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  • Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

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Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

Discussion related to the operations and equipment of Consolidated Rail Corp. (Conrail) from 1976 to its present operations as Conrail Shared Assets. Official web site can be found here: CONRAIL.COM.

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Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

 #2812  by craltoona
 
There are defect detectors just as you get into PA towards Buffalo that give the name of the railroad (Conrail), location, track number, status, and axle count, but they also give the train speed. (Ripley, Erie, Springfield) In Ohio there are still many original detectors left, however none of these give the speed. The one closest to me (Eastlake Ohio) recently had what appears to be a high clearance detector installed a few a years ago. It is in the form of a signal bridge.

My question is, does anyone know if all of these original detectors (Cleveland, Eastlake, Madison, Ashtabula) ever gave the train speed and were eventually altered? Does anyone know if a new message was added to the Eastlake defect detector when the high car detector was installed?

Thanks!
-Joe M. :)

 #2930  by charlie6017
 
At one time, those detectors did give the train speed. However, if there were problems with it giving correct train speeds, that part of the message could be taken off. The dragging equipment detectors did not give speed readings.

 #3343  by craltoona
 
Thankyou! I always suspected that was the case but wasn't sure. I appreciate it.

-Joe M. :wink: :)

defect detectors

 #27975  by fglk
 
All Former Conrail Defect detectors still give full message Conrail (Name of Location), track, and Train Speed across New York as well. Everything was altered to CSX Style but was converted back to the Conrail form after crews complaned about not under standing the Southern accent being broadcasted back to them.

 #30324  by charlie6017
 
LOL!

 #41268  by Robert Paniagua
 
All Former Conrail Defect detectors still give full message Conrail (Name of Location), track, and Train Speed across New York as well. Everything was altered to CSX Style but was converted back to the Conrail form after crews complaned about not under standing the Southern accent being broadcasted back to them.

Yes, and same here in the B & A portion of Massachusetts, the mainline between BOS and Albany also have similar detectors, when CSXT came to town, they were modified to say the "CSX" name only to go back to Conrail name as you stated. ALL car detectors tell you the Location Area here in MA, along with track (unless ther's only one track i.e. Warren, Wilbraham, and probably Russell), and overall axle count and speed (Except Ashland MM 24, and Dalton MM 146, these two don't tell you how fast trains are doing).

 #44800  by CSX Conductor
 
Robert Paniagua wrote:Yes, and same here in the B & A portion of Massachusetts, the mainline between BOS and Albany also have similar detectors, when CSXT came to town, they were modified to say the "CSX" name only to go back to Conrail name as you stated. ALL car detectors tell you the Location Area here in MA, along with track (unless ther's only one track i.e. Warren, Wilbraham, and probably Russell), and overall axle count and speed (Except Ashland MM 24, and Dalton MM 146, these two don't tell you how fast trains are doing).



FYI: When the West Springfield Dragger was turned into a DED/HBD, it was also modified to have the CSXT message......and it says "CSX detector, Milepost 103.5, north or south track <not 1or2> no defects, total axle count ___, train speed __, detector out"

Conrail detectors say "over" at the end of the transmission because train crews are supposed to answer the detector as acknowledgement of the inspection......where as "out" means no reply required

and as far as the detectors at Dalton (MP QB 145.9 CSXT Message) and Ashland (MP QB 24.2) do not give speeds or axle counts......they are only Dragging Equipment Detectors....and around here only Hot Box detectors give axle counts. because if you have dragging equipment, the conductor has to walk the entire train. (the only DED that is an exception to this is on the Framingham Secondary in Medfield, Ma. which is now CSXT message, but gives axle count.......75% of the time the axle count is wrong, but it is intended to give axle counts)

Re: Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

 #887113  by cbehr91
 
craltoona wrote:There are defect detectors just as you get into PA towards Buffalo that give the name of the railroad (Conrail), location, track number, status, and axle count, but they also give the train speed. (Ripley, Erie, Springfield) In Ohio there are still many original detectors left, however none of these give the speed. The one closest to me (Eastlake Ohio) recently had what appears to be a high clearance detector installed a few a years ago. It is in the form of a signal bridge.

My question is, does anyone know if all of these original detectors (Cleveland, Eastlake, Madison, Ashtabula) ever gave the train speed and were eventually altered? Does anyone know if a new message was added to the Eastlake defect detector when the high car detector was installed?

Thanks!
-Joe M. :)
Back in the 80s and until the early 90s, Conrail hotbox detectors ended their readout after "No Defects", there was no axle count, train speed or "over". All that was added later in the early to mid 90s. I think when Conrail was experimenting with talking detectors in the 70s, they had a welcome message too.

If a high car passes through the Eastlake detector, it would say something to the effect of, "Eastlake, Ohio, Track (x), first clerence defect, axle (x), second clerence defect, axle (x), and so on (if/when applicable). It would then proceed to the total axle cout, omit "over", and repeat the full message again and perhaps a third time, with "over" ending the entire transmission.

Conrail formatted these detectors originally to omit beep tones when a defect when by (hotbox, dragging equipment, whatver), but CSX and NS disabled this feature, instead telling you if there was a defect on the ending readout only.

Re: Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

 #910420  by Roscoe P. Coaltrain
 
Hotbox detectors were different from dragging equipment detectors. HBDs gave the fully monty, and DEDs did not. Both types used a different computer voice, too, with the DED's using a 'faster' voice. The DED just gave railroad, location, and "No Dragging Equipment". HBD's were later altered to give axle count and train speed.

Santa Fe used the same computer voice as Conrail's HBDs. They announced "Santa Fe Railway" in place of "Conrail"

Re: Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

 #1126765  by charlie6017
 
Welcome to Railroad.net! :-)

Not sure what you mean by "Santa Fe" detectors. Did you mean actual Santa Fe detectors or
something that resembles the way they may be similar to the way Conrail used their defect
detectors?

Charlie

Re: Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

 #1127492  by Backshophoss
 
Believe he means how the detector "Talked" on the radio,upon the 1st axle crossed the sensor,after the last axle crossed the sensor,and when toned to
repeat the "NO DEFECTS" message, Conrail used the same routine without the temperature on the "NO DEFECTS" message.

Re: Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

 #1127633  by crquality
 
My apologies.

I was reading this thread through a search on google, and it was mentioned that the old Santa Fe Railroad detectors were the same model and "voice" of the old Conrail detectors too.

I was wondering if anyone actually made a recording (audio) of the messages on the Santa Fe detectors as people have done with the Conrail ones. It would be interesting to listen to, and you tube doesn't offer much help (or anywhere else for that matter).

A "robotic" "Santa Fe Railway" would be interesting to hear. I've been a detector recording collector for a while, especially of the older ones you just can't find anymore, especially as they are replaced by newer, smaller, more accurate models.

-Josh

Re: Lakeshore line defect detectors Cleveland-Buffalo

 #1127771  by Backshophoss
 
The "robotic" voice on BNSF talkers can sometimes have a texas twang,otherwise monotone. Due to the radio transmitter being a "lower"
power,they can be heard at close range,but not far away,unless picked up by a repeater/Dispatcher's link.
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