Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to consider buying a house that used to be a railway station?

233 replies

LookingUpIn21 · 01/02/2021 11:02

I'm not linking it!

But it's a beautiful Victorian building that used to be the station master's house and the railway station.

The train tracks are still in use - about every 40 minutes a train goes past.

The house is to-die for gorgeous, the garden is on all sides and the view is magnificent.

The house has been on the market for about 6 months now, so I think it must be off-putting.

Would you consider it? I think I could probably get used to the noise, myself. And the fence looks sturdy so I wouldn't worry about DC, although we do have cats. But I wonder if I'm blinded by the interior and would regret it in the end...

OP posts:
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 01/02/2021 11:04

After careful research on the frequency and noise level of trains.

Unless it was next to preservation railway. Steam trains going past the garden would be our absolute dream.

TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe · 01/02/2021 11:05

Is the train traffic 24 hours? That would be the deal breaker for me. Also, it might be haunted because there is a lot of energy both positive and negative at rail stations.

QueenOfPain · 01/02/2021 11:06

I used to live in front of a railway, you get used to the noise after a while.

cheninblanc · 01/02/2021 11:06

I'd consider it! We live minutes away from a local station with 4 trains an hour and don't even hear them now. It sounds lovely

Finfintytint · 01/02/2021 11:06

We live right next to a village railway station. The trains are electric and to be honest the road is noisier. I don’t hear anything when the windows are closed but the train announcements frighten the cat if she’s in the garden.

Sometimesonly · 01/02/2021 11:07

I would love to live in a railway station!

Bluntness100 · 01/02/2021 11:07

I think the fact you love it and think it’s “to die for” says you should likely go ahead

I would keep my cats as indoor cats though, they have a very high risk of wandering onto the line and also remember that it will be harder to sell on.

edin16 · 01/02/2021 11:09

I'm sitting in my living room and can see a train track about 20 meters across the garden. There's pretty regular trains but you just get used to the noise. It's only really annoying when you have to pause your conversation when you're out in the garden.
On the other hand I have a friend who used to live next to loads of lines where all the trains switched tracks and there was that horrible breaking noise 24/7!

Merryoldgoat · 01/02/2021 11:09

It wouldn’t bother me depending on the trains. You get used to it remarkably quickly.

I used to work in a railway arch under the Piccadilly Line and didn’t even notice after about 3 weeks.

scrivette · 01/02/2021 11:11

One train every 40 minutes isn't too much and I think you would get used to the noise. I

Have you been in the house whilst a train has gone past to see how intrusive it is?

FAQs · 01/02/2021 11:12

I would but then I’ve always thought I’d love to be a train driver in the Highlands. I think I’d become a train spotter Grin

Lockheart · 01/02/2021 11:12

It won't be haunted Hmm

If you're unsure about the noise but really like the house, is there somewhere nearby along the lines you could park up for an hour or two with a book?

How close are the lines to the house? Do they run overnight? What kinds of trains are running on them? Are there any access roads for maintenance which would be on your property and which could cause additional disturbance?

How old are your DC and could they be trusted not to climb the fence? Could your cats be kept indoors?

If you love the house then it's certainly worth considering, and the likelihood is that you would get used to the noise, but I'd carefully weigh up the potential negatives before jumping in.

parietal · 01/02/2021 11:13

check carefully on the train timings - when do they start in the morning & stop at night? Are the trains electric or diesel? any braking noises.

If you are happy with those things, then go for it.

AdoptedBumpkin · 01/02/2021 11:13

As long as you can cope with the noise, I would go for it, if the house is suitable.

Sheleg · 01/02/2021 11:14

Go for it!

BigGreen · 01/02/2021 11:14

Air quality would be one other consideration if the trains are running diesel engines. If you're in the middle of nowhere it wouldn't be a problem, but if it was in a city that already had bad air quality that would give me pause for thought.

MaggieFS · 01/02/2021 11:14

It's very very tempting and I think you'd get used to the trains.

  • do they run at night?
  • is there any freight usage/ more frequency from non-timetabled passenger trains which you aren't aware of? (Especially at night!)
  • is it (in normal times) and over crowded route or on a route which may be put into greater use in future?
  • can passengers see into the house/garden?

If you're happy with all of this, I'd go for it. But if it's just the interior which you love, that should surely be able to be found or recreated elsewhere?

AdditionalCharacter · 01/02/2021 11:14
Envy

What sort of trains? High speed cross country ones or intercity ones?

ElizaLaLa · 01/02/2021 11:15

I couldn't think of anything better. My dad had a house that had tracks on the other side of the back fence in the back garden. I do t remember it being an issue.

Toddlerteaplease · 01/02/2021 11:16

I woulda they are lovely houses.

Excited101 · 01/02/2021 11:16

Haunted?! 😂

Sounds great to me op, just be very sure on the noise and fumes first.

Toddlerteaplease · 01/02/2021 11:17

I lived very close to the midland main line when I was a kid. It's not an issue. I now live 100m from a railway now and don't notice it.

Bbq1 · 01/02/2021 11:18

Our family home has a railway track running along the bottom of the garden. Mum and dad bought in about 1970 and mum still lives there. We have never been bothered at all by the trains and in fact only notice when the the trains AREN'T running!

BabCNesbitt · 01/02/2021 11:18

I used to live in a houseshare that had the Eurostar running along the bottom of the garden, and they’re noisy bastards. The first time one went past at night, I nearly fell out of bed. After a couple of weeks, I stopped noticing. Things like that are easy to get used to.

eosmum · 01/02/2021 11:19

I lived in front of a railway and it was fine after a while. Trains ran day and night, though much less frequently at night. Missed it when we moved.