Around 20 trains an hour passing back garden - everyone saying "you'd get used to it" - would you?

[DecisionTime123]

Been to see a house where I knew there was a trainline, the garden is less than 30 foot long and about 5 foot from the back fence is line A, then another (say) 15 foot away is line B. I suspect line B is the Gatwick express but don't hold me to it. Anyway, I knew there'd be some noise but thought let's have a look. In the 15 minutes we were there at least 6 trains went through, sometimes 2 trains at once - one on each line. The "express" train line was slightly higher than the other and that was quite loud. I've checked the timetable and I think the 20 trains is a good guesstimate, and it would be going around 19 hours a day.

House had lots of other thing we really wanted, but honestly, could you get used to it? We've been looking for ages so I am feeling a bit suspect at friends saying nah that'll be fine etc. (edited to say I suspect this as everyone is fed up of hearing me going on about the house search!) Also I wonder if the noise would affect the dog, again there's no way of knowing. Any thoughts?

I’d be concerned about selling it in the future

Although that wouldnt be 24/7

The answer depends on your attitude to noise and whether you can ignore background noise. I can pretty much phase out background noise but I have a couple of friends who are incredibly noise sensitive. They will wake up if their OH snores in a separate room, or if the cat jumps onto the floor upstairs.

Which type of person are you?

Isn't it strange why a lot of people find trains so comforting and love watching them, myself included. Why is that I wonder?

I moved into my house just over a year ago and the train line runs west of my house, higher than my garden, so I get a good view. We have a mix of passenger and cargo trains, being close to Felixstowe. The cargo trains squeal a bit during the day if you're outside but they aren't that often and we don't hear them at all during the night. Also at the back of my house is an 'industrial estate' which is very quiet and adds a bit of privacy, no one over looking us. I feel blessed to have found my house, close to a river, lots of lovely scenery (trains included).

Nope not for me, living near a busy road was bad enough for 6 months while we had to live in a rental short term, never got used to the noise plus wouldn't want my kids or animals near

I’ve lived very close to several train lines and yes I did get used to it, though they did wake me a fair bit. I have lived on a main road most of my life too, and the noise doesn’t bother me. I know it would some people though.

I lived in a small house with small garden by rail way line. It was fine. But living by busy road ....I used to hear a lot of cars overnight

Watch out for knotweed if it's south east and near a railway line.

You do get used to it, it becomes a non issue. I recall I could tell the time just by the different trains, a passenger, a freight, the one carrying open carriages with jingly stones or whatever in the back.
I'm even nostalgic for it now, thinking back.
I once viewed an awesome house in Herne Hill, with a train viaduct at the back.

A bit different but my horse field backs on to a train line. So close the fence is half way down the line embankment. I’ve never even considered the noise. Notice them more by sight. Dogs and don’t react and we’ve camped there in a tent multiple times and never been bothered. In fact I’ve been more disturbed when camping by planes coming in overhead despite being a good 40 miles or so out of landing at the airport so still pretty high. I do think you’d get used to it very quickly

used to live in a house with similar. You do get used to it definitely. You notice it again every summer for a few days when you open the windows at night or if you go away on a long holiday the first night you are back

This is a very good point !

Friends of mine have a small garden and the Hastings main line at the bottom of it. They no longer notice the trains and when staying with them, neither did I after the first day.

My mum looked at a house on a much quieter line. A neighbour warned against buying there as it’s the freight trains that come through at night which are a real killer.

Also I think the Thameslink trains run hourly throughout the night down to Gatwick. So if the house is on that part of the route you might have no quiet periods at all, even in the night.

It’s a big risk, as you won’t know whether you’d get used to it without making a huge financial commitment first.

@GlendaMedeiros yeah I think I need to find out what that other line is.

For comedy value the estate agent told me the second line wasn't in use and showed me a map on his phone where the line "disappeared". 'There!' he said triumphantly, "it stops there, they just keep the trains on it" (I think he meant like they put them to bed there, like Thomas the Tank Engine). I said "surely that's just where the line goes into a tunnel" hoping he'd realise what he'd said and at that moment two trains passed each other, opposite directions, on two different lines. Including the one that apparently was only used as a train bedroom ... (that's the one I the is the Gatwick Express). He just styled it out and ignored me.

He just styled it out and ignored me

Did he, indeed.

We live a few metres from the railway with the West Coast mainline and lots of local trains every day. The other side of the house has countless bus routes passing. The first train is around 4.30am and the first bus is around 5.20am and they don't affect us, unlike the karaoke bar in the next street over which I could hear over the tv through double glazed windows one night just before Christmas.

I lived on a main road, never again. At night there will be freight and maintenance trains.

Yes, I used to live next to the line from Clapham Junction (London) down to the south coast - 4 parallel sets of tracks, two going up and two going down. Constant trains, and I didn't notice it. Guests, on the other hand, would be appalled! We were under a major flight path, too.

Our house backs onto a train station platform, so we get them coming through and stopping etc (not really at speed). We are 150ft from it though. We are very used to it now (13 years) and quickly adapted.

the upside is that we are a 3 min walk from the station (we both commute) 😊

the main thing is ensuring you cannot hear it from the house (or at least to a level that doesn’t bother you).

dog wise - ours really isn’t bothered. She’s more interested in the evening and likes to have the occasional woof or flirt with the commuters (depending on her mood).
we gave trees across the back so not overlooked (trust me I checked from train too).

I lived under a flight path and in the summer it was awful. I won’t live near a transport line again. I honestly wouldn’t.

my Granny had a main train line very close to her garden and I never heard the trains after the first day of staying there

OP do you like the house. Is it otherwise ticking all the boxes for you? My aunt has a train line behind her house and she never even notices them anymore. I’d rather the trains over a busy main road out the front or noisy annoying neighbours to the back to you. Also you know the train line is busy and nothing is going to be built right behind your house.

I used to live near a line, it had freight overnight and passenger trains during the day.
I did get used to it but I still noticed them and, as I have periods of difficulty sleeping, I would get woken at night sometimes.

I wouldn’t dismiss a house because of being next to a train line.

You might get used to it but if you ever want to sell it won't be as easy so it's something to consider.