(erielack) RE: Speaking of radios

[Todd Hollritt <thollritt_@_yahoo.com>]

From: "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>
Subject: (erielack) Speaking of radios...

Since the EL was "RADIO EQUIPPED," does anyone know what frequencies 
the road used?

	- Paul
  
  161.400 was and still is the primary frequency used by Erie Lackawanna trackage here in New Jersey. EL also had a second channel that was 160.520 (?). Knowing how the merger went down I imagine 161.400 was former ERIE and the second channel was the old DL&W channel, I think it was rarely used by EL, I think it was referred to as the yard channel. Don't forget "KW" at Croxton used a loudspeaker system more than the two-way radio at the east end of the yard to yell instructions to the crews! This ancient system lasted into Conrail. 
  161.400 was a very active channel in the 70's with about 10 active towers, Croxton Yard (KW and "the Boxcar") all chatting away, plus all three NY Division dispatchers! And with a good scanner and antenna you could monitor the whole NY Division from home (in my case Great Notch NJ) but UN "Port Morris" was a longshot for me at times, the Hoboken Dispatcher used a handfull of remote hi-power base stations. the two I know off hand was the large radio tower in Hoboken and a tower near the North Newark station on the Greenwood Lake Division. But there were still "dead spots" all over the system as I recall. Along with all this you had locomotives with radio's, and crewmembers lugging "portable" radio's the size of an old metal lunchbox with a long whip antenna and a small battery. 
  And as discussed on the list before the EL Police also used the same channel. Transmitting the "EL saftey message of the day", or something like that from their Hoboken HQ every night at midnight ending with the phrase "Stay Alert... Stay alive".
  The EL tugs and the Marine division also used their own dispatch frequency besides the normal comercial harbor channel, HX and DB had marine radio base stations to talk to river traffic too.
  But nothing worked better than sitting near the window at Great Notch station and "Easedropping" on the block line, over the loud hum you could make out JY (Hoboken) gabbing with everyone, everywhere, even crews at lineside phone boxes. Of cousre "If" you had the EL switchkey you could also listen in frrom any handy EL lineside phone box you came accross... well, this was in the days before I had enough money to buy one of those expensive pocket scanners! Now one of those would get you four (later six and eight) whole channels to monitor. AND you still had to buy the properly tuned crystal's to plug inside! I still recall the happy day my bike was finally "Radio Equipped"!    
  Today NJ Transit dispatchers use low power lineside base stations located all over the system to communicate with the trains. The only former EL tower left on the air, by name only since the old structure is long gone... Terminal Tower in Hoboken NJ.  :(
    
Todd ~ 
     
 

 

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