New Radio Channel CN Waukesha Subdivision

[Radio99]

Effective at 1100 Hours today, AAR Channel 54 (160.920 MHz) is in use as the new road channel on the CN Waukesha Subdivision between Forest Park, IL and the State Line between Illinois and Wisconsin. The old channel AAR 79 (161.295 MHz) will remain in use as a dispatcher channel. As of 1600 Hours today, the hotbox detector in Wheeling, IL has been changed over to the new channel however Deval Tower in Des Plaines remains on 161.295. Monitoring radio conversations, it is anticipated that Deval will change over in the next few days. While monitoring the new channel of 160.920 MHz, I am also hearing train-to-train traffic between engineers on the old EJ&E line; so apparently this new channel is also the road channel on other CN subdivisions. As of this time it is unknown what other changes have taken place on the other CN subdivisions.

 

[N9JIG]

Starting to hear the detectors on 54 (160.920) now. I understand that 160.920 is now called the "End to End" channel in the entire Chicago Service Area. While a common term in Canada, it is a new term for this area.

It appears that 160.920 is also being used as End to End on the Leighton Sub (EJ&E) as well as on the former IC lines towards Rockford, Joliet and Kankakee while their existing Road channels (161.475, 160.755 and 161.190 respectively) remain as the Dispatcher channels.

 

[dapaq2]

As Info...

"Word has It", that in the near future three or four more new frequencies will be assigned to the CN for use in the Chicago area. When exactly that will come dont know, but word is that the CN is having trouble getting those additional frequencies issued to them right away and since they were unable to wait for the new frequencies to be issued they decided to impliment this new channel plan in an effort to alleviate some of the radio traffic congestion within the Chicago area until those new frequencies are issued. However the word is that radio traffic and congestion has actually INCREASED due to this new channel plan, instead of each subdivision having their own frequency and being seperated from each other, now each subdivision of the entire Chicago Division is on AAR Channel 54. So what you see now is just a temporary 'fix', so expect more channel changes to come again in the future

Doug