Pittsburgh Rail Fan

Commuter rail service coming to Allegheny Valley?

2011-10-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

One of the discussion points on the Pittsburgh Rail Fan net this evening was about a recent news story that a project was moving forward to carry passengers from Tarentum through Oakmont, Verona and make stops in the Lawrenceville-Strip District area.

I have been hearing about this project for years now and it never seems to get beyond the stage where some government official awards one half to one million dollars to some company to do a study on the feasibility of starting the service. I think we have spent enough money on "studies" to finance the service if the truth be known.

So while listening to the Rail Fan Net, held each week on the 146.880 mHz repeater at 09:30 local time, I did some Google searches and came up with the following two stories the latter of which seems to indicate that we may finally be reaching the point where this dream becomes a reality. Only time will answer this question.

Allegheny Valley Railroad commuter train project steams ahead.

Allegheny Valley commuter-rail service gets $350 million commitment and moves forward

Stop that train!

2011-05-06T10:06:00.001-07:00

I have a discussion group on Yahoo for Pittsburgh rail fans and while it is doesn't have a lot of traffic on it I get some real "golden nuggets" from it every so often. One such item posted by one of the members recently was a link to an article about new air brake systems that are being developed that are a hybrid of pneumatics and electronics. It is a very interesting read if you are into the nuts and bolts of how trains function. I decided it was worth posting the link here on the blog.

IEEE Spectrum article "Stop That Train"

If you would like to join our discussion mailing list either click this link

Pittsburgh Rail Fans on Yahoo
or send email to pghrailfans-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to join.

A note of thanks to Larry AA3ZN for the pointer to this article.

Rail fan net on the HF bands

2011-03-05T08:24:00.001-08:00

As you know we have a local Rail Fan Net here each week in Pittsburgh Thursday evenings at 09:30 local time on the 146.880 repeater. Please join us if you are in the area and enjoy steel wheels rolling on steel rails. Discussion of all things trains are welcome.

A local ham, KB3FCZ, sent me email with information on another Rail Fan Net that is on the HF bands. This has to potential to be a lot of fun. Join in if you can.

Just a note to let you know that there is another railfan net that JIM W3LZR from Dravosburg, PA told me about.

It is Friday night at 7:00 PM with the guys showing up as early as 6:30 PM. It is on 3.930 Mc. LSB.
Last night there were 10 guys on the net and except for Jim and I they were in Western OH and in MI.
Several of the guys are still working on the railroad and know a lot about RR.
It is called the "B and O and C and O net".

This was my first time on this band and it was a lot of fun. I had to hussle to get an antenna working
because my 10 meter dipole just did not do it. I opened the shield on the 10 M dipole and made it a long wire.

Here is a partial roster:

KB3FCZ
W3LZR
NC8Y
AG8Y
AE8I
N8UOS
N8GF
W8RRI and he IS a RR inspector!
WB8NKG
KB8ORE
KG8IIC

Show up next Friday and join the fun.

DAN

Daniel Patton, KB3FCZ
Patton Radio Company
1149 Prescott Avenue
McKeesport, PA 15131-1531
412-664-7457
KB3FCZ@ARRL.NET

Happy New Year 2011!

2010-12-31T20:52:00.001-08:00

Let me wish a very happy new year to all of my fellow rail fans out there in cyberspace!

I hope that 2010 has been a good year for you and that 2011 is even better.

Best wishes and many new rail fan adventures on 2011!

A great Christmas story

2010-12-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

This was sent to me by a friend and considering the season I thought it would make a great blog entry for rail fans.

Here's a 'today' Yule story that occured last year ~ AND NOW, in time for the holidays, the best Christmas story you never heard.

It started last Christmas, when Bennett and Vivian Levin were

overwhelmed by sadness while listening to radio reports of injured

American troops. "We have to let them know we care," Vivian told

Bennett. So they organized a trip to bring soldiers from Walter Reed

Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the annual Army-Navy

football game in Philly, on Dec. 3.

The cool part is, they created their own train line to do it. Yes,

there are people in this country who actually own real trains. Bennett

Levin - native Philly guy, self-made millionaire and irascible former

L&I commish - is one of them.

He has three luxury rail cars. Think mahogany paneling, plush seating

and white-linen dining areas. He also has two locomotives, which he

stores at his Juniata Park train yard. One car, the elegant

Pennsylvania , carried John F. Kennedy to the Army-Navy game in 1961

and '62. Later, it carried his brother Bobby's body to D. C. for

burial. "That's a lot of history for one car," says Bennett.

He and Vivian wanted to revive a tradition that endured from 1936 to

1975, during which trains carried Army-Navy spectators from around the

country directly to the stadium where the annual game is played. The

Levins could think of no better passengers to reinstate the ceremonial

ride than the wounded men and women recovering at Walter Reed in D. C.

and Bethesda , in Maryland . "We wanted to give them a first-class

experience," says Bennett. "Gourmet meals on board, private

transportation from the train to the stadium, perfect seats - real hero

treatment."

Through the Army War College Foundation, of which he is a trustee,

Bennett met with Walter Reed's commanding general, who loved the idea.

But Bennett had some ground rules first, all designed to keep the focus

on the troops alone:

No press on the trip, lest the soldiers' day of pampering devolve into

a media circus.

No politicians either, because, says Bennett, "I didn't want some idiot

making this trip into a campaign photo op"

And no Pentagon suits on board, otherwise the soldiers would be too

busy saluting superiors to relax.

The general agreed to the conditions, and Bennett realized he had a

problem on his hands. "I had to actually make this thing happen," he

laughs.

Over the next months, he recruited owners of 15 other sumptuous rail

cars from around the country - these people tend to know each other -

into lending their vehicles for the day. The name of their temporary

train? The Liberty Limited.

Amtrak volunteered to transport the cars to D. C. - where they'd be

coupled together for the round-trip ride to Philly - then back to their

owners later.

Conrail offered to service the Liberty while it was in Philly. And

SEPTA drivers would bus the disabled soldiers 200 yards from the train

to Lincoln Financial Field, for the game.

A benefactor from the War College ponied up 100 seats to the game - on

the 50-yard line - and lunch in a hospitality suite.

And corporate donors filled, for free and without asking for publicity,

goodie bags for attendees:

From Woolrich, stadium blankets. From Wal-Mart, digital cameras. From

Nikon, field glasses. From GEAR, down jackets.

There was booty not just for the soldiers, but for their guests, too,

since each was allowed to bring a friend or family member.

The Marines, though, declined the offer. "They voted not to take guests

with them, so they could take more Marines," says Levin, choking up at

the memory.

Bennett's an emotional guy, so he was worried about how he'd react to

meeting the 88 troops and guests at D. C.'s Union Station, where the

trip originated. Some GIs were missing limbs. Others were

wheelchair-bound or accompanied by medical personnel for the day. "They

made it easy to be with them," he says. "They were all smiles on the

ride to Philly. Not an ounce of self-pity from any of them. They're so

full of life and determination."

At the stadium, the troops reveled in the game, recalls Bennett. Not

even Army's lopsided loss to Navy could deflate the group's rollicking

mood.

Afterward, it was back to the train and yet another gourmet meal -

heroes get hungry, says Levin - before returning to Walter Reed and

Bethesda . "The day was spectacular," says Levin. "It was all about

these kids. It was awesome to be part of it."

The most poignant moment for the Levins was when 11 Marines hugged them

goodbye, then sang them the Marine Hymn on the platform at Union

Station.

"One of the guys was blind, but he said, 'I can't see you, but man, you

must be beautiful!' " says Bennett. "I got a lump so big in my throat,

I couldn't even answer him."

The Levins and their guests are still feeling the day's love. "My

Christmas came early," says Levin, who is Jewish and who loves the

Christmas season. "I can't describe the feeling in the air." Maybe it

was hope.

As one guest wrote in a thank-you note to Bennett and Vivian, "The fond

memories generated last Saturday will sustain us all - whatever the

future may bring."

God bless the Levins.

And bless the troops, every one.

GOD Bless The American People

And The American Spirit

Lets Talk Trains

2010-03-11T23:34:00.000-08:00

LIVE from SilverRails Country, in LaPlata, Mo., Nathan of Kansas City will be hosting live at the Grand Opening of the SilverRails Gallery and Memorial Library.

Please join us as we will have a number of special guest, possibly including some of the featured artist and photographers who have their works displayed in the Gallery. Please join us!

Please join us at 10AM (Pacific time) on Saturday at http://www.railradio.com/ltt/> for the show.

And at http://www.railradio.com/lttchat/> for the live chat room (which starts 15 to 30 minutes before show time. Please join us as this is your show! The call-in number for the show is 646-716-7106.

The LTT calendar for hosting shows has lots of openings. Please help make Let's Talk Trains informative and diverse in content. An email to is how to start. You will receive well-illustrated and helpful guides, advice and connections to other LTT Team members. This show is of, by and for us, fans of trains. You can help by sharing your knowledge, points of view and experience with the rest of us.

Again, start by emailing to ltt@railradio.com>.

The LTT Team

The worlds luckiest track inspector

2010-03-08T21:03:00.000-08:00

This guy had to have God watching over him when he went to work this day. If you don't believe me just watch the video. I had to look at it several times just shaking my head. I would have left right then, stopped at a church to give thanks, then went and played every lottery that I could find.

Rail fan communications FAQ

2010-03-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to a number of discussion groups on Yahoo one of which is Rail Scan where all things related to rail road radio are discussed. In a recent posting another ham operator, Rich N9JIG, contributed a frequently asked question file that he has been working on and with his permission I am posting it to the blog. If you have suggestions to add to this list I encourage you to join the Yahoo Group RailScan or you can email them to me and I will pass them along.

Remember when it comes to being a rail fan you must act responsibly and whether taking photos or simply watching and listening to trains you need to observe railroad right of ways and property postings and always act with safety as your first priority. Here is the FAQ from Rail Scan

Railfan Radio FAQ’s by Rich Carlson / N9JIG

Q1) Can I listen to trains on a scanner?
Q1) Yes! Most rail communications in the USA and Canada are on 160
thru 162 MHz. Check various websites for the actual frequencies used
in your area, some are listed here:
http://www.radioreference.com
http://www.on-track-on-line.com/scanner-radio.shtml
http://www.carmachicago.com/profiles

Q2) Is it legal to listen to railroad communications?
A2) For the most part, yes. Some states have restrictions on mobile or
portable scanner use but for the rest of the USA and Canada you are
usually fine. Check out http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/scanlaws/ for
your area.

Q3) Can I talk to the trains on a radio?
A3) No! It is strictly illegal to transmit on channels you are not
authorized on, this includes railroad channels. Even though you can
buy radios on eBay etc. that might be capable of transmitting on
railroad channels, it is illegal. In these days of increased security
concerns around transportation facilities a radio capable of
transmitting on rail channels is just going to invite increased
scrutiny.

Q4) What if it is an emergency?
A4) Use a cell phone or other legal means of contacting someone. Call
9-1-1 or go to the nearest grade crossing and find the phone number
stenciled on the controller box.

Q5) I have a friend who works for the railroad and he said it was OK.
Doesn’t that count?
A5) No. Unless you have written permission from the license holder you
are not authorized to communicate on railroad channels. Individual
employees are not authorized to grant these permissions.

Q6) Can’t I just get a license for these channels since I am a
railfan/photographer, etc.?
A6) No. Licenses to use railroad channels are granted only to
railroad companies for official business of the railroad. Licenses on
rail channels are not issued to railfans or photographers.

Q7) What radios can I use to coordinate my railfanning with others?
A7) You could use a variety of radios. CB, FRS or MURS radios do not
require a license and are usually good for a half mile or so, more in
open areas. If you are a licensed ham operator there are a wide
variety of radio channels you could use to talk to other hams. If you
are in the railfan business, such as a professional photographer, you
could get a license in the Business radio service. Cell phones and the
various PTT services (like Nextel) might work well too.

Q8) I want to be able to tell the engineer to whistle for my video,
can’t I just tell him on the radio?
A8) No. Unless you are officially sanctioned by and make prior
arrangements with the railroad company officials, trying to get an
engineer to activate his whistle or horn could be considered as
interference with operations. There are noise laws, operational rules
and other considerations, so if you really need a train horn on your
video work it out with the railroad in advance or add in the sound
effect later.

Suggestions and or updates should be directed to:

RailSacn Group

NTSB blames engineer for 2008 Metrolink crash, urges railroads to install cameras to monitor train crews

2010-01-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington - Federal safety officials called for railroads to install cameras and voice recorders in every locomotive control cab in the nation as they publicly warned Thursday that cellphone texting by engineers and conductors was a growing and lethal danger.

The call came as members of the National Transportation Safety Board publicly concluded their investigation into the deadly collision of a commuter train and a freight train in Chatsworth in 2008 -- a crash they blamed on a Metrolink engineer who passed a stop signal as he sent a message from his phone.

Read the entire story here.

Amtrak planning host of projects in 'aggressive' 2010 campaign

2010-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Replacing fleet, trimming travel times key elements

Amtrak's president and CEO announced Monday that the passenger-rail company plans to replace its entire fleet of cars and locomotives, including those on the Acela line, as part of its package of 2010 initiatives.

The company is also looking to reduce the travel time between New York and Washington and between New York and Boston by 15 minutes, Joseph Boardman said during a "2010 Preview" conference call held Monday morning.

The goals reflect an "aggressive game plan full of major projects with new initiatives," Boardman said during the 35-minute call with reporters.

You can read the entire article at this LINK.

Engineers have a way with words

2010-01-10T16:28:00.000-08:00

I tried to send this as an email to the pghrailfans group at Yahoo but it seems to strip the pictures off. So here is what I was trying to send. You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.

Engineers have a way with words:

We shut down the second engine because it overheated

Trains have been delayed due to a minor points failure

Bridge closed to road traffic for purposes of routine maintenance

No train service this weekend due to a major track upgrading project

Unit 8877 is unavailable for service because it is undergoing a modification program

There will be a short delay to your journey whilst we complete important earthworks

Upcoming event

2010-01-06T06:43:00.001-08:00

Here is a nearby event that might interest rail fans with cabin fever.

NILES — Youngstown Model Railroad Association, will sponsor a winter flea market from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at McMenamy's Banquet Hall, 325 Youngstown-Warren Road.

Featured at the event will be 180 dealer tables of merchandise and equipment for all model railroad scales and interests.

In addition, a three rail "G" gauge layout from the Riverside Railroad Club from Warren will be in operation.

Admission is $5 for adults, and children under 12 will be admitted free.

Please check out our website for more info:

Youngstown Model Railroad Association

100% electric NS 999 locomotive

2009-12-31T21:33:00.001-08:00

Norfolk Southern has introduced and all battery powered locomotive that will run for 24 hours on a single charge and produces the same horse power as its diesel counter part.

For the full story follow THIS LINK.

Christmas and New Years wishes to all rail fans

2009-12-30T23:39:00.000-08:00

I have been very inactive on the blog for several months now and hope in the new year to start providing regular content again.

I want to take this opportunity to say that I hope the readers of the blog have had a blessed Christmas and that you have a very happy and healthy New Year.

Don't forget that in addition to all of the resources available to rail fans on the Internet that if you are in the Pittsburgh area there is a weekly radio net that meets to discuss all thing related to steel wheels on steel rails. This on the air meeting is held by a group of amateur radio operators where they have a moderated round table discussion. You do not have to have an amateur radio license to join in on the fun. Many avid rail fans have public safety or police scanners that they program to listen in on the local radio traffic of the lines that operate in their area. Now days almost all of these radio are can be programmed for any frequency you want to hear so all you need to do is enter 146.880 into one of the channels on your scanner and listen in every Thursday evening at 09:30 PM local time in Pittsburgh area.

If you would like to ask a question of the net I have set up an account where you can communicate with us and submit questions or comments for the net. The address is pittsburghrailfan@gmail.com or you can simple click this link Questions For The Rail Fan Net
I encourage you to use this email address rather than leaving comments here on the blog. Comments are welcome here but mainly in response to postings.

We also have a discussion group on Yahoo where you can exchange information with other rail fans which contains some interesting information. We also have a file section where you can share your train photos, frequency lists and other information that is relevant to our hobby. You may join the discussion group by clicking on the link below.

Click to join pghrailfans

Thanks to all who take the time to read the blog and happy rail fanning in the new year!

Upcoming Rail Fan Event

2009-09-25T06:10:00.000-07:00

Join Pittsburgh ham railfans for our fall adventure, aboard the Fayette Central Railroad, , on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Boarding is at 39 North Gallitan Avenue, Uniontown, PA 15401, phone 1-877-321-3277. Trains depart from station promptly at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Tickets are $15.00. children ages 3 to 12 are $10.00, children 2 and under are free. Craig, KB3KBH is suggesting that we meet at Blue Flame Restaurant on Saturday morning for breakfast and to caravan to Uniontown station, more information on the railfan net.

Current equipment operated by FCRR are Budd passenger railcar, with B & O markings that once serviced the Pittsburgh to McKeesport route, and Alco 52 with cabooses. The Budd car will soon be returned to the B & O Museum in Baltimore, MD.

Join us on the Pittsburgh Railfan Net, Thursdays, 9:30 PM on the 146.880, W3EXW repeater of the North Hills Amateur Radio Club.

de Bill / N3BPB

One person killed in train derailment

2009-06-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

At least one person has been killed in a train derailment in Rockford Illinois. Here is a link to the print story and a few minuets of video shot by a civilian near the scene just after the crash.

Link to PRINT STORY.

Link to VIDEO of crash.

Rail traffic down considerabley

2009-05-28T13:10:00.001-07:00

I attended a cook out over the Memorial Day holiday and two of the attendees were my niece and her husband who happens to be a conductor for Norfolk Southern Rail Road. He has worked for years on runs all over the state of Pennsylvania and in some cases beyond, so I was surprised when he told me that he had taken a job working in the rail yard. He said that it didn't pay quite as much but that he worked Monday through Friday and had his weekends off which has been a welcome change.

What surprised me even more was that he said that the entire industry is doing very poorly at the moment. He said that the downfall of Detroit and the auto industry has hurt the rail roads greatly. There apparently have been a large number of lay off's in the last several months and the volume of freight being moved by rail is down across the board.

I do most of my rail fan watching on the Conemaugh line a long stretch of which runs along the other side of the river from me. I haven't really noticed a drop off in traffic on that line unless I'm just not paying close enough attention. I have noticed that I am now seeing long strings of hoper cars that carry coal east bound coming back empty during daylight hours. For the last few years I have seen the full cars going east but never any empties so I asked about it and was told that the empties return during the night or very early morning hours. Have any of you noticed a drop in the number of trains you see in your normal travels? Drop me an email or leave a comment for the Rail Fan Net.

Lets Talk Trains

2009-05-16T15:24:00.001-07:00

I got a link today via twitter for a web site that I had never heard of and it was a pleasant surprise. If the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net leaves you wanting more I have a source of content for you. By going to Lets Talk Trains you can listen to over two hours of talk about all things related to railroads.

I have not had time to listen to an entire episode yet but I hope to do that latter this evening. If you get a chance check it out. I have a feeling that you will enjoy it also.

Interested in going for a REAL train ride?

2009-05-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

The Skyview Radio Society had a multi club event last year that involved taking AMTRAK to the head quarters of the American Radio Relay League. It went over so well that they are doing it again this year. You DO NOT have to be a member of the club nor a licensed amateur radio operator to join in on this event so if you think you might be interested please check it out.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Pittsburgh Rail Fan net

2009-04-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted this information for a while so I thought I would repeat it in case there any new comers to the blog.

Most of the rail fans I acquainted with have a scanner to listen in on the railroad frequencies. If you don't you are missing out on a fascinating aspect of the hobby. I know people who are not amateur radio operators that buy VHF 2-meter equipment just to listen in on the rail channels because they are much more sensitive and selective than consumer grade scanners.

I listen to 160.800 MHz on a regular basis which is the road frequency for Norfolk Southern and quite active just across the river from me. But I digress.

If you have a scanner you have the capability to listen in on the two meter amateur radio band where a number of operators, also called "Hams", get together and talk about a wide number of topics. One such group are avid rail fans and meet once a week to talk about just about anything that has steel wheels and rides on steel rails.

If you are a rail fan I think you would find the net interesting to listen in on and you can participate by sending email to the person who normally conducts the net. Here is how you can get involved.

Program your scanner to 146.880 and listen in at 09:30 PM on Thursday evenings. The net usually lasts about half an hour although I have known it to go on for an hour or longer if enough people check in and the topics discussed draw enough interest.

You can email Dennis, amateur call sign KB3HPC, by clicking on this link EMAIL DENNIS if you have questions or comments on the net. If you do mention that you heard about the net from the rail fan blog.

A piece of history lost

2008-11-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

It is a sad note that Pennsylvania lost a small piece of rail road history last week.

Blaze destroys historic rail tower

BY KATHY MELLOTT
The Tribune-Democrat
SOUTH FORK — A building small in size but large in historic significance has been lost to a fire that local officials say may be arson.

The SO Tower, one of seven communications towers lining the track side of the Mainline of the Pennsylvania Railroad between Johnstown and Altoona, was destroyed early Saturday.

Follow this LINK for the complete story.

Railroad Readies Onboard Ticket Validation System

2008-09-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

Railroad Readies Onboard Ticket Validation System

Oracle implementation represents paradigm shift.

By Elliot King

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) manages an Amtrak intercity passenger train service in eight Northern California counties, partnering with Amtrak, the Union Pacific Railroad, and Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation. Serving 16 stations along a 170-mile rail corridor, CCJPA offers a convenient way to travel between the Sierra Foothills, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose and the rest of the Silicon Valley.

Although the train runs through one of the most technologically advanced regions of the country, the procedure through which tickets are collected and processed closely resembles the process used in the 19th century. Conductors walk through the cars collecting and punching tickets, creating reconciliation reports by hand at the end of the run. But that is about to change. Committed to continually improving customer service and security, CCJPA is in the process of implementing California's first real-time ticket sales and validation system on its trains.

Follow this LINK to read the entire story.

Happy Birthday!

2008-06-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today the Morse Code turn 160 years old. Here is a link to an interesting article in WIRED Magazine on the subject.

If you would like to learn more I recommend the following book.

The Victorian Internet

Did you know that Morse visited several printers shops when devising the code to see how many lead letters were in their boxes of type and then assigned the shortest characters to the bins with the most letters in them?

And here is an tidbit from the AC6V web site.

"Several codes have been devised in the past, notably American or landline and International or Continental. American Morse was used by railroads, Western Union, and other utilities in North America. It was superceded by International Morse which was used in Europe for the trans-Atlantic cable. Because the British Marconi Company supplied most of the early shipboard operators, International Morse became the standard for radio telegraphy."

BNSF's use of low band radio frequency packet technologies for safety overlays - Arema News

2008-05-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

Here us a link to an interesting article that was posted to a rail fan mailing list that I subscribe to. The email posting had only the articles original text so I traced it back to it's origins. I haven't read it completely myself yet but it does look very interesting.

BNSF's use of low band radio frequency packet technologies for safety overlays - Arema News

Runaway freight car slammes into commuter train

2008-03-30T02:34:00.000-07:00

You probably saw this story in mass media. This story was posted to a mailing list that I subscribe to and I thought readers of the blog would find it of interest.

News video and dispatch communications audio clips at:

BOSTON -- Two days after a runaway freight car slammed into a
commuter train injuring dozens of people, the emergency calls made by
the train engineer were released and he spoke about the crash.

Engineer Recounts Crash | Emergency Calls Released

On Tuesday afternoon, a freight car came loose from a lumberyard and
rolled onto a commuter rail, directly into the path of MBTA train No.
917.

"There is a boxcar coming right down on top of me!" commuter train
engineer Ronald Gomes radioed to a dispatcher at Boston's South
Station. "Is it OK to back up or try and make the stop here? It looks
like the car got loose ... Answer me! Can I back up? It is going to
come right on top of us ... Hey, I'm backing up!"

Moments later, the freight car slammed into the Stoughton-bound train
near Canton Junction, injuring dozens of the 300 people on board,
including Gomes, 61.

"I remember that thing coming at us, and making the calls on the
radio and thinking, 'I better get out of here.' And I get out of the
seat and that's when it hit. The next thing I remember is picking
myself up of the floor," Gomes told NewsCenter 5 on Thursday.

After getting up off the floor, Gomes grabbed the radio and called
for help.

"Emergency! Emergency! Emergency ... 917 emergency!" Gomes radioed
after the impact. "The car just crashed into us. Please send medical
assistance."

Dispatchers from the Mass Bay Commuter Railroad immediately contacted
the Canton Fire Department.

"A boxcar came off the Stoughton branch and hit one of our commuter
trains as it was operating. So, it looks like we have a train and
boxcar that collided right on the main line at Canton Junction. I
don't know what the injury extent is right now, but the engineer is
calling for an emergency. But we will definitely need paramedics out
there," the dispatcher said.

About 150 passengers were treated at the scene, and 80 of those were
sent to area hospitals with minor injuries such as bruises, neck and
back problems or facial cuts.

An employee from the Cohenno Inc., lumberyard called Stoughton police
at about 5:10 p.m. Tuesday, warning of the runaway freight car on the
commuter rail tracks.

"This is Cohenno Inc., down on Evans Drive. The freight car's out on
the commuter rail here. The freight car went out on the commuter
rail. We got to stop the commuter train," the caller warned. "The
freight car is sitting on the tracks. We gotta stop -- somehow -- we
gotta get the MBTA to stop the commuter rail."

Fifteen minutes later, the car collided with the train three miles
away.

Gomes was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released from
the hospital the next day. On Thursday, he was reluctant to call
himself a hero.

"I don't know about that. You get in those situations, and you just
do what your natural instincts tell you to do. I have been doing this
for 40 years, and I have a lot of training and you just do what you
do," he said.

Gomes credited his crew for staying calm and helping passengers after
the crash.

Federal and local transportation safety officials were investigating
the actions of company personnel, inspecting the car itself and the
tracks where it was parked. Bradford Cohenno, the company's
president, told NewsCenter 5 that the brakes on the freight car let
go.

Follow this LINK for audio and video clips of the crash.

If only I had the time...........

2008-03-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

I wish I had the time to take a trip north and see this exhibit. The web site is enough to make you salivate.

Super Train

If anyone makes it up there drop me a note and tell me about it.

Why can't local emergency personal communicate directly with trains?

2008-03-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting video done by a local television station in Chicago about the safety of trains in relationship to first responders like police and fire departments.

Video Report

Norfolk Southern Pictures

2008-02-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Back in the summer of 07, and before you ask thats 2007 I'm not that old, the United States PGA Open was held here in Oakmont. I posted a blog entry at that time about the passenger train that Norfolk Southern had "parked" in Oakmont for the company executives and their guests.

I said that I would post some pictures on the blog but realized today that I had never done that. I think I did upload them to the files section of our discussion group on Yahoo but neglected to put them here.

So for your enjoyment here is a link to some of those photos now on line as a Google photo album.

Click here for photos.

Electronics Lab & trains

2008-02-23T15:12:00.000-08:00

I normally don't cross post between my blogs but this one seem applicable for some of you rail fans out there. I know some of you are avid model railroaders and thus into "home brewing" some or all of the various bits of electronics needed to bring your layout alive.

I ran across this site while surfing this weekend and immediately posted about it on my amateur radio blog. If you like to play with sensors, lighting, motors, automation and microprocessor control you will find a lot of interest in this site. I know one of the reasons that I got involved with model train layouts was because I wanted to experiment with my own computer control the trains. Now days you can pretty much buy anything in the way of train control you want off the shelf at a price of course. Those that want to do animation on their layouts though often find themselves in the do it yourself mode. So give this site a look and see if it inspires any ideas for your layout.

Electronics Lab

Interurbans - A great idea that had to fail

2008-02-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

Among my other hobbies reading is one near the top of the list for devouring my time. I am not a "shopper" and don't like going out just to browse if you know what I mean. Book stores on the other hand are an entirely different matter. They are one of the few retail establishments where I can spend a great amount of time at the drop of a hat. Just ask my wife Linda where she parks me when she wants to spend an afternoon at the mall.

So when Half Priced Books opened a new store in Monroeville Linda took full advantage of the fact that it was right next to a Michaels a craft store and said we should "go visit" the book store. While there I found a rack of used magazines one of which caught my attention because it had a train picture on the front cover.

The magazine is American Heritage Inventions & Technology which I had never heard of but bought every back issue I could find on the shelves that day. I came home determined to subscribe as soon as I got to a computer. I was disappointed to find that I was the proverbial "day late and a dollar short" as the magazine had ceased publication. The really great news was they still publish on line and have archives of all the past print editions. What a treasure house of information. I have included a link to their website in this article.

From the issues that I had in hand I found this article that I think will be of interest to rail fans everywhere.

THE WRONG TRACK

At the dawn of the century, electric interurban trains looked like a sure-fire transportation revolution. But they were doomed from the start.

by George W. Hilton

In retrospect it’s obvious that the first decade of this century was a time of great innovation in transportation—the beginning of our revolutionary shift to the automobile. But, like so many revolutions, that one was not evident at the outset. The big news in the early 1900s was the nearly complete conversion of urban transportation from horses to electric streetcars. With Henry Ford’s Model T not even on the market yet, the electrification of intercity transport looked like the logical next big change.

To read the complete article follow THIS LINK to the web site. Enjoy!

Win a Trip to Washington, DC!

2008-02-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

All expenses paid trip to Washington for winners of GoRail essay contest.

We are looking for a few lucky individuals to join us in Washington, DC, for Railroad Day on Capitol Hill on March 13 to tell Congress why it is crucial that we expand freight rail infrastructure and protect railroads from harmful reregulation. GoRail will cover your expenses while you participate in democracy first-hand. GoRail members will receive a briefing from GoRail staff after arriving in Washington. We will set up meetings for you and railroad officials with your congressional representatives. You will join hundreds of railroad officials at a dinner and reception after spending a day on Capitol Hill.

Simply tell us why railroads are important to you and your community. Maybe you’ve worked for a railroad, maybe railroads are the life blood of your community, or maybe you are in a unique position that enables you to relay our message to Members of Congress - that railroads are the cleanest, safest, and most efficient mode for moving freight. We simply want to hear your story. Last year, we brought four GoRail members to Capitol Hill. Here is what they had to say about the GoRail DC trip:

I just wanted to thank you and all the staff for the opportunity to visit, learn and voice my opinion, on the Hill, about railroading in this great country of ours. The "hands on" education I received by being a volunteer for Railroad Day on Capitol Hill, was unforgettable and an eye opening experience. I come away with new knowledge that our goals need constant communication reminders to our Representatives and Senators, as well as the local leaders in my area. I am making it my goal to assist doing just that. -- Burnie Vaugn, 30 year Rail Veteran

It was an amazing feeling when, at the first meeting, I was asked who I was, what I did for a living, and what I thought about the legislation we were there to support. In talking with the different representatives, I found that they were genuinely interested in what I did for the railroad, and it wasn't long before I realized that I was just as interested in what they did! I left Capitol Hill with my eyes wide open, my mind racing with ideas, and a new found respect for all of our nation’s law makers and railroaders alike. I truly had a day I will never forget… -- Will Jones, CSX Signal Maintenance Employee

To submit your essay, click here or email lstevenson@go21.org with your rail story. All entries must be received by February 13.

Hot Times on the High Iron for January 2008

2008-01-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

I retrieved this from one of the many mailing lists that I subscribe to and thought it would be of interest to the readers of the blog. So here are some notes and thought from the cab of a diesel. I found it fascinating.

From: "Joseph Santucci" <thetuch7@comcast.net>
Subject: HTOTHI for January 2008
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 01:41:08 -0600

Hot Times on the High Iron for January 2008

Welcome to the New Year and to another year of HTOTHI. It seems like
only yesterday I began to crank out these little diatribes. This
September will mark nine years of effort. Whodda thunk it?

Well first off, the Santa Train was another rousing success. We had
nearly 3400 total visitors for the weekend plus the employee night at
Woodcrest. Not too shabby considering the weather was terrible on
Sunday morning with an ice storm and all. To those of you that came
out to visit, thanks for making the effort. We the volunteer elves
had a tremendous time as usual and are already looking forward to
next year.

I hope the Christmas and Holiday Season was a safe and happy one for
all of you. Didn't get what I really wanted for Christmas again this
year. The word "Emperor" still fails to precede my name. In light of
what some folks ask Santa for Christmas, I don't believe requesting
global dominance is out of the question.

Enough of that then and now for something completely different.

I had begun to write a January column back in December but the
happenings of recent trip inspired me to change themes. It has been
known to happen in the past so why not the present?

As some of you along the HTOTHI network are aware, we had some
vicious storms sweep through the Midwest on Monday January 7th. The
Chicago area and state of Illinois were not exempt. A tremendous
amount of rain fell upon the region in a short period of time causing
floods and all sorts of other chaos. In some areas there were
tornadoes and high winds to wreak havoc along with the rain and flood
waters. Let's see, it is January, winter time and 57° F. What's wrong
with this picture?

My only wish was that this rain would have all been snow instead. So
what if it would have been a foot of the white stuff? I like snow.
And as you read on, you'll discover why it would have been better to
be snow.

My day at work started out bad even before I arrived there. It is
never a good sign when the trip to work is harrowing. As I cruised
northward on I-294 (aka the Tri State Tollway) that Monday evening,
it began to rain. On the radio the weather guessers were talking
about severe weather warnings as serious storms with high winds, lots
of rain and possible tornadoes were rapidly moving into the region.
Several tornadoes had already inflicted damage in some parts of
Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin and it sounded like more were
likely. As my drive continued, the rain that was now falling began to
increase in intensity. Within moments it was of deluge proportions,
the kind that might inspire one to undertake construction of an arc.
It quickly became nearly impossible to see the road as the rain was
falling in torrents and being blown sideways by the strong winds now
accompanying it. Cars were pulling off the interstate and onto the
shoulders. Those still moving had quickly reduced their speed to15-20
MPH. Fortunately for me my car has fog lamps. The low level light was
illuminating enough of the road that I could see it as well as the
car in front of me so I kept on rolling along. Well, creeping along
actually.

As you can probably surmise, I made it alive and in one piece,
although I was a bit wound up from the trip. And somehow, I wasn't
late; almost but not late, always a good thing. This is the advantage
to allowing an extra half hour of running time on my trip in to work.
It normally takes around an hour at that time of the evening, but I
usually leave an hour and thirty minutes before the on duty time as
you just never know what you might encounter en route.

When I headed out to my power for this evening's trip on train 336 it
was raining, but not pouring. I boarded my lead unit, the IC 6130,
and began my routine inspection of the power before having at the
doubling up of the train. Nothing looked amiss and both units were in
date and therefore did not require a daily inspection. Of course we
all know that looks can truly be deceiving. Once ready, we began to
assemble our train. The rain actually let up to the point where it
stopped. Unbeknownst to Conductor JJ Niemann and me, this would be
the calm before the storm as it were.

Once doubled up and air tested we worked our way across Chicago and
south to Markham Yard. As we converged on Markham and the south end
of the yard at Homewood, the heavens again opened up. We went about
the business of setting out and picking up in some fairly heavy
rains. While I was tucked away all warm and dry in the cab (or so I
thought), poor JJ was out there getting drowned like a rat. Once the
work was completed and while waiting for the cab to bring him, the
paperwork and the coffee he had picked up for us to the engine, I
detected the sound of something dripping; something like water. Upon
further revue I discovered water was very slowly dripping in from the
top of the frame for the sliding windows on my side of the cab. Just
a harmless little drip, not a river flowing. No big deal, right?

Once JJ was all aboard along with paperwork and coffee, we departed
for Champaign. At this point in time it was really coming down again,
sort of like that proverbial cow peeing on a flat rock. The cab
windows were beginning to steam up from the humidity. The humidity?
Usually with the box or forced air heaters in the cab operating, even
on low, the humidity is almost non-existent in the cab as these
things tend to dry out the air completely. JJ noticed when he stood
up that he was standing in water. He turned on his cab light to
discover an ocean of water on the cab floor. It was pouring in
through both the top and the bottom of the front cab door. He made
attempts to plug the leaks with but moderate at best success. It was
also leaking through the ceiling of the cab. And of course, that
little drip around the top of the window frame on my side had become
a bit of a flow too, and from more than one spot. My feet were now
sitting in a puddle of water that had accumulated under my seat and
in front of the control stand.

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink!"

The cab heaters were now on full blast in the attempt to dry up the
water and defog the windows. Only problem was it was 57° F outside so
it was getting extremely warm in the cab. So it is going to be one of
THOSE kinds of nights. Oy!

The windows were still fogging up and paper towels were fast and
furiously wiping them clear every several minutes. The ocean on the
cab floor reached one of my grips as well as one of JJ's. This really
isn't good. And if this wasn't enough, the front wiper on my side
decided to act up. It would slow down to a crawl and then stop. I was
coaxing it by hand but it would stop again. If I turned it off and
waited a few minutes and then turned it on again, it would work for a
little bit but then quit again. I could hear air leaking from the
system, around the knob that controls the wiper and also the air line
that feeds into the wiper motor. Well ain't that just friggin' ducky?
I find it amazing that a locomotive worth the money these things are
and what it costs to buy a new one that we have 19th century
technology for wipers. I suppose it is better than the old vacuum
system they used to use on automobiles years and years ago. But the
air powered wiper system is a joke as it is prone to failure often
owing to air leaks and also the oil in the motors leaking out.

"Oh it gets worse."

The second unit was facing the opposite direction so we couldn't
switch them out anywhere to get a dry unit, not that I'm sure I
wanted to do that as the rain was coming down full force with high
winds pushing it sideways. At least it wasn't coming down on my head
anyway.

So here we are zooming down the main in the pouring rain with the cab
filling up with water, windows fogging up and a temperamental wiper.
I created a quote some years ago that applies to our situation;

"There is no situation so bad that it cannot possibly get worse."

Please feel free to use this and cite me as the source. Maybe I can
make some money from it.

In addition to the rain and wind, we were now getting some fog.

Almost sounds like that old Cowsills song from years ago; "The rain,
the park and other things." I really wasn't counting on that flower
girl to appear in the midst of all this. And believe me, she didn't.
Although had she shown up, it just might have taken the edge of what
was becoming a trip from hell. Nah, probably not.

So with visibility being hampered both from within and without, we
encounter our first approach (yellow) of the night once we were on
the single track railroad. Block signal 37.9 that governs the
approach to the control point at North Peotone, also the sight of
Peotone siding was telling us to expect a stop signal at North
Peotone. Great, now we have to prepare to stop before passing the
next signal, one that is hard to see even when the weather is clear
owing to its poor placement and now we have to find it through the
rain and fog. The fog lifted a bit and visibility on the outside
improved somewhat. I was able to spot it from about half a mile away
and observed a clear (green) signal. Of course I had already
committed to slowing the train and preparing to stop. You cannot ever
assume that you will get the line up. If you do, we'll be reading
about you getting fired for passing a stop signal and possibly
plowing into another train. I kicked off the brakes and when they
began to release, started to accelerate the train. So this was a
waste of effort, brake shoes and now, fuel.

We rolled along past the Manteno detector which told us "No defects,"
something we really want and need to hear on a night like this. This
would be the first of four such messages we would receive tonight.
And that was one of the few good things of the evening.

As I approached signal 52.5, the one that governs the approach to the
control point at KX, formally known as Kankakee, I see it displays an
approach aspect. So again the slow down begins. We have to stop
further back from the signal here so as not to block road crossings.
When the weather and the cab windows are clear you can normally see
the signal at KX. Tonight with all the weather and foggy windows, we
couldn't. I had reduced the speed of the train to about 12 or 15 MPH
when KX started to come into view. We could see a stop signal. KX is
the location of the south end of Kankakee siding and also where the
railroad formerly known as Conrail crosses and connects with us. So
there is a distinct possibility of opposing or cross traffic here.

Within seconds of its appearance from out of the fog and rain, the
signal at KX changes from a stop signal to approach diverging (yellow
over green). This is a proceed signal that tells me at the signal
following KX, the control point at Gar Creek; we will be entering the
siding. I kick off the brakes again and when they release, begin to
accelerate a bit. We are rolling on a descending grade here as we
drop into the Kankakee River Valley and the speed limit drops from 60
to 30 MPH at KX and through Kankakee, so I don't have to work too
hard to get some speed back.

After a meet with a northbound at Otto, the south end of Gar Creek
Siding, we are on the move again. It is still pouting like crazy, the
windows are still fogging up, and the cab floor is an ocean. Perhaps
the "Gorton's of Gloucester" fisherman can toss out some nets and
make a catch. While waiting on the meet at Otto, I contacted the
Mechanical Services Rep; more affectionately referred to as the
"Diesel Doctor" and report all the problems we were experiencing with
the wind, the rain and other things. I told him that he should put
into the computer that the 6130 should never lead when rain or snow
are predicted. He laughed and said he would. I know I showed it on my
written report. Some of these guys have a good sense of humor which
you need there as it is a high pressure job. They receive phone and
radio calls from all over the CN system in both the US and Canada.
And they are kept jumping most of the time. I've told a couple of
them they should tell their friends and families that they are
"Doctors of Ferroequinology," sounds far more classy than Diesel
Doctor. They really get a kick out of that one too.

So we are back off to the races. Another approach is encountered at
67.3, the distant signal governing the approach to North Ashkum.
ARGH! Are we going to play this game all night? As we closed in on
it, the signal improved to clear. I could see a headlight shining on
the horizon in front of us meaning that we were going to meet
somebody at Ashkum. When the signal at North Ashkum came into clear
view among the rain and fog, it was approach. Our meet here was
pretty good as we did not have to come to a stop. The northbound
cleared and we received a clear at South Ashkum before I had to stop.

From this point on it was fairly smooth sailing until we reached
Rantoul where we were headed into the siding. The Dispatcher informed
us that she didn't know how long we would be there. This is the last
siding before Champaign Yard, so oftentimes we hare held here as the
yard cannot handle us. Tonight would be no exception. We met two
north bounds while we waited. The rain had let up a bit and the cab
had a bit of a chance to dry out. Not like the desert, but a
significant improvement. After the second northbound and about two
hours passed, we got the line up to proceed and headed south and on
to Champaign. Out time was getting low and instead of performing the
work of setting out and picking up, we pulled the train to the south
end of the yard at Bradley Avenue and secured it. We were then picked
up by the cab and headed to the hotel to get rest.

Upon arriving at the hotel I discovered one of my bags sustained an
intrusion from the water that was pouring into the cab. So everything
came out of it to allow it all and the bag the opportunity to dry
out. I hung the bag from the closet door to give it promote the
drying process. Several magazines within had sustained heavy water
damage and became part of the Champaign County landfill. An extra
pair of pants also got pretty wet so they got hung out to dry as
well.

While this was a bad night, it could have been worse; we could have
had to wear our raincoats inside the cab. Fortunately, the roof,
which did have a few leaks, was not leaking that bad.

See, if all that rain would have been snow, it is likely the cab
interior wouldn't have flooded out. We might have had a ski resort
instead. And now you know the rest of the story.

And so it goes.

Tuch

Hot Times on the High Iron and the HTOTHI initials are both ©2008 by JD Santucci

Do you Google?

2008-01-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

I maintain two other blogs and normally don't cross post between the three. I wrote an entry however on Around The Town In Oakmont that I think would have interest to rail fans. It deals with using the suite of applications that Google has created on line which allow you to generate information and share it with others.

If you are interested and would like to read it please follow the link below.

Have you tried Google yet?

Yet another source of information

2008-01-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

I heard an add on KDKA radio this morning and decided to check out the web page they were talking about. I'm passing it along to the blog for your enjoyment.

Pittsburgh Trains

Good frequency listing

2008-01-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a link from the Sunday evening Pittsburgh Area Scanner Net held each week on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's 147.090 repeater at 09:00 PM local time.

Railroad Frequency listing from the Radio Reference web site Wiki.

You can find out this and other interesting tidbits related to steel wheels rolling on steel rails by listening to the Pittsburgh Rail Fan net each week on the 146.880 repeater.

Schoolboy hacks into city's tram system

2008-01-16T03:27:00.000-08:00

Schoolboy hacks into city's tram system
By Graeme Baker
Last Updated: 2:48am GMT 11/01/2008

A teenage boy who hacked into a Polish tram system used it like "a
giant train set", causing chaos and derailing four vehicles.

The 14-year-old, described by his teachers as a model pupil and an
electronics "genius", adapted a television remote control so it could
change track points in the city of Lodz.

Twelve people were injured in one derailment, and the boy is
suspected of having been involved in several similar incidents.

The teenager, who was not named by police, told them he had changed
the points for a prank.

A police statement said he had trespassed at tram depots in the city
to gather information and the equipment needed to build the infra-red
device.

"Questioned by police in the presence of a psychologist, the teenager
testified he switched tram tracks three times, once causing a tram to
jump the tracks," said the statement. A search at the boy's home
turned up the device he had used to switch tram tracks.
advertisement

Miroslaw Micor, a spokesman for Lodz police, said: "He studied the
trams and the tracks for a long time and then built a device that
looked like a TV remote control and used it to manoeuvre the trams
and the tracks.

"He had converted the television control into a device capable of
controlling all the junctions on the line and wrote in the pages of a
school exercise book where the best junctions were to move trams
around and what signals to change.

"He treated it like any other schoolboy might a giant train set, but
it was lucky nobody was killed. Four trams were derailed, and others
had to make emergency stops that left passengers hurt. He clearly did
not think about the consequences of his actions."

The first sign of the chaos came on Tuesday afternoon, when a city
tram driver tried to steer his vehicle to the right, but found
himself helpless to stop it swerving to the left instead.

The rear wagon then swung off the rails and crashed into another
passing tram, hurling screaming passengers to the floor.

Transport employees were reported as saying that they knew
immediately that someone outside their staff had caused the accident.

The boy will face a special juvenile court on charges of endangering
public safety, police said.

The incident is the latest in which "hackers" - many of them young
computer experts - have broken into computer systems.

A 20-year-old was questioned in New Zealand last year suspected of
writing programs for an internet "spyware" scam targeting several
hundred thousand bank accounts.

In 1999, a group of hackers used home computers to break into the
systems controlling Skynet, a British military satellite, and changed
secure settings.

A report by the US Federal Aviation Administration this week raised
concerns that a passenger aboard the new Boeing 787 "Dreamliner"
aircraft might be able to hack into the aircraft's systems via its
internet connection.

The boy, described as a 'genius'and some of the equipment he used:

Link to full story

Driver cited in Bedford (NY) train-car crash caused by GPS mishap

2008-01-05T18:03:00.000-08:00

Driver cited in Bedford (NY) train-car crash caused by GPS mishap

By NICOLE NEROULIAS
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: January 3, 2008)

BEDFORD HILLS - A 32-year-old Californian whose rental car got
smashed by a Metro-North train last night was issued a minor summons
for causing the fiery crash that stranded railroad commuters for
hours.

Bo Bai, a computer technician from Sunnyvale who said he was merely
trusting his car's global positioning system when he steered onto the
tracks, was cited for obstructing a railroad crossing, officials said
this afternoon.

The railroad's Harlem Division trains were back on schedule this
morning after crews spent hours repairing more than 200 feet of the
electrified "third" rail damaged by the crash, said Dan Brucker,
Metro-North spokesman.

Bai, who has been working in Fishkill, was driving west on Green Lane
around 7 p.m., and told Metropolitan Transportation Authority police
the GPS system instructed him to turn right as he was crossing the
tracks. He was headed for the Saw Mill River Parkway, just past the
tracks.

He got stuck, tried unsuccessfully to reverse and finally abandoned
the 2006 Ford Focus minutes before it was slammed by a northbound
Metro-North Harlem Line train, MTA police said.

Read the complete article here.

Lets hope for a light at the end of the tunnel

2008-01-04T01:04:00.000-08:00

I have become somewhat cynical when I see stories like this one. Still I always try to stay hopeful that this will go farther then just "money for studies" which is what we have seen so far when this type of proposal is brought up. Time will tell.

From the Oakmont Advanced Leader

Commuter railroad, Edgewater receive funding for 2008

Two local projects are gaining momentum after the federal government announced funding for them last week.

The proposed Allegheny Valley commuter train will have $1 million set aside for planning and development for the lines to connect residents of the Alle-Kiski Valley and Monongahela Valley with downtown Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh International Airport.

The budget also set aside $50,000 for the former Edgewater Steel property in Oakmont to help the development and creation of jobs, housing and parks for residents.

Follow this link for the complete story.

Holiday Train

2007-12-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

Hey gang! I got this from a mailing list that I subscribe to and thought I would share it. I haven't explored the entire site yet but I was impressed with the short video of this train. Check it out.

Holiday Train Video

A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my fellow Pittsburgh Rail Fans.

Allegheny Valley commuter rail gains ground

2007-12-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

Lets keep our eye on this and see if we can make it something more than a political promise.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

By Liz Hayes
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
Sunday, December 23, 2007

After years of barely chugging along, the planning process for a proposed Allegheny Valley commuter rail has kicked into high gear.

The Westmoreland County Transit Authority on Thursday agreed to pay a contractor $500,000 to study the feasibility of offering commuter rail services from New Kensington to Pittsburgh, as well as from Greensburg to Pittsburgh.

The day before, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a 2008 budget that includes a $1 million earmark for commuter rail projects in Allegheny County.

Follow this link for the complete story

Hamtrack

2007-11-25T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since I have posted anything on this hear blog which is not to say that there has not been anything of note to put here, just that I have kept myself busy in other areas and not made time for it.

This one though I had to write about. Regular readers know that here in Pittsburgh a number of amateur radio operators, or hams, meet once a week on the air to discuss all things related to steel wheels on steel rails. The Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net meets on the air every Thursday evening and you are welcome to listen or join in.

A while back the folks that normally get in on the net teamed up with a group from one of our local radio clubs and decided to combine the two hobbies. Thus the Skyview Radio Society and the rail fans were off on an adventure together and of course it was by rail.

Bob, WC3O, who master minded this event has written and article about it for the ARRL web site. If you haven't seen it yet I think you will find it interesting reading.

Link to Bob's article on the trip.

All you can do is salivate

2007-08-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

All of you model rail fans out there would surely salivate at the chance to even see the collection that was purchased here in Pittsburgh today.

"Two lifelong Lionel model train collectors stood before a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge Tuesday afternoon and took turns upping the ante.
At stake were 8,375 Lionel trains worth an estimated $1 million stored in a LeNature's warehouse at Westmoreland County Air Park.
LeNature's Chief Executive Gregory Podlucky reportedly bought the trains -- on the company's dime -- while running the Latrobe bottler of tea and flavored drinks into the ground. The company filed for bankruptcy in November."

For the complete story follow THIS LINK to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

2007-06-11T14:13:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures that I took yesterday afternoon. I have more and will find a place to put them for those that are interested.

These are just two of many that I took and I'm sure I'll be back for more before the train leaves.

A special treat for rail fans

2007-06-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well the U.S. Open has brought a special treat for rail fans with it. On my way home from church this morning I stopped at Oakmont bakery to pick up a cake for my mother in laws birthday. As I came down Pennsylvania Avenue I was greeted at the railroad crossing by a polished and shinny Norfolk Southern passenger engine that looks like it just stepped out of a time machine from a few decades ago. Behind it are a string of Norfolk Souther passenger cars. All look like they just came out of the factory gleaming in black and maroon with gold lettering.

They will be parked here for the extent of the Open, June 11^th through the 17^th, and the really great news is that you can get “up close and personal” if you want to take pictures. They are parked right along Oakmont's walking path on Allegheny Avenue and so you can get pictures from there and from slightly above them on Allegheny River Boulevard.

I didn't have my camera with me but I will go down latter today and take some pictures that I will post here on the blog.

Stay tuned for a big announcement............

2007-04-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

There is going to be a multi club event coming up in August. The Skyview Amateur Radio Society and the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net are planning a trip to Connecticut via Amtrak that will include a trip to American Radio Relay League headquarters. This is going to be a great event. Stay tuned to the Thursday evening radio net on 146.880 MHz held each week at 09:30 local time. Also watch the Skyview web site for additional information as it becomes available.

Stale blog

2007-03-27T11:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the “stale blog”! I haven't had a lot of time for bloging or a lot of other things for a while now. I will attempt to catch up on things “Rail Fan” related in the weeks to come.

The Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net

2006-10-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

As many of you that read the blog know I am an amateur, or “ham”, radio operator. My call sign in the amateur radio world is WA3FKG and it is something that I am very proud of. If you are interested in amateur radio I suggest that you follow this link which will take you to the American Radio Relay League home page where you can lean more about the hobby.

Radio amateurs or “hams” tend to have a lot in common especially when it comes to hobbies scanners and radio monitoring among them. With those that are scanner enthusiasts I find a number of them that monitor railroad frequencies either exclusively or as a part of the broad spectrum that they normally listen to. Needless to say a large number of that group are listening because they are “rail fans”.

One such amateur is Dennis, KB3HPC, who is a life long rail fan and quite knowledgeable on the subject. (you can view his bio here) During the daily commute a while back he brought up the idea of having a “net” which is just another name for an organized round table discussion on the air of rail enthusiasts. Several people jumped into the conversation and said they thought it was a great idea and thus the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net was born.

The net “meets” each Thursday evening on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's 146.880 repeater at 09:30 PM local time. I won't go into what a repeater is here as that is beyond the scope of this posting. If you are interested drop me a note in email and I will go into in further depth or point you to web resources that will.

The bottom line is that this has become an information resource for local rail fans and you can participate and make use of it even if you are not a ham radio operator, let me explain how. All you need to listen in on the rail fan net is a receiver usually a scanner of the type used to listen to police and fire calls. A lot of rail fans have obtained these in order to listen in on radio activities of their favorite rail line or lines and thus have the capability to listen in on the amateur two meter band where the net is held. Assuming that you have a programmable scanner all you need to do is enter 146.880 into one of your channels and listen in on Thursday evenings at 09:30 PM. If the net doesn't start up exactly at 09:30 stick with it a few minutes since Dennis is sometimes late getting in on Thursdays and someone else will act as net control station if he is unavailable.

That covers half of the process. If you are a licensed amateur radio operator all you need to do to join in on the fun is check into the net. On the other hand, if you are listening with a scanner and can not talk back directly to the net control station you can still participate. Dennis has set up a Hot Mail account where you can send questions and comments on the net. You can either click here pghrailfannet@hotmail.com or you can add this entry to your address book. I can't guarantee that Dennis will get to your question before the net but I know he checks that mailbox several times a week so feel free to join in.

I have beens somewhat amiss in maintaining this blog for a while now and if you look back through the postings you will see that I have been trying to post the trivia questions that are asked on the net each week followed by the answers the next week. I just have not had the time as of late to keep things up but I will attempt to get back “in the groove” and make regular postings at least once a week. I hope that you enjoy the blog and that you will join us on Thursday evenings.

The Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net for August 17 2006

2006-08-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Another good session on the rail fan net this Thursday evening. The net concluded about 10:00 PM and then promptly restarted when a few of the participants got together and started chatting. It is 10:30 as I am writing this and the discussion is still going on. I think Dennis blew the whistle just a little early this week! I got side tracked (pun intended) and am finishing this blog entry Friday afternoon. The conversation last night after the net concluded was even more interesting than the net itself. Sometimes things work that way.

And speaking of working that way, boy did I screw up! I just noticed that last week I posted the answers to the trivia questions from the previous week but neglected to post the new question from last week. Some peoples kids!

Since I didn't give you last weeks question I won't give you the answer now. Instead we will have three trivia questions on this weeks entry two from last night and one from the previous week. So here they are.

1 What is a “hoesttler” on the railroad?

2 What does it mean when the train crew is going “out law”?

3 What is a “green eye”?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and a little “trivia” on the trivia questions.

Join us next week for the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net on the 146.880 repeater.

Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net trivia for August 10 2006

2006-08-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great session Thursday evening on the 146.88 repeater discussing our favorite topic that being just about anything related to moving steel wheels on steel rails. I need to look into a way to pod cast the net to preserve all of this good conversation.

First the answer to last weeks questions of which we had two.

From Craig, KB3KBH, we had this interesting question.

There is a light engine sitting in the yard. What seven steps are required to move it forward?

Answer:

Here are at least seven steps required to move the engine the are not all inclusive.

1 Move the reversing leaver to forward

2 Release the brakes

3 Turn on the crossing bell

4 Light the head lamp

5 Sound two short blasts on the whistle

6 Depress the dead man peddle

7 Move the throttle to notch one

Our second question this week came from Art, WA3BKD, and was also interesting and news to me.

During the 1960s and 1970s there were special box cars designed. They had four trucks two on each end and were kept moving all over the country on a continuous basis. While a large number of them were envisioned in the original plan only two of the were ever built. What were they for?

Answer:

These boxcars carried ballistic missiles and were part of the Department of Defense plan in case of a nuclear attack from the now defunct USSR. You just have to wonder if they go the idea from Lionel!

That is all for this week from the rail fan net. I hope to hear all of you again next Thursday evening on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's 146.880 mHz repeater at 09:30 PM local time. Remember if you can't check in or if you are listening on a scanner and would like to participate you can send question or comments to railfannet@hotmail.com.

Trivia questions from Thursday evenings Rail Fan Net August 3 2006

2006-08-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Dennis, KB3HPC, was out of town this week so Craig, KB3KBH, was our conductor yesterday evening and we had a great net with thirteen stations checking and who knows how many lurkers out there. Also I'm sure we have a number of rail fans listening on their scanners who are not licensed and we appreciate your input to the net. You can send questions or comments to the following email address. railfannet@hotmail.com

First the answer to last weeks trivia question.

What was a railroader talking about when he spoke of “The six foot”?

Answer :

In the early days of rail six feet was the standard distance between outside rails of adjoining sets of tracks. Over the years this distance has widened as cars have increased in size but many still refer to the space between the tracks as “the six foot”.

This week we had two trivia questions posed to the net. One from Craig and another from Art, WA3BKD, both of which were interesting.

1. There is a light engine sitting in the yard. What seven steps are required to move it forward?

2. In the 1970's and 1980's there was a plan to build a number of special box cars. They would have four trucks two on each end and would be moving constantly around the country. Only two were every actually built. What were they for?

Check back here next week for the answers. Hope to hear you on the next Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net.

Nice photo gallery

2006-08-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Bob, KB3MOJ, for this link to excellent photo gallery. While not local it does have some outstanding train photos. When you are done looking at the train pictures go back to the gallery's home page and check out some of the other topics they cover. Click on the link below to view the pictures.

Various Railroad pictures along the Union Pacific Valley Line in Northern California.

Rail fan net of July 27 2006

2006-07-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Last nights rail fan net turned out to be very interesting. One of the new stations to check in was Mike, KB3LMF, who stumbled across the net for the first time. Now we get newcomers all the time, what was exciting about Mike coming on board is that he is an engineer for Amtrak. Needless to say there were numerous questions for him before the close of the net.

There was no trivia question for last week since we held the first ever Rail Fan Fest at Steel City Amateur Radio Club. I think Bill, N3BPB, did go in the radio room and bring up the net at 09:30 but I did not participate and Craig, KB3KBH, who supplies us with our trivia questions each week was out in the main room with me. I will have a more complete blog entry on the Rail Fan Fest latter complete with pictures.

Here is the trivia question for this week.

What is a railroader talking about when speaks of “the six foot”.

Check back here next week for the answer and a new trivia question.

Fireturck riding the rails

2006-07-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Pierce's Rail Rescue Vehicle is a walkaround heavy-rescue unit built on an Enforcer chassis that deploys hydraulic railway gear,allowing it to operate on railroad tracks.

I want to thank Bob, KB3MOJ, for the pointer to this story.

PIERCE

Pierce's usual big showing of new products included the premier of a commercial multi-cab design that can be built on the Kenworth T300 and T800 heavy-duty chassis in both the Pierce and Contender lines. The vehicle features a 6', 4" cab height and can be configured to operate as a top-mount pumper, a command center or a crew cab. As an enclosed top-mount pumper, the cab has windows on all sides, providing the pump operator with a better view of the entire fire scene and pump operations. The pumper also provides space to rehab the crew if needed. As a command center, the cab can be configured to include a workstation and EMS compartments.

The enclosed-cab design protects pump operators from the elements, allowing them to concentrate more on operating the vehicle safely. A pumper that operates in both severe cold and high heat environments is a great asset to the fire service.

Pierce also displayed an addition to its aerial product line: a 100' aluminum aerial ladder with a tip load of 750 lbs., the largest in the industry. The ladder features H-style stabilizers with a 12' spread; it also has a replaceable egress section. Options include mounted breathing air at the ladder tip, a quick-lock waterway, creeper controls and various tool-mounting configurations.

Another unique offering from Pierce: the Enforcer Rail Rescue Vehicle. A walk-around heavy-rescue unit built on an Enforcer chassis, this rig deploys hydraulic railway gear in the front and rear of the vehicle, allowing it to operate on railroad tracks for easy movement. The response areas of many fire departments feature major rail lines. For such departments, the Rail Rescue Vehicle will increase operability and reduce response times for incidents in hard-to-reach areas.

What a great evening!

2006-07-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

If you missed the first ever Pittsburgh Rail Fan Fest you missed a very good time. Linda and I went out for dinner this evening after I picked her up at work and then motored our way up to Steel City Amateur Radio Club for what turned out to be a very enjoyable evening.

Thanks to Art, WA3BKD, for setting this up and to Steel City for allowing us the use of their club house for the meeting. Check back latter today or tomorrow for some pictures and a more detailed description of the evenings events.

You never know what you will see on the way to work

2006-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

While I haven't been able to work so far this year because of health problems I am back to driving and have been acting as chauffeur for my lovely wife Linda each day. She works in one of the buildings behind St. Margret's Hospital so twice a day I travel old Rt. 28 with a view of the Conemaugh line for a good deal of my trip. It is rare that I don't see at least one Norfolk Southern freight on the line, usually going east, during the daily commute. Once in a while I notice a pick up truck with “outrigger” wheels designed to run on the tracks or other service vehicles.

I have been carrying a small “point and shoot” digital camera in the car with me for a while now so when I saw a number of odd looking machines traveling up the line the other day I was somewhat repaired and caught the following images.

Please note that being a neophyte rail fan I have NO clue as to what each of these do!

I will try to captuer some additional images in the future as there seems to be an ongoing project on this line.

Rail Fan Net trivia for July 13 2006

2006-07-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

First the question from this weeks net.

Who was the “wreck master” and what was his job?

Check back next week for the answer.

And now, here is the answer to last weeks question.

When you ride an excursion train with a steam locomotive they are usually supplied water by local fire department pumper. This lead to tonights trivia question.

Why do they call the fire hydrants “fire plugs”?

In the early days of fire fighting in England an underground water distribution system was installed using wooden pipes buried far enough below the surface so as not to freeze in the winter. When the firemen arrived with a pumper, usually hand operated and sometimes hand drawn, they would locate the nearest “water pipe”, dig down to it and drill a hole to which they would attach a hose. When the fire was out or the building burned down which ever came first they would remove the hose and drive a wooden plug, called a “fire plug”, into the hole. Eventually they began to place markers at the places where past holes had been bored into the pipes making them easy to find. When an above ground device was made to access the pipe below the term “fire plug” stuck and remains until this day.

You just never know what you are going to learn on the weekly Rail Fan Net now do you?

Good times! Mark your calendars!

2006-07-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

We are going to have our first “face to face” rail fan net and like the on the air version everyone is welcome to join in. On Thursday, July 20th 2006, though the generosity of the Steel City Amateur Radio Club we have a physical place for the gathering of our group.

The plan at this time is to bring some video material on DVD and VHS to watch. Others are bringing items of interest from their collection of railroad memorabilia some of it historic in nature. Should be a very good meeting. Dennis, KB3HPC, the conductor of the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net plans to have a few goodies that he will give away as “door prizes” for the trivia question that evening and also some hand outs that will be of interest for rail fans.

The time is not completely firm yet but I believe that we plan to arrive at the club around 07:00 PM. Watch this blog or listen in on the Rail Fan Net next Thursday evening at 09:30 PM on the 146.880 repeater for additional details.

Rail fan net trivia for July 6 2006

2006-07-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

Our thanks to Craig, KB3KBH, for researching interesting questions for the net each week.

First the question from this weeks net.

When you ride an excursion train with a steam locomotive they are usually supplied water by local fire department pumper. This lead to tonights trivia question.

Why do they call the fire hydrants “fire plugs”?

Check back next week for the answer.

And now, here is the answer to last weeks question.

What was a boiler wash and why was it done?

A boiler wash was to get the sediment and impurities out of the bottom of the boiler. Done with chemical compounds it was a long hard, hot and dirty job.

The Rail Fan Net for June 29th 2006

2006-07-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

As promised here is the answer to last weeks trivia question from the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net and a new question posed this week.

First the question from this weeks net.

What was a boiler wash and why was it done?

* * * *
Now last weeks question.

At one point in time on the railroads there was a whistle signal given by the engineer for the command “down brake”. Why was this signal given and what happened when it was?

At that time there were a number of men on the train assigned the job of “break man” and each car had a mechanical brake system activated by hand. When the “down brake” signal was given they would turn a wheel in a clockwise or “down” direction applying the brakes.

Tonights trivia question from the Rail Fan Net

2006-06-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Each week a number of amateur radio operators that are also avid rail fans meet on a local two meter repeater for a round table discussion of anything and everything related to railroads. The Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net meets each Thursday evening at 09:30 PM local time on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's 146.880 repeater. All licensed operators are welcome and encouraged to check in and join in on the conversation. Most weeks your conductor will be Dennis, KB3HPC, who started the net which has become a popular gathering point for rail fans each week. If you have a scanner for listening to local rail radio traffic you can tune in and listen in. Just program 146.880 into your scanner and join the fun. If you would like to participate you can drop Dennis a note in email with questions or comments for the net. Use this LINK to send an mail.

One of the net members has started bringing a “trivia question” to the net each week when he checks in. I am going to try to write them down while listening to the net and post them here on the blog. Here is this weeks question.

At one point in time on the railroads there was a whistle signal given by the engineer for the command “down brake”. Why was this signal given and what happened when it was?

Check back next Thursday for the answer to the above and a new question.

BNSF Railway Asks Rail Fans for Cooperation To Keep America's Rail System Safe

2006-06-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

FORT WORTH, TEXAS, June 7, 2006:
BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) is recruiting rail fans to help keep BNSF properties safe by reporting suspicious activities and to help prevent possible security breaches.
“Keeping America’s rail transportation network safe from crime and terrorist activity is a high priority for the railroad industry,” says William Heileman, BNSF general director, Police and Protection Solutions. “Every day across the country, rail fans photograph and watch trains as they pass through communities. It seems natural to harness their interest to help keep America’s rail system safe.”

Follow this LINK for the complete story.

“The Silence of The Blogs.........”

2006-04-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to write a short posting for those of you that read my blogs on a regular basis. I currently have three of them two of which are hobby oriented and a third about my home town. I created and maintain them simply because I enjoy writing and in the case of the amateur radio and rail fan blogs provide a medium to exchange information with other enthusiasts.

I am relatively new to the blogaspher and read a number of blogs all of which I note are updated almost daily. While I would like to update all of my blogs each day I seldom reach that objective with my normal schedule.

Speaking of schedules mine has been anything but normal since the first of the year. I ended 2005 with what appeared to be some medical problems that while minor just wouldn't seem to go away. As I migrated into the new year some of them grew worse and others developed. Just about the time I looked like I was on the road to recovery it would turn out to be taking one step forward and two steps backwards. All of this culminated in two separate hospital stays each more than a week and the second starting out with a four days stay in the intensive care unit.

Thanks to the grace of God, many many prayers from friends and loved ones and a good dose of modern medicine I am finally on the mend and back sitting at my computers and radios. I still have a little ways to go before being anywhere near back to full speed but I will be looking for material for all of the blogs again and updating them as time allows.

My great full thanks to all of those of you who inquired about my health during these past few months and who have sent cards and offered prayers.

----Ken

Hearing tracks views of commuter rail

2006-03-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

Hearing tracks views of commuter rail

By Larry Seben
for the Valley News Dispatch
Friday, March 3, 2006

Love it or hate it.

There didn't seem to be much common ground Thursday regarding a proposed commuter rail line from Arnold to Pittsburgh's Strip District -- at least not among those voicing opinions at a public hearing at the borough municipal building.

The hearing was held to gauge public reaction to the Eastern Corridor Transit Study -- a plan of six alternative transportation projects aimed at making the commute to downtown Pittsburgh easier for eastern suburbanites. As expected, the commuter-rail plan dominated the meeting because it's the most local of the proposals.

Other hearings are scheduled throughout the eastern suburbs to discuss the plan, formulated by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission -- the group designated by PennDOT to help plan transportation projects in Greater Pittsburgh's.

Follow THIS LINK for the complete story in the Valley News Dispatch.

Train watching season is coming

2006-03-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

With the onset of spring thoughts turn to going out and spending time watching and photographing trains. Those of us that check into the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net have discussed some organized field trips that involve both of these pass times. So the subject of this posting is to two fold. One is to alert you to the fact that we will be planning these trips in case you are interested in joining in on the fun. The other is to ask everyone to think about how we will communicate during these trips.

Now of course I'm talking about two way radio communications. If you are checking into the weekly net you are a ham, at least I hope you are, and two meters is the obvious choice. We do have a number of folks that listen in on the net and are not licensed.

For those I think the best choice would be the Family Radio Service or FRS. The reason I say this is that not quite as many people have FRS radio as the number with cell phones but I think it would be a close second. If you are thinking about joining us on some of our future excursions please drop me a note in email and let me know if you will be bringing two way radio along with you.

Also feel free to offer suggestions on destinations for our “field trips” and places where we might find SAFE areas to photograph trains as they pass. Information on either will be welcome. Keep and ear on the net and an eye on the blog reports on any information that I receive.

Trying to keep up with the blogs

2006-03-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Well I have been trying for several weeks now to check into the Thursday evening rail fan net on the 146.88 repeater and get the weekly “trivia question” and post it here on the net. So far I haven't been very successful at the endeavor.

I have been having some health issues since the first of the year and some weeks haven't even got to check into the net. I did this evening but I'm not quite up to typing up the question and answer which would quite lengthly. I hope you rail fans had a chance to listen in this evening and I will try to get more information on the blog in the coming weeks.

Photos from a local rail fan

2006-02-25T01:10:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to George Neat for his contribution of these rail fan photos from the Pittsburgh area. Enjoy!

I spent some time today on both the NS Pgh Line and the CSX Keystone
Sub. Here is what I got:

C46 with 5354

C46 with 3018

21M with 9311,9572

21J with 9531, BNSF4904

12N with 2587,6787

11A with 8463

11A with helpers 3351, 3369

NS 567 with 9317, 9201, 9738

NS 567 with helpers 3344

20T with primer 9918, 9385

17 G with 8302, 5336

11V with 2581, 6128

Then came CSX

Q138 with 2 BNSF units 5405,7705
Photo 1
Photo 2

U324 with 553,412

Q216 with 7577

Q640 with 7794, GCFX 3062

Q641 with 281

It was a very good day minus the sun playing hide & seek.

George

The year is not starting off well for those that travel by rail

2006-01-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

Jan 28, 2:12 PM EST

Chicago-Bound Amtrak Train Derails

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Amtrak's Chicago-bound Empire Builder passenger train derailed early Saturday near Spokane, causing minor injuries.

Preliminary reports indicated that a rail was broken, but it wasn't
immediately clear when it broke or how, said Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy
Connell.

A few of the 86 passengers and six crew members were treated for minor injuries in the town of Sprague, near the accident site about 45 miles west of Spokane, Connell said. Passengers were taken back to Spokane by bus, she said.

The engine and four cars that derailed remained upright, and equipment was brought in to put them back on the tracks Saturday morning, said Gus Melonas, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which owns and maintains the tracks.

Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF expected to have the damaged track reopened within 24 hours, he said.

New feature on the weekly Rail Fan Net

2006-01-26T19:29:00.000-08:00

There has been a new feature on the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net that I have been meaning to write about. Each week now one of the members who checks in, usually Craig KB3KBH, has a trivia question for us and some of them have been very interesting. I will start posting them here on the blog each week with the answer the following week.

If you are a licensed amateur radio operator you are encouraged to join us each week on the net which is held on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's 146.28/88 repeater every Thursday evening at 09:30 PM local time. If you are not licensed you can listen in with your scanner. Simply program 146.880 in one of your channels and listen in. If you would like to participate you can send questions or comments to the net manager Dennis / KB3HPC via email. Send them to railfannet@hotmail.com .

And now for this weeks question.

What one thing is different on a locomotive intended for passenger service for the units that only are used on freight trains?

Check back here next week for the answer to this question and a new one from the next rail fan net.

From the magazine rack

2006-01-11T08:44:00.000-08:00

If you are like me you get more magazines than you can consume in a months time. Seems like every hobby that I'm involved in has at least two magazines dedicated to the subject and some have several. Much to my wife's chagrin I seem to get them all. I guess for this reason I do not get some of the monthly periodicals that you find around most homes like Popular Mechanics. Not that Popular Mechanics isn't a find magazine you understand. I used to get it a number of years ago and loved the wide variety of subjects that it covered. Now days however there are only so many hours in a day and time spent outside of the one person one room library for reading are limited.

So I was glad that someone brought to my attention that the January 2006 issue contained an article that would be of interest to rail fans. Titled the rebirth of rail it talks about how much freight is being moved around the country by rail and the numbers are impressive. They are moving all this freight at a cost that can't be matched by trucks and there is a new generation of diesel locomotives in the works that will increase fuel economy and reduce maintenance costs making rail roads even more attractive for moving the countries goods from point to point. If you can find it on your local news stand or super market magazine rack take a look I think you will enjoy the article.

Seasons Greetings!

2005-12-23T06:52:00.000-08:00

Wow. I just checked and it has been almost a month since my last entry on the Rail fan blog. The Thursday evening radio net on two meters has been very active and growing in participation. I have been working on two model rail layouts in N gage. I have made the most progress with the Christmas layout that will sit atop our television in the living room this year. I am taking vacation next week from work and will post some pictures here on the blog of what I have done so far.

I hope all of you rail fans out there are having a great holiday season and that you and your families keep the true spirit of Christmas in your hearts as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The very best to your family from ours and I look forward to a wonderful 2006 filled with family, friends and of course TRAINS!

Very pleasant surprise in my mail box

2005-11-27T14:30:00.000-08:00

When I arrived home the other evening I opened my mailbox, the snail mail one, and removed a hand full of items including a magazine in a plastic bag. My lovely wife Linda gets a number of craft magazines and I assumed it was hers since all of the magazines I currently subscribe to arrive without any protective covering.

As I looked through the plastic at the back cover I realized that this was a magazine devoted to trains. Either that or Womens Day had taken on a large number of model railroad sponsors for the holidays. After I got settled into my easy chair I opened the plastic bag and removed my first copy of RAILFAN & RAILROAD magazine. My eyes were immediately drawn to the blue and yellow CSX locomotives in the lower part of the front cover. As I glanced up at the mast head I said “I know that skyline.” There across the water in the picture that makes up the front cover in bold white lettering was the subject of this months cover story.

“Three Rivers Railfanning”

Thats right, our beloved Pittsburgh is the subject of this months cover story. Inside I found an eight page story covering all of the rail activity in the Pittsburgh area in great detail. This accompanied by a number of very well done photographs. The author, Richard C. Borkowski Jr., obviously is a rail fan and did his homework before writing this article. He also did the photography work including the cover shot and I would love to know if he did it with digital or film. I plan to write a letter to the editor about the article so I may find out.

I stopped at Barns & Nobel in Waterworks Plaza on my way to work this morning and checked out their well stocked magazine rack to see if I could pick up a few extra copies to give to friends but found none. The help desk told me that while RAILFAN & RAILROAD is listed in their computer as one of the publications that they carry the had not received any at this store since last December. With the coming weekend being the one after Thanksgiving you won't find me within a mile of any shopping mall so I won't get the chance to check Borders in Monroeville which is my other haunt when looking for niche magazines that I don't subscribe to.

If you happen to find the January 2006 issue of RAILFAN & RAILROAD on a shelf somewhere do me a favor and buy a few extra copies for me and I'll reimburse you. Thanks!

Rail fanning and Ham Radio what could be better?

2005-11-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since I have had time to work on the blog. While surfing the web last night I came across a site that I think will be of interest for most of you reading this. It's theme covers two topics, rail fanning and ham radio. What could be better? Here is a quote from the opening page of the site.

“We are a club dedicated to the love of trains and Amateur Radio. Why not enjoy both at the same time?
We like to see old trains and depots....we hope you do too! To that end, we present the "Amateur Radio Railroad Depot Society" or "ARRRDS"
We hope you have fun visiting the museums and learning about the history of that railroad. Why not take the mobile rig along or go portable and put out a few contacts. Maybe your radio club would like to have a weekend tailgate swap fest and expedition. There are a lot of awards to get for activating one of the depots. There are also awards for working these stations. We hope you will enjoy both!”

Follow this LINK if you would like to visit the site and see more.

Scanners on sale at Radio Shack

2005-11-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day Sale at the Shack

I was looking over the Radio Shack web site yesterday which by the way they have done a lot of work on. I'm not yet convinced that all of the changes were improvements but that is another story.

One thing that I did notice was that the PRO-97 will be on sale Thanksgiving Day for $149.95 which looks like a pretty good deal to me. I called the local store that I deal with the most and asked and they confirmed that indeed the PRO-97 is on sale and is available at the reduced price now. Not listed on the web site is the fact that the PRO-94 will be reduced to $74.95 but this is a Thanksgiving Day only special. If you are looking for a non digital hand held I think the PRO-97 is a pretty good deal. I like the PRO-94 but I believe it dose not have tone squelch or alpha tagging something that I demand in the new scanners that I buy. So if you are looking for a Christmas present for that rail fan in your house this could be a golden opportunity.

Union Pacific considers a train crew of one

2005-11-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a disturbing story or at least it seems like that to me.

Union Pacific considers a train crew of one
Written by The Omaha World-Herald
Tuesday, 06 September 2005

MORRILL, Neb. -- Mile long coal trains rumble through prairie towns every day, raising little notice unless blowing a horn or stopping traffic at a crossing, according to this report by Stacie Hamel published by the Omaha World-Herald.

Union Pacific engineer Nancy Kohmetscher of North Platte says the need for teamwork is just one reason she's against the railroad's push for one-person train crews.

The work inside their locomotives, though, is the subject of intense debate as railroads attempt to negotiate to cut crews from two members to one. Whether those crews of one would be drawn from the conductor ranks or the engineer ranks is part of those negotiations.

The conductors' union filed a lawsuit in March over railroads' demand to negotiate one-person crews, which would require that agreements over the makeup of train crews be reopened.

Follow THIS LINK for the complete story

Youngstown Model Railroad Association Open House 2005

2005-11-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

For you model rail fans out there here is upcoming event.
November 5th & 6th also 12th & 13th 2005
From 12:00 Noon to 06:00 PM

I have visited the web site and the layout is very impressive featuring both an O and an HO scale layout. Follow this LINK to see a photo array of the layout.

If you have the chance take a ride up and visit the group in Youngtown and say hello you can find a complete schedule and directions on the web site.

Trouble On The Tracks

2005-11-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

Discovry Times Web Site Story

An intricate web of railroad tracks crisscrosses America for nearly 200,000 miles, carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers and 40 percent of all the freight in the United States. On average, one person a day is killed at a railroad crossing.

Did anyone see this show on the Discovery Times Channel? I came away with the impression that it was a hatchet job expose on the railroads. They did make the case that some of the railroads have tried to cover up grade crossing accidents claiming that they have gone so far as to erase tapes of radio conversations between engineers and dispatchers after an accident. I would have been more inclined to give the entire story some credibility had the source been someone other than the New York Times. They have not proved to be fair and accurate in their reporting on other industries and topics so I took this “report” with a large grain of salt. None the less it was interesting.

Conductor, can you tell me what time it is?

2005-10-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Not having been a rail fan for the extended period of time that some of you others out there have, my knowledge of this subject is somewhat limited. I know from what little that I absorbed from history class in school and by references made in movies and other popular culture that there was a time in our nation when the railroads were THE time standard. I can understand how time would be important to the railroads for scheduling pick up and delivery of passengers and freight not the mention the aspect of safety as the network of track and number of trains grew over the years.

Those days however are long gone and we no longer rely on the Union Pacific for the correct time. Technology has stripped the railroads of that right and turned it over to agencies of the Federal Government such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Anyone with a few dollars in their pocket can walk into a local Radio Shack store and come out with a self correcting time piece that would been a marvel to any railroad man only fifty years ago.

For those that are interested you can view a history of time including the part that the railroad industry played in the United States. All of this comes to mind since it is once again that time of year when we are required to adjust our clocks in order to change the amount of daylight hours we have each time the earth makes one complete rotation. So turn your clocks back one hour tonight before returning the engine to the round house and putting the train to bed. It is also a good idea to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. For more of my thoughts on this twice yearly ritualism see my other blog entry at Around The Town In Oakmont PA.

WQED'S "CHOO-CHOO" AFTERNOON this Sunday October 23rd

2005-10-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

While writing the previous blog entry this evening I went to the WQED web site to look up information on the show TRACKS AHEAD. While looking at the stations upcoming schedule I found the following entry for this coming Sunday. Fire up those VCR and TiVO boxes.

WQED'S "CHOO-CHOO" AFTERNOON
SUNDAY OCTOBER 23
See the most beautiful trains from around the country with WQED's "Choo-Choo" afternoon:

3pm - Trains of the American West
4pm - Daylight: The Most Beautiful Train in the World
5pm - Super Chief: Speed, Style, Service

As an aside, there was a nice picture of a train associated with this listing BUT, it had a hyper link and when you clicked on the picture of the train it took you to a page about an upcoming Nature program. I really hope this is an HTML error and not a scheduling error! Enjoy, I hope?

Trains on television

2005-10-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

During the Pittsburgh Rail Fan net this evening Art, WA3BKD, provided us with a schedule from RFD TV also know as The Rural Farm Network. I know for sure that this channel is available via satellite from Direct TV but I'm not sure if any cable companies in the Pittsburgh area carry it. RFD TV carries several shows related to trains and I have my TiVO set to record them each week automatically. Also the local public television station WQED, broadcast channel 13, airs a weekly program called Tracks Ahead that is a real treat if you are a rail fan. Here is the schedule as Art gave it to me during the net.

Monday

06:00 PM Trains And Locomotives

07:30 AM The Train Show

Tuesday

02:00 AM Trains And Locomotives

10:00 Trains And Locomotives

Wednesday

02:30 PM The Train Show

10:30 The Train Show

Thursday

06:30 AM The Train Show

Saturday

09:00 AM Trains And Locomotives

04:30 PM Tracks Ahead

Trains And Locomotives follows real full scale railroads in different parts of the county and if you are the type of person that enjoys going out on a nice day just watching trains this show will get the steam going in your boiler. The Train Show is hosted by Richard Eihorn and deals with the world of model railroading. Both are great shows if you are a train enthusiast. I plan to write another entry for the blog latter just about The Train Show.

Tracks Ahead which is available to anyone in the area with a television is combination of both. The half hour show usually contains three segments and deals with just about anything that is steel wheels running on steel rails. I don't miss an episode. Enjoy!

Riding the Allegheny Valley Railroad

2005-10-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

I started a discussion group on Yahoo for the Pittsburgh Rail Fan net and while it has not attracted a large following we do get some interesting members on the list. A recent member joined who works for the Allegheny Valley Railroad and evidently loves his work. He has a web site where there is some really great photography of the AVR. So wander on over to George's web site and check it out. I don't think you will be disappointed. The photo in this blog entry is from his web site.

Some “braking” news!

2005-10-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

My fascination with trains started with wanting to know how diesel locomotives worked. Once I found out what a marvelous piece of engineering their were my curiosity started to extend to other parts of a working train. I recently started looking for something on the Internet with a search engine and ran across an article about air brakes. This ruined any chance I had of finding what I was originally looking for as I started exploring other pages on the topic of air brakes. Here are some of the more interesting ones that I found.

The Traffic Accident Reconstruction Origin

Train Air Brake Description and History

Railway Technical Web Pages

Feel free to drop me a note in email if you have other interesting pages to share.

America On The Move

2005-10-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow ham radio operator Henry, WA3CVC, is currently baby sitting his grand son Enzo down in Maryland while his mother is out of town on business. After getting to spend time with Enzo Henry loves going there because it is close to Washington DC which in turn is one of the great places to be if you like museums and art galleries which he does.

So I was not surprised when he sent me an email detailing an exhibit at the Smithsonian with the history of railroads in the United States. I wish I had the time to go down and take it all in because the web site makes it look very interesting and inviting. Here is an excerpt from the web site.

“The time line of America on the Move begins in 1876, the nation’s Centennial. By that time, railroads had already spanned the continent and united the country in an unprecedented transportation network.
The results were soon profound: economically, culturally, and politically. Personal mobility radically expanded; one could travel across the country in a week in the 1870s instead of taking several months just a decade before. “

To see the complete web presentation follow this link and if you are lucky enough to be in the Washington DC area by all means take the time to visit the exhibit.

Interesting radio traffic

2005-10-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

I keep a scanner in the ham shack that is dedicated to railroad channels. On the night stand next to my bed I have an older scanner which I keep tuned to amateur radio repeaters and railroad frequencies. Living in Oakmont I am directly across the Allegheny River from Norfolk Southern's Conemaugh line and that line is in use pretty much twenty four hours a day. A lot of freight moves along that line with a good bit of it being long trains loaded with coal.

Due to my recent indoctrination into the group know as “rail fans” I pay closer attention to the rail traffic that moves along that corridor and notice things like number and type of locomotives on the train and length and type of freight being moved. One thing that became apparent almost immediately was the the coal trains were those longest in length moving up and down those tracks.

As a side note to this line. It took me a while to realize that to the rail roads this line runs east west even though it follows the Allegheny River to the point at Pittsburgh running parallel to Route 28 which I consider a north south pathway. I would hear that trains leaving Sharpsburg or Etna were headed east and wonder if they had flotation devices attached. Apparently I was not looking at the big picture.

Back at the length of the trains which is what this post is really about. We had a discussion on the Pittsburgh Rail Fan net which is held each Thursday evening on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's 146.880 repeater at 09:30 PM about how many cars a single diesel engine can pull. This lead to an interesting conversation on what the maximum length of a train can be. After a little research I found out from a railroad employee that at least in this area the maximum length of a train is determined on the basis of not blocking rail crossings rather than how many cars the locomotives are capable of pulling. So it caught my interest on Sunday when I heard a conversation on 160.800 mHz which is the Norfolk Southern road frequency between the dispatcher and a train headed east passing the 65 mile marker. The dispatcher asked him to hold his position for a while though I never did hear the reason why. I just know there was some reason that he could not pass Harmarville at that time. What perked my ears up was when the engineer said that he was going to stop at that point in time because his train was over eight thousand feet (8000) in length! My guess is this train was well over a mile and a half in length.

My first instinct was to grab the digital camera and head for the other side of the river thinking this would be a really good photo opportunity. Unfortunately that was not to be. Normally at that time on a Sunday morning I would be in church but I had twisted a knee and that is the reason I was home to hear the radio traffic to begin with. I was not about to hobble out for a picture of a train badly as I wanted it. Perhaps next time. After all, they do run them twenty four house a day over there.

Historical fire fighting train

2005-10-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks to KB3MOJ for the pointer to this web site with the story of a train used in fire fighting. I visited this site and it has some nice photography work.

From the web site:

“On May 7, 1929, SP 2252 was selected and equipped to become one of the famous fire fighting locomotives used for fighting snow-shed, brush fires, and forest fires along the Donner Pass Route through and over the rugged Sierra Nevada mountain range. This famous railroad line was built during the 1860s by the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the Transcontinental Railroad. Other fire fighting engines of the T-1 class, all built by Cooke, were 2242, 2247, and 2248. SP 2248 still operates today and pulls the Tarantula train on the Fort Worth & Western Railroad. “

Here is the a link so you can visit the site yourself for the entire story. Enjoy!

Link to web site.

You will be happy to know that the repeater has learned the words.

2005-10-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to the Thursday night rail fan net even more this week. The 146.880 repeater has learned the words and no longer needs to hum. Seriously though, many thanks to those that maintain the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's repeaters. I know there has been some grousing about the sever hum that has plagued the 88 machine for some time now but it has been repaired and all is well. Again, hats off to the repeater folks for the find job done keeping these machines on the air. Hope to hear all of you on the net Thursday night.

From the magazine rack.........

2005-09-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

I recently stopped in at Borders Books to look for the October issue of TRAINS. Not only did I find it but also the new issue of The RAILRAOD Press. While I like TRAINS magazine, enough so that I have put in a subscription for it, the publication The RAILROAD Press continues to just knock my socks off.

Published quarterly issue number 67 covers October, November and December of 2005. I don't know the folks that print this magazine but I can tell you that they LOVE trains and that they take a great deal of pride in their work and product.

This is the second issue of the magazine that I have purchased off the rack in a book store and both have been outstanding. The photography work is nothing short of spectacular and the articles are written for someone much more intimate with the working of railroads than the novice fan writing these few words.

I remember the first few issues of Byte Magazine I picked up in the late 1970's early 1980's when I began my odyssey into the world of micro computers. A fair number of the articles were filled with terms and acronyms that left me scratching my head and trying to figure out just what they were talking about by taking them in context with the rest of the sentence or paragraph. Soon it all began to make sense and I knew that “serial port” and RS-232 were the same thing just spoken different ways.

So there was a time when if you said to me that a specific locomotive was a “2-6-2” I would have given you a quizzical look and had not a clue as to why you were calling it that. I would point out that this was not the number on the side of the train in the picture and the numbers that were there had no dashes between them. Slowly but surely I began to learn some of the terminology, the lingo of the hobby as it were. I still have a long way to go before I can carry on anything approaching an intelligent conversation with someone who really knows what they are talking about when it comes to rail fanning but I am learning. That is part of the fun.

So if you are like me and have an above average interest in trains but are a real neophyte to the wonderful world of rail roads there are several things you can do to increase your knowledge of the subject. Stop by your favorite dispenser of written material be it the local library, book store or news stand and pick up some magazines on the subject. I highly recommend TRAINS and The RAILROAD Press. Both outstanding publications. Then find others that share your passion for the hobby and find a way to get together with them. Offer to buy a cup of coffee or some other liquid libation ask a few questions to get a conversation started then keep your mouth closed, listen and learn. I have found with any hobby activity that I get involved with there is an incredible amount of knowledge and wisdom passed on by word of mouth from those that have been involved for a long period of time. Oh and don't forget to enjoy the interaction. Some of my best memories of ham radio, computers, firearms and now rail fanning are of sitting around with a group of like minded individuals just shooting the breeze. Sometime I will have to make a point to record or write down some of the stories that I have heard so that they can be preserved here on the blog. Until then keep listening and reading.

Working on the railroad

2005-09-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is an article that was in a recent Info World magazine. While really an article about business and databases I found it interesting as a rail fan none the less.

Off the Record: Tales From the Front Lines, By Anonymous
September 14, 2005

I work for a large railway company, and in the past 10 years I’ve witnessed some IT catastrophes that bake my noodle. One of the worst was a $30 million project to develop a software system that controls and tracks how we plan trains, put them together, and move them into and out of our yards. Someone decided to purchase the rights to a system that was in development by another railroad, Kenosha Southern, which we would then customize and redevelop for use within our own environment. This made a perfect fit with our recent adoption of a “buy don’t build” philosophy, and would save us big money on development costs.

Or so we thought.

After a number of changes at the upper levels, an external contractor took over the job, personally billing $2.5 million over the course of the project -- and that didn’t include overtime and travel. His primary agenda seemed to be building walls around deliverables, and refusing to make trade-offs between sub-projects for the greater good of the undertaking.
To make matters worse, halfway through the project someone realized that although grain shipments made up approximately 25 percent of our revenue, no one had interviewed the grain group or had taken the time to understand the peculiarities of shipping grain. Only a major infusion of cash and a slip in deadlines allowed us to fix this, and similar problems occurred in almost all of our major lines of business. In fact, no one seemed to be representing any of the business groups involved in the requirements and development process.
Around this time we sent a few IT troopers down to KS to see what was going on. It was the last point the project could have been killed or redirected, so I checked in with my friend Michael, a savvy project-management contractor. He did an analysis comparing the functionality and cost of reinventing the system in house with modifying the business processes involved in the KS model; KS’s business processes were very different from ours. Michael calculated that if we continued with the collaboration as planned the price would not be $30 million or even $60 million. It would be closer to $70 million. The cost of developing a new system from scratch -- one that would perform the same functions as the KS system and be properly designed for our business groups -- would only run about $45 million.
Ultimately, my friend presented his analysis to the VP of IS. When he finished, the VP asked, “Have you shown this to anyone else?”
Michael, who is politically adept, said, “Absolutely not, you’re the first person I’ve shown this to.”
“Well,” said the VP, “you’d better not -- ever -- if you want to keep your job.”
To make a long story short: Our company went ahead with the original project -- and Michael was amazingly accurate. Officially the project ran $50 million, but when you add training, change management, and lost productivity the number rose damn close to the $70 million he predicted. We brought the system up over a very protracted implementation phase and are currently kicking off a project to “enhance” it. Does anyone hear $90 million?

Got harrowing war stories or tales from the trenches where IT and business intersect? Send an e-mail to OffTheRecord@infoworld.com. If we use your story, we'll make every effort to conceal your identity (and that of your company and colleagues). And don't worry — we won't rat you out to your CEO. We'll also send you an iPod shuffle for your troubles.

Metra train was 59 mph over limit

2005-09-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

From the Chicago Sun Times

September 19, 2005
BY MARK J. KONKOL Transportation Reporter

The deadly Metra Rock Island train that jumped the tracks Saturday morning was speeding -- 59 mph over the limit -- when it smashed against the 47th Street bridge, killing two women and injuring dozens of others.

The downtown-bound train was going 69 mph when switching tracks, a maneuver restricted to 10 mph just before that viaduct, federal investigators said.
The National Transportation Safety Board's acting director, Mark Rosenker, said it's still unclear why that train switched tracks going so fast.
NTSB officials interviewed the train engineer, whom sources identified as Mike Smith, a 41-year old with only 45 days' experience taking commuters from Joliet to downtown. Smith spent 51/2 years driving freight trains for CSX and completed a six-month Metra training period on the Rock Island line.

Rosenker said he would not provide details of conversations with Smith, whom they did not identify, until conductors and a toll collector also are interviewed. Results of toxicology tests on the engineer and crew also were not available Sunday.
NTSB officials said what few details available about Smith are he is in good health, with normal vision and hearing. Smith scored a 99-out-of-100 on the Metra training exam. He did have a cellular phone with him on the train Saturday, but said he was not using it. The NTSB plans to review Smith's phone records.

A team of investigators has inspected the track, train cars and signals at the crash scene. Rosenker said the walking inspection of the track found "nothing extraordinary." Investigators also will review records of train signals, radio transmissions and information from the three "black box" data recorders.
"We have to look at event data recorder in more detail. We must also coordinate that with the signal logs, which will give us an idea of what was supposed to have happened," Rosenker said.

The recorder showed the train didn't slow down before the crossover switch, which triggered the derailment. The recorder indicated a sudden application of the emergency brake.

However, it wasn't clear if the engineer had applied the emergency break himself or whether the train induced it by "breaking apart."
The day of the incident, a trainee dispatcher was working with a fully qualified dispatcher, and NTSB investigators still need to determine which one of them issued the signal to the engineer.

About 8:30 this morning, officials will try to re-create the conditions Smith encountered Saturday by running a train at 65 mph near the crash site.
2 dead; dozens injured

So far, there is only one thing certain about the crash: Speed caused it.
"Sixty-nine miles per hour is very, very fast when you're dealing with a 10-mile-an-hour restriction," Rosenker said.

And at that velocity, changing tracks was fatal. Passengers who suffered the worst injuries, Rosenker said, were in the the fourth car of the five-car train.
After leaving the tracks, the fourth car slammed against the steel bridge wall and crumpled. The train's spinning wheels sliced through the undercarriage, fire department sources said.
"We are looking at that car . . . to understand exactly what created that fatality. Clearly the collision between the bridge and that car had something to do with that fatality," he said.

Jane Cuthbert, 22, a University of Illinois at Chicago student from Oak Forest, died on the train. And Allison Walsh, 38, of New Lenox, was rushed to Stroger Hospital, where she died from her injuries.

In all, 50 people walked away unscathed, 51 passengers suffered minor injuries and 16 were seriously or critically injured. On Sunday, 15 people were still being treated at area hospitals. Among them is a pregnant woman in her 20s who was clinging to life at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sources said.
Smith was operating the locomotive -- which was pushing the five-car train -- from controls in the lead car, which was empty. Passengers were in three other cars, and the fifth car, the one nearest the engine, also was empty.
Just past the 47th Street bridge, the fifth car and engine separated from the rest of the train and violently skidded to a halt, throwing passengers and bolted-down chairs in other cars through the air.

That section of track was the site of a similar, though less deadly, derailment Oct. 12, 2003. The NTSB report on that accident is not complete, but Rosenker said he expects it to be completed in a few months.

That derailment was blamed on a rookie engineer, who was demoted to assistant conductor. He didn't notice two warnings to slow down before the crossover, which he went through at 67 mph.

Could take two years

Normally, Metra trains are allowed to take much of the Rock Island line straightaway between the Gresham and La Salle Street stops at 70 mph hour, and are only required to slow to a 10 mph crawl when crossing to a different track.
Rosenker said figuring out why that didn't happen Saturday will take up to two years.
"We rule things out, not in," he said. ". . . We'll get down to a point to make that final report, which will include the probable cause and recommendations to prevent this or similar accidents from happening again."

Scenic railroad packs thrills for steam fans

2005-09-17T08:48:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Paul, N0VLR, for the heads up on this story from the CNN web site.

CUMBERLAND, Maryland (AP) -- Deep in the Brush Tunnel, with coal smoke and steam filling the air, there is scant light in the open cab of Engine No. 734. The locomotive's large, round pressure gauge glows dimly, flanked by two bulbs barely illuminating a pair of water meters.

Follow this link for the complete story

Tickets please............

2005-09-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

We had a great rail fan net this evening on the 146.88 repeater. What you are seeing here is a ticket stub that was given to Dennis, KB3HPC, along with a number of others from the early 1900's. Dennis was able to scan the them thanks to Jim, KB3ENC their owner. If you follow the link below you can see all of the stubs that Dennis scanned and they are interesting to look at. If you are not a member of the Yahoo discussion groups you will need to sign up in order to gain access to our file and photo areas. It is a simple and painless process.

Did I mention that Craig, KB3KBH, was out net conductor this evening? Dennis didn't make it home in time to start the net and Craig was kind enough to fill in. And he did a great job! Hope to see you all again next week on the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net.

Link to ticket stub photos

Deal for rail dispatching system positions Union Switch & Signal as a market leader

2005-09-14T05:11:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette of September 14th 2005. This is just one example of technology that is being implemented here in Pittsburgh.

Picking Up Speed

Wednesday, September 14, 2005
By Jim McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Union Switch & Signal Chief Executive Officer Ken Burk is making a big bet that the Pittsburgh railroad products company can boost the average speed of the nation's largest freight railroad by 2 to 4 mph.
If that doesn't sound so fast, consider that a 1 mph increase in average train speed can save large railroads such as Union Pacific Corp. an estimated $200 million a year. By moving product just a little quicker over long distances with the same number of trains and crews, the effective number of workers and locomotives per mile falls, generating huge efficiencies.

Union Switch recently signed a contract to design and maintain a rail dispatching system for Union Pacific that aims to help do just that. The technology, initially developed some 10 years ago with a Carnegie Mellon University research team and refined since then, is designed to give railroads "real time" information on train movements and help automatically route traffic around problem areas such as impassable tracks.
It's a complicated problem that involves multiple agents -- or autonomous pieces of software -- that incorporate decision-making programs, memory and the ability for trains, crews and rail traffic controllers to communicate with each other. "It's basically a more difficult and complex problem than air traffic control" because planes "can fly around a problem," Burk said. "On rail, you are fixed onto the track."

Follow this link for complete story.

Tonights rail fan net and some video

2005-09-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

We had a great rail fan net this evening on the 146.880 repeater. There were a record high seventeen (17) stations check in and there was lots of good discussion of activity on the local rails.

Dennis, our net engineer, also brought to our attention that he had shot some video on a recent trip to Horseshoe Curve in Altoona Pennsylvania. He has kindly decided to share it with us and has put a link to the file on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club web site.

Link to Horseshoe Curve Train Video

The image you see above is a snap shot from that video showing an Amtrak passenger train making its way through the curve. Enjoy the video and join us next week on the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net. If you are not a licensed amateur radio operator you can listen in on the net with any public safety scanner radio. Simply program 146.880 in the channel of your choice and join the fun. If you would like to participate in the net you can send Dennis email by clicking here.
[Questions & Comments to the Rail Fan Net]

Send your questions or comments and we will try out best to answer them on the net. Also let Dennis know if you are listening to the net each week and if you enjoy it. We appreciate his efforts.

Ham Radio Swap & Shop Sunday August 28th

2005-08-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

You are invited to the Skyview Amateur Radio Society's annual Sway & Shop. Held at the club grounds on Turkey Ridge Road in New Kensington the event officially opens at 08:00 but there will be member who are spending the night on the club grounds and you will be able to start checking out the flea market as soon as there is enough light to safely navigate your way around.

If you are looking for any radio gear for rail fanning you may find it here! In addition I know that several of the members of the Thursday evening Rail Fan Net will be there so if you are a scanner listener this is your chance to meet some of the “voices” face to face. Follow this link SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY for additional information and complete maps and directions to the site. Enjoy!

ConRail Boyz

2005-08-18T05:12:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting tid bit for you rail fans out there. Court TV has a weekly program called "Master Minds" where they discuss what they call the "The Heist Of A Lifetime" and this weeks episode deals with railroads.

Tuesdays at 10pm
Encore Fridays at 6:30pm

"The ConRail Boyz"

They were the most successful train robbery gang ever. The ConRail Boyz operated for almost a decade in New Jersey, stealing millions of dollars worth of merchandise. Led by Edward Mongon, the gang resembles a highly-organized corporation that even hires ‘freelance employees’ from notorious street gangs like the Bloods. The ConRail Boyz impersonated railroad workers, never carried weapons, and used hi-tech military equipment to monitor police activity. TV-PG V

I missed the Tuesday night airing but will have my TiVO set for Friday.

Norfolk Southern to implode bridge on Monday

2005-08-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Glen Clark for this tip.

Word on the street is that on Monday, 8/15, Norfolk Southern is to 'drop' the former Pennsylvania Railroad Low Grade Branch's massive steel deck-truss bridge that crosses the Beaver River just south (NS timetable 'east') of Wampum Junction. The 'Wampum Bridge' (Norfolk Southern bridge YG-81.99) stands approximately 800 feet downstream from the PA Route 288 bridge at Wampum. A pair of the structure's seven spans pass above Main St. in Wampum and the CSX Transportation (former P&LE) main line along the west side of the river. The other end of the structure lands near Canal Street in Chewton, on the east bank. More generally, this is geographically about midway between the cities of New Castle and Beaver Falls.

Follow this LINK for a picture of the bridge and additional details.

2005-08-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

I used to think that the television set was a real time eater. Let me tell you that television is a piker compared to the Internet. A friend sent me an email with a quick request and I answered. Then however a link in the email took me to a web page and I started surfing. Each page I would arrive at would have another link of interest and I would find myself off exploring something else.

The subject today happened to be trains but I find it happens with just about any topic I start looking at on the World Wide Web. One page caught my attention because it was authored by another ham radio operator David Marshall N8OAY. There is some really good information on Dave's page including a database of places to take photos of trains. Check it out for yourself. N8AOY's Rail Fan Help Desk

Last nights Rail Fan Net August 4th 2005

2005-08-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

We had a good turnout on the Rail Fan Net yesterday evening despite the fact that Dennis, KB3HPC, our regular conductor was on away and no able to head up the gathering. His able replacement this week was Art, WA3BKD, who guided the net through an orderly and enjoyable hour of conversation on railroading.

Among other things we discussed the recent story in the Post Gazette about the accident involving a CXS maintenance truck that derailed sending truck and driver over a steep embankment being found to his good fortune by rafters near Ohiopyle. For the complete story see my entry further back in the blog.

There was also a discussion of some tracks that are being renovated by the Allegheny Valley Railroad and the possibility that one of the legendary K4 steam engines will be brought back into service.

Here is a INTERESTING LINK to a web site that rail fans will enjoy. When you get to it follow some of the links on that page for some really great black and white photography of train stations. Enjoy. That was only some of this weeks Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net on the 146.880 repeater. Join us or listen in next week for more interesting conversation.

Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net

2005-08-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Join us this evening on the North Hills Amateur Radio Club's W3EXW repeater on 146.880 mHz at 09:30 for the Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net. If you are not a licensed amateur radio operator but have a scanner you can program the frequency in one of you channels and listen in. You can join the net by sending questions or comments to Dennis, KB3HPC, at the Rail Fan Net hot mail account. Tell you friends and fellow scanner listeners about us.

Locomotive becomes ambulance to save crash victim

2005-08-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

According to a story in the Tuesday August 2nd Pittsburgh Post Gazette a CXS diesel locomotive became an ambulance for the victim of a truck crash along rail lines that run next to the Youghiogheny River.

Creative thinking helped rescue hurt man near Yough River
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
By Lillian Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A boat crossed dry land and piggybacked on a train Sunday afternoon, cradling a maintenance worker injured when his rail truck fell into a tree above the Youghiogheny River.

Follow this LINK for the complete story.

Pittsburgh Rail Fan

Commuter rail service coming to Allegheny Valley?

Stop that train!

Rail fan net on the HF bands

Happy New Year 2011!

A great Christmas story

Lets Talk Trains

The worlds luckiest track inspector

Rail fan communications FAQ

NTSB blames engineer for 2008 Metrolink crash, urges railroads to install cameras to monitor train crews

Amtrak planning host of projects in 'aggressive' 2010 campaign

Engineers have a way with words

Upcoming event

100% electric NS 999 locomotive

Christmas and New Years wishes to all rail fans

Upcoming Rail Fan Event

One person killed in train derailment

Rail traffic down considerabley

Lets Talk Trains

Interested in going for a REAL train ride?

Other hobbies and interesting video

Pittsburgh Rail Fan net

A piece of history lost

Railroad Readies Onboard Ticket Validation System

Happy Birthday!

BNSF's use of low band radio frequency packet technologies for safety overlays - Arema News

Runaway freight car slammes into commuter train

If only I had the time...........

Why can't local emergency personal communicate directly with trains?

Norfolk Southern Pictures

Electronics Lab & trains

Interurbans - A great idea that had to fail

THE WRONG TRACK

Win a Trip to Washington, DC!

All expenses paid trip to Washington for winners of GoRail essay contest.

Hot Times on the High Iron for January 2008

Do you Google?

Yet another source of information

Good frequency listing

Schoolboy hacks into city's tram system

Driver cited in Bedford (NY) train-car crash caused by GPS mishap

Lets hope for a light at the end of the tunnel

I have become somewhat cynical when I see stories like this one. Still I always try to stay hopeful that this will go farther then just "money for studies" which is what we have seen so far when this type of proposal is brought up. Time will tell.

From the Oakmont Advanced Leader

Commuter railroad, Edgewater receive funding for 2008

Holiday Train

Allegheny Valley commuter rail gains ground

Hamtrack

All you can do is salivate

A special treat for rail fans

Stay tuned for a big announcement............

Stale blog

The Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net

The Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net for August 17 2006

Pittsburgh Rail Fan Net trivia for August 10 2006

Trivia questions from Thursday evenings Rail Fan Net August 3 2006

Nice photo gallery

Rail fan net of July 27 2006

Fireturck riding the rails

What a great evening!

You never know what you will see on the way to work

Rail Fan Net trivia for July 13 2006

Good times! Mark your calendars!

Rail fan net trivia for July 6 2006

The Rail Fan Net for June 29th 2006

Tonights trivia question from the Rail Fan Net

BNSF Railway Asks Rail Fans for Cooperation To Keep America's Rail System Safe

“The Silence of The Blogs.........”

Hearing tracks views of commuter rail

Train watching season is coming

Trying to keep up with the blogs

Photos from a local rail fan

The year is not starting off well for those that travel by rail

New feature on the weekly Rail Fan Net

From the magazine rack

Seasons Greetings!

Very pleasant surprise in my mail box

Rail fanning and Ham Radio what could be better?

Scanners on sale at Radio Shack

Union Pacific considers a train crew of one