Pasture along a railway line?

[Mozart]

Would you do it? We are looking at a piece of property as a potential horse property. The best pasture land part of it runs along a railway line.

I imagine horses would soon get used to the sight and sound of trains. It is a single track and I am trying to find out exactly how frequently trains go by.

However, we are away during the day so the horses are not supervised during the day. Or during the night, for that matter.

I suppose it is less risky than having fence line along a highway. On the plus side, you would be guaranteed not to have any troublesome neighbours on that side ;)

I'm trying to think of all pros and cons.

I think it is a safe bet some people on this BB have pasture along a rail way line....what has been your experience and would you do it again?

[county]

I rent a 40 acre parcel next to a RR and the horses have never had any problems with the trins and noise.

[Androcles]

I know a farm that has pastures next to a rail line (Not right next to it, but a reasonable distance away including property line and so forth). Diesel trains run by regularly and are quite loud, and doesn't seem to bother anyone.

[sisu27]

I boarded at a facility that was on/near the tracks and the horses couldn't have cared less.

[BuddyRoo]

I've never had any trouble riding near RR tracks. I leased a property that was near the RR tracks as well. Not right up to them...but within 500 feet of the property line.

The only scary thing that happened was someone left a gate open and my mare was found standing on the tracks. Holy crap.

Still, not really THAT much more dangerous than a horse getting out anywhere else.

I certainly wouldn't just have one strand of hotwire up as my fence in that case...but it wouldn't deter me from the land.

That said...what about YOU if you're living there? Will you be able to adapt?

[sk_pacer]

I know of several pastures right beside tracks around here; Mr Fussy was even in one for a few weeks. There are 4 horses that live happily right beside the tracks in the city, and several at various spots along the line. Here, CP Rail builds the fence for you along the railway right of way - it must be to their standards, meaning minimum 4' for cattle and 5' for horses and 'sheep wire' for small stock. They also make sure the setback is the correct distance. I don't know who pays what portion or if CP does it all, but, boy do they build nice fence with lovely braced corners and wire so tight it hums - yes wire is a bad word, but the fences here close to the track, save one, all hold cattle too but the land owner is welcome to put whatever he wants on his side of the wire in addition to the railway fence if the wire bothers him.

If you do acquire this property, do check with the railway to find out about setbacks, and their fencing requirements as they may be very different from your ideas about fencing.

At any rate, the horses will adapt fairly quickly. So will humans - I lived beside tracks for several years and it got so the only time I noticed trains is when they didn't go through at the proper time or at all.

[Alagirl]

have you never read Black beauty?! :lol:

[Mozart]

That said...what about YOU if you're living there? Will you be able to adapt?

That is definitely an issue as well. The tracks cross a road that runs along the front of the property. It is an uncontrolled crossing so no dinging lights and barricade going up and down but the trains do slow down and sound their horn. The house site would be about 1,500 feet away from the crossing so it would not be right outside your bedroom window. We have done a walk about on the property about three times so far and on two of those occasions a train went past and blew the horn at the crossing. It was not as bad as I thought it would be, actually not bad at all, but I suppose it is no guarantee it wouldn't slowly drive me crazy. Or crazier, I should say ;)

[Mozart]

have you never read Black beauty?! :lol:

Ha Ha I was thinking of that the first time we looked at the place! Maybe people will send me their young horses to accustom them to trains! These days, however, they would probably need them accustomed to quads and dirtbikes...

[Phoebe]

I live on the tracks right at a crossing with a elevator within sight - we get freight trains randomly day and night - 8 horses in fields next to it - none of them bat an eye - not even the 3 week old filly - we've been here a year - the first month we noticed it all the time - now doesn't even register - guests always comment but you really (and animals too) get used to it and don't even notice it -

[BuddyRoo]

Trains don't bother me...but I grew up next to a gun club too...so generally I think people do tune those things out after some time.

It may make resale harder down the road, but generally if it's a good deal it wouldn't be a barrier to me. Definitely not for the horses.

[sk_pacer]

we've been here a year - the first month we noticed it all the time - now doesn't even register - guests always comment but you really (and animals too) get used to it and don't even notice it -

Trust me, if there is a derailment and all train traffic stops, you WILL notice!!!ROFL I am now more than a mile from the tracks and I notice when something goes wrong. Come to think of it, I recall waking up terrified the first time I heard a diesel locomotive horn blast - was used to stram.

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

When I was little, I boarded at a barn with pasture and the outdoor arena right next to a freight railway. The horses in the pasture got used to the trains pretty quickly, and it was great desensitization training to be riding in the arena when a train went by!

[Montanas_Girl]

It wouldn't keep me from buying the place, but I would definitely do a strong double fenceline in the portion of the pasture that borders the track. I went to high school with a girl who lost two horses one day when they got loose and were hit by a train.

[Halcyon Days]

we're next to the tracks, but it's just a spur line for a lumber company, we get a couple trains a week, but they are like walking speed slow. New horses get all silly the first few times, then quickly ignore it. We're right next to the road, so we get the train whistle too, I think it's kind of fun--might not think it fun if it was wicked fast and more often though....

[Larksmom]

That is definitely an issue as well. The tracks cross a road that runs along the front of the property. It is an uncontrolled crossing so no dinging lights and barricade going up and down but the trains do slow down and sound their horn. The house site would be about 1,500 feet away from the crossing so it would not be right outside your bedroom window. We have done a walk about on the property about three times so far and on two of those occasions a train went past and blew the horn at the crossing. It was not as bad as I thought it would be, actually not bad at all, but I suppose it is no guarantee it wouldn't slowly drive me crazy. Or crazier, I should say ;)


I live about two blocks from a formerly unmarked crossing. It now has an arm and I assume bells, fortunately too far for me to hear that but when the trains go by in the middle of the night, [in spring and fall when windows are open,] it is a nuisance. I am a light sleeper, but I have lived here for 30 years and you sort of get used to it.

[MistyBlue]

Certain "blights" can be a horse property buyers dream...because most of the time it's nothing that bothers horses too much and it almost always lowers the price of the property. I have a 300+ foot tall orange cell tower about 200 feet outside my front door. It knocked about $50k off my property. :D
My sister has a railroad right behind her house. The tracks are less than 100 feet from her house...she says it never bothers her, that you get used to it in about a month and after that never notice it excpet as a "clock." She has 3 trains go by a day, only a few cars long and she knows they stick to schedule. So if she does notice the sound of the train, she knows it's either 9 am, noon or 3 pm.

[Windyfoot]

We went to look at a horse where the barn was right next to a commuter line rail road track - the train whistle and locomotive scared us (the people) when it went whizzing by - the horse did not bat an eye. I remember that the horse looked at us like we were crazy when we were "calming" him down..... And this was a TB that was off the track for about a week.

[greysandbays]

I live a mile and a quarter from railroad tracks, and I can hear (inside the house!) the train whistles at the four crossings within earshot -- especially at night when there is less other ambient noise. And there's a "rumble" that isn't really audible, but even my almost deaf father can sense it.

My horses wouldn't care, but I wouldn't want to live any closer to the tracks (unless the other choice was even worse).

Our local showgrounds is about four blocks from the railroad and we have to be careful to not call for exhibitors, classes, or gait changes during the train whistles because nobody could hear anyway.

[HuntrJumpr]

We pasture less than 200' from a railroad track that has frequent trains and double tracks. Between the pasture and the railroad is a two lane highway, and 100' on the perpendicular side of the pasture is another two lane highway. Not exactly the most ideal pasture setting, but it has worked for us now for almost 10 years. :)

[Chall]

I have no experience with this. However, I would find out if it's a cargo train (and what it carries) or a commuter train. My other question is: is a straight track line or is it anywhere near a curve (before or after) or at the bottom or start of a major grade change, also the average speed of trains as they come through.
There was one thread here about loose horses on a train track - I think the horses preferred the track because it was the highest land point in the area.

[enjoytheride]

your horses will get used to it but you need to be there the first few times. A friend of mine purchased property next to a train track and her horses jumped the fence the first time the train came by.

[HowDoYouLikeMeNow]

Would you do it? We are looking at a piece of property as a potential horse property. The best pasture land part of it runs along a railway line.

I imagine horses would soon get used to the sight and sound of trains. It is a single track and I am trying to find out exactly how frequently trains go by.

However, we are away during the day so the horses are not supervised during the day. Or during the night, for that matter.

I suppose it is less risky than having fence line along a highway. On the plus side, you would be guaranteed not to have any troublesome neighbours on that side ;)

I'm trying to think of all pros and cons.

I think it is a safe bet some people on this BB have pasture along a rail way line....what has been your experience and would you do it again?

I suppose you could, but would the smoke from the train not be good for them? That's what I'm wondering. It probably wouldn't be a problem though.

[ticofuzzy]

One of my "back 40" pastures is a large rectangle and the RR tracks run the entire length of the long side of it - about 15 feet off my fence line. I have good fencing and there are also thick shrubs between the fence and the RR tracks, which create a very good barrier. My horses could not care less when the trains go by - they don't even lift their heads. My horses are out there 24/7 and the trains go by a few times/day (including one at around 5:00 am). There are cargo trains and also commuter trains. It's never been the slightest bit of a problem, even for new horses.

[Alagirl]

I suppose you could, but would the smoke from the train not be good for them? That's what I'm wondering. It probably wouldn't be a problem though.


Smoke? :confused::confused::confused::confused:

[county]

Smoke from trains shouldn't be a problem seeing as their all electric

[Seven-up]

My mom used to board her horse next to train tracks, and at a later date my trainer also leased this same property. The tracks were literally right next to the barn; I'm talking tracks, 10 feet, driveway, arena and barn all right there.

It's normal to expect a freakout from the horses the first few times the train goes by. After that, they don't even notice. Even my mom's horse, a crazy Arab who was terrified of a mailbox, ignored the train. The only exception I ever saw was my trainer's daughter's horse. She would get pretty upset by the train, but she also was afraid of cars (the arena was right off the highway, which ran perpendicular to the tracks) so it was just a thing with her.

Normal protocol when a new horse arrived was to keep them stalled as the first few trains went by, and after that, maybe dismount if a train went by. After that, it was pretty much business as usual.

Pretty damn loud, though.

[silver2]

I can hear the train from my house as it runs into town. They blow the horn about 700 times on their way into town becasue people cut across the track to get to the river all along that stretch. This happens, oh, 10 or 12 times a day. I don't even hear it anymore.

It's like living next to a fog horn, after a wihle you'll have to concentrate to make yourself hear it.

[Chall]

Smoke from trains shouldn't be a problem seeing as their all electric
? Even in NYC some (very few but still some) of the trains are diesel.

[JoZ]

Friends of mine have horse property on both sides of Rt. 5 in Vermont: farmhouse, main barn and maybe 25 acres on one side, and a dirt road leading to river property on the other side. The train runs (or ran -- don't know if it still does) beside Rt. 5 on the dirt road side of the highway.

I only visited a few times a year (the farmhouse was a country inn with riding and they also hosted 3-day events) and I got used to the train whistle and roar in the middle of the night. The horses, needless to say, were unfazed.

Rt. 5 at that point is a "country highway" -- high speeds but just one lane in each direction. It can have quite a bit of traffic going 50-60 mph, so you needed a good long stretch without cars before you could cross. Worst thing EVER was to get caught between a train and the road coming back from a ride on the river property. There was no more than 50 feet between the tracks and the road. I remember on several occasions hightailing it across the highway when there was a gap that was slightly too small for comfort, just because the train was in sight. If the horses had cared, it would have been a lot worse. Somehow we didn't convince the horses there was something to fear, as we sat there with hearts in our throats!

[Sithly]

Somehow we didn't convince the horses there was something to fear, as we sat there with hearts in our throats!

I know what you mean! A few years ago I was riding in a parade with five other horses. We were halfway across a bridge when a train came roaring by underneath us! The whole bridge was shaking and the noise was deafening. Scared the crap out of me, but the horses didn't bat an eye. Not even the notoriously spooky one.

Seeing as horses can be so sensitive, I don't know why mine didn't pick up on my nervousness. Or at least if he did notice, he didn't act on it.

[Chief2]

Before purchasing the property I would take one more moment and call the train company that is using the tracks to find out if they spray herbicide on excess weeds/grasses/trees alongside of the tracks to keep the paths clear. I have a friend who lives next to the tracks, and thought nothing of installing a garden around the house until she was outside weeding and pruning one day, and a maintenance train crawled by and sprayed herbicide along the tracks, over the fence and all over her as she gardened alongside the fence. She sent her clothing out to be tested, and the stuff turned out to be some heavy duty herbicide they were using to kill the trees that the DEP wasn't even allowing them to use. Then the DEP found out the spraying also included the track side of a daycare facility down the road, and the train company wound up in a serious sit down with the feds. So, if the pastures abut the tracks and the horses will have access to grazing in that area, take a moment to find out who does the maintenance on the tracks, and give them a call.

[RU2U]

We live across the street from the tracks. Sound is a funny thing. The neighbor across the street has his house just about level with the tracks and barely notices the train. He can literally wave at the engineers as they go by. Walking on the tracks we had a train sneak up on us and we didn't notice it until it blared its horn at us. We have seen deer dead on the tracks so they have actually snuck up on a deer! So living across the street we get the full effects of the sound and the horn. The sound vibrates off the house very well, but you get used to it. It is actually alot louder at my house vs. the people across the streets house that have it in their back yard. Horses don't seem bothered by it. I just thought it was kinda neat the way the sound travels, and it may be something you want to consider where you put the house.

[Mozart]

Thank you all for your advice and input.

I'm sure I'm going to be spending a lot more time on the property before making a decision (it is an old farm site with a bunch of old and half falling down outbuilding, no one lives there, the agent has given us the green light to spend as much time wandering around as we want). Hopefully a few more trains go by while I am there so as to give me a good feel for what to expect.