garden was adjacent to the Piccadilly Line between Southgate and Oakwood (above ground at that point. Standard stock, 1938 stock, 1956 stock, 1959 stock. The sleet locomotive going up and down in wintry weather, and the occasional works train. We rarely noticed the trains at night unless there was something unusual.

During 1987-94 we lived in Loosley Row, on the hillside between Saunderton and Princes Risborough. We had views of steam-hauled excursions and the introduction of class 165, then known as Chiltern Turbos.

 

[156421]

I live within sight of the Barrow coach sidings (and at a squint the station itself). Usually a plethora of 156s and 195s idling away (sometimes left idling all night for some reason) but occasionally a track maintenance train or the Midland Pullman make an appearance.

 

[Mikey C]

I live near the Northern Line, and indeed Golders Green depot.

The noise of the trains doesn't bother me at all, though some of the nighttime track maintenance work can be a bit annoying!

 

[weepingwillowb]

That's a cracking position to occupy for a variety of modern railway activity. Especially being just down the line from Carnforth for steam and heritage action.

It was best in winter when there are hardly any leaves on the trees. Now I'm in Morecambe and can occasionally hear a train on the Heysham branch.

 

[uvarvu]

My wife used to live above the Watford tunnels if that counts, you could hear the trains day and night!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

My garden backs on to the line between Ewell West and Epsom.

Not a huge variety of stock, though... but the occasional 37 or 73 on a track inspection working livens things up a bit. Very occasional steam charter as well.

 

[55002]

I live in a bungalow right next to the WCML, a mile or so south of Carnforth.

In my case, it was a deliberate, conscious choice to buy a property as close the line
as humanly possible and 25 years later the novelty still hasn't worn off!!



I've got one of those on my roof - "Railcam Bolton-le-Sands" is aka Freightmaster HQ




MARK

That’s a great spec…

id second the poster above, anyone living near a busy line follow Mark’s example and host a railcam camera..

 

[side effect]

That’s a great spec…

id second the poster above, anyone living near a busy line follow Mark’s example and host a railcam camera..

Yes , thank you Mark for that camera.

 

[Accura]

Up until a couple of years ago I lived in Westhoughton, backing onto the Bolton-Wigan line. For much of the time I lived there (during Covid) the service was reduced to hourly in each direction, until early 2021 when the service was restored to half hourly. Despite being mainly sprinters, and of course later the Class 769 (319 conversion), the noise wasn't bad at all. Very little freight on that line too, so pretty quiet. The line was in a cutting as well which also helped with noise reduction. Trains are good neighbours.

 

[Chris172]

My parents live in an estate by the South Kirby Junction so when I'm there, we hear the voyagers, sprinters, 800s, 331 and over night freight trains fly past

 

[birchesgreen]

I wish i was closer but the Brum-Peterborough Line is within earshot, when its quiet at night i can hear trains go by.

 

[norbitonflyer]

In my student days I lived in student bedsit in a house backing on to the North Londion Line near Acton Central. Mainly class 501s, but the odd freight train (including a regular 25/45 double header most Friday mornings). Unfiortunately my room was at the front of the house, where the only railway infrastructure I could see was the long-closed N&SWJR Hammersmith branch (closed in 1917)

When I started work I lived in a bedsit backing on to the Herne Hill/Tulse Hill spur, then largely the province of 2SAPs and the occasional EPB.

I then bought a flat overlooking the tracks just to the west of Clapham Junction - with both the SWML and the Brighton line visible (eight tracks). This was around the time the Gatwick Express and class 455s were introduced, with the odd class 47-hauled inter-regional to add interest, and the foundations shaken by a Class 50 on the Exeter run every hour.

Around 1990 I worked in an office overlooking the West London line near West Brompton

My inlaws had a house near the ECML between North Queensferry and Inverkeithing

I have also rented this holiday cottage a few times.

 

[JKF]

If I go outside and stand on the walkway about 150m west of our flat I can see the Bristol & Exeter railway running past the back of Ashton in the far distance, can just about tell what sort of train it is. Not sure Railcam would care much for that view.

The in-laws have a somewhat better view of a line out of the back of their flat, photo below taken from the tiny balcony there. Not much variety though, occasionally you get two units coupled together.

 

[daodao]

For over 20 years, I lived in a flat with a view of the remaining single platform at Whitchurch (Glamorgan) station. The estate of 5 blocks of flats and associated garages was built on the site of the former station buildings and goods yard. The only trains were diesel multiple units or railcars, apart from the occasional maintenance/weedkilling train usually with a class 37 locomotive.

 

[davyp]

At the bottom of my garden in Hazel Grove is a dry stone wall built by the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge railway in 1865. The wall is along the bottom of the embankment of the Hazel Grove to Buxton line. Currently the home of 150/1 and 156 units, one freight in the evening from Ashburys to Dowlow and the RHTT. Every now and again we have a 150/2. Also one or two diesel or steam specials each year.
When we moved to this house in 1976 we had Class 104 units with white cab roof, and the highlight of the week - the Sunday evening diesel convoy from Crewe/Longsight to Buxton depot. Usually 3, 4 or 5 locos from classes 24, 25, 37, 40 45 and every now-and-again, class 20 or 47.
Wondering what we are going to have when the sprinters go.

 

[Essan]

The view from my "holiday cottage" *



(pic shows Jacobite steam train passing alongside Loch Eilt)

* It's actually an open bothy, so anyone can stay there, but it's not heavily used, and I've been responsible for looking after it for the past 30 years

And my house in Evesham backs on to the station, so I can lay in bed listening to the station announcements ..... Rarely notice the trains (mostly 800s) - the doors opening/closing make more noise than the engines! The station building itself obstructs most of my view of the trains though.

 

[RunRepeat]

I was born in a house next to Colchester station and yard and spent my youth on 'the rec' playing football and watching 08s loose shunting and occasionally sending wagons over the buffer stops, and seeing 37s and then 47s on the Norwich services. Sundays were often spent whizzing around the almost disappeared car park top deck on my bike with my little brother. I spent many distracted hours at secondary school gazing across at the comings and goings at Colchester when I really should have been working (Christmas always brought the 315s down from their usual haunts on what I assume were parcel/postal services into platform 6. I got removed from a science class for being overly distracted when the 86s were testing prior to introduction as well, possibly more than once....). Then my family moved out to Stanway right on top of the embankment, close to the old MOD sidings, which seemed to see its fair share of overnight engineering trains. Next move was off to uni where I lived for the first year right opposite the front doors of Canterbury East which was annoying in the extreme with the taxi rank but with fond memories of the slam door stock. I then moved back to the newish flats next to Colchester with my wife overlooking platform 4. A couple of years later I ended up living more or less on top of Ipswich tunnel while the work was taking place to allow the larger containers. Now I live more or less equidistant between the Felixstowe and East Suffolk lines and depending on the weather can hear either at night.

 

[75A]

In the 80's my Parents house backed onto the Coastway West line at Lancing. When I was on something interesting like the SO Brighton - Exeter I'd give them a 'toot' or two.

 

[Whisky Papa]

My house backs onto the Copy Pit line, at the location of the former Stansfield Hall Halt. The line is on an embankment, so the view from the kitchen window isn't that great, and the two first-floor rear windows both have obscured glass so are no help either!

I'm not missing anything too exciting, though. Northern 150/156/195 form the vast majority of trains, the one regular freight (the bitumen tanks to Preston) has just finished so it is only occasional engineering and excursions that I usually hear and look-up on RTT after the event.

My previous house did have a more distant view over Todmorden viaduct from the attic dormer windows, which was probably a better deal overall.

 

[aaronspence]

I'm next to the Edinburgh to Dundee line, So a nice mix of stuff, Oddly its always the 170's that are louder over anything else, even the HSTs.

 

[Cheshire Rover]

Not any more, but as a child our garden backed on to the Mouldsworth to West Cheshire Junction line with copious amounts of freight hauled by Classes 25, 31, 40 and 47. Sadly the line closed in the 1990's.

 

[InkyScrolls]

I live immediately next to a station on the Settle-Carlisle; very handy and of course there's a wide variety of traffic.

 

[Chris Hamilton]

I used to live in a new build that backed on to the Holytown Lines that bypass Motherwell through Ravenscraig. Couldn’t see a thing in summer because of the leaves, but in the winter would get a good view of freight to Mossend and Coatbridge. The hourly bizarre empty stock movement from Whifflet to Wishaw, the occasional Pendolino and for a while, the TPE Glasgow to Liverpool service would use that line.

As a local S&T technician, I always knew I was going in to a job if the volume of trains increased on the line before my shift. Especially Pendolino traffic.

Nowadays, I’m about 2 miles as the crow flies from the railway. But on a crisp night I can hear freight trains like they are right next door.

 

[side effect]

Thanks again. Anything that shows the Caledonian Sleeper especially in and around Scotland would be my pick if I had the chance.

 

[GD1982]

From my front bedroom window, look to the left to see the Liverpool to Wigan line on an embankment. To the right through the trees I catch a glimpse of the Liverpool to Manchester (Chat Moss) line.

 

[Grumpy Git]

150 yards from the Merseyrail Northern Line.

When the wind was in the right direction, I used to be able to hear the hum of the 507/8's. Now I can only hear the odd RHTT.

 

[Spaceship323]

I can see the Nuneaton to Coventry line from my house, and am usually woken by a GBRf freight about 6am. If I need numbers I have to walk up to the bridge to get a closer look.
We get a few freights and LSL moves (nice when an HST goes past), but it's mostly just the half hourly 196's. We can also hear the pendo's on the WCML