Sample Pack: Passing Trains – Authentic Railway Ambience from the Heart of Edinburgh
There’s something undeniably powerful about the sound of a train passing by - a mix of motion, weight, and anticipation that adds instant atmosphere to any project. The Passing Trains Sample Pack captures that energy in a focused collection of authentic railway recordings, ready to drop into your film, game, or ambient audio track.
Recorded on location in Edinburgh in 2021, this free sample pack offers a rich mix of urban and commuter rail sounds, from distant rumbles to high-speed pass-bys. Whether you're designing a cinematic transition or layering subtle movement into a soundscape, these tracks deliver.
Choo choo…
They offer a really horrible service, but offer up some great sounds!
Princes Street Gardens
If you ever get a chance to go, go! It is a very breathtaking place to see, I will never get bored of looking up at the castle when I visit.
If you venture in beyond the upper paths, on the west side of the gardens, there is a bridge that is more peaceful than the hustle and bustle of Waverly Bridge where I got some amazing recordings from this pack.
What’s Inside the Passing Trains Pack?
This pack includes 7 high-quality WAV recordings, each one capturing a unique moment of passing rail traffic. Inside, you’ll find:
Distant train ambience for quiet, atmospheric builds
Mid-range pass-bys with detailed motion and texture
Fast commuter train whooshes for dramatic movement and energy
City and trackside recordings with natural environmental context
All files are ready to use and come royalty-free under a CC0 license, so you can use them in personal or commercial work with no restrictions.
Perfect For:
Film editors building cinematic tension or transitions
Game developers crafting realistic travel scenes or background loops
Ambient and downtempo producers adding movement and mood
Field recording lovers looking to expand their library with real-world rail sounds
Sound designers seeking unique textures and motion layers
Whether you want bold, sweeping rail FX or subtle environmental movement, these recordings adapt beautifully to a wide range of uses.
How It Was Made
All recordings in this pack were captured using a portable stereo setup on location in Edinburgh, at various urban and semi-rural sites with natural reverb and minimal interference. From slow hauls to high-speed commuter trains, the recordings reflect real-world rail life with clean, unprocessed clarity.
Each WAV file has been lightly trimmed and normalized for ease of use, but otherwise left untouched — giving you the raw, organic motion of the rails.
Download the Passing Trains Sample Pack
This pack is a quick download at just 86MB (zipped), and includes 7 WAV files, royalty-free under a CC0 license — no usage restrictions, no attribution required.
Whether you’re crafting an immersive soundscape or adding subtle motion to a quiet moment, the Passing Trains Sample Pack is a powerful, evocative tool to have in your audio library.