the silence is deafening

sounds like you need to design them yourself

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022460X98917734

Google 'rail noise barriers' . Scores of photos linked to dozens of sites.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park attenuates the sound from the BQE. 

http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/pages/parkdesign#about-sound-attenuation

Thanks everyone.

This is my thesis focus. As a previously heavy rail commuter and much to the agreement of residents surrounding a rail line, these barriers are a feat of urban blight. My objective is to use case studies and examples from around the world which exemplify attractive and effective noise attenuation and apply those principles to the local context (Canada). Next semester is a design thesis, in which I will be designing a rail corridor's barriers with the framework I hope to establish in my research. 

I'm having a really hard time finding rail-specific examples, so I am borrowing techniques from highway noise mitigation strategies and others. Thanks everyone for your comments.

Green walls might be a solution, the problem with a hard barrier is the sound energy is deflected and sometimes amplified but soft flexible surfaces like soil or plants absorb the energy and mitigate the noise, but there will always be some noise. 

So strategies:

sound energy absorbing soft materials

deflecting sound up or away from residences

or reducing the cause of the sound (poorly maintained rails or engines without noise dampening systems)

my understanding is that because of the type of sound barriers aren't very effective?  you'd know better than me i guess

I remember seeing a project a few months ago where berms were used on each side of a railway, along with bushes and trees, to reduce noise pollution; I thought it was from Foster but I can't seem to find it now...

from the LARE - berms/earthwork is the most effective sound barrier, followed by hard surfaces; plants may lower the perceived level of sound but isn't very effective in actually lowering decibel levels, though dense evergreens can help.

Martha Schwartz did a textured concrete one with different colored glass in it, not terribly great, but better than the timber panels.  The nicer (more expensive) ones I've seen seem to be all some type of textured concrete - the metal ones don't seem to come in more decorative options (cost?).

I think rail is usually run in corridors that avoid the need for sound barriers - they also tend to be less of an impact than highways (where the sound and exhaust are constant).