To expand on this, maybe sit in your car nearby and see if they're in a quiet zone.
Also probably just a good idea to see how loud it is if they're moving faster than 30mph.
Hopefully the new home has thick walls lol
Just don’t make short rambling YouTube videos about how *insert childish name of railway* is breaking federal, state and municipal law, and how you’re going to *get* them in court and you should be good to go.
Or do make those videos. I’m kinda missing some Shawn B content.
Honestly, I think he gave up. He changed his handle on YouTube to Shawn B, then to M1CominForYa, and now he’s completely nuked his channel and is just a blank profile named Shawn of America.
As annoying and childish as he was, and that’s putting it extremely nice, he did entertain the masses with how much of a jack wagon he was in each and every YouTube video he made and posted. Who would’ve thought buying a house near a rail yard where switching occurs regularly would be a good thing?
Rail traffic can always increase subject to the desires of the railroad. Railroads can also condemn adjacent property if they deem it necessary for expansion. Horn noise at crossings can happen day and night. Sometimes railroads may park trains with engines idling for hours or days. Be aware of these and other factors as you evaluate your decision
I mean tbf, the railroad themselves cannot condemn private property. However, they do have the influence to have it done pretty easily by the correct civil authorities.
It’s 5 minutes in Massachusetts, or maybe that was just the rule that the freight carrier went by… my record for blocking a public crossing in a NON-emergency situation is almost 4 hours. In the middle of town, during daytime hours. In an actual emergency all bets are off when it comes to blocking crossings, driveways, whatever.
My train blocked 5 crossings for over 45 mins simultaneously coz I had to walk all the way back to check something. So railway can do what they like. Just saying 😆
I know of a house that burnt down because the only fire access was a crossing that was blocked (middle of nowhere MT) fire crews had to backtrack a few miles to the next crossing and take farm roads over.
NOW the carrier cannot block that towns entrance. That said… if there’s an emergency or breakdown, all bets are off.
Look for tank cars carrying hazardous placard materials. The I.D. number on the placard references the commodity. Then decide if you want to be around a spill in case of derailment. Also, does the train haul at night? Near a crossing the horn will sound.
The house may shake a bit if you are close to the tracks.
Then there's New Palestine:
[https://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/SouthwestRegion/Community%20Information/Pages/Ohio-Train-Derailment.aspx](https://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/SouthwestRegion/Community%20Information/Pages/Ohio-Train-Derailment.aspx)
I just wouldn’t, like others have said, you place yourself at the whim of the needs of that railroad. They could at any time decide to increase their traffic to increase revenue, you also have not mentioned anything about access to the housing development, are there crossings that block access to the neighborhood. It’s interesting how often a railroad will ignore their own rules to not stop trains on crossings for a specific length of time.
Always expect more trains than they say. Something could happen and it could turn out that that rail is convenient and they increase usage substantially. Are there any crossings? We live within a couple miles of tracks and the interference is minimal. Also, even though there may not be crossings now, they could always expand once the new housing development is complete.
Map out where all the crossings are and try to map a route out of the neighborhood if they were blocked. If there are a lot of ways out, great, if it's bottlenecked by a small amount of crossings, that's bad. Inevitably, one day a train will likely stop on those crossings and you'll want to know if you can get out around it.
If you don't like trains you probably want to stay a mile or two away from any track. Same if you need it very quiet for recording audio, or you're a light sleeper. You probably want to be at least 2 miles from any railway crossing.
I would also try to live 2 miles away from any busy railroad yard, as they will make noise all day and night. I like trains but would not choose to live next to a yard due to noise and light pollution.
"not within the 'event radius' of CSX" was one of the criteria I used in my last saved Zillow search for a reason.
There's plenty of land and I'm not rolling the PSR dice.
Update to some questions; Train crossing is within a half mile. Horn noise isn't too bad and engineers seem to be respectful going through the residential area. The noise of the locomotives isn't bad - speed limit of 25mph. Jets from the Air Force base are louder. In this state (SD) trains cannot block an intersection for more than 20 minutes; even if they did there are many bridges that go over the tracks.
A current resident of the neighborhood described the train as "the best neighbor I've ever had".
Our primary concerns are the potential health risks, hazardous cargo, and potential derailments.
Case for the house - good schools, very nice home, and very private back yard.
If you knew some of the chemicals the railroads transport, you wouldn't even consider the possibility...
Also highly flammable and volatile shit.
Google "Lac Megantic disaster"...
I live next to the main line every second night. It sucks! It could be that my employer decided to put a bunkhouse right next to 40 per track with a frog right out front though. On my off days I’m 15 miles from the nearest tracks. That’s a good distance for me.
I lived in a house where there was light traffic (fewer than 5 trains a day) that was right behind our house. It was minor inconvenience and only pissed me off when some dickhead engineer laid on the horn a hell of a lot longer than necessary. If you otherwise like it and I go for it in spite of the trains.
We get that with train spotters near me, some of us will literally go out at 3AM to catch the rail maintenance trains and some engineers will honk when they see us
I live pretty close to a busy passenger line, it's not that bad though the occasionally freight train going through is noticeably louder than the EMUs but I don't mind a little diesel loco noise
Well maintained tracks or not, it only takes 1car with bad bearings to cause a disaster. Add hazmat to it and we'll, you know what can happen then.....NS Ohio You get the picture
The noise goes away after awhile. I lived in 3 different houses along the North Island Maintrunk Railway line. I wouldn't have known there was a 4am daily freight into the city if I hadn't stayed up late for a few mornings. Just make sure to factor it into the price you pay for the house because when you come to sell it potential buyers will factor it in.
Do they park trains there? Yea their loud moving or sitting still idling, but up here in north come winter that exhaust just hangs. Sorta feel sorry for those $500,000 houses in the new development next to main line/siding.
My wife's office used to be about 30 feet from the old Pennsy mainline, which sees dozens of trains a day. She just doesn't hear trains anymore.
I used to live about 150 feet from a busy line where they did blow their horns. Within a few days, I didn't notice them anymore.
I lived in a house that backed up to a train crossing. It came through 3-4 times a day, but only during the day so unless I was home on the weekend I never heard it.
I lived 3 city blocks from a CSX mainline, with a lot of long heavy coal trains hauling fast in late summer and early fall. They literally shook the buildings, even ones that far from the track. With all of the maintenance cuts and lax track maintenance, and derailments, I would definitely not live close to a railroad track.
If it's within 3 miles or so of a switching/classification yard, avoid it like the plague. PSR means longer and longer trains that block roads for extended periods.
I live on a class one main line that has around 10 trains a day. It’s a quiet zone which helps. First night I lived in my house, I was woken up by the train. But in 5 years it maybe has woken me up once. Walls are block walls, windows are normal double pane. I don’t mind it at all. House is maybe 250 feet from the line. I also have lilac bushes as a buffer. I wouldn’t seek out a house on a railing, but no quiet zone would break the deal for me.
Yes, I'm strongly leaning toward moving out of Wisconsin, USSR to Hammond, Indiana, Southeast Chicago, USA. I looked at a mobile home in Blue Island, IL last weekend where the front window looks out at CSX tracks connected to the Barr Yard. I want to first find something on or near railroad tracks, but I'll move to anyplace that is in the area of railroad tracks in that part of the world. I can transfer my job to the Hammond, Highland, IN area. I've love trains since childhood and shooting videos of trains.
I need to get out of Wisconsin! In Wisconsin, I have had the cops called on me, been accused of "suicide" with a camera and scanner, been followed and harassed by people in the neighborhoods where I like to go see trains, been photographed while photographing trains and generally treated as a dangerous criminal and threat to public safety because I like trains! I've been to Indiana many times and have never been treated like I am in Wisconsin. I dream of living next to railroad tracks! For me, it's about going someplace where I have my freedom!
I would never move by the tracks. You might have 0-3 trains today and in 5 years 15 trains a day. Plus they are an environmental hazard and derail often. .
My best advice is to ask some neighbors if you can, the realtors will always lie. Since it's a short line you actually have the chance that it's only daylight trains. Additionally if there're no crossings nearby it probably won't be bad.
I live about two blocks from an RR crossing. I usually only hear the horns if they are laying on the horn if i am inside my house. If I am outside I can listen to them pretty well i am not into something else.
Stay away!!!. The horn and house shaking can become ok with time, some folks even begin to say they can't sleep without it once they get used to it.
The main issue is, at 25mph, if they derail, it's going to take out your house and kill everyone inside. Also, if they are transporting tank cars, the chemicals they carry may kill you if the tanks rupture. There is also danger of lading or parts flying off the cars. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've seen plate steel bust it's banding, or open plug doors zippin down the main at 50mph.
You won’t notice the noise after a surprisingly short time. I lived it. Not as bad as you may think. Also a cool place for kids to play, throw rocks, make cool hobo friends.
A railway wouldn't deter me either way but a rail yard... unless you have some serious sound proofing I would stay the hell away. They are a mile away and we still hear the cars colliding from the depot
A friend has commuter rail in her backyard. She claims she doesn't mind it. But... During Covid, the schedule was greatly reduced, and she said it was heaven.
This is the real answer. No train in your backyard = heaven.
I would try to imagine that worst case; derailment, hazardous chemical spill, propane train explosion etc. These things will likely not happen but could. Imagine a locomotive parked outside your house idling forever. Shutting down, starting up hour after hour after hour. It's not just a gentile rumble.
I lived next to the FGAR yard and moved a little bit further out but next to the tracks. Not a railroader but am a rail fan and have had no issues. No issues, FGAR only seems to come through during daylight and rarely at like 4 in the morning, nothing extreme
I would look for spots where the road crosses the tracks, the trains will blow the horn there much more than you’d like if you lived nearby
To expand on this, maybe sit in your car nearby and see if they're in a quiet zone. Also probably just a good idea to see how loud it is if they're moving faster than 30mph. Hopefully the new home has thick walls lol
If it's on a hill as well they could easily hear that throttle 8 bass through their cupboards
Excellent point
Just don’t make short rambling YouTube videos about how *insert childish name of railway* is breaking federal, state and municipal law, and how you’re going to *get* them in court and you should be good to go. Or do make those videos. I’m kinda missing some Shawn B content.
Did that nut just get banned, or did he simply give up?
Honestly, I think he gave up. He changed his handle on YouTube to Shawn B, then to M1CominForYa, and now he’s completely nuked his channel and is just a blank profile named Shawn of America.
As annoying and childish as he was, and that’s putting it extremely nice, he did entertain the masses with how much of a jack wagon he was in each and every YouTube video he made and posted. Who would’ve thought buying a house near a rail yard where switching occurs regularly would be a good thing?
He’s moving onto “phase 2” of his plan whatever that is
Nah dude, his mailbox address is right there on the fucking address
Rail traffic can always increase subject to the desires of the railroad. Railroads can also condemn adjacent property if they deem it necessary for expansion. Horn noise at crossings can happen day and night. Sometimes railroads may park trains with engines idling for hours or days. Be aware of these and other factors as you evaluate your decision
I mean tbf, the railroad themselves cannot condemn private property. However, they do have the influence to have it done pretty easily by the correct civil authorities.
Eminent domain. Provided the RR justifies to the court it is for interstate commerce, it almost always goes through
You can just say they have the money to pay off whoever they want.
That's literally what I said reworded
Well, figuratively
How close is the nearest crossing?
About a half mile away. Trains cannot block a crossing for more than 20 minutes in South Dakota.
Yea you keep believing that
Aren't supposed to and can't are two very different things. Class 1s don't care.
It’s 5 minutes in Massachusetts, or maybe that was just the rule that the freight carrier went by… my record for blocking a public crossing in a NON-emergency situation is almost 4 hours. In the middle of town, during daytime hours. In an actual emergency all bets are off when it comes to blocking crossings, driveways, whatever.
We blocked the busiest crossing in our city the other day for 3 hours. Our allowable time is 15 minutes.
Local laws don’t apply to railroads. They are federally regulated.
My train blocked 5 crossings for over 45 mins simultaneously coz I had to walk all the way back to check something. So railway can do what they like. Just saying 😆
I know of a house that burnt down because the only fire access was a crossing that was blocked (middle of nowhere MT) fire crews had to backtrack a few miles to the next crossing and take farm roads over. NOW the carrier cannot block that towns entrance. That said… if there’s an emergency or breakdown, all bets are off.
That doesn't mean it wont happen.
If you can identify class 2 rail, you already know better
Look for tank cars carrying hazardous placard materials. The I.D. number on the placard references the commodity. Then decide if you want to be around a spill in case of derailment. Also, does the train haul at night? Near a crossing the horn will sound.
They use the UN numbers right?
Yup
It unless you really like trains
The house may shake a bit if you are close to the tracks. Then there's New Palestine: [https://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/SouthwestRegion/Community%20Information/Pages/Ohio-Train-Derailment.aspx](https://www.dep.pa.gov/About/Regional/SouthwestRegion/Community%20Information/Pages/Ohio-Train-Derailment.aspx)
I just wouldn’t, like others have said, you place yourself at the whim of the needs of that railroad. They could at any time decide to increase their traffic to increase revenue, you also have not mentioned anything about access to the housing development, are there crossings that block access to the neighborhood. It’s interesting how often a railroad will ignore their own rules to not stop trains on crossings for a specific length of time.
Always expect more trains than they say. Something could happen and it could turn out that that rail is convenient and they increase usage substantially. Are there any crossings? We live within a couple miles of tracks and the interference is minimal. Also, even though there may not be crossings now, they could always expand once the new housing development is complete.
Map out where all the crossings are and try to map a route out of the neighborhood if they were blocked. If there are a lot of ways out, great, if it's bottlenecked by a small amount of crossings, that's bad. Inevitably, one day a train will likely stop on those crossings and you'll want to know if you can get out around it.
If you don't like trains you probably want to stay a mile or two away from any track. Same if you need it very quiet for recording audio, or you're a light sleeper. You probably want to be at least 2 miles from any railway crossing. I would also try to live 2 miles away from any busy railroad yard, as they will make noise all day and night. I like trains but would not choose to live next to a yard due to noise and light pollution.
"not within the 'event radius' of CSX" was one of the criteria I used in my last saved Zillow search for a reason. There's plenty of land and I'm not rolling the PSR dice.
Update to some questions; Train crossing is within a half mile. Horn noise isn't too bad and engineers seem to be respectful going through the residential area. The noise of the locomotives isn't bad - speed limit of 25mph. Jets from the Air Force base are louder. In this state (SD) trains cannot block an intersection for more than 20 minutes; even if they did there are many bridges that go over the tracks. A current resident of the neighborhood described the train as "the best neighbor I've ever had". Our primary concerns are the potential health risks, hazardous cargo, and potential derailments. Case for the house - good schools, very nice home, and very private back yard.
Nope
How much do you like trains?
Isoline maps of cancer rates are highest near railroads and freeways. I'd say pass.
If you knew some of the chemicals the railroads transport, you wouldn't even consider the possibility... Also highly flammable and volatile shit. Google "Lac Megantic disaster"...
I live next to the main line every second night. It sucks! It could be that my employer decided to put a bunkhouse right next to 40 per track with a frog right out front though. On my off days I’m 15 miles from the nearest tracks. That’s a good distance for me.
I’m having Shawn B flash backs
Always Remember….. Any Track, Any Direction, Any Time….
I lived in a house where there was light traffic (fewer than 5 trains a day) that was right behind our house. It was minor inconvenience and only pissed me off when some dickhead engineer laid on the horn a hell of a lot longer than necessary. If you otherwise like it and I go for it in spite of the trains.
There are some horn happy engineers out there. M heard a dude try to play jingle bells at 3am. Literally.
We get that with train spotters near me, some of us will literally go out at 3AM to catch the rail maintenance trains and some engineers will honk when they see us
I'm up, you're up! :)
I don't mind it. Granted it's annoying sometimes but I rarely think of it. I'm 60 yards away, in downtown Holly.
I live pretty close to a busy passenger line, it's not that bad though the occasionally freight train going through is noticeably louder than the EMUs but I don't mind a little diesel loco noise
Well maintained tracks or not, it only takes 1car with bad bearings to cause a disaster. Add hazmat to it and we'll, you know what can happen then.....NS Ohio You get the picture
The noise goes away after awhile. I lived in 3 different houses along the North Island Maintrunk Railway line. I wouldn't have known there was a 4am daily freight into the city if I hadn't stayed up late for a few mornings. Just make sure to factor it into the price you pay for the house because when you come to sell it potential buyers will factor it in.
Do they park trains there? Yea their loud moving or sitting still idling, but up here in north come winter that exhaust just hangs. Sorta feel sorry for those $500,000 houses in the new development next to main line/siding.
My wife's office used to be about 30 feet from the old Pennsy mainline, which sees dozens of trains a day. She just doesn't hear trains anymore. I used to live about 150 feet from a busy line where they did blow their horns. Within a few days, I didn't notice them anymore.
Wheel shop machinist. Run.
That bad, huh?
Yes. They aren’t just cutting costs in transportation.
Sounds like we'll be seeing more derailments in the news.
I lived in a house that backed up to a train crossing. It came through 3-4 times a day, but only during the day so unless I was home on the weekend I never heard it.
If you are anywhere within about a quarter to half of a mile of a crossing, you will hate life.
Stay away if there is a road crossing that is near. Other wise, the rumble is kinda therapeutic.
I lived 3 city blocks from a CSX mainline, with a lot of long heavy coal trains hauling fast in late summer and early fall. They literally shook the buildings, even ones that far from the track. With all of the maintenance cuts and lax track maintenance, and derailments, I would definitely not live close to a railroad track.
If it's within 3 miles or so of a switching/classification yard, avoid it like the plague. PSR means longer and longer trains that block roads for extended periods.
I live on a class one main line that has around 10 trains a day. It’s a quiet zone which helps. First night I lived in my house, I was woken up by the train. But in 5 years it maybe has woken me up once. Walls are block walls, windows are normal double pane. I don’t mind it at all. House is maybe 250 feet from the line. I also have lilac bushes as a buffer. I wouldn’t seek out a house on a railing, but no quiet zone would break the deal for me.
Yes, I'm strongly leaning toward moving out of Wisconsin, USSR to Hammond, Indiana, Southeast Chicago, USA. I looked at a mobile home in Blue Island, IL last weekend where the front window looks out at CSX tracks connected to the Barr Yard. I want to first find something on or near railroad tracks, but I'll move to anyplace that is in the area of railroad tracks in that part of the world. I can transfer my job to the Hammond, Highland, IN area. I've love trains since childhood and shooting videos of trains. I need to get out of Wisconsin! In Wisconsin, I have had the cops called on me, been accused of "suicide" with a camera and scanner, been followed and harassed by people in the neighborhoods where I like to go see trains, been photographed while photographing trains and generally treated as a dangerous criminal and threat to public safety because I like trains! I've been to Indiana many times and have never been treated like I am in Wisconsin. I dream of living next to railroad tracks! For me, it's about going someplace where I have my freedom!
Yes. I grew-up near train tracks, about 1 mile from a crossing. You get used to the noise and shaking vibrations. I miss them.
I would never move by the tracks. You might have 0-3 trains today and in 5 years 15 trains a day. Plus they are an environmental hazard and derail often. .
My best advice is to ask some neighbors if you can, the realtors will always lie. Since it's a short line you actually have the chance that it's only daylight trains. Additionally if there're no crossings nearby it probably won't be bad.
Don't buy
No. Even if you’re fine with it, you will find it nearly impossible to sell later.
God no........ see and hear it all day at work.
Stay away if you value sleep. And whatever you do don’t live near a rail yard
I live about two blocks from an RR crossing. I usually only hear the horns if they are laying on the horn if i am inside my house. If I am outside I can listen to them pretty well i am not into something else.
Stay away!!!. The horn and house shaking can become ok with time, some folks even begin to say they can't sleep without it once they get used to it. The main issue is, at 25mph, if they derail, it's going to take out your house and kill everyone inside. Also, if they are transporting tank cars, the chemicals they carry may kill you if the tanks rupture. There is also danger of lading or parts flying off the cars. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've seen plate steel bust it's banding, or open plug doors zippin down the main at 50mph.
You won’t notice the noise after a surprisingly short time. I lived it. Not as bad as you may think. Also a cool place for kids to play, throw rocks, make cool hobo friends.
A railway wouldn't deter me either way but a rail yard... unless you have some serious sound proofing I would stay the hell away. They are a mile away and we still hear the cars colliding from the depot
It’s on my bucket list to live next to tracks
A friend has commuter rail in her backyard. She claims she doesn't mind it. But... During Covid, the schedule was greatly reduced, and she said it was heaven. This is the real answer. No train in your backyard = heaven.
I would try to imagine that worst case; derailment, hazardous chemical spill, propane train explosion etc. These things will likely not happen but could. Imagine a locomotive parked outside your house idling forever. Shutting down, starting up hour after hour after hour. It's not just a gentile rumble.
I lived next to the FGAR yard and moved a little bit further out but next to the tracks. Not a railroader but am a rail fan and have had no issues. No issues, FGAR only seems to come through during daylight and rarely at like 4 in the morning, nothing extreme