Train Traffic in Bend (Portland, Klamath Falls: apartment, rental, how much)

[Jim Mac]

I'm thinking of renting a house that basically has the railroad tracks in the backyard. My question is, are there a lot of trains that come through on the tracks in Bend? To quantify, you could estimate trains per hour or just tell me whether or not you often get stuck by a train while driving. I thank you in advance for any comments.

[cheapmerlot]

Jim--I can only tell you that I've lived in Bend for a year, and have never had to wait for a train, ever. I think I've only actually seen one even moving on a track twice. A friend who lives Northeast of Bend says he's only had to wait 3 or 4 times for a train in 5 years. He commutes into and out of Bend, crossing the track at least twice daily. No personal experience living by the track...so that's my meager input...hope someone else can offer more.

[skypros]

I have stayed at the Motel 6 in Bend, and I have herd the train a few times during my 1 night stay (and at least one was at NIGHT).

[PNW-type-gal]

Last year there was a landslide on the main north-south line that diverted non-passenger train traffic through Bend, so figures from late 2007/early 2008 shouldn't be counted on. (The main line comes up through California, on through Klamath Falls and Chemult, cuts over the Cascades at Oakridge and then runs up the Willamette Valley - the slide was just prior to Oakridge.)

Someone asked this question last year in a thread on Sunriver, and another poster (Bendite, maybe?) said that there were something like 10-12 trains per day prior to the landslide and diversion.

[minorbrew]

Jim Mac, For what it's worth, I have stayed overnight in the Bend area several times within 2-3 blocks of the tracks and, yes, you are likely to hear a few night trains.
However, how much it will bother you is an individual thing, varying from person to person.
Some years ago, I rented an apartment about a block from a mainline railroad track. I found that after a short while I just began to block out the train noise by habit and often times I was not consciously aware that a train was passing by.
Your best advise might come from people who live in the neighborhood. It might be worthwhile to try to talk to some neighbors before renting.
minorbrew

[delta07]

I live about 1.5 to 2 miles from the train and I do still hear it, especially at night. It doesn't really bother me, but I wouldn't want to live that close to the tracks. I know housing/rental prices are cheaper for those homes along the track, but there is a price to pay IMO. If you think you will be bothered by trains I would consider finding another house. I usually hear a train around 10 pm and again around 5 am, and I know one goes through town right at 8 am because I have been stopped by it several times on my way to work. It seems to me the trains are extremely short, but that could be due to what PNW gal is saying.

[TIM08]

As I type this I am sitting in my house in Sunriver, Oregon (which is in the Sunset Realty rental pool) with the BNSF tracks in my backyard. I would guess there are perhaps half a dozen freights in a 24-hour period, some during the night. I happen to be an RR buff and enjoy them! They seldom wake me up at night any more. There are no grade crossings within 2 or 3 miles in either direction so hearing a horn is rare. Most major road crossings are underpasses. There are no grade crossings between my Sunriver house (south of Bend) and Portland, so not to worry about waiting at crossings! There goes a northbound freight right now with five engines!

[ukiyo-e]

Originally Posted by TIM08

As I type this I am sitting in my house in Sunriver, Oregon (which is in the Sunset Realty rental pool) with the BNSF tracks in my backyard. I would guess there are perhaps half a dozen freights in a 24-hour period, some during the night. I happen to be an RR buff and enjoy them! They seldom wake me up at night any more. There are no grade crossings within 2 or 3 miles in either direction so hearing a horn is rare. Most major road crossings are underpasses. There are no grade crossings between my Sunriver house (south of Bend) and Portland, so not to worry about waiting at crossings! There goes a northbound freight right now with five engines!

Thanks for the info. For two years I've been considering Bend as a relocation destination (I would be telecommuting, so no job issues), and wondered the same thing.

I live in a town of 50K bisected by tracks that are heavily used, and sometimes in the middle of the night, I can hear the trains about a mile away if my window is open. There are several level crossings and the engineers really lay on the horn, esp. the guy who comes through about 2 a.m.

I don't mind the distant rumble; I grew up close enough to tracks back east that I find it kind of a romantic sound...if it's not in my backyard. But the horn blasting gets old fast!

[delta07]

Originally Posted by TIM08

As I type this I am sitting in my house in Sunriver, Oregon (which is in the Sunset Realty rental pool) with the BNSF tracks in my backyard. I would guess there are perhaps half a dozen freights in a 24-hour period, some during the night. I happen to be an RR buff and enjoy them! They seldom wake me up at night any more. There are no grade crossings within 2 or 3 miles in either direction so hearing a horn is rare. Most major road crossings are underpasses. There are no grade crossings between my Sunriver house (south of Bend) and Portland, so not to worry about waiting at crossings! There goes a northbound freight right now with five engines!

I'm not actually sure what a grade crossing is, but I know that I hear the train horn blasting every night and I'm about a mile away from the tracks. There are two places near me where I can think of train crossings on the road, Revere St. and Butler Market Rd. It's not bad, and it certainly didn't sway me from purchasing a home in the area, but I do hear them when my window is open at night. Sometimes they wake me, sometimes they don't. But they do blare their horns!

[kellyandjeff]

Does anyone know how the train noise is in Foxborough? Not the homes that back right up to the tracks, but the ones that are in farther? Thanks