How does one casually identify a freight train on any American road.....
- Thread starter JonMyrlennBailey
- Start date
Well... they have some meaning... M is a Merchandise (regular freight), I for Intermodal, L is for Local, Y for Yard, U for Unscheduled (Extra), W for Work trains, and so forth.
They do have a meaning but unless the listener knows the area, they have no context. The old alpha-numeric names were simple for everyone to understand. It's the same as turning CP Frye to CP24.6 for example. Fry used to be a single to double-track junction located in Shawsheen. The mileage is unknown to me and I put numbers in as an example. CP24.6 can also be confusing if taken out of context.
In my neck of the woods, passenger trains are pretty easy to identify by time. For freights, it's mostly what I hear on the scanner. Certain freights sometimes come through around certain times of day and often have on-duty times at their origin. To use a local example, CSX L626 usually goes OD around 6-7 AM.
A lot of identification comes with railfanning enough in the same area. Things like which trains carry some kind of distinctive traffic (I031/I032 carrying Tropicana reefers, for example), where they work, usual transit time between certain towns, etc. That latter point can save you a lot of time parked in the grass getting eaten by bugs with nary a hi-rail in sight. The Heritage Units website and app are great for that. Sometimes I have to plan my errands around when something will show up. That being said, I'm enough of a diva that if something is too close and my makeup and hair don't look decent, I'll stay home
All that is for a Class I, if your local road is a regional or shortline, it's hard to railfan without knowing someone who knows.
A lot of identification comes with railfanning enough in the same area. Things like which trains carry some kind of distinctive traffic (I031/I032 carrying Tropicana reefers, for example), where they work, usual transit time between certain towns, etc. That latter point can save you a lot of time parked in the grass getting eaten by bugs with nary a hi-rail in sight. The Heritage Units website and app are great for that. Sometimes I have to plan my errands around when something will show up. That being said, I'm enough of a diva that if something is too close and my makeup and hair don't look decent, I'll stay home
All that is for a Class I, if your local road is a regional or shortline, it's hard to railfan without knowing someone who knows.
The naming of trains on the BNSF system uses shortened versions of the towns that the train originates from and the destination. Sort of like what airlines use. I like that the BNSF train names aren't just a series of numbers that mean nothing to me.
But you still have to find train names from other sources. it's not displayed like on busses and possibly trams.
But you still have to find train names from other sources. it's not displayed like on busses and possibly trams.
BNSF tends to be a bit harder to identify by radio. Understandably, no one uses full symbols on the radio there, so they typically call out lead engine number. Same thing on UP, at least in my experience. Haven't been around CN enough to know their practice. I actually don't know how railfans on BNSF get their symbols down so well.
As for displaying train info, most Amtrak equipment doesn't, except Acelas and some of the newer regional rolling stock I think, but commuter operators with LCD signs on their coaches might display something. Metra Electric displays train number and NJT/Metro-North display destination.
My intro to BNSF train symbols came from web pages written by Al A Krug, a (now retired) BNSF engineer. Who usually operated from BNSF's Sheridan WY yard to MRL's yard in Laurel MT.
Tales from The Krug
I don't have a scanner. I'd have to drive nearly 100
miles to find decent RR action anyway. Or run a Trainz simulation!
Tales from The Krug
I don't have a scanner. I'd have to drive nearly 100
miles to find decent RR action anyway. Or run a Trainz simulation!
Al's tales are great. I read them years ago.