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  • Discussion related to railroad radio frequencies, railroad communication practices, equipment, and more.
Discussion related to railroad radio frequencies, railroad communication practices, equipment, and more.

Moderator: Aa3rt

 #888557  by justalurker66
 
It is interesting that police had the frequencies and permission to use them ... and a shame that they have now been told not to.

I've seen the call numbers at many intersections. Tags wrapped around poles where the sign is no more obstructing the view than the pole. But I'm not sure the general public would see it or call it.

I'd like to see pull boxes at major crossings where a police officer could signal a problem directly to the railroad ... perhaps even keyed if the railroad is afraid of misuse. (Many buildings have fire department lock boxes on them where the fire department can access keys to the building if needed.) It would be one more thing to maintain.

I've been listening to a local railroad deal with false activations, partial activations and broken gates at their crossings. Being able to clearly communicate a problem in advance to trains is not a bad thing.
 #888760  by Rockingham Racer
 
A couple of observations:

Where I live, the Border Patrol has direct communication with the UP Railroad. It's used to coordinate train stops for inspections, but I suppose they could use it in an emergency.

In commuter rail territory in NYC, Chicago, etc., rush hour headways are very short. If something happens on the right-of-way in this scenario, a telephone call to the local police just isn't going to avoid a possible disaster in many cases. Seconds count in this situation.

A cellphone call to the railroad emergency number that's posted on the crossing control box is fine, but that doesn't work if no one has a cellphone, or if the emergency in question is not at a crossing.