If you know, tell me because oddly enough, I have two different buyers involved with homes whose property lines end at rail road easements with an active track.  Both are nice homes, both share the same track, the one that rides North and South on the West side of town (as opposed to the East track that runs close to Indainola).

The buyer not yet in contract is trying to find out how many trains go by each day.  The vastly different responses she has received is a testament to how people in similar homes quickly lose track and don't notice the trains. 

She went right to the source, CSX, to find out.  They told her that, due to the potential for terrorist threats, and citing homeland security issues, they can't give her that information.  She said that wasn't good enough.  They took her basic information and will be calling her in the next few day.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio(PUCO), however,  told her 30 trains A DAYride those trails.  Familiar with those neighborhoods, I'm thinking that's a stretch, maybe more like 30 a week but what do I know, I live in Olde Towne East.  I hear trains at all hours of the day and night, seemingly sporadic and relatively few. 

My take is that the East tracks are used harder.  Where the train blows the whistle is where they are coming up to any street crossing.  Wisely, the tracks often go above or below the street (think Hudson or East North Broadway but not Weber).  I know it's hard to imagine not noticing the train going by 200 yards away, but it's true, living near a railroad track isn't that big of a deal.  Think of all the people who live along the Columbus International Airport flight path.  Or, the OSU airport for that matter (though those planes are usually single engine aricraft) there's a lot more planes flying in and out of there each day than trains on both these tracks combined.