Head of Train Data Bursts

[cr8054]

I live near CSX Avon Yard which is a large hump yard on the main route between Cleveland and St. Louis. I made the mistake of putting the HOT frequency in a scanner. For the most part, all I heard were HOTs since there are so many locomotives around the yard. I locked out the HOT frequency, but I've left the EOT frequency in the scan list. It's not much of a problem unless I'm on the periphery of the yard.

In my experience watching trains at Avon Yard, the car inspectors grab the EOT off of inbound trains as they inspect the trains in the receiving yard. They may switch off the EOTs at that point. The EOTs travel in the back of a car inspector's pick up truck to a small shop near the departure yard where they are serviced and tested. After that, the EOTs hang on a rack outside the shop. The car inspectors then hang the EOTs onto outbound trains in the departure yard.

Some local conductors here on the Southern Division will pull their train to the south end of the MC tracks (Mt Vernon Avenue to Cross Street) in Ridgefield Park take their EOT off the train and drop it on ground, shove their train into the clear and head down to the office, leaving the EOT laying on the ground. The next local crew will pick it up and use it. I believe these EOT's are the ones that use the air from the train line to charge the batteries. CSX's North Bergen Yard is not to far away and there is always EOT's pinging there. If I am buffing in Ridgefield Park, I have to lock the EOT's out or I would lose my mind, not to mention not hearing trains calling the signals at CP-7 and CP-5.