Rail fanning in the Lansing area

[ThatRailfanningKid]

Hello, I live near Lansing, and I'd like to know:
When is the best time(s) to catch a train:
In Lansing, anywhere, any railroad
On JAIL
In williamston (Csx)

Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks all, btw this is my first topic
-Evan (ThatRailfanningKid)

[Jochs]

CSX trains tend to be nocturnal.

A good place to catch CN is at the E. Lansing Amtrak depot..and CSX is less than a block south of there. The two lines cross west of there at Trowbridge.

Durand is not too far away as well.

[SD80MAC]

In Williamston on CSX you'll see D708 come through mid morning eastbound and late afternoon westbound Monday through Friday. With all of the grain trains running right now, you might see one of those, but they don't run on any kind of a set schedule. The freights are mostly at night but every once in awhile Q335 will go through there in the daylight.

[Saturnalia]

Watch the daily CSX Train Location Updates threads for info on the CSX. People often report planned trains and such.

As far as what to look for at Williamston:
Q334: Midnight EB
Q335: Early morning (4am) WB
D708: Local, see what SD80MAC Said
G-series trains: frequent September-March, empties and loads
N-series: usually N956, but others as well, loads for Essexville
E-series: usually E945, but now it looks to have changed. Empties from Essexville

G, N & E-series trains will be random, it is best to watch the updates threads or get a scanner.

[ThatRailfanningKid]

Okay, thank you all, this info is really helpful. Also, I've seen people camping out at the station in Durand with some sort of software on a laptop that shows train locations and signal updates along the CN. Any ideas on how to operate it, and is it iPhone compatible?

[Saturnalia]

Okay, thank you all, this info is really helpful. Also, I've seen people camping out at the station in Durand with some sort of software on a laptop that shows train locations and signal updates along the CN. Any ideas on how to operate it, and is it iPhone compatible?

It is called ATCS Monitor. You'll need to have a Yahoo! network account, and sign up for the ATCS Mon group. Once approved, you can download the software, territories and start watching. However, you need wifi to see the online servers, and I think it only works on Windows Products.

http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ATCS_Monitor/info

The CN territories that people watch at Durand should be in the CN folder when you make it that far.

If you have more questions on ATCS, consult our ATCS forum, a subforum of railfanning information, as your answer is probably already there, or try the ATCS forums on Yahoo...just about any question on the software is answered there or in their manual.

[ThatRailfanningKid]

It is called ATCS Monitor. You'll need to have a Yahoo! network account, and sign up for the ATCS Mon group. Once approved, you can download the software, territories and start watching. However, you need wifi to see the online servers, and I think it only works on Windows Products.

Okay, well that won't be in my immediate future, since I am technologically handicapped, as I have no source of internet at home, and no computer except for a laptop whose software is prehistoric. Looks like a scanner will be a more available alcove.

[ThatRailfanningKid]

Does JAIL have any regular trains through Mason? I often hear one between 7:25 and 7:35 a.m on weekdays.

[jrgerber]

When JAIL comes back from Lansing its been hitting Holt between 4 pm-5pm.

[brysonda]

Looks like a scanner will be a more available alcove.

As far as scanning in Lansing:

CN:
AAR 32 - Channel 1 - Road Channel - Can generally pick up defect detectors at 219.5 (Lansing, just east of Waverly Rd.) and 232.0 (east of Haslett). Both give direction and speed, thus very nice for deciding if you will be able to 'catch' something rolling through.
AAR 74 - Channel 2 - Dispatcher - Desk 8 - Flint Sub - Homewood, IL
AAR 49 - Channel 3 - Yard Frequency - Often hear K933, the yard job frequently working GM in Delta Township


CSX:
AAR 8 - Road Channel - Can pick up the Defect Detector at 79.9 in Okemos (only axle count)
AAR 14/84 - Dispatcher - RN Calumet City/Chicago - 14 in Lansing and points west for a while, 84 points east for a while.


JAIL:
AAR 36 - you can determine that they are 'in town' when you pick up traffic, however they have gone to trunked NXDN. Requires a bit of technogical hoop jumping to attempt to listen to, even with an NXDN capable radio. I haven't attempted to jump through the hoops yet, so it may also be encrypted.
When crossing CN at Cedar, they call up Desk 8 on 74. When passing from MA (Michigan Ave.) to Ensel (north of Grand River/North St. Near Old Town) they are known as Z646 on CSX and will call out things on 14 (have never heard them switch to the CSX road channel).

[SD80MAC]

Having the AAR channel numbers on a scanner doesn't do much good unless you know the actual frequencies. For example, the CSX road channel is 160.230

[ThatRailfanningKid]

Alright, thanks guys. Now I just need to get a scanner and figure out how to use it. Which scanner is best for rail fanning and where would I get it?

[Saturnalia]

Alright, thanks guys. Now I just need to get a scanner and figure out how to use it. Which scanner is best for rail fanning and where would I get it?

I have a Bearcat BC125T and love it. I holds up to 1000 channels in 10 banks, with the ability to scan them all at once. I recommed that, then plug in all the AAR frequencies into the first two banks, and while railfanning simply scan those two banks. Anything RR-related in the area you'll hear. Reliable service within 10 miles with the rubber ducky...

[ThatRailfanningKid]

That's perfect. I've seen other posts about buying them at radioshack. Can I get this one there too?

[Saturnalia]

That's perfect. I've seen other posts about buying them at radioshack. Can I get this one there too?

I think so, but no guarantee. Mine was a gift from my Grandpa off Amazon. If not in the store, they're all over the internet, new and used.

[ThatRailfanningKid]

Okay, thanks.

[brysonda]

Having the AAR channel numbers on a scanner doesn't do much good unless you know the actual frequencies. For example, the CSX road channel is 160.230

True enough. When writing it, I was intending to link to a standard list of AAR frequencies. Clearly I forgot.

So, without further ado: http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=7747

[SousaKerry]

AAR 36 - you can determine that they are 'in town' when you pick up traffic, however they have gone to trunked NXDN.

So what frequencies are they using on the trunked radios. I have a trunk tracking BC346 but I'll be dammed if I can figure out how to program the f-ing thing. I can't even understand the lingo in the dummies guides online... I wouldn't recommend that scanner to anyone BTW. Too complicated and I really think bearcat could care less about the people who buy their products. It has a computer interface but it is serial, who the hell still uses serial?? Had to buy a converter box for it then configure it. Then I had to buy a website subscription to D/L a third party software interface that is crap.

Next time I guess I will buy an el-cheapo model.

Anyways JAIL comes through Rives Junction area every morning between 5:00 and 7:00 heading north. Sometimes I will catch them under 127 on my way to work about 7:40 or so. Probably only 5 times in the past year though. I work in Mason but too far from the tracks and rarely have the time to check things out. I really need to get in the habit of driving over to the Engine shed on my way home after work once a week or so.

Has anybody ever heard if the JAIL was thinking of moving the dinner train from Charlotte to Lansing/Jackson? It sure would seem to me to be much more profitable to be on a route that actually goes somewhere and is longer then 2 miles. Besides the fact that the population bases are much bigger. they could even take advantage of both cities and start form opposite ends on alternate days or weekends. Jackson has the station for it and I sure a place in Lansing could be found. Heck the stations in Mason and Leslie are still in good shape and I bet the resteraunts that own them would love the extra business.

BTW the Depot Restaurant in Mason is one of the best greasy spoon's you'll ever come across even though they only do Breakfast and Lunch it is well worth it.

[ThatRailfanningKid]

Has anybody ever heard if the JAIL was thinking of moving the dinner train from Charlotte to Lansing/Jackson? It sure would seem to me to be much more profitable to be on a route that actually goes somewhere and is longer then 2 miles. Besides the fact that the population bases are much bigger. they could even take advantage of both cities and start form opposite ends on alternate days or weekends. Jackson has the station for it and I sure a place in Lansing could be found. Heck the stations in Mason and Leslie are still in good shape and I bet the resteraunts that own them would love the extra business.

BTW the Depot Restaurant in Mason is one of the best greasy spoon's you'll ever come across even though they only do Breakfast and Lunch it is well worth it.

I've always thought this was a genius idea. The line might be ridiculously long for the speeds at which the train would operate, but a dinner train would be spectacular, especially with the multiple stations along the way.

[brysonda]

AAR 36 - you can determine that they are 'in town' when you pick up traffic, however they have gone to trunked NXDN.

So what frequencies are they using on the trunked radios.

Best that I can determine from traffic is that they are using single frequency trunking around Lansing. The trick is that it is NXDN digital. The BC346 is analog only. Even the 'digital' bearcats are incapable of decoding NXDN at this time (different protocol).

You can get NXDN radios from Kenwood or Icom. If the transmissions are merely digital conventional, you can simply set the receive mode to NXDN or mixed and you are good to go. Trunked, however, requires the system key to program.

The protocols for NXDN have been published now, so you can get software (for Linux) that can decode the raw analog form of the transmissions. There are patches available that have had success decoding the trunked transmissions as well. Note that even these do not 'trunk track', just give the unencoded audio of potentially multiple parallel conversations.

At any rate, the solution would require multiple parts, not be very portable, and would be for nought if they are also employing encryption.

I have also wandered way off the original topic. So to bring it back, I basically use the channel to know if they are in town. The raw NXDN audio sounds a bit like someone is pressing the PTT button in the cab without saying anything. If I am picking those signals up, they must be somewhere in reception range.