You will hear dispatchers and crews giving and taking train orders. Train orders include, among others, which track to use, where and when to stop the train, any hazzards reported to the railroad. I don't know about other railroads, but CSX and Norfolk Southern train crews report the milemarkers/locations/signals as they approach them. The last time I traveled Amtrack the train crews will talk among themselves about various topics. Sometimes it is quite amusing. On one trip a passenger had deboarded the train to go to lunch. The train left the station without her. The head end was notified to stop at a particular crossing to pick her up. We stopped and waited. A taxi came up and the lady walked up and got on board. When my wife and I were eating dinner in the dining car, I remarked to her that the lady almost got left behind, etc. We both laughed. I heard someone at the next table tell me that it was her, and that she was sorry. I told her not to worry because we were not delayed very much. We all had a good laugh. Sometimes in the Northeast Corridor the head end will tell the dispatcher that there are people "rocking the train" meaning throwing rocks at them. Several weeks ago, I heard the CSX dispatcher tell "all trains in his assigned territory to stop at the next signal or when it was safe to do so because someone had really done it". Apparently someone in the dispatch office let something get out of hand and they had to stop the trains, sort out where they were, and restart all of them again safely. The dispatcher had scared in his voice. Another time I heard the dispatcher tell the appropriate trains to slow way down going through a paticurlar area because someone had been killed by a train. He then advised them that there were now two "bodies on the tracks". I am sure others can advise you on other types of communications as well. I always use a head set because the rules state that you must if you are travelling in coach. If you get a bedroom just keep the volume down so no one complains.
