Every time a train passes me I get a K band false. I live by railroad tracks so I have to stop to the RR crossings quite often.
I think it is something on the front and rear of the trains, since thats when I get the K false.
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Every time a train passes me I get a K band false. I live by railroad tracks so I have to stop to the RR crossings quite often.
I think it is something on the front and rear of the trains, since thats when I get the K false.
It's their communication system to their dispatch.
Try living in NYC with subways everywhere!!!!
Could also be an AEI (automatic equipment identification) system, I believe they are used more on freight trains as a way to ID and locate specific cars...I think they work using radar
I too have noticed the occasional K band false when passing a train. I have to be fairly close to it though.
radar speedometer for the train?
Yes. I read somewhere (might have been on here) that trains use speedometers off the wheels and RADAR for wheel slippage. I guess it would be the difference between what the wheels "say" and what the RADAR is "saying".Quote:
Originally Posted by TRun
No, I work for the railroad. Loco's made by EMD (Electo Motive Division) manufactured since the mid 1980's have a K-Band radar unit mounted under the nose behind the plow ( Cow Catcher) It is used to control wheel slip by comparing the trains speed to the speed of each drive axle on the loco. If an axle is turning faster than the train is moving then the wheel is slipping and the electronics back off on the amount of current being sent to each traction motor until they match the trains speed over the ground. Since most freight trains have more than one engine, you would get multiple threats on your V-1. General Electric Locomotives have a different system and do not use radar.
Thanks
Quote:
Originally Posted by Solidjake
I have heard of RADAR frequencies being used for satalite based communications but in the Ka band. I read on the net that some people use K band for communicating but it is a niche thing and line of sight, short range.
Is there any other reason for the OP picking up a signal from the rear of the train? Some sort of system that tells the engineer when the back of the train is moving so he knows when there's no more slack in the couplers?Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocketman59
Close...
It is actually the wheel slip system used on some locomotives. It uses a low power K band transmitter to detect the speed of the train, then compares it to the speed of the driving wheels. If there is more than a pre-determined difference between the two the computer will automatically reduce power and/or apply sand to the slipping axle(s) to bring the wheels back under control. It is specific to a particular manufacturer of locomotives starting in the early to mid 80s on engines with DC traction motors. Locomotives with AC traction motors (the electric motors that drive the wheels) use a different system that doesn't require radar and is actually more accurate.
AEI is 915 MHz and railroad radios are in the 160 MHz range.
I have also recieved K falses from trains on open highways from the V1. The Whistler SE used to false Ka on a few railroad crossing towers.
I understood that much and how it explains the false at the front of the train. The OP also said he picks up a signal from the rear.Quote:
Originally Posted by bart99gt
Thanks for the responses!
And I pick it up from the rear because there are always 2 actual engines on both ends.
What??? Thats crazy talk everone knows the rear end of a train has a caboose:PQuote:
Originally Posted by AcuraTL
Heck! Are they not running Cobras to detect the "Railroad Police"? LOL! I thought it was SWS (signal warning system) like tractors and/or large equipment has on when running down the road. Great info. Drive safely....
great infoQuote:
Originally Posted by Rocketman59
thanks for the insight
Quote:
Originally Posted by speeddemonWhat??? Thats crazy talk everone knows the rear end of a train has a caboose:PQuote:
Originally Posted by AcuraTL
And here I thought the FRED (flashing rear end device / end of train device) was just talking to Wilma (locomotive computer’s name) ‘bout how we going to stop this train!
I believe the frequency they operate on is 452 MHz and also 161 MHz for a distance of 2 ~ 5 miles. Don’t believe that will set off any RD’s.
As a safety thought, just one Dash 9 or Evolution locomotive weighs more than an empty 747-400 as it zips through a RR crossing.
BC :)
When I had a detector that could actually display SWS messages, I never received one from a locomotive. Most railroads aren't just going to install something like SWS unless it became mandated by law.Quote:
Originally Posted by North Alabama
Probably a coal train or other heavy unit (ie., every car has the same kind of load) train. Interesting that you are picking it up though, as most railroads (particularly BNSF and UP, which you would see in your area) typically use AC locomotives on coal trains. I may need to consult with my buddy who works in the mechanical training department at CSX to get to the bottom of this.Quote:
Originally Posted by AcuraTL
I worked on the GE 7FDL series (V-16) but that was engine-gensets only. They are a very interesting with the articulating rod design. Nothing like the ship engines I used to work on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocketman59
Couldn't throw just any diesel HDEO oil in those. ZDDP-Pack was a concern for the bearing materials. Some innovative thoughts back then to package that motor & system into a locomotive.