Railroad Forums 

  • interpreting what ones hears

  • 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

 #890573  by blw
 
I see lots of discussion about the scanner hardware, and I can read that. (I've already read a bit of it.) But what I'm after is a bit of a tutorial on what I'm hearing. I've listened for a while to the online (re-)broadcasts - and I don't really understand much of what I hear. I'd guess that it's just a matter of context, but I don't have that.

I've realized recently that despite a life-long interest in trains, and actually knowing a fair bit about railroading (I can identify almost every external part of a modern steam locomotive, for example), I actually know quite close to nothing about how railroads actually operate.

Where/what would I read to get a better understanding of what it is that I'm hearing?
 #902153  by justalurker66
 
blw wrote:(I can identify almost every external part of a modern steam locomotive, for example)
Oxymoron? Modern steam?
Where/what would I read to get a better understanding of what it is that I'm hearing?
Depending on the railroad, you may want to search for GCOR or NORAC rules. Or search for the "employee time tables" for the divisions you are interested in. At least you'll know the locations of where they are talking about.

It is a start ... the more you "study" the more you'll understand.
 #945557  by Engineer Spike
 
Even if you know the rules, it is hard to know what is going on unless you are involved. I have been at work, then go home and go on the board that discusses my railroad. They have posted something about what was said, but the actual situation was 180 degrees different than what actually happened.
 #945560  by justalurker66
 
Engineer Spike wrote:Even if you know the rules, it is hard to know what is going on unless you are involved. I have been at work, then go home and go on the board that discusses my railroad. They have posted something about what was said, but the actual situation was 180 degrees different than what actually happened.
They need more study. :)
 #946431  by gprimr1
 
It can be hard, especially if the transmission breaks up.

I would say for me, being able to place mile posts to their physical locations helped a lot.