Csx

[Passin Thru]

Had a close relative working for CSX who says eventually they will cut out all radio communications except direct to dispatch, they have already cut reporting in half on the Dunkirk-Cleveland Water Level Route. He also said CSX is no longer allowed to put BNSF or other company units in the lead in Erie when they leave the plant due to CSX misusing them and not delivering them when they were supposed. I'm not sure if they have to be dead but they don't give CSX the computer codes.

 

[csx 381]

I dont doubt we misuse them but we can run them without comp codes. what you mean not use the radio?

 

[Passin Thru]

He says in the future they plan to go to a reporting system like trucks use via the computer screen. It will give position, time, speed direction and conductors will use them to type messages to dispatch, it will also report all faults automatically to engineering and mech. I think they will eventually phase out radios because they are very expensive and in this day and age they don't need them. I had a trucking company and we did everything by sattelite with load coordinators and you never saw some of them or even met them. Messages came in a canned form R/E 1 stop pickup 44000 canned goods Henry Packing confirmaton # 540025 Dest WalMart Distribution Dallas TX You had to search for Henry in Customers, would give you an address and directions to the plant or whse. Didnt need a radio or phone.

 

[pedrop]

I think the future of railroad communication in US will be computer only. In Brazil all railroads use computers for dispatch. Radios are used only in yard switching.

 

[Mr. Pick]

I suspect you guys are right, but I sure will miss eavesdropping on the radio...

 

[728 Cable Donkey]

Truckers may have Qualcomm and other computer dispatching, they still all use cb radios as well. Wouldn't it be wise for the railroads to leave radios as well for local communication if/when the computer crashes?
I would hope so.

 

[UP Scott]

If/When the radio goes by the way side, I would guess that if they didn't have some sort of backup system that the procedure would call out if a loss of communication between the DS and train, the first step would be by phone and if that fails, everyone comes to a stop or some default state for safety. I hope they don't go silent either since I like to listen to the banter my self.
Later...

 

[pinpuller44]

Im a conductor for CSX..I work between Nashville and Chattanooga, and we are in pretty mountainous terrain and and we dont even radio communication with the dis[patcher in certain areas..Radios will never be phased out around here due to the fact most road trains work along the way not to mention the safety margin with radios is way higher as opposed to not having them..but you never know they will come up with anything..

 

[cotton_belt]

With narrowband coming into effext in January,I doubt most common scanners will be able to pick them up. That may be what he means.

 

[pinpuller44]

Narrow band is already in effect here at csx...All of our radios have both narrow and wide band on them it wont affect listening on a scanner...

 

[BJudd85]

I don't see that happening, the purpose of the radios is for crews to announce signal indications at certain control points in order for dispatch centers to keep track of certain train movements. This way if there is any faulty or non-working signals, it can be reported in. Computers do have advantages but if there is a loss of power somewhere how would train masters or train dispatchers know where certain trains are at. Besides, the companies that make the radio equipment for locomotives and dispatch centers would lose out on the biggest business they have done with the railroads.

 

[Passin Thru]

Computers driving cars and you say they can't drive trains? This is 2012, and Robots are taking over.

 

[Michaelson]

Im a conductor for CSX..I work between Nashville and Chattanooga, and we are in pretty mountainous terrain and and we dont even radio communication with the dis[patcher in certain areas..Radios will never be phased out around here due to the fact most road trains work along the way not to mention the safety margin with radios is way higher as opposed to not having them..but you never know they will come up with anything..

You go right through my town of Estill Springs, then. Glad to see 'homefolk' on this forum.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[JeffLH]

Narrow band is already in effect here at csx...All of our radios have both narrow and wide band on them it wont affect listening on a scanner...

I read in a company message that the FCC will start giving the railroads fines for not using narrow band after Jan 1st. There is a big push to have any non-narrow band hand-held to be either converted or turned in for replacement before then. What will hurt the use of scanners will be the switch to digital radios. That deadlne is still is a couple a couple of years off.

I doubt that you'll see radios completely gone. With PTC and/or digital radios, you may see movement authorities like track warrants, etc going to direct transmission to a cab screen. UP already does this with MOW forces for on track authorities (track and time/foul time/track permit). If the MOW employee is equipped with "remote authority" as they call it, the dispatcher can use that to issue the authority through the computer. The MOW person still requests it over the radio, but can release it through the computer. I think eventually they will be able to request it via computer.

The newer locomotives already have the capability to notify either the builder or railroad maintenance about problems they are having or that may be developing. Engines (the ones equipped) can be checked for operations (speed, engine conditions, etc) from remote locations or downloaded to measure rules/speed compliance.

The future in many respects is already here, it's just not as much different as one would think. That makes many things kind of invisible to those who don't know about the internal operations. That's not to say that down the road there could be radical changes, but many things are more evolutionary rather than revolutionary, despite all the hype.

Jeff

 

[UP Scott]

Well said Jeff... Thanks for the input.

 

[markgillings]

If the MOW employee is equipped with "remote authority" as they call it, the dispatcher can use that to issue the authority through the computer. The MOW person still requests it over the radio, but can release it through the computer. I think eventually they will be able to request it via computer.

On BNSF, we can request and release some types of track authority via computer. I imagined other railroads would be using similar systems but had never heard of it until now.

 

[Passin Thru]

For Ham rado operators there is ATCS Monitor which runs on 900 MHZ and will download to a computer which will allow you to see which blocks are occupied but does'nt give train numbers or lead engine numbers, just a red line. It is legal for anyone to run this program on receive not just Ham Operators.
finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ATCS_Monitor/

 

[Passin Thru]

Going to be like the old days, stand and wait for a train to show. Ham Radio operators do have a tracking device to show trains in a block . Look at
finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/ATCS_Monitor/ but you dont have to have a Ham Liscense to monitor it.