How close is living too close to train tracks?

Here in the US there are reasonable building codes the reflect the allowable set backs for all sorts of conditions including rail lines. Other countries are less strict if strict at all.

Our house is more than a mile from the train tracks and when it is quiet (like at night) you can hear the train (in the distance; it is not bothersome).

My Grandfather had train tracks behind his back fence. He loved it.

There are houses and apartments built near tracks all over America. I owned an apartment in Boca Raton, FL which was ad beautiful as you would assume in Boca. It had hurricane windows so when the train road by it was barely audible inside the apartment. In that city trains did not use their horns. I think the biggest concern is property value near train tracks more than anything. I guess it’s possible the vibration could affect houses and smaller buildings? It make some sense to me.

I lived about 150–175 feet from some tracks about 10 years ago. The first night or two I lived there the train horn woke me up; after that I slept through it. No big deal. The body adapts.

In the particular stretch where I lived, the trains were going slowly – maybe 10–15 mph since it was through a residential and light industrial area. So there was a low rumble, but not the loud whoosh of a speeding train.

All in all, I enjoyed it; it was comforting to hear the train come through ; all was right with the world.

I sublet an apartment next to the L for 2 months. The train was at most 40 feet from the bedroom window, like this picture.

It doesn’t shake the ground like a big fast freight train, but running elevated on a big metal frame makes it REALLY LOUD!

The buildings in the neighborhood were mostly built around 1910, and the train doesn’t seem to hurt them.

Wow, I was glad to leave that place.

@jaytkay – whoa- that’s close! Yow!

I grew up in a house with a train track at the bottom of the garden. We had double-glazing which cut down the noise a lot. I quite liked the sound of trains going past. It was a freight line, so the number of trains was limited. We’d get a few each day and through the night.

I used to live in a duplex no more than 50 feet (15.24m) from a train track. For the first two weeks it drove me crazy, after that I didn’t notice. People would be over and when a train went by would ask how I could stand it day in and day out. My usual answer was “stand what?”.

I was raised in a small town, about 250 ft (76.2 meters) from the railroad. It’s like living near any other possible source of irritation. You get used to it.

We have railroad tracks that run right through the center of our town of 3200 and we live two blocks from the tracks. Many freight trains come through each day as well as Amtrak four times a day. They all blow their horns at each intersection. It can get loud but you do get used to it. I actually kind of like it. It reminds me a bit of the fog horns I heard when I lived on the CA coast. You can tell the difference between the horns of a freight train and the horns of Amtrak. When I hear the horns from Amtrak I know exactly what time it is (when they are on schedule).

There are homes with their yards right next to the tracks and I think that would be very annoying. There are times when we have the windows open and the horns can be bothersome for a moment. I can only imagine how unpleasant it would be living right next to the tracks.

My bad, I got on Google Earth, found my old duplex and measured the distance. It was actually more like 68’ to the tracks, not 50’

@rojo, that 18’ makes all the difference to your experience. I’m shocked at your exaggeration. I did like your method though. My childhood house was 71’ from the tracks to the back wall.