Thankfully for me and my six year old grandson, we live close to a train depot and yard that does not discourage railfanning.
We lived very close to a switch yard where many activities went on. Engineers traded shifts, work trains rested, once we were home when a circus train went through and stopped to water the animals. One of the saddest parts of moving was leaving the trains. And no we did not hear them. They were just a part of our daily song.