[Symbiote]

I lived near several 80%-passenger railways in England, and they are not silent but they are quieter and less annoying than roads.

Most of the trains were electric, including the freight trains.

[monknomo]

US experience is different, with big diesels and primarily freight. I'd rate them as similarly annoying to a divided highway, but I suppose it depends on the region and the specifics

[Symbiote]

There are a million train spotter videos on YouTube, and given the audience I'm unlikely to find one filmed in someone's back garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-wyR316550

(The navy blue trains with yellow 'noses' are high-speed commuter trains, the dark blue, gold and white ones are the high-speed trains to France, the plain white ones are normal-speed commuter trains to London.)

I think the continuously welded rails are the biggest improvement, as they remove most of the "clackety-clack". Instead you get the "hiss", but that's only noticeable from really close.