House next to a level crossing...thoughts?

GDB2222

JennyW wrote: »

I would tend to agree with monty-doggy......does it really matter what we all think? We're not the ones going to live there; we all have our compromises and I think the OP knows what she's doing.

I could think of a lot worse places to live.

OP - i would do as the others have suggested, visit and park up for a while during different times of the day and night.

If you could put a link that would help. One thing to consider is building vibration from the train. Not that the house would fall down, but could you put up with that?

I agree that the OP knows what she's doing. That's why she's asking here whether she's about to buy an unsaleable pup.

Asking the widest range of people is the best way to gauge that. It doesn't matter that say 25%-50% the people here wouldn't buy next to a level crossing, but it would matter a great deal if almost nobody here would buy it.

What I was concerned about was the attitude that it doesn't matter what happens in ten years time. The OP very wisely is thinking that far ahead. In the meantime, she can enjoy a nice house with lower mortgage payments.

retepetsir

Network Rail are pretty good with their maintenance so you'd be informed if any major works are planned to take place.

Brock_and_Roll

I have owned and lived in a house right next to a level crossing for over a decade. Just to explode some urban myths, trains do not have to "hoot" at level crossings. The only time they ever seem to hoot is when there are track workers on the line.

The gates themselves are no bother, just a quiet beep. Obviously there is the train noise itself which of course you can check out - freight trains (which are very rare on my line) can be slow but really loud/shaking.

The biggest irritation are idiots queuing at the lights with windows down and stereos at full blast - especially if this is early or late at night.

That said, after 10 years we are all both so used to it we sleep like logs - so if the price is right and you like the house/area, then go for it!

chickaroonee

We live next to a goods line (not what you asked I know!) and don't find it too bothersome. Yes the trains run at night, but I only hear them if I'm awake and they never wake us up. They go slowly, but do make the building vibrate which is a little alarming at first but you soon get used to it. I have to say I think I prefer it to a high speed line but in any case it doesn't really bother me. The only thing I would be concerned about is any pets you have as we sadly lost one of ours on the tracks

hazyjo

I used to live 0.3 miles from a level crossing and had to walk across it every day.

One bleep? Are you sure? The one near me used to go BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP for ages and I could hear it from mine if I was outside (albeit in the distance and it wasn't annoying). And yes, when trains that weren't stopping went through, they did 'hoot'. And I would sometimes be stuck at the crossing for 10 mins in the evening (in my car) where they let one train go one way and would wait for the other to go the other way after that (rather than raising the barriers inbetween). Bearing in mind the barriers went down around 2-3 mins before the train was even due, it could be a pain. That is something you get used to (the waiting - and the annoyance at arriving just as the barriers are coming down), but I know the noise would drive me insane - but then again I'm not very tolerant to noise.

Also saw on at least a couple of occasions the barriers were stuck down, and also stuck up! :O A lorry thankfully blocked access to it, but I dread to think about what might have happened...

Visit at all times of day. It might be that the bleeps don't happen at night and they rely on the flashing lights. Or maybe vice versa. Also, there's always lots of campaigning about them so it might be that if there's one bleep now, in a couple of years, that could be 20 bleeps.

Think about how you'd feel if something awful happened too. I witnessed people climbing over the barriers and running across the track before the train came SEVERAL times a week (kids included as the school was just along the road from the level crossing). Also saw cars just make it across. The bleeps started, the lights flashed, but cars would still zoom across to beat the barriers.

It's a short line (the Chingford one), but there were regularly freight trains going through at night.

Jx

dotdash79

The first house i ever lived in was next to a level crossing just after the train station. This was in Timperley and I can't remember it being bad (saying that we moved when I was 4)

martinsurrey

I agree, with the above, the problem with a train crossing isn’t the trains (IMO), they are regular and consistent, it’s the people / traffic at the lights.

Air brakes on a cement truck / bus can be very loud and unpredictable, plus very high pitched.

I used to live next to the east coast main line as a child, but not a crossing point, and once you get used to it you forget they are even there (I even slept through a mail train that derailed about 300 yards up the track).

You’ll definitely be able to sell it (everything sells at the right price) if you buy it, but it will take longer as the market for such a house is much smaller.

hazyjo

Google it, or look on youtube. See if there are discussions on it. I just googled/'youtubed' "level crossing highams park" and at least got to hear the 'alarm' noise and learn of another barrier failure.

Jx

phoebe1989seb

Whilst I've no experience of living next to a level crossing, we did used to own a house next to a busy road junction, two houses away from traffic lights and with a bus stop right outside our door. We bought the house on the rebound (so to speak) after losing out on the one we really wanted and whilst it was a very nice detached period house, it really was a bad move.

Noise from passing traffic itself wasn't such an issue - we had a front garden separating us from the road, but never did have DG fitted as the house had very attractive original windows - but the sound of revving engines/car stereos blaring right outside and just the mere volume of traffic queuing at the lights - at all times of the day and night - was awful. The bus stop directly outside didn't help either

TBH I don't know how we put up with it for five years - I'd had enough after two - but we did. It took us about six months to sell - that was in 1997 - and although we made a small profit we definitely got less than similarly sized houses that were not sited next to traffic lights......I think the house has only been sold once since we sold it. The lady that bought it from us passed away and the current owners have been there about ten years - and have not fitted DG, so I guess they aren't bothered by it.......

Ellie007

hazyjo wrote: »

Google it, or look on youtube. See if there are discussions on it. I just googled/'youtubed' "level crossing highams park" and at least got to hear the 'alarm' noise and learn of another barrier failure.

Jx

This thread is quite spooky! On Sunday I was sitting on the bench outside the new Tesco at HP with hubby munching on a Subway (classy!), and the barriers came down twice in this period. I said to him how extremely annoying it would be to live right by it (I could just hear it from our house when we lived in HP, but it was very faint - the good thing was that I knew not to bother running for the train if I heard it as I left in the morning!)

I guess though that you would get used to it, but not my location of first choice!