I have a train that goes by the back of my house that can be pretty noisy sometimes, depending on the time of day. There’s a 12 foot wall built as a barrier between the train tracks and the homes on my side of the steet. I was thinking if I raised the height of the wall, it would help with the sound. But how could I make it sound proof at the same time? Would it be worth the money?
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Dude, learn to love it.
There is a train track about 1/4 mile from our house and trains go through all times of the day and night. You hardly even hear it.
I was on a group bike trip a couple of years back and we were camped right next to a rail line. My camp mates told me that ten trains went through in the night, but I only heard two -- the one that put me to sleep in the evening and the one that woke me up in the morning.
(In your situation probably the best thing to do is to plant bushes on your side of the wall, to kill the echoes.)
So, whydda buy a house next to the tracks if you dont like trains ?
I bought a house 6 blocks from the freeway when I was 21 YO, did not know better.
Is that your excuse?
Who owns the 12 ft wall ? What does the AHJ say abut wall height? etc..
Do yu have single or double pane windows? etc..
Build the wall out of 2 different thicknesses of lead sheet, very good at sound deadening. About 200 ft high if you are allowed that height.
Probably cheaper to move >?
I really don't mind the train. Like you said, you get used to it. The only time it bothers me is when I have company. Bushes are a good idea. 200 ft high bushes, perhaps?
Is it really worth the effort? How often do you have company? How long does it take the train to go by?
My quick story. My wife and I rented an apartment approximately 50 yards from the train tracks. The first time we went to see it we met the rental agent on the sidewalk in front of the apartment. While the agent was talking a train came by and all I could see where her lips moving.....couldn't hear a word. After the train passed I said 'you've got to be kidding'. She told us we would get used to it. We got used to it very quickly....the only time we had a problem was when talking on the telephone....had to tell the person on the other end to hold the thought until the train had passed. It was distracting to our company but not problematic enough to do anything about it.
Jim
when I was a wee lad I had the ny central line a few hundred feet out the back. Commuter and freight. Enjoyable time collecting the marble sized ore pellets, the fossilized rock under the rails, and remember being told there were no sewers on a train.
flattened coins.
and the comic books thrown from the caboose when we waved at the 7am and 6pm trains. They would cut off the title banner, roll em up and rubber band them.
glad I didn't miss any of that.
Calvin
NY Central. Aren't you in Ohio? Did you keep the coins and comic books? Now-a-days you have to pay $ to have your coins flattened by an arcade machine.
Did you ever want to hop a ride and ride the rails?
Jim
we lived in the country to the southeast of Cleve, the Chicago to NY was our backyard.
Never kept the books, maybe tried along with the coins, but you know mothers when you leave the nest.
Hitched on the roads, never had any real desire to hop a train.
Calvin
Every time I think about the lips moving and no sound it reminds me of an old movie called 'The Killing Of Sister George'. It was a dark comedy about a soap opera character who the soap opera writers wanted to eliminate from the show. One of the execs gave Sister George the bad news on the sidewalk outside the studio. Sister George, in full nun's habit, told the exec what he should do to himself......just as she spoke her words were drowned out by the rush hour traffic but you could read her lips.