Re: (erielack) RE: Speaking of radios

["Henry W Jarusik" <hwjpa_@_fastem.com>]

Todd:

"...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."

Are you referring to the tall gray lattice frame tower along side the
tracks in North Newark?  If so, I always wondered what that was for,
since it had an odd shaped dish/disc on it.  Always thought it belonged
to NJ Bell. 









On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 06:39:33 -0700 (PDT), "Todd Hollritt"
<thollritt_@_yahoo.com> said:
> 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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- -- 
  Henry W Jarusik
  hwjpa_@_fastem.com


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