Train defect detector

[buddrousa]

My post is from my experiences in Northern Mississippi, West Tennessee, West Kentucky, and Southern Illinois on the CN Tracks.

 

[sonm10]

On the UP it depends on what type of DD it is whether it is ”talk freely”, which talks every train with an entrance and exit message, or “talk restricted “ , entrance message only , or “talk on defect only”, self explanatory. Most Hot Box detectors are ”talk restricted “, except for the ones near the yards which are “talk freely”. Stand alone dragging equipment detectors or wheel down detectors are almost always “ talk on defect only”.
Hope this helps with UP detectors.
Take care
Ed

Can you please explain Entrance or exit message? Thanks

 

[buddrousa]

My local CN Detectors
Entrance Message
States Mile Marker, Direction

Exit Message
States Mile Marker, Direction, No Faults, Temp, Number of Axles, Speed

 

[N1XDS]

It appears that the NS mainline running through Byron, GA is in the Norfolk Southern Brunswick District as this line runs northeast to Macon. You should be hearing the detector voice traffic on road channel 36/36 (160.650 MHz). Wasn't sure if you had this programmed, was not mentioned in previous comments.

See this RR reference: Georgia Railroads (Georgia) Scanner Frequencies and Radio Frequency Reference

220.7675 MHz is positive train control (PTC) telemetry. Thanks for mentioning this, going to do more research and listen when I travel. The FCC took the lower segment of the 220 ham band from us a while back. Heard that it was assigned to UPS, but this sheds more light on the rail industry communications.

You are welcome. The defect detector is set to frequency 160.455 talk on defect only is set to no. I just started getting back in to Rail Scanning after taking time away from the scanning hobby. I have 160.650 programmed but never hear anything on that channel. From what it shows on defect detector website that is belongs to the Albany district.

 

[KE4ZNR]

I am about 1.8Mi from the NS DD. It reports its MP location and "No defects" in two transmissions a few seconds apart.

This is what I hear in Central NC. "Norfolk Southern Milepost xx.x No Defects" twice.

 

[wa8pyr]

I'm not offended, I just know that it's pretty common to have detectors that don't transmit voice communications for every movement over them.

This appears to be railroad specific, or even location specific; I can easily understand setting a detector to report on defects only in areas where there’s a lot of radio traffic (terminal areas, etc).

Over here, NS has their detectors set for exit message only, while CSX has theirs set for both entrance and exit. In fact, CSX has revived the old Conrail practice of having the train crew answer the detector by giving train symbol, detector location and report (ie “CSX M205 milepost 110.1 no defects”).

 

[burner50]

This appears to be railroad specific, or even location specific; I can easily understand setting a detector to report on defects only in areas where there’s a lot of radio traffic (terminal areas, etc).

Over here, NS has their detectors set for exit message only, while CSX has theirs set for both entrance and exit. In fact, CSX has revived the old Conrail practice of having the train crew answer the detector by giving train symbol, detector location and report (ie “CSX M205 milepost 110.1 no defects”).

Yeah, that's very dependent on a number of things, but there's thousands of defect detectors that maybe detect one thing instead of a number of things. The multi-function detectors or detectors intended to protect something specific transmit voice communications quite often.

I know on both UP and BNSF dragging equipment detectors were extremely common and it was extremely common for them to not be equipped to transmit voice communications, but communicate back to dispatch when there is a problem. Unless a railfan had prior knowledge that a detector was in a specific location, they would never even know it existed as they're often colocated with wayside signals and use the same infrastructure. Outward signs may just look like hardware that is associated with a wayside signal.

There are some detectors that are imperative to have transmit on voice communications to protect infrastructure because if a defect is noted it needs to be addressed NOW and going undetected is not an acceptable options. These detectors usually protect critical infrastructure that would be far more difficult to replace than just some right of way like bridges, tunnels, etc.

My post is from my experiences in Northern Mississippi, West Tennessee, West Kentucky, and Southern Illinois on the CN Tracks.

So, riddle me this... As a railfan in that area, if a detector never transmitted by voice, how would you ever know it did or didn't exist?

 

[AK9R]

...if a detector never transmitted by voice, how would you ever know it did or didn't exist?

Defect Detector Map

 

[burner50]

Defect Detector Map

That's far from an authoritative source as it is all crowdsourced and based on what information railfans can put together.

 

[buddrousa]

@burner50
Do you have a better list?

 

[N9JIG]

That's far from an authoritative source as it is all crowdsourced and based on what information railfans can put together.

Sort of like the RadioReference database.

 

[burner50]

Sort of like the RadioReference database.

Okay, but nobody is trying to use the radioreference database to prove or disprove the existence of a system that doesn't transmit... And if they were, it would be as equally useless of a resource.

 

[burner50]

@burner50
Do you have a better list?

I have a decade of experience as an engineer on a class 1 railroad traversing tracks of several different railroads.

A blanket statement of all detectors talk to every train is, on its face, incorrect because there are a great number of detectors that simply exist that do not even have the ability to transmit voice communications.

It is literally that simple.

I am not in the railroad industry any longer, so even if I still had reference materials they would all be ten years out of date and not something that I would personally publish as it isn't my information to distribute.

My point is that just because you hear some detectors in your area that transmit doesn't mean that all detectors transmit voice communications.

Sheesh... No need to be so defensive over it.

 

[buddrousa]

@burner50
Then why are you?
Have you traveled my area? I spoke for my area.
Even the Mods see the point.
By the way you have people programming Radios off the RR Database to use on Police, Fire and EMS.

 

[mikewazowski]

Since nobody seems to have a better list, not much point in continuing this.