NS frequency changes system wide

NYAirOne

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I'm by Buffalo,NY not far from Bison Yard. I have these freqs in use by me.
161.085 Lake Erie District
161.070 Southern Tier Line
160.440 Bison Yard
161.490 ? Possible yard
161.190 ? Possible yard
 

w2csx

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I'm by Buffalo,NY not far from Bison Yard. I have these freqs in use by me.
161.085 Lake Erie District
161.070 Southern Tier Line
160.440 Bison Yard
161.490 ? Possible yard
161.190 ? Possible yard

So is the entire Southern Tier on 161.070?
 

PaMonitor

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So is the entire Southern Tier on 161.070?


Southern Tier Line
NextLevel.gif

MP 213 (Binghamton) to MP 420 (Panama/Buffalo)
Frequency License Type Tone Alpha Tag Description Mode Tag
160.80000 BMCSQNS46 SoutherBinghamton to Canaseraga FMN Railroad
161.07000 BMCSQNS64 SoutherCanaseraga to Buffalo FMN Railroad

I get them on both of these.
 

w2csx

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Southern Tier Line
NextLevel.gif

MP 213 (Binghamton) to MP 420 (Panama/Buffalo)
FrequencyLicenseTypeToneAlpha TagDescriptionModeTag
160.80000BMCSQNS46 SoutherBinghamton to CanaseragaFMNRailroad
161.07000BMCSQNS64 SoutherCanaseraga to BuffaloFMNRailroad

I get them on both of these.
Thanks
 

iceman977th

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So, for some reason. NS has installed what sounds like a repeater that broadcasts the yard channels in Portsmouth, OH and Williamson, WV. Williamson was recently all but shuttered, so I'm not sure if Portsmouth has taken over duties there or not. The repeater is operating on AAR 011 as an output, not sure of input (originally Portsmouth Yard was on 072, the Columbus District road channel) but I'm curious if anyone else has seen this happen yet.

Mike
 

wa8pyr

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So, for some reason. NS has installed what sounds like a repeater that broadcasts the yard channels in Portsmouth, OH and Williamson, WV. Williamson was recently all but shuttered, so I'm not sure if Portsmouth has taken over duties there or not. The repeater is operating on AAR 011 as an output, not sure of input (originally Portsmouth Yard was on 072, the Columbus District road channel) but I'm curious if anyone else has seen this happen yet.

Mike,

Where is the repeater?

I do know that NS put a yard repeater in place at Portsmouth fairly recently (output AAR 011, input 069; found it when I was down there a couple months back), but at that time it was only Portsmouth yard stuff.

CSX has been doing it for years (last time I was at Huntington I was in the former dispatch office, and the yardmasters were sitting where the dispatchers used to sit; one was handling St. Albans as well as several other yards... can't recall what the other guy was handling), so it wouldn't surprise me if NS is giving YMs additional yards to deal with.

Seems like it would make more sense for Williamson to be covered by either Bluefield or Kenova, though (if it were me, I'd give Williamson to Bluefield and Kenova to Portsmouth).
 

iceman977th

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Tom, I believe it's on their South Portsmouth tower, I hear it just fine at the house here in Ashland. I've also heard it in Williamson as well, so they must be simulcasting somehow, but I don't know if it's the same input down there or not, or if they're linked. Next time I'm down that way I'll listen more. So to confirm, they're using 011/069 for yard now and not the road channel like they were previously?

CSX yardmasters are indeed controlling multiple yards. Russell, Huntington, South Charleston, Quinnimont, and Hinton are all on the yardmaster at Huntington.. might be east to Clifton too, I don't know. Peach Creek controls there, Shelby, Martin, Paintsville, Danville, and Elk Run. I don't know about Hazard.. might be under them or Corbin.

Bluefield doesn't have a yardmaster anymore, I don't believe. I think the shops control the yard now. I'm surprised Portsmouth doesn't control Williamson and Bluefield (and Norton & Weller, while we're at it)

I remember when Kenova's yardmaster was abolished, the Chief Dispatcher assumed yardmaster authority there. Didn't last long.

Mike
 

wa8pyr

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Tom, I believe it's on their South Portsmouth tower, I hear it just fine at the house here in Ashland. I've also heard it in Williamson as well, so they must be simulcasting somehow, but I don't know if it's the same input down there or not, or if they're linked. Next time I'm down that way I'll listen more. So to confirm, they're using 011/069 for yard now and not the road channel like they were previously?

Right, all the yard babble I heard was on the repeater; the road channels were mercifully free of nearly all of it. I was sitting at GS at the time and verified the input by the simple expedient of checking the FCC license (which I often forget to do); popped it into the radio and there they were.

Same output frequency at Williamson? If so I'll add it to the database.

CSX yardmasters are indeed controlling multiple yards. Russell, Huntington, South Charleston, Quinnimont, and Hinton are all on the yardmaster at Huntington.. might be east to Clifton too, I don't know. Peach Creek controls there, Shelby, Martin, Paintsville, Danville, and Elk Run. I don't know about Hazard.. might be under them or Corbin.

Bluefield doesn't have a yardmaster anymore, I don't believe. I think the shops control the yard now. I'm surprised Portsmouth doesn't control Williamson and Bluefield (and Norton & Weller, while we're at it)

I remember when Kenova's yardmaster was abolished, the Chief Dispatcher assumed yardmaster authority there. Didn't last long.

Huh, didn't know the Kenova YM had been abolished, but it doesn't surprise me. Ditto Bluefield; there's not a lot going on there (or Williamson) now.
 

RadioDitch

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Actually, that has to do with the dispatching software they've implemented in Atlanta. I don't know what software engineer wrote a product that is incapable of telling the difference between "East Benson" and "West Benson" (for example), but I'm reliably informed that's the reason for the switch.

But your basic point is correct; some nitwit couldn't figure out cardinal directions. Probably had to repeat third grade. . .

Same morons at Siemens who wrote Movement Planner (aka: Auto Router).

I'm told by a dispatcher in Atlanta that apparently there's another large round of changes coming, all due to plans to begin mainline NXDN testing allegedly. A new digital yard repeater at Enola is also planned.
 
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iceman977th

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Right, all the yard babble I heard was on the repeater; the road channels were mercifully free of nearly all of it. I was sitting at GS at the time and verified the input by the simple expedient of checking the FCC license (which I often forget to do); popped it into the radio and there they were.

Same output frequency at Williamson? If so I'll add it to the database.



Huh, didn't know the Kenova YM had been abolished, but it doesn't surprise me. Ditto Bluefield; there's not a lot going on there (or Williamson) now.

I was going to pull the license back up but haven't been arsed to, so I'm glad someone did. I had the licenses archived somewhere when investigating what sounded like NXDN data which ended up being crossing data I think.

I stand corrected on yardmasters. Yes, the Kenova yardmaster has been gone, but the Bluefield YM is now a day shift 6a-2p. I presume the dispatcher has authority the rest of the time.

As for the Williamson one, I happened to hear it today while heading home from picking a desk up. It actually sounded like maintainers talking about their TA's on the Gilbert Branch so I'm really not sure what's going on down there with it, if it's multi-use or what.

Same morons at Siemens who wrote Movement Planner (aka: Auto Router).

I'm told by a dispatcher in Atlanta that apparently there's another large round of changes coming, all due to plans to begin mainline NXDN testing allegedly. A new digital yard repeater at Enola is also planned.

Guess I need to start picking up NX700's or figure out how to discriminator tap my TM281A's then. Guess they want to get ahead of the curve on the radio system.

Mike
 

wa8pyr

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I was going to pull the license back up but haven't been arsed to, so I'm glad someone did. I had the licenses archived somewhere when investigating what sounded like NXDN data which ended up being crossing data I think.

I stand corrected on yardmasters. Yes, the Kenova yardmaster has been gone, but the Bluefield YM is now a day shift 6a-2p. I presume the dispatcher has authority the rest of the time.

As for the Williamson one, I happened to hear it today while heading home from picking a desk up. It actually sounded like maintainers talking about their TA's on the Gilbert Branch so I'm really not sure what's going on down there with it, if it's multi-use or what.

OK, I'll amend my notes.

Guess I need to start picking up NX700's or figure out how to discriminator tap my TM281A's then. Guess they want to get ahead of the curve on the radio system.

Consider the Icom F3161DT-RR if you can find one; already has the NXDN feature installed as well as the railroad firmware. I picked one up on eBay for around $200; I've got it all programmed up RX only and it works like a champ, especially after I put a Smiley 5/8-duck for 160 MHz on it.
 

INDY72

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They could do it how boats have for years. Load a guy on with an HT enabled for NXDN. Once they get to EOL transfer point, off he hops. Then again, you would be surprised how many trains are actually NXDN ready now.
 

AK9R

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So if NS goes to NXDN, then any foreign railroad engine could not lead on one of their trains unless it also has an NXDN radio. Correct?
Most of the Class 1 railroads have been buying NXDN capable radios and installing them on their locomotives. It would be a matter of the engineer selecting one of the pre-programmed NXDN channels and carrying on. The radios in locomotives already have all of the AAR channels programmed in them. The locomotive radios that can do NXDN have the AAR channels programmed with NXDN, too.

The issue of certain locomotives not being allowed to lead is not new. In cab signal territory, locomotives that don't have cab signal displays are not allowed to lead. Locomotives that have defective headlights or horns that can't be repaired before the locomotive leaves a terminal are also not allowed to lead.
 

INDY72

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Also, expect to start seeing the "new" AAR freqs get added into places on the next mod/renew cycle in the loop. Now that the "yard dogs" and "special agents" AKA Railroad Police have successfully been testing NXDN for a couple of years now, the Class I's are very much in the "close to ready" to test it on primary ops. So yes, all you naysayers about rail and NXDN, its really a lot closer to happening than you keep crying about. That "twenty years" or more that was being hollered about just 5 or so years ago is now actually more like five or so years. NS has been upgrading the yard repeaters, and quietly upgrading base radio setups as they shuffle operations around and streamline their processes. On the PTC and other tracking/control systems,.. Yeah there are still some growing pains, and it seems like an toddler is setting things up. Same issues with CSXT, BNSF, CN/IC (GTW) etc... (As for non working horns, it seems that as long as it makes some kind of sound, its good to go. Have heard a few lately that sound more like dying animals than a mile or longer freight train lol.)
 

Railham_CJ

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I’m waiting to see when our interchange partner will make the switch to digital. When that comes it’s going to be fun.
 
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