# How far do you live from train tracks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008 "2013-07-31T18:48:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/61 "2013-08-01T05:28:41Z")
About a quarter of a mile away from train tracks when I was growing up. Just freight trains. Now I live about a mile away from tracks in a different town. I’ve always liked hearing the train whistle/horn, especially at night. It makes me feel more secure somehow. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/62 "2013-08-01T06:14:10Z")
A couple miles from the Metrolink. About 3 miles from Union Pacific freight. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/63 "2013-08-01T06:42:30Z")
Right behind my back yard, and its ia very busy line. I don’t mind at all, although when I’m in the backyard talking to someone, the conversation has to be put on hold every ten minutes or so. There is a large central station five minutes from here, and the trains change gears here, and that gives a special screeching kind of noise. Rarely tooting horns though. And indoors the sound is hardly noticable. I think i got this house a bit cheaper because of the trains, though. I really like living so close to a major trainstation. I can go anywhere anytime, and often do. ---
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/64 "2013-08-01T07:13:15Z")
Does the size of the track matter? If it doesn’t then I live closer to a railroad line than anyone here for I have a small HO model train layout in my garage. If you want to talk about full sized trains then the closest railroad track is about 3/4 miles away. I can hear the train’s horns in the distance from my home. In the 1980’s I had an apartment about 100 yards away from a branch of the Southern Pacific railroad. I could look out my kitchen window and watch the daily freight train roll by. I miss being able to do that some times. The train went out in the afternoon and came back late at night. When I would hear the train come through at about 10pm or so I would know it was getting close to the time I should be going to bed. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/65 "2013-08-01T09:02:41Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > About 600’ to the commuter rail tracks - the trains run mostly morning and evening but don’t have any grade crossings so no whistles. I can hear them but it barely registers. > > About 3/4 mile to the subway station in Harvard Sq. Commuter rail is on the other side of my fence. I only notice it in the AM if one of us is running off schedule. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/66 "2013-08-01T09:03:47Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It’s always funny how visitors at my house mention the train whistle. I learned to tune it out within a week of living here. I am thankful for the 1/2 separation. I looked at house one time where the track was directly behind the house. I decided against making an offer because that would be hard to ignore. You’d be surprised. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/67 "2013-08-01T09:22:06Z")
About an eighth of a mile. Once in a while I notice the sound of a train but there is a two story building between me and the line. For twenty odd years I lived across the road from a railway line and the trains were very noticeable but the line didn’t carry much traffic so we soon got used to it. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/68 "2013-08-01T10:35:47Z")
It’s about 40 miles from home to the closest point on the CSX Pope’s Creek Secondary. Considering that I’m a lifelong railfan and model railroader, that’s near torture. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/69 "2013-08-01T11:55:08Z")
About half a mile. I only occasionally notice the train horn. Not far north the tracks cross one of the oldest bridges on the Mississippi (1876) Brian ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/70 "2013-08-01T12:26:31Z")
175 feet according to Google Earth. It’s mostly a commuter line with a station about a mile away in either direction. The earliest train is around 5:30 and the last around midnight. They’re mostly in coast mode as they pass me so I don’t really notice them. Within a half hour walk I can get to 4 different stations on 3 different lines. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/71 "2013-08-01T12:44:12Z")
Right now, maybe two miles from a major commuter station and also freight line. I never hear them unless I’m outside. I used to live in an apartment many years ago that was 500 feet from a major freight and commuter line - I LOVED it - I love the sound of a train - best sleep I ever got. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/72 "2013-08-01T14:04:55Z")
I used to live within 3 miles of tracks, but both sets have been closed and torn up. As best as I can tell from Google Maps, the nearest tracks to me are now about 8 miles away. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/73 "2013-08-01T16:17:21Z")
I’m about a half-mile from L’Enfant, in DC. There’s a Virginia commuter rail metro stop there, but Amtrak and CSX also use the line. I occasionally hear a whistle in the small hours of the morning, which gladdens that part of my soul that loves upbeat bluegrass with sad lyrics and that last warm day of autumn, before the snow. Amusingly enough, I live on the _wrong_ side of the tracks - my neighborhood, the Southwest Waterfront, has traditionally been pretty rough for well over a hundred years. Gentrifying now, though - I like to think I’m doing my part to shove lower-income families out of homes that they’ve lived in for generations, but can no longer afford. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/74 "2013-08-01T18:17:41Z")
About 1/2 mile from a single rural track, I think a train comes by 2 or 3 times a day. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/75 "2013-08-01T19:35:32Z")
> [@Missy2U](#): > > I used to live in an apartment many years ago that was 500 feet from a major freight and commuter line - I LOVED it - I love the sound of a train - best sleep I ever got. My SO & I once spent a night in a Columbus motel, right next to a major freight line. That we didn’t know was there until we had checked in and the first train went by. At least the trains drowned out her snores. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/76 "2013-08-01T22:38:11Z")
A bit over 30 kms (20+ miles). I used to live 50m from a train line, right near a level crossing (so regular horn blast on approach). I barely slept the first week. After that first week I adjusted and stopped noticing it ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/77 "2013-08-02T02:07:00Z")
I live a block away from the 1 train. Another block away is Amtrak. I hear the occasional horn, but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/78 "2013-08-02T04:14:58Z")
I’m maybe 3-4 blocks from the tracks. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/79 "2013-08-02T04:57:40Z")
Currently about four blocks from a commuter line. That’s about half a kilometre, or a third of a mile. I used to live in a place where our back yard was right against the station. I was afraid that would mean it would be constantly noisy, but in fact because it’s where trains slowed down to stop (and vice versa) it was actually very quiet. Also my bedroom was on the opposite side of the house so I was further shielded. I’ve never lived more than 2km from a train line. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008/80 "2013-08-02T06:21:41Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Currently about four blocks from a commuter line. That’s about half a kilometre, or a third of a mile. > > I used to live in a place where our back yard was right against the station. I was afraid that would mean it would be constantly noisy, but in fact because it’s where trains slowed down to stop (and vice versa) it was actually very quiet. Also my bedroom was on the opposite side of the house so I was further shielded. > > I’ve never lived more than 2km from a train line. Where I grew up, I had a neighbor, my parents’ age, who was really into trains. Years later I realized WHY. I ended up living in the town where that guy grew up, and the trains are like, right there. Probably moreso in the 1960s when he lived here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-do-you-live-from-train-tracks/665008.md?page=5)