A totally neat thing happened last night.

[JCitron]

I live around 3 to 6 miles from the nearest rail line; the former Boston & Maine, and now PanAM mainline to Portland. I can sometimes hear the freights blow for the crossings, and rarely hear the diesels themselves as the climb the short grade in Newton, New Hampshire.

The wind must've been strong enough to carry the sound my way. It was so loud that my windows were vibrating, and it woke me out of a sound sleep!

When I realized what the sound was, I fell back to sleep and smiled to myself. This was such a rare opportunity for me to hear. I can imagine how the NIMBYs must've felt hearing this up close.

John

 

[Euphod]

There is no sound quite as comforting, and yet as mournful as a distant train.

 

[Ferrous]

I can hear the CSX trains in the valley (about 2.33 miles away) blowing for the crossing, always right around the time I turn out the lights. If I'm lucky, I can hear the engines, as well. Nothing quite like the sound of a distant K5LA.

EDIT: Nothing, that is, except maybe a distant Hancock 3-chime...

 

[StorkNest]

Sometimes I swear I can hear the horns of trains on the Conrail lines in the Chemical Coast area across the river all former CNJ, RDG, LV and PRR.

 

[jackwade]

The NHN runs right along my back property line twice a day on weekdays. So I get to see and hear them.

Jack

 

[WileeCoyote]

This is one of the reasons I would like nothing less than to live next to an active railroad line; to hear the trains running on it. I believe had I lived here several decades ago I would've heard the chuffing of a Prussian T 3 as it climbed the hill leading into the town I'm in.

WileeCoyote

 

[jkinzel]

The BNSF/UP/Amtrak main from Seattle, Tacoma to Portland, OR runs on the east shore of lower Puget Sound and is about three miles from my house. Sometimes on calm summer nights with the bedroom windows open it sounds like I’m right next to the tracks as the sound carries over the water. I can even hear the sound of the train as it goes over Chambers Creek bridge.
Even the wife enjoys the sounds of distant trains.
Unfortunately, with the economic climate as it is, I have noticed a reduction in the number of trains.

 

[PerRock]

Some mornings when I'm getting up I can here the Ann Arbor going by; about a mile or less away. At work I'm basically right next to the NS/Amtrak line so I hear 'em (mainly Amtrak) all day.

peter

 

[wridenour]

Living in Maryland, I can hear the NEC Amtrak horns and CSX freight trains all the time.

 

[jadebullet]

I hear the NS trains running on the old Reading Line through Topton and Lyons from my dorm room. It is nice, especially when I am stressed over studying. Of course, over the past two years, a drunk college kid stumbled onto the tracks and was killed, and a stupid driver got nailed when he decided to try to beat the train.

 

[JCitron]

When I was in Andover, I was about 1 mile from the tracks and would hear the commuter trains and the freights blow for the crossings as well as their locomotives. Later on the yuppies complained about the horns and had a rule passed to silence them. Then it was only the engines and the coaches and freight cars on the welded rail.

Where I live now, it's pretty rare to hear the trains this loud because I'm so far away. It was amazing how my windows rattled from it. It was like I was less than a mile from the tracks like it was when I was very young. Oh to be that close again!

I've noticed the downturn as well. There used to be 5 or 6 Pan Am freights per day (mostly at night) along with the NHN gravel train, 4 Downeasters, and the MBTA commuter trains. Now we're lucky to get 2 freights with one coming around 3AM.

John

 

[stagecoachdriverdave]

I live across a valley about 3/4 miles from the West Coast Mainline between Bristol and Gloucester and can sometimes hear the sounds of the trains running over the switches on the nearby portion, and occasionally horns as well.

 

[Approach_Medium]

I was running the 2007 Boston Marathon, which runs much of the way along the MBTA/Amtrak line.
I think I was at about Wellesley when I heard a horn, and thought it was just another MBTA train. But it turned out to be an Amtrak instead. It was heading west out of the city.
Hearing and seeing the train gave me a temporary burst of energy, as is often the case when I am running near tracks.

My home is in Teaneck NJ. I live within 1/4mi of the River Line (Jersey City to Selkirk, NY) and always hear trains at night. I hear the Suzy Q as well, and sometimes it's hard to know which are which, except that the Q's trains don't come up this far, so I never hear the sound of the train, just the horns at the crossing about 2 miles south.

When I'm running at the park next to the track, I get a lift when I see trains. A lot of the time they're stopped, waiting yard clearance or another train on the main. CSX has 3 tracks here, and we have no grade crossings, so trains sometimes sit for hours.

I have also noticed the downturn in freight traffic. I don't see as many stack trains, and the mixed trains I see aren't as long.

FW

 

[illinoiscentral]

Back in Tuscola, if it wasn't an Illinois Central...it was a UP. There is always horns blowing there!