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How close do you live to the tracks?

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  • Member since
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  • From: Kenosha, WI
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How close do you live to the tracks?
Posted by zardoz on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 9:51 AM
Just out of curiosity, and for something to talk about, how close do you live to the train tracks and which railroad runs there?


I live about 50' from the only remaining active part of the old KD subdivision of the CNW; about 1/2 mile from the Milwaukee sub of the UP; and about 1 mile from the C&M sub of the CP, all in Kenosha County, WI.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 10:04 AM
I live directly above the former PRR, Penn Central, and Conrail- currently NS mainline between Altoona and Cresson, PA, Close to horseshoe curve. I reside above The Gallitzin Tunnels, exactly in the middle of them. I can go east or west for about 1/4 mile and there is the Railroad, and if I were to dig a very deep hole in my yard, I would also be able to see the RAilroad. The interesting part is listening to the Trains, the hill used to be all bare, no trees or growth, but now it is thick as ever, and you can't actually see any tracks from my house, but you can hear the trains all day and night. You must have a good ear to determine what is what, and what tunnel it is entering/exiting. There are 2 seperate tunnels, the Gallitzin Tunnel, and the Portage Tunnel. When I am home, there is usually not a day goes by I don't stroll down over the hill (east end) to watch a few trains.

Some Pics.

http://www.geocities.com/cprg44/00NP/galo2.html
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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 10:19 AM
I grew up about 150 yards from the South Shore Line. Behind its embankment was the CWI (EL, MON, C&O) and NKP mainlines. PRR Bernice Cutoff was about a mile away to the east.
I currently live about a mile south of the crest of Clearing Yard's bi-directional hump. The IHB is about 2 miles to the west. Metra's Southwest Service is 3 miles to the south and serves as my ride to work.
I regularly hear the squeals from the retarders at Clearing and often hear horns from just about anywhere.
The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 10:20 AM
I grew up right next to a busy Frisco main line, but now live about a half mile from a U P mainline (ex MO PAC).
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 10:29 AM
I live about 15mi. from the old SP main line that runs thru Woodland Ca. that California Northern, (a short line) operates and about 55mi from the Roseville Ca. yard and loco shop. [:(][:(!][V][}:)]
IT SUCKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 10:37 AM
Closest tracks are about 4 miles away. My terminal is about 72 miles away in the other direction. Just right for a 1 1/2 hour call...

LC
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Posted by redflasher1 on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 10:51 AM
North/South BNSF is 1/2 block away from my home. Another BNSF line is 20 feet outside my office window. My summer home is 50 feet away from East/West BNSF very very busy double set of tracks.
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Posted by bnsfkline on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 11:31 AM
I used to live 50' from Union Pacifics Jefferson City Sub in the City of Kirkwood. but know I am 3/4 of a mile away from the BNSF Hannible sub. and before I moved to missouri, I lived along the BNSF Clovis Sub.....
Jim Tiroch RIP Saveria DiBlasi - My First True Love and a Great Railfanning Companion Saveria Danielle DiBlasi Feb 5th, 1986 - Nov 4th, 2008 Check em out! My photos that is: http://bnsfkline.rrpicturearchives.net and ALS2001 Productions http://www.youtube.com/ALS2001
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Posted by coalminer3 on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 11:40 AM
Right beside C&O branch line; about 4 miles away from old VGN main line; 10 miles from C&O main line.

Grew up 1 mile from Boston and Maine; granny lived right beside the New Haven's Shore Line.

work safe

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Posted by CG9602 on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 11:46 AM
I used to live less than a 1/2 mile from the WSOR line (nee MILW) in Madison, WI. Now, I live about a 20 minute drive from the BN main along the Mississippi R. and about 30 - 40 minutes from lots of train traffic in the Twin Cities. Closest passenger station: Red Wing, MN - a real pretty river town.
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Posted by Mookie on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 12:01 PM
Well, I live about 11 blocks from some tracks, about 3 miles from where I watch trains and in nice weather, when the windows are open - right in the street below the bedroom window!

La Moo

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by dekemd on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 12:08 PM
I live about 150 ft from a CSX mainline. It's nice to be able to sit on the front porch and railfan!

Derrick
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 12:38 PM
I was born and raised about a quarter of a mile from the CMStP&P (now CP) Lakewood Branch in Chicago but now live where I can hear and see (top half only) UP, Amtrak and AT&SF trains passing through Richmond, California on the ex-SP line. Also lived a few years in Royal Oak, Mich. a block from the GTW station during the switch from steam to diesel.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 1:22 PM
About 15km from the WHRC (shortline gypsum and grain hauler) and about 100km (60mi) from the CN main at Windsor Junction outside Halifax. Both of these are much too far away for my liking.

Jeff
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Posted by SALfan on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 2:04 PM
Nearest RR to where I live now is probably NS (ex-Southern) line from Manassas, VA to Washington, DC. Grew up about 15 miles from Seaboard Air Line's line from Savannah, GA to Montgomery (I think) AL. My wife's parents' backyard backs up to the old SAL's secondary main from Jacksonville to Chattahoochee, FL, which is now CSX's line from Jax to New Orleans.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 2:14 PM
MP 87 Candain Pacific Railway's Galt Subdivision. It is preactically my back yard! Then the station and yard id less then a kilometer away. Good spot for railfanning.

Then there is the CN Dundas Sub on the other side of town. Also great for railfanning!
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Posted by DTomajko on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 2:50 PM
I live about a mile from NS's Pittsburgh Line and can hear eastbounds grinding upgrade and either direction blowing for the Railroad St. crossing in Wegley.Also,my church is located a block away from the same line and I work in NS's former Pitcairn Yard,now known as the Pittsburgh Intermodal Terminal,loading & unloading the trains and repairing trailers & chassis. It's a good thing I like trains!Good luck and stay safe.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 4:02 PM
At home I am about 6 miles north of the Busy NS Decatur mainline. About 2 miles south of the shortline Decatur Junction.

At School I am literally about 200 feet from the CNIC mainline going through Carbondale, Illinois.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 4:04 PM
About a half mile from the WC/CN Shops Yard in North Fond du Lac, WI.[8D]
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Posted by CShaveRR on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 4:15 PM
I live 0.62 miles from UP's ex-CNW east-west main line, which is to the north of me (that's via the streets; as the crow flies it's probably a half mile).

Further north is CN's ex-CC&P line, which I can reach as well by going east less than five miles.

BNSF's ex-BN main line is about six miles to the south.

EJ&E is less than 12 miles west (using streets that come as close to the UP as possible!).

IHB is 10 miles or so to the east, measured over bicycle trails that utilize portions of one or two now-abandoned railroad main lines. In another three or four miles I hit the WC.

I'm surrounded! Please don't feel too sorry for me.

Carl

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

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Posted by kschmidt on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 4:52 PM
I live about 2 blocks from where St. Francis Tower used to stand. St. Francis is the point where the CNW (Now UP) New Line and Kenosha Subdivision come together for the run out to Butler Yard. There are probably 10-12 trains per day. I can almost see the tracks from the attic windows.

Keith Schmidt
www.geocities.com/kaschmidt626/index.html

Keith Schmidt KC9LHK You don’t bring nothin with you here and you can’t nothin back, I ain’t never seen a hearse with a luggage rack. George Strait Check out Flickr Train Photo Page 

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Posted by JoeKoh on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 5:11 PM
When we moved to Defiance my parents bought a house 1/2 block from the tracks.could see trains outside the window.also could see the signals for which track the train was coming on. Were supposed to be in bed,yeah right.Mamma wanted to live in the country so now I live about 5 miles from the old B&O mainline(now CSX).get back to the neighborhood when I can.
stay safe
Joe

Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").

 

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 5:16 PM
I live about 4 blocks from the tracks. CP goes through my home town of Langenburg, Saskatchewan. I can hear the trains from my house and if I go outside and walk half a block and look down the street I can see the trains go by. Right now all the trains on this line are restricted to 10mph so if I heard a train from far away it really wouldn't take much effort to get to the crossing before it does. A lot of people are upset about this and the towns in my area are sending complaint letters to CP.
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Posted by kwboehm on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 5:40 PM
Growing up I lived about 2 blocks from the Milwaukee Road / Metra station in Bensenville, IL where I could look down the street and watch the trains go by. I currently live about 1.5 blocks from the UP's Falls City Sub (Omaha - KC), and when I move by the end of the month I'll be across the stresst from the BNSF Creston Sub (Creston, IA - Lincoln, NE), and a couple blocks away from a UP industrial spur that I believe was the old Mo-Pac mainline to Omaha. It now spurs at a cement plant in my town which is also served by the BNSF off of the aforementioned main line.
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Posted by vsmith on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 5:50 PM
Used to live about a block away from the old Santa Fe ROW thru downtown Pasadena. But that got shut down about 6 years ago to make way for the Metrorail Gold line light rail system. Now I'm about 10 miles from the nearest tracks (SP ROW thru the San Fernando valley) and they are not in the best parts of town, so no viewing without an AK-47 at your side.

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by michaelstevens on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 6:02 PM
I grew up 3 miles from I.K. Brunel's Great Western main line at Uffington, Berks.
I presently (quite deliberately, I might add) live 200 yds. from the B&O (via Reading Lines) across the Tacony Creek in Melrose Park (Philadelphia).
We hear 20+ CSX freights and ditto Septa silverliners every day.
In the winter time we can see them, too !
British Mike in Philly
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 7:45 PM
I live about a hundred feet from the branch line which is used only during the summer. And I live about a mile (.5 air miles) from the mainline which sees about 7-10 trains a day, mostly at night during the winter months.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 7:55 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by FireDragonLightning

MP 87 Candain Pacific Railway's Galt Subdivision. It is preactically my back yard! Then the station and yard id less then a kilometer away. Good spot for railfanning.

Then there is the CN Dundas Sub on the other side of town. Also great for railfanning!


I assume you are around london since i cant remember exactly where the dundas sub runs to/from.
Im three blocks from 2 CN junctions that is the main east/west and border connection in winnipeg. makes taking the dog for a walk intresting[:D]
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Posted by Train Guy 3 on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 8:29 PM
Not close enough ......... haha....... but about 7 miles by road and 5 miles through the woods to the NS mainline running from Lynchburg, VA to Spencer, NC and on south. The sound of a train at night is just a killer to hear it and not see it.

TG3 LOOK ! LISTEN ! LIVE ! Remember the 3.

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Posted by ironhorseman on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 8:41 PM
0.36 mile, at least that's what the odometer came out to on my bicycle. I'm closest to the busy BNSF double-track Emporia Sub with two siding and the split onto the Douglass sub. 70+ trains/day. Since the merger we've seen quite the oddities and raraties come through. For example: yesterday I saw a 6-axle BN switcher, I've seen a GP30 a lot of times, a few U-Boats in BNSF orange, NS run-through power, SOO Line SD50s or 60s, the occasional ex-Conrail, as well as tons and tons and tons of Dash-9s. Containers and piggy-backs are most common, triple crown (these are my favorite because you never know what kind of power will be pulling it next, could be a dash-9 to a GP30) and UP coal are regulars at least once a day, lots of auto-carriers, grain trains this time of year, MOW trains (the ones that carry rail), and anything else you can think of.

yad sdrawkcab s'ti

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