CSX Detectors in Upstate NY Without CR Voice

FarmallBob wrote:

NaDspr wrote:Someone higher up on CSX made it a point to have "Conrail" deleted from all defect detectors announcements by 12/31/07, at least on the Albany Division.....I can't speak for the other divisions, maybe there too. At some point "in the near future," the automated voice will begin the radio transmission at the detectors with "CSX".

Signal people were going from detector to detector in December to comply with the directive to remove the word "Conrail."

I guess the signal gang has yet to be 100% successful deleting the word "CONRAIL" from the Coldwater detector message. For the last couple weeks it's been announcing itself like this:

"....<click>RAIL....COLDWATER NY....TRACK <#>.....NO DEFECTS....(etc)"

...FB

Are you sure? I heard it a few times this past weekend and it most definitely said "Conrail"...

Here in the Indiana backwaters of CSX, we have PLENTY of Detector oddities. But still a few have fallen.

Reno IN has fallen, Replaced by a new CSXT type

Danville as LONG since fallen, Replaced by a new CSXT type

CSXT put in a "new" detector, just west of Avon IN, In reality this is an ex SBD/L&N style detector moved from somewhere down south. Boy this thing is out of place!

Hunt IN still is CONRAIL

Lawrence still is CONRAIL, gives speed.

Mccordsville IN, may be the LAST of the CR type detectors that says "No dragging equipment" the OLD type.

the Wheel Inpact detector in Pendleton was changed from office readout to voice recording. This one is LONG winded when It catches a wheel. Gives the car number and marks!

Pendleton IN is CONRAIL

Chesterfield IN is CONRAIL

As of this week the "Conrail" is gone from Coldwater and replaced with a mumbled "CSX". It sounds more like "e s x". It is still the Conrail style message. They just seem to have redone the beginning of the announcement.

Still just the location on Churchville, Brighton and Pittsford, no Conrail or CSX.

Alcochaser wrote:CSXT put in a "new" detector, just west of Avon IN,

Does it announce runaway drags?

It probably said something, but by the time it smacked the stopped train at Girls School the rear end of the cut probably was not clear of the Detector.

The Detector is so close to the yard it is stupid. It reports on the road and the yard channel at once. And believe me the yard channel at a major hump yard is -busy-, last thing you really need is a detector squashing backing movements.

Conrail4evr wrote: Are you sure? I heard it a few times this past weekend and it most definitely said "Conrail"...

Sat morning and early Sunday evening (Jan 26/27) the Coldwater detector was announcing itself "CSX, COLDWATER NY".

Around midnight Sunday my wife and I both heard a call with a strange echo thing going on - two identical, simultaneous announcements with the 2nd delayed from the first by about a half second. (Incidentally both messages declared a total axle count of "0 - 0" and a train speed of "2-5-5"...would liked to have seen THAT one!)

Early this morning (5:30 AM Jan 30) I heard the detector call a couple trains. It seemed to be working normally except the announcement began simply “COLDWATER NY” (the “CSX” has gone missing…)

Hmmmm....perhaps it's running on Windows software?!!

FarmallBob wrote:

Conrail4evr wrote: Are you sure? I heard it a few times this past weekend and it most definitely said "Conrail"...

Sat morning and early Sunday evening (Jan 26/27) the Coldwater detector was announcing itself "CSX, COLDWATER NY".

Around midnight Sunday my wife and I both heard a call with a strange echo thing going on - two identical, simultaneous announcements with the 2nd delayed from the first by about a half second. (Incidentally both messages declared a total axle count of "0 - 0" and a train speed of "2-5-5"...would liked to have seen THAT one!)

Early this morning (5:30 AM Jan 30) I heard the detector call a couple trains. It seemed to be working normally except the announcement began simply “COLDWATER NY” (the “CSX” has gone missing…)

Hmmmm....perhaps it's running on Windows software?!!

You'll here on occation where the name of the railroad is cut out. I ofotn hear that too. Before Centerport was changed on track 2 have the name would cut out and you would here "Rail... Centerport, NY ect.. ect.." and on track 1 in would go as normal "Conrail... Centerport, NY" later near the end they both started off "Rail... Centerport, NY"

Sometimes the beginning is cut out because your scanner may be scanning other channels before you get back to the CSX road channel, happens to me all the time.

Try this--lock your unit to the road channel and report back what happens. That could be the problem.

Charlie makes a good point about that, also when I go out I can hear Churchville from just outside Avon but nothing but bits and pieces for Coldwater, I think you have to be closer to Coldwater to hear it all well. Even when I have my old Uniden scanner before the Railcom Antenna and the Kenwood and Icom VHF radios. I could only get Churchville Clearly, Coldwater depending on the day would not be always as clear. So I think range might also be an issue.

Dan

charlie6017 wrote:Sometimes the beginning is cut out because your scanner may be scanning other channels before you get back to the CSX road channel, happens to me all the time.

Try this--lock your unit to the road channel and report back what happens. That could be the problem.

No, he's right - back in the first days of CSX subjugation, some eager-beaver went and tried to modify the introduction on the detectors. All the detectors from Lake City to Cleveland; and some in other areas; would say "...rail, Madison, Ohio..." Very curious.

Now we're getting the "official" long-winded announcements.

charlie6017 wrote:Sometimes the beginning is cut out because your scanner may be scanning other channels before you get back to the CSX road channel, happens to me all the time.

Try this--lock your unit to the road channel and report back what happens. That could be the problem.

That occurred to me too Charlie. I tried locking both my scanners to the CSX road channel (160.800) - both still received the same truncated announcement.

CSX-Dan5377 wrote:Charlie makes a good point about that, also when I go out I can hear Churchville from just outside Avon but nothing but bits and pieces for Coldwater, I think you have to be closer to Coldwater to hear it all well..... So I think range might also be an issue.
Dan

Dan – I'm certain range is a factor. However my usual listening spot (family room at home) is less than a mile as the crow flies from the Coldwater detector. So the distance to Coldwater is PROBABLY not an issue when I'm home. (Incidentally from home my cheapie handheld occasionally picks up the Batavia detector - about 22 miles distant...)

OTOH while sitting at CP382 with my handheld Coldwater’s signal is often not received as clearly as is Churchville - sometimes it is not received at all.

----

Incidentally about midnight last night and again about 6 this morning I observed the phrase "CSX" is still absent from the Coldwater announcement. ...FB

This morning Coldwater is saying "CSX Coldwater NY Track 1..." but the CSX is somewhat muffled and the begining is cut off so it sounds like "ESX". I have also noticed CSX apparently missing on some transmissions in recent days. I just heard the Track 2 side and the C was cut off and the S was very low so it sounded like " X Coldwater NY Track 2". I had to listen for 3 hours before I caught a full Track 2 message that was not covered by other traffic. I heard 4 Track 1 messages with no interference and the muffled CSX was there every time.

I am listening on a single channel receiver, not a scanner.

Coldwater and Centerport are lower power than other detectors in the area. Each is only licensed for 10W vs 25W for the others. I think the trend is to cut back on detector power to keep the range down to just what is necessary for the train to hear the message. Churchville still has wide coverage now but it was even stronger back in Conrail days.

I have noticed periodic decreases in the range of Coldwater for years. It sometimes can be heard for only a few miles for weeks at a time and then goes back to normal for a while. Probably after the maintainer has worked on it.

On occation there are days when you maybe between detectors you'll get one but not the outher. I wonder if the Dispatchers can deflect the message by just shuting down a repeter tower?? for exsample the Albany Dispatcher shuts down a repeter tower for the day so that they don't have to here detecters and outher voice chatter in the Buffalo Div. Could this be done??

scharnhorst wrote:On occation there are days when you maybe between detectors you'll get one but not the outher. I wonder if the Dispatchers can deflect the message by just shuting down a repeter tower?? for exsample the Albany Dispatcher shuts down a repeter tower for the day so that they don't have to here detecters and outher voice chatter in the Buffalo Div. Could this be done??

No repeater for the detectors. The "repeater towers" are identified as "base stations" in the timetable - they don't repeat ground transmissions; they receive transmissions in their area and then are relayed to the Dispatcher's console.

Many times a dispatcher will come in faint, calling you on a train...and then come in louder, saying, "Is this base any better?" He basically switched from one base, say, Dunkirk, and tried another one, Westfield.

Detectors only broadcast from their location. And there is NO reason for any train not in the area to hear that transmission. Detailed data from the dispatcher is sent via landline linkup to the dispatch office.

FarmallBob wrote: Dan – I'm certain range is a factor. However my usual listening spot (family room at home) is less than a mile as the crow flies from the Coldwater detector. So the distance to Coldwater is PROBABLY not an issue when I'm home. (Incidentally from home my cheapie handheld occasionally picks up the Batavia detector - about 22 miles distant...)

OTOH while sitting at CP382 with my handheld Coldwater’s signal is often not received as clearly as is Churchville - sometimes it is not received at all.
...FB

Oh Ok then didn't know you were so close to Coldwater Bob, my bad sorry. About the Batavia thing that happens often to me to from Attridge and Savage I can get that detector crystal clear, and once and in a blue moon all the way to CP 423 and still Coldwater doesn't come in nearly as clear as that!

Dan