New CSX Radio Rules

I remember "way back in the day" when the first radio alarm detectors were installed on my home division (Mohawk-Hudson). I overheard a particular engineer, after pulling his train across one of these and getting the "all clear" message, gave a knee-jerk "roger that" response.

Coincidentally, the Div. Supt. happened to overhear this exchange. My immediate thought was "How dumb to answer a machine." Mr. Supt., however, thought is was a great idea -- and immediately made it a requirement on the division to answer the radio alarm -- for the benefit of the tape recording, and to help ensure that people were alert and in the game as they ran over the railroad.

I came to believe it was a good practice -- and still do. The NORAC folks (notably Alan Fisher, one of the organizers and a driving force of NORAC) thought it was a good idea, too.

Sometimes change for the sake of change is misguided, in my opinion.

How did the new CSX rules become a security item? Shhessh.

#1 - This has been in the works for sometime now...basically since the CSX/CR merger. NS is/did suppose to go to the same set of rules. This would allow the same set of rules to be used on our side of the BNSF/UP - CSX/NS line.

#2 - Don't plan on seeing digital anytime soon. Eventually it will come as everything else switchs over, but don't worry about that now. Motorola just released the Railroad Astro Spectra line 9 months or so ago, but they still need to be ordered with the digital option. Now, do the math: Locomotives x $6000 = X | Portables x $4000 = Y | Infracture + base stations = Z. Add X+Y+Z = $$$$$$$$$. UP stated that they were going to start switching over, but tha was over 3 years ago, and they haven't done a thing yet.

#3 - Encyption - Don't plan on breaking it. IF (and that's a very big IF) they were to equip everything with it, you looking at $700 per module, plus keyloaders. Add another $11,000 per DIU at EACH base radio. You cannot break DVP, DES, AES. It took 15 supercomputers over 3 days to break a simple 56bit DES word a few months ago, and DES 1970's technology. AES is 256bit, and is becoming the new standard.

So, getting back to fun stuff.... Basically what we are seeing is what CSX has been doing for quite awhile on their "home" lines. Its just new for us. I know some of the guys I hear on the radio are just soooo thirlled over it, but like everything else under the new company...it will just become second nature. They are not doing anything out of the ordnary except trying to be consistant.