Year: 2016
New Radios for The Railfan Toolbox by Chris Dees
Ask any die-hard, train-chasing foamer what his/her favorite tools to assist in railfanning are, and the answer will probably include “a radio scanner”. The scanner allows railfans to listen in to dispatchers, train crews, and support personnel perform various tasks from running mainline freights and setting up meets to the local wayfreight setting out cars at local industries. Fishermen use fish finders to catch the “big one”; railfans use scanners. For the most part, present railroad communications continue to be in normal analog mode, and receivable by even the most basic of radio scanners. That will likely change in the future.
Recent changes in radio technology have begun to cloud the horizon of railroad related radio communications. The first change was trunking – basically a sharing of a pool of frequencies that are assigned on demand. Thankfully, there is limited usage of trunking in everyday railroad operations, save for some major yard operations and transit authorities in major metropolitan areas.
The other change, digital radio, has posed a more darker, ominous cloud for railfans. Three major types of digital radio formats – all of which are incompatible with each other – are being utilized: Project 25, NXDN, and DMR. Project 25 is most commonly used in public safety communications for fire, EMS, and law enforcement; Hopkins County and Madisonville utilizes this type of digital format for their public safety operations. NXDN, or Nexedge, is the proposed format to be utilized by railroads; Christian County and Hopkinsville utilizes this type of digital format for their public safety operations. DMR, or Digital Mobile Radio, is becoming the de facto standard of digital radio in the business band segment of two-way radio as a cheaper alternative to Project 25.
Until recently, Project 25 was the only digital format that was available in radio scanners, with other modes requiring intensive scanner modifications along with utilizing a PC to process and decode the audio. A rather expensive option, the AOR DV-1 radio at $1200, was introduced in 2015 but with several limitations that didn’t allow for ease-of-use in the field. The other option was to purchase an actual NXDN or DMR radio and get it programmed – again not an easy or inexpensive option.
At this year’s Dayton, Ohio Amateur Radio Convention known as Hamvention, two major announcements from Uniden and Whistler Group brought great news to scanner users regarding DMR and NXDN. First, Uniden Corporation announced a soon-to-be-released upgrade to its BCD436-HP and BCD536-HP scanners that will allow reception and decoding of DMR. Then, Whistler Group announced two new models, the TRX-1 and TRX-2 radios, which will also allow reception of DMR, with NXDN decoding noted as being under development. Regardless of brand loyalty, these two announcements have given the railfan community a sigh of relief in regards to the future switch to digital radio communications by the industry, regardless of the format. These new developments, however, do come with a larger price tag than your run-of-the-mill analog scanner, with prices in the $300 to $500 range, but with tons of features that will continue to make the scanner a key tool for any railfan.
Keith Kittinger shares some progress on his HO L&N layout. To watch a video of a train crossing the new span click below. More photos under the video.
“A bridge across the Mississippi was necessary to connect the Chicago & Rock Island and the Mississippi & Missouri railroads. The Mississippi had not yet been spanned, and the immediate reaction to the proposed railroad bridge was that it would be a hazard to navigation. However, the bridge was built, and it was officially opened on April 21, 1856. On the evening of May 76 the steamboat Effie Afton, which usually plied the New Orleans-Louisville run, cleared the open draw span then veered aside, turned around, rammed one of the piers, and suddenly and suspiciously burst into flames. The case of the bridge soon became one of railroad advocates versus steamboats advocates. The latter felt that even a single bridge would set an unfortunate precedent and soon there would be bridges every 40 or 50 miles along the length of the river. The railroad’s case, argued by Abraham Lincoln, went one way then the other in successive courts, but in 1866 the U. S. Supreme Court held for the railroad. Several other railroads immediately applied to bridge the Mississippi at other locations.”
Credits: Cartoon from Railfan & Railroad Magazine, March 2009, quoted paragraph from the: “Historical Guide to North American Railroads” by Kalmbach
Results of the June 2016 Chapter Photo Contest by Jim Pearson. There were a total of 8 entries for this contest from four different members. While all the photos were of great quality our judge, Jim Pearson, has narrowed down the field to the top three winning photographs.
Greetings all! I hope you will join us Monday, June 20, 7pm, here at our home at 1025 Lakewood Dr, Madisonville. As President Bill stated above, Blair’s family will be supplying the burgers for my grill Monday so come hungry. Just bring a lawn chair and all the other stuff will be provided. If you’d like to take a dip in the pool, feel free to come early at 6. I believe happy hour will begin at that point as well.
Informal Program: If you have any G gauge equipment you’d like to run on the garden tracks, feel free to bring it along. Bob McCracken is scheduled to have his live-steam Shay here and it’s always a treat to see it chugging among the flora. Keep in mind the track work can be like a maintenance-deferred short line so no guarantees we’ll be derailment free. RJ Corman is on standby.
Directions if needed: From South Main St (Hwy 41 S), take SR 70/McLaughlin/Princeton Rd west. Turn right on Lakewood Dr., just past the Elks Club. Take the first left (which remains Lakewood Dr.). Go right as the road elbows, our drive way is the first on the right. Blue house with a yellow front door, RR crossing sign in the back yard.
Hope to see you here!
Bill
It seems like we were just meeting in Hopkinsville yesterday and here it is– we have a meeting in just a few days. Talking about the meeting, I hope everyone remembers that we are meeting at Bill Thomas’s home this month. Blair’s mom has informed him that he will be pressing out half pound hamburgers for Bill Thomas to grill. This is one meeting I don’t want to miss. Our new member Will Kling as stepped forward and will have the program for this month. Way to go Will.
I hope everyone had an opportunity to get out with a camera and get some pictures of trains or railroad related items for the photo contest we had last week. Each member can enter two (2) pictures of his or her choosing. All photos have to be turned in to Jim Pearson no later than Thursday June the 16th.
I know Blair Terry and myself had a very special opportunity to get some photos of a locomotive in Virginia last week end. I hope all of our membership had a chance to get out and take pictures of railroading in general. Remember the top three pictures from each contest will go toward making up a club calendar for 2017. Our next photo contest is August 6-13, this gives you time to get out and find a good location.
We are still looking for members to sponsor “Railfanning” events for June, July and August. I you think you know of an area with food and facilities close by you might want to sponsor. These are great events and it gives our membership a chance for relaxation and have fellowship close to a railroad environment.
We have not had a raffle for the last two meeting because of the lack of things to raffle. I need for the membership to dig around in their store of railroad memorabilia for things to raffle in the June meeting.
Bill Farrell, President
The following is the description that is included on the DVD case for this video, Central Kentucky Rails. I will let that suffice for a list of the highlights pertinent to this production and I will add my comments afterwards.
Kentucky is known as the Bluegrass State and there is so much to see and enjoy. With state-of-the-art camera equipment, our crews have traveled throughout much of the central part of Kentucky searching for the wide variety of incredible action that can be found here. CSX and Norfolk Southern are the major players in this region and plenty of heavy-duty action was filmed from both railroads. In addition, the regional RJ Corman Railroad is highlighted, including their dinner train powered by classic FP7s. We caught everything from ground-shaking ballast trains to the more commonly found auto, manifest, & intermodal freights that polish the rails daily. It’s always an incredible sight to watch new CSX power in La Grange trundling down the middle of a downtown street right past 130 year old buildings! Long steel trestles are common too and we caught several trains crossing these impressive structures. The Paducah & Louisville was captured performing switching duties. Some of Union Pacific’s SD90MAC locomotives found a new home on the Norfolk Southern and we caught some of them in action for you to enjoy. We finish our exciting program chasing trains from 2 different operating train museums in the area. Shot in the late spring of 2015, this is one show you don’t want to miss. This is Central Kentucky Rails!
Pentrex once set the standard for RR videos but in my opinion their quality has been surpassed by several newcomers in the industry. Most new RR video products are coming out in wide screen format, which is a far superior way to present the action than is the old fashioned full screen mode, but this one still uses the 4:3 aspect ratio. That is strike one against this video.
The image quality is only “average” and that is not so much a matter of Pentrex quality declining; it is a case of the competition getting better.
The use of maps in this video is a joke. A plain blue background with black lines representing the route and black dots representing the towns constitute the “maps” used. It is like using stick figures to represent people.
Another disappointment to me was that we did not get a view of the inside of the RJ Corman Dinner Train. It would have been nice to see what the dining car looked like from the passenger perspective.
| Title | Central Kentucky Rails |
| Producer | Pentrex |
| Format | DVD |
| Playing Time | 2 hrs. |
| Purchased From | Pentrex.com |
| Date Purchased | 4/19/16 |
| Price Paid | $29.95 + $6.00 shipping |
¨ HO estate for sale. Charles Ellis lost his brother recently. Mr. Ellis had started collecting and operating HO in the 1980’s. Most of his collection is from the 80’s and early 90’s., and the family wants to liquidate this part of his estate. If you are interested contact Mr. Charles (Chip) Ellis at 270 886-3357 (Pennyrile Door & Glass) or pennyriledoorandglass@gmail.com .
¨ If you have items you’d like to buy, sell, or trade, send descriptions and pictures to me, your editor, billtrainthomas@gmail.com.
GET THOSE CAMERAS OUT!
How I wish I’d had a camera at the young age of about 10. As I peruse current railroad publications sporting vintage photographs of locomotives, freight and passenger cars, depots, and other peripherally related items, I treasure more and more the ability to at least see in my mind’s eye the gray and yellow L&N F units that frequented my home town, Ellijay, GA’s Hook and Eye line between Marietta, GA, (Elizabeth) and Etowah, TN. Seems the sweet spot was around 1972 or 3, when the line still supported 2 daily freights, South in the morning and north in the afternoon. Much better than the Family Lines/Seaboard/CSX-middle-of-the-night-as-needed runs from Tate, GA, in the early 1980s. I’m not sure of the exact schedule or even the terminal points of the trick, but I assume things began at the Tate yard where Georgia Marble’s short line (with the only 2 switchbacks in the state) still plies the hilly terrain to interchange with the now operating Georgia Northeastern. The accompanying photo shows an Alco FA leading a southbound freight at Tate in 1966, with the depot to the right.
I WAS fortunate to befriend the latter CSX crew as a teenager with a drivers license. I met them one evening in Tate around 8 pm to ride the turn to Ellijay and back. I can’t believe my parents let me, but, I was a pretty good kid in those days. I returned home around 5 am having ridden the 60 some odd mile round trip only to go to work at 8 that morning (summer break) at the grocery store. I was so excited I couldn’t have slept anyway. I rode north in the lead locomotive, a 4 axle “jeep” of some kind. The normal 3 unit consist made fairly easy work of original narrow gauge grades and curves. Only drawback was the often pitch blackness outside. The crew even shared their sandwiches and drinks with me on the return trip in the L&N red bay window caboose.
This story has a tragic ending. Not one photograph or any other form of recording was made other than these words you read now coming from my memory that will leave this world with me. I can still remember the sound of the EMDs grinding up-grade, the smells of the honeysuckle covering the miles of adjacent farm fence rows, and even the sights of the locomotive’s headlight hitting the countless pine tress and red clay embankments along the path, but, oh, how I wish I had taken my camera. Don’t be like me! Get it down on film, digitally, or even write about it while fresh on your mind. Then submit it to your newsletter editor!!! You knew that was coming! Be careful out there!
Bill Thomas, editor
Chapter members and modelers gather at one of Keith Kittinger’s Train Nights at his garage HO layout May 2, 2016. Photos by Ricky Bivins
May is here and what a wonderful time of the year it is to get out and watch trains on your favorite line. This is also a reminder that our meeting on May 16th will be held in Hopkinsville at the depot on 9th street. Wallace Henderson will have the program and I understand it will be outstanding as usual. Remember to bring your appetite with you as usual for the May meeting.
Ricky Bivins, has been preparing for the “Railfanning Event” in Mortons Gap on this coming Saturday (May 14). We will gather in the park next to the tracks. Ricky said there are some restaurants in Mortons Gap for food and he has made arrangements for restrooms. Bring a lawn chair, your favorite 32-ounce sipper and enjoy. We will start to meet any time after 10 AM and it will end when the last man leaves. We still have a couple of months open for club members to step up and sponsor a “Railfanning Event”. If you are interested, please contact me with a date or talk to me at the May meeting.
Congratulations to Blair Terry on winning photo contest last month with his picture of a Florida East Coast Railroad, locomotive crossing an alligator infested swamp. According to Jim Pearson we had a total of nine entries in the contest. I would like to thank all of you who entered, for taking the time and making an effort in this club activity. Our plans are to take the top photos from each contest and compile them into a club calendar for 2017. Our next photo contest will be from June 4th to the 11th.
James Kemp, Rich Hane, and myself met as a committee on our Christmas Show. I think we have some good ideas but this needs to be a club effort for it to be a success. We will need all our members to step up and be willing to work a couple of shifts while this project is under way. Things we are looking at, are, the modular layout, a standard gauge layout, antique toy display, Wally’s steam engines, the conductor from the Polar Express, continuous show of the movie “The Polar Express”, and a display of antiques toys. This project should get the Western Kentucky Chapter out into the eye of the community and help us cover the liability insurance billing for 2017. Any member who would like to be on the Christmas Show committee needs to contact me as soon as possible.
We need to thank Thomas Bryan for the excellent program last month. Betty and Donny Knight also stepped forward on the refreshments and did an exceptional job of feeding the crew. If you missed the meeting last month, you missed one of better meetings. Hope to see you in Hopkinsville this month on the 16th. This month’s program with be presented by Wally Henderson and refreshments by Terry, Farrell and Hopkinsville group.
Remember, “Show and Tell” for May and we also need raffle item.
Bill Farrell, President
