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Original poster

Would you buy a house backing on to a railway line?

79 replies

cordiality · 06/10/2013 10:58

We are currently looking to buy our 'forever house'. There is an area of north London that I really like, can just about afford, and have seen a house that could work. However, the garden is north facing and there is a reasonably busy railway like at the bottom of it.

I believe that there are a couple of freight trains per day, and lots of commuter trains (it's the silver link line).

Would this be a deal breaker for you? Is it hideous in summer? I just can't make a decision on this one, and I doubt the vendors would be keen for me to spend the night there just in case!

OP posts:

PrinceRogersNelson · 06/10/2013 12:51

I'd love the sound of trains. My DS calls freight trains, plane trains, they sound great. Traffic on the other hand? No way.

Putthechocolatedownandbackaway · 06/10/2013 13:35

My flat is about 50 yards from a busy commuter railway (will be adding Crossrail whenever they decide to open it). I have tuned out the noise completely and sometimes have to open a window and actively listen in a morning to check they're running !

The station announcements, as mentioned upthread might be a bigger problem. I'd suggest going to the house when the trains start in the morning, if you can bear it, and check how loud the tannoy is

DownstairsMixUp · 06/10/2013 13:37

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

janx · 06/10/2013 14:12

If its the gospel oak to barking line you will be fine or even Richmond to Stratford.... I know my north London lines
The only down point is when there is work on night time!

Original poster

cordiality · 06/10/2013 17:40

I'll definitely go there when it's quiet and check for announcements. Might also try to do some investigation as to how often they do engineering work.

Yes Janx, it is one of those lines! On the other side of the railway line is an amazing park and playground and it would be perfect for my lot.

No idea if there's a saving because of the line or not, houses don't sell very often on the road and they're all varying sizes.

Anyway, I feel much better about the trains now, thank you. Am now worrying about the north facing garden!!!

OP posts:

BoundandRebound · 06/10/2013 19:14

No I wouldn't

Too noisy

impecuniousmarmoset · 06/10/2013 19:17

I would, and I do! You really don't hear the trains after a while. I wouldn't live near a busy road, but trains are different somehow, because the noise isn't constant. Even the nighttime freight trains, if I happen to be awake and listening, are quite comforting! This is our forever house, too.

mittens0101 · 06/10/2013 23:01

Our house backs on to a railway line and it really doesn't bother us. The train line is at the end of our 70ft garden and is hidden behind bushes and a brick wall and we can only see the tops of any trains going past. Our DC loves watching them go by and we don't really notice them anymore. We live close to the station though so the trains are never going particularly fast and don't make much noise - it also means that it's a really quick walk to the station.

I don't think that it should be a deal breaker but I wouldn't want to live right on top of a train line. In a simlar way to littleoaktree, I wouldn't want to live in a house where the trainline is higher than than the garden/house. We did see one like that when we were looking for houses and it was a no-no partly because of that.

EBearhug · 06/10/2013 23:15

My garden backs onto a railway, but it's down in a cutting. I do hear it, but I have to be listening to really notice it - people in the next door gardens (or the yappy dog two doors down) are more intrusive.

My bathroom is on the ground floor, and I can feel it when a freight train's going through if I'm in the bath at the time.

So if it's in a cutting, it'll certainly be fine, I reckon.

MooncupGoddess · 06/10/2013 23:18

I'd have mixed feelings about living next to a main line, but London Overground (don't think the term Silverlink is used any more?) trains are pretty short and quiet, they glide by rather than roaring.

If the garden's long then being north facing may be less of an issue too?

ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee · 06/10/2013 23:29

I would definitely buy a house with a railway line at the bottom of the garden - I love trains (especially steam trains) and after a while you don't even notice them unless you choose to... it's a comforting sound I think!

Just make sure you don't pay over the odds for the house - you'll want to be able to keep the price reasonable if you need to sell it.

Lucky you!

Xmasbaby11 · 06/10/2013 23:32

It would put me off. Definitely.

ThePuffyShirt · 06/10/2013 23:35

Gosh, no way!

I have 2 friends that live near railway lines. One has one at the bottom of her largish garden - so about 150ft away and the other really lives next door to the track.

I find both of their gardens horrendously noisy and I would hate to be that close.

I am going against the grain here, I see!

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 06/10/2013 23:38

Never again, my first house was about 50 yds from one and after a few years there was a proposal to upgrade the line from a quiet commuter line to a major freight/express line (it was the predecessor to H2S). For about two years (till the scheme got thrown out) it would have been impossible to sell, luckily I didn't need to move in that period, but it was a tiny starter home and the though of being trapped in an unsaleable house was a nightmare. Obviously not so much of a problem in a forever house. The noise and vibration was annoying too, kept missing bits on the telly, not so bad now with Sky+

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 06/10/2013 23:40

Having said that we now live with a view (about 150 yards away) of a steam railway and that is worth the noise and vibration.

BackforGood · 06/10/2013 23:53

I would - well did. We've been here 10 years now and are very happy.
I guess the line (combined with busy road at the front) would have put some people off, and the house was priced accordingly, so we were able to buy a much bigger house than we would have, had this house been in a different location. The plus points of all that extra space FAR outweighed any worried about resale at some long distance point in the future (when presumably there will be other families like us, appreciate the space and convenience of the location anyway?) .
You genuinely don't notice the trains once you've lived there a couple of weeks.

Herhonesty · 07/10/2013 08:39

no.

GrendelsMum · 07/10/2013 17:23

I'm agreeing with everyone else. It's very odd, but somehow you genuinely do tune the trains out after a while.

I used to wake up in the night, feel the house vibrating, think '2am freight train' and go back to sleep knowing all was well with the world.

dueanamechange · 07/10/2013 17:52

Is it this close to a railway line?
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-37524698.html

treacletart · 07/10/2013 18:00

We did.
If the trains weren't there, we would never have been able to afford our house so I feel very grateful to them.
Stopped really noticing the noise after about 48 hours and genuinely find the rumble comforting now.
My kids love the trains and get super excited when the vintage ones pass a couple of times a year.
We had plans to line up at the same time every morning and slowly wave creepily to the commuters but we've never actioned them properly
We also have a station 2 mins from our front door and consider it our own personal stop. Lovely getting off a commuter train and waving at my DH in the kitchen.
Do it, do it, do it!

Blu · 07/10/2013 18:04

I have loved on a railway line twice - once renting and then bought. From renting I knew I would become accustomed to the train noise and it wouldn't disturb me at night.

And when I bought it was the only reason I could afford my fab little house in a convenient location!

dingit · 07/10/2013 18:09

Dueanamechange, that property is , £350,000 for a mouldy 2 bed? And I live in the se where property prices are scary.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 07/10/2013 18:16

Disagree totally about tuning the trains out, I never did and they were a constant irritation, including the 2am freight train.

Preciousbane · 07/10/2013 18:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

urtwistingmymelonman · 07/10/2013 18:36

I think this totally depends on the sort of person you are and what your used to.
I would hate it with a passion.
im a country girl born and bred and only like load noises that I can escape from(at parties etc.)
although I could put up with this occasionally you would have this all day everyday with no control over it.
sometimes the only noise I want to hear when im in the garden is birds singing and buzzing bees.

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