Demystifying the railroads around Albany,NY

[928GTS]

Hello all,my friends and I like to go out looking for trains and photograph them as they go by like many fine people on this forum. I've been trying to figure out the rail system around Albany,NY and the general Capitol Region but its been pretty tough. I've been trying to get all the frequencies I can in my scanner but the tough part is actually identifying what these frequencies do and where they originate from/what they control. I was wondering if any of you could shed some light on these frequencies and if you have any tips for predicting where trains are. I'd imagine a start would be to listen for mile markers and detectors,right?


1) So onto the big project,I've been using this map as a guide for helping figure out which frequency presides over what part of the rails:
http://nf2g.com/scannist/ny_alba/albany_rail.html However tonight I was listening in and they had the NC dispatcher calling out on 160.800 which looks like,according to the map,would be the NB dispatcher,whats the deal?

2) Secondly I've been getting a lot of calls on 160.740 and 161.565 which sound a lot like moving cars around,instructions and stuff that a Yard dispatcher might do but the best description I can find for these is "CSX PBX/Yard". Which yard? Where?

3) I've been listening to 160.980 and on the map it says its the River Line heading down South whereas according to http://www.mikebrandt.net/railroad/callsigns.txt it says this is for the Selkirk to North Bergen route. Both originate out of Selkirk yard,does the River line branch off and head off West somehow? Its out of the drawing of the map so I'm in the dark.

4) The D&H North End dispatcher is on 161.100,when they say North End do they mean up towards Mechanicville or does the North End control all of the D&H's trackage?

5) I get some activity on 160.530 which is merely listed as "D&H Yards",is this correct and how many yard does D&H have?

6) 160.425 is listed as a D&H dispatcher but I've never heard anything on this,is it an out of date frequency?

7) 161.475 is listed as the D&H Road Channel,what is a "Road" channel,what does it do?

8) I've got a TON of CP frequencies entered into my scanner but how come I never hear anything on them?

9) The D&H Mechanical Department is listed on 160.590,is the Mech. Dept. sort of like a shop? Where is it located?

10) How come I don't hear much on the railroad police frequencies? Are they sort of a dead concept these days?

11) Any other good frequencies to listen to/places in the Capitol Region to camp out at out there?


Sorry for asking so many questions,its just my friends and I really want to get an idea where the trains are going/passing so we can figure out where to set up for a good shot.

Thanks!

 

[JESSERABBIT]

This is one of the more helpful forums. I am sure you will get plenty of information here. You may also want to check to see if there are any railroad clubs in your area. Again, others here may take care of that. Where I live, there are two main routes. There are also several websites that have an incredible amount of data posted, including frequencies for territories, yards etc.. If you haven't done so already, check your state database It may have listings for railroads. You are fortunate to have the maps. I hope this gets you a head start.

 

[trainman111]

160.425 is used by the D&H as the dial-in frequency. Crews dial the tones to access the radio towers. All you will hear is DTMF tones.

161.100 is infact the North End dispatcher. They control from Central Bridge, NY to Rouses Point, NY. I used to know where all the towers are located but I do know that there is one in Ballston Spa, and one in West Chazy. Do an FCC License Search for 161.100 in NY and you can find the locations.

161.475 is used in the Montreal area quite a bit on CP lines, but I can't recall ever hearing it in use in NY except occasionally by a MOW crew.

In the Albany area, D&H has Mohawk Yard & Kenwood Yard. That's all I can think of. Anyone know if there are more?

160.530 should be used at Kenwood Yard.

 

[928GTS]

Thanks for your helpful post. I've been scouring google and using both local(as in the frequencies are listed on sites that are near the Albany area)and non local sites for frequencies and its interesting to see how one page may say this frequency for this area is one thing whereas another page will have something entirely different!

Trainman111: Thanks for that info,the info on the .100 is really helpful as I was always wondering how much track they presided over.

 

[JESSERABBIT]

Boy, talk about good service. trainman111-he's the man.

 

[icom1020]

I assumed by your post that you already have Amtrak but just in case and their host RR's

Poughkeepsie-Albany CSX 64 161.070
Albany-Amsterdam NY CSX 64 161.070
Amsterdam-Buffalo-Niagara Falls CSX 46 160.800

The RR police freqs were intended as a chat between two or more officers, or between two large rail system yards in a metro area like UP or SP back in the day to coordinate or in the case of a larger yard, a freq for a yardmaster to get a hold of a special agent. Most of these across the country are outdated. Usually if by themselves they either use a Nextel or a road channel or PBX. I spent the day at the station in Rensselaer, the overpass there is a good spot to watch, but that was summer.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Regarding the CSX NB/NC/ND frequencies, my map needs updating (so does the rest of my website, but that's another story). CSX has gone to a split-channel system on the main lines now. There is no longer a strict rule that 161.07 is used in one area and 160.80 in the next. Now it's divided according to Dispatcher on one channel and train-to-train on the other, and both frequencies are used across the state.

 

[DaveNF2G]

161.475 is used in the Montreal area quite a bit on CP lines, but I can't recall ever hearing it in use in NY except occasionally by a MOW crew.

I haven't confirmed this directly, but I have been told that .475 is used in the Binghamton area by CP.

Also, I'm still looking for a frequency for CSX's West Albany Yard. It's hard to spend any time in the area listening (surrounded by private industrial property).

 

[trainman111]

Which part can you not confirm Dave? I know it was used in the Montreal area because I heard it quite frequently when I lived in Rouses Point. The dispatcher and train crews spoke French so I couldn't really ever understand what they were saying or what sub. the frequency was used on. I know I've heard it used as a MOW frequency in NY, but again, I'm not sure where. It might have been in the Binghamton area as I was traveling through, but I'm not 100% sure.

Edit: In my CPR General Operating Instructions Book 1, it lists 161.475 as used for train standby and RTC call-in. Keep in mind that the GOI book's I have only concern Canadian trackage, not U.S.

 

[DaveNF2G]

Which part can you not confirm Dave?

I haven't been able to confirm the Binghamton usage, which is why I reported it as "I've been told..."

 

[trainman111]

Okay. I'm not sure where I've heard it in use. Maybe it was in the Niagara Falls area. If that's the case, it could have been coming from Canada, who knows.

 

[928GTS]

Regarding the CSX NB/NC/ND frequencies, my map needs updating (so does the rest of my website, but that's another story). CSX has gone to a split-channel system on the main lines now. There is no longer a strict rule that 161.07 is used in one area and 160.80 in the next. Now it's divided according to Dispatcher on one channel and train-to-train on the other, and both frequencies are used across the state.

Blimey! Thats interesting,thanks for your information. So I guess its more or less just listening for mile markers,yards and familiar landmarks to predict where a train is,huh? Is 161.070 used for dispatch whereas 160.800 is used for train to train?


Trainman111: I've always wondered what is RTC and why do you need to call in for it? I'm still new at figuring out all the terminology used on the rails.

All of your help is simply invaluable,thank you!

 

[trainman111]

RTC is the Canadian version of the dispatcher. It stands for Rail Traffic Control. They do the same exact thing as a dispatcher does in the U.S. You need to call the in, so they know you need to talk to them.

 

[LathamScan]

I can confirm the D&H (CP) use of 161.475 as the 'South End Dispatcher', which covers from Central Bridge, NY all the way to the southern terminus of track, which I don't know exactly. Last year I was in Scranton, PA and my hotel was right on the freight main line for the D&H. I was able to monitor all of their traffic on 161.475 regarding movements through the Scranton area.

Kevin

 

[Spec]

RTC is the Canadian version of the dispatcher. It stands for Rail Traffic Control. They do the same exact thing as a dispatcher does in the U.S. You need to call the in, so they know you need to talk to them.

The term RTC is also in use by the Metro North Railroad in the souther tier of NY .

 

[trainman111]

Really? I've never heard it in use anywhere else but besides in Canada. Interesting to hear that it is used in the U.S. Every now and then, one of the dispatchers down here on the CSX will call himself RTC instead of the dispatcher.