The data packets are then available as an ATCSmon compatible server or can be pitched to an ATCS aggregator, and a copy of received data is sent to the Rail Watch web site. With enough cooling it is possible to run at least 2 SDRs and receive up to 3 or 4 channels total, so you can monitor both MCP and BCP. ATCS is great if you can get it for the line you want to monitor. Some folks have made it available for certain areas via the web - when I visited Deshler, OH that was the case. Made trainwatching easier since you could see what was lined up well in advance of arrival. I haven't looked lately, but I could also sit here in NY and watch the action. In a perfect world, it would be great to see that for every railroad line. Now that we have covered ATCS a scanner is the next best thing for tracking trains along your local railroad lines. A basic analog scanner would work fine to monitor your local railroad line. Railroads broadcast on the 159.8100 – 161.6100 MHz.
- Atcs Monitor Union Pacific
- Atcs Railroad Monitor
- Atsc Railroad Monitor
- Atcs Railroad Monitor
- Atcs Railroad Monitoring
- Atcs Railroad Monitoring
A scanner is a valuable tool when railfanning and here is why. There is no way to tell when the next train is coming unless you are monitoring ATCS (Advanced Train Control System). ATCS is a digital display of a railroad line showing where the trains are. In a perfect world, it would be great to see that for every railroad line. Now that we have covered ATCS a scanner is the next best thing for tracking trains along your local railroad lines.
Where to start?
A basic analog scanner would work fine to monitor your local railroad line. Railroads broadcast on the 159.8100 – 161.6100 MHz. Normally a basic scanner will cost about $100. I would also recommend a rubber duck antenna tuned to the VHF frequency band to get the best reception.
Are the railroads going digital?
Right now analog is the primary type of communication of the railroads. The digital switchover will be several years off and will take a team effort by all railroad carriers and passenger providers. Digital NXDN may be used for some yards or short line operations but 99% are still using analog.
Atcs Monitor Union Pacific
Programming
I would strongly recommend using RadioReference.com to get the local railroad frequencies. You will see larger railroads like CSX, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific have their lines broken into districts and subdivisions. So be sure you have the right Road and Dispatch channels programmed into your scanner. If you are going to be railfanning near a yard be sure to program any yard channels. Most scanners do have a programmed railroad service search to find additional area frequencies.
Why do I only hear the dispatcher and not always the train?
Railroads use what we call line-of-sight communications which means a scanner listener will hear the train crew when they are anywhere from 5 to 10 miles away. Line-of-sight reception is based on the radio transmit power. The dispatcher can often be heard because they are transiting off tower sites along the right of way. These tower sites have the ability to listen to the train crews this is called a receive site.
Quiet vs talkative
This is dependent on the traffic on a given railroad line. The busier the line the more radio communication you will hear as the dispatcher tries to keep freight and passenger trains moving on time. Other lines that might have one or two trains may still have valuable information that can be heard over the scanner such as Defect Detectors, Train Telemetry, and engineer call outs.
WaysideDefect Detectors
These are automated voice detection systems that will alert a train crew of any problems on board the passing train.
Following problems may be heard:
- Hot Wheel
- Dragging Equipment
- Car Height
- Wide-Load
- Shifted load
- Hotbox
Once familiar with the milepost and defect detectors along the line this will be a great tool to know if a train is coming. Normally these defect detectors are heard on the road channel. These automated broadcasts can be heard up to 2 to 6 miles from the transit site.
Atcs Railroad Monitor
Here is an example of a typical automated message:
“CSX Equipment Defect Detector Milepost 123.4 No Defects (Repeat) No Defects. Total Axle 621. Track 1. Temperature 63. Detector Out.”
Please note you will not here this automated message until the train has fully cleared the detector.
Video by Mark Clay McGowan on How Wayside Detectors Work
Programming Train Telemetry
Along with programming, the local railroad frequencies be sure to program Head of Train (HOT) 452.9375 MHz and End of Train (EOT) 457.9375 MHz. These frequencies transmit low power signals that put out a data burst from the train’s onboard HOT and EOT devices. Monitoring these channels the listener will know when the train is near their vicinity. It will sound like a little chirp.
Engineer calling out locations?
On some railroad lines, you will hear the engineer call out key locations along a route on the road channel. Oftentimes these are business references along the route, cities/town names, or even key milepost locations.
Emergency, Emergency
This is never a good thing to hear on the scanner. The engineer has stopped the train due to a problem, which could be derailment, hitting something on the right-of-way or a problem with onboard equipment.
Looking to buy a scanner?
I would strongly recommend the analog Uniden Bearcat BC125AT Handheld scanner. This scanner is simple to program through the keypad. You can even program alpha tags that will give a brief description of the frequency programmed. This scanner even has a railroad service search to find unknown frequencies.
Overview
ATCS monitoring. What is it exactly? I'm willing to bet that a lot of people have started hearing about this technology but arn't sure exactly what it is or what it means to you as a railroad enthusiest.
ATCS stands for Advanced Train Control System. The software monitor allows you to monitor in a graphical form, the train movements on a particular section of railroad that has this system installed. You can view signal indications for absolute signals, switch alignment, and whether or not a train is occupying a section of track. This can help determine if multiple trains are coming to an interlocking, which one will proceed first allowing you the maximum amount of time to be in a prime location to see it. This page is devoted to helping you learn about this technology and how to get the maximum amount of use out of it. It also contains all the materials you will need to use this program as well as links to useful information and resources.
--Take me to the file & server info--
The ATCS Monitor Program
This is the program that runs on your Windows based PC. It has very minimum requirements, so just about anyone can use it no matter how old their PC is. It runs on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP. To use it away from an internet connection, you must have a sound card properly installed and working.
Atsc Railroad Monitor
The program is basically two parts. One is the data program. This part gathers data from a source, either an internet server, or directly from the scanner, and puts it together into something that makes a little more sense than it did before.
The top window stretching the entire width contains in order of last transmission, the name of the station broadcasting the signal, followed by the information it sent out. The window under that one on the left shows a list of all the stations that have broadcast a signal since the program started running.. To the right of that is the technical data from the last transmission.
Atcs Railroad Monitor
The second part is the 'dispatcher' display, the most essential part of the program. This is the track diagram for a particular area of railroad. The data that is collected by the program is automatically displayed on this window for you to look at and instantly know whats going on.
The names that are highlighted in red, Hadley Mike and Piqua, are stations that have transmitted a signal in the past 2 minutes and are considered 'active'. From this menu we can see that the signal at Hadley is showing a clear for a train coming west on the Chicago District, switching to the main, and traveling to E Dunfee. We can also see that a train is occupying the PRR Ft Wayne line between Junction and Mike, indicated by the red track.
Atcs Railroad Monitoring
A capture from a few minutes later shows that the train that was previously on the PRR portion has moved, most likely into the Triple Crown Yard. There is now a train at Mike waiting to go east most likely. The Hadley station is no longer highlighted indicating it is no longer active. This means that the data may be outdate by now and that signal may no longer be displayed like it is. The train may be long gone by now. We can see Runnion now so we can watch this for the train to pass. Since Runnion is not displaying any signals, it's mostly likely that the train on the Chicago District has passed.
Now we see a signal indicating a clear on Track 2 (northern most track) for a Westbound on the Huntington District. No data has been received for Hadley so that indication is still standing on the screen. If you know a train has passed and that this is the incorrect indication you can click on the signal and it will turn to red. This can help eliminate some confusion and false hopes. Don't worry, anything you do on the screen WON'T happen in real life.
The train has now shown up and is in the Piqua block, soon to enter Mike.
Now the train has entered Mike. The cars of the train are still in the Piqua block.
© Original Content Copyright 1999-2007 David Safdy
© Design and Updates Copyright 2005-2007 Greg Lavoie
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