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An NS local passes through the interlocking at Decatur
Listen to a live scanner audio feed from Decatur, AL! See below for a
map of Decatur and the surrounding areas so that you can follow the action as it unfolds!
Normally rivals, the Norfolk Southern and CSX join forces in Decatur to cross the mighty
Tennessee River. Although the bridge is owned by NS, it actually sees more CSX traffic per day
than it does Thoroughbred traffic. Decatur is on the Memphis to Chattanooga NS route and
the Nashville to Birmingham CSX route. Both CSX and NS have medium sized yards here for
interchange traffic and local industry. Local industries served by rail in Decatur vary from
chemical plants to pet food manufacturing, almost all of which are located along the river.
The feed is set up with two monitoring radios: one for local road channels and one for local
yard/MOW channels (See below for channels/frequencies monitored by each radio). Each radio is fed to one of a pair of channels that comprise a stereo feed. This
way, both road and yard action can be monitored via a single feed, which drastically simplifies
PC hardware/software configuration. Let me know how this works out for you!
I would like to extend a special thanks to the following people who helped make this live
feed as good as it is: Steve Passmore, Rob Jordan, Dave D. and especially Jim Groenke. Be sure to
check out http://www.railroadradio.net
for the best live railroad audio feeds on the 'net!
Live Feed Coverage Area Map:
Click on the icon below for your preferred application to begin listening: |
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Listen with WinAmp, FreeAmp, iTunes or XMMS |
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Listen with Real Media's RealOne player |
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Listen with Microsoft's Windows Media Player (works best with version 9 or higher) |
Stream hosted by:
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Frequencies monitored by the live feed: |
Road Radio (Left Channel) |
Yard Radio (Right Channel) |
161.370 AAR 84: CSX Road
160.410 AAR 20: CSX Dispatcher
160.950 AAR 56: NS Road (Channel 1)
160.245 AAR 09: NS DS -> Train (Channel 2)
160.830 AAR 48: NS Train -> DS (Channel 2)
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161.100 AAR 66: CSX Yard
160.380 AAR 18: CSX Yard
160.785 AAR 45: CSX MOW (Occasional Yard)
160.590 AAR 32: CSX Yard
161.490 AAR 92: NS Yard
161.250 AAR 76: NS Yard/Hump Channel
161.190 AAR 72: NS MoW (Channel 5)
156.650 USCG 13: NS Tennessee River Bridge-Tender/Marine
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Here is a basic diagram of how the two stream radios are connected and feed to the
encoding computer. The encoding computer then sends the audio to the RailroadRadio.net servers to be distributed
to listeners.
If you would like to listen to just one radio, you can simply slide your
right/left panning control to one channel or another as shown above (left for the road channels and right for the yard/marine channels).
Equipment Defect Detectors Heard:
NS Milepost 372.0
NS Milepost 358.5
NS Milepost 352.9 - Includes high/wide detection
NS Milepost 338.0
CSX Milepost 299.7 - Includes high/wide detection
CSX Milepost 313.5 - Includes high/wide detection
Red text indicates intermittent reception. The time of day and weather conditions will have an impact on how far you can hear the EDDs. I have, however, logged
"hits" from all of the above EDDs during the right conditions.
Operations Overview:
NS uses TWC (track warrant control) through this area with remote control used through the
interlocking with CSX over the Tennessee River. You will often be able to hear NS trains
copying track warrants with limits typically anywhere from Wheeler siding to Elko siding.
"Birmingham Dispatcher" is the NS Alabama
Division dispatcher and controls the NS line from Memphis, TN to Stevenson, AL as well as the
interlocking at Decatur. Norfolk Southern operates about 12-15 through-freights per day plus 3 locals and number of yard jobs in and around Decatur.
CSX's operations are standard CTC (centralized traffic control) between Birmingham, AL and Nashville, TN.
However, you will still hear conversations between trains and the CSX "AH" dispatcher (CSX Dispatcher Desk Codes)
related to speed restrictions, signal permissions, etc. CSX trains will contact the NS "Birmingham Dispatcher" to get permission
to proceed through the interlocking and cross the Tennessee River bridge.
CSX normally operates about 30 trains per day not counting locals, foreign railroad moves and yard jobs. There are typically
3 CSX yard jobs per day and 1 local freight in and around Decatur.
Typical trains in Decatur:
CSX:
Y101: First shift yard job - works Oakworth yard as well as CSX river side industries
Y103: First shift yard job - works Oakworth yard, performs transfer run to Norfolk Southern
Y201: Second shift yard job - works Oakworth yard as well as CSX river side industries
M781: Local freight (Lewisburg Turn), operates from Oakworth yard to points as far north as Lewisburg, TN.
Here are some CSX train schedules for trains that pass through Decatur, courtesy of BullSheet.com:
CSX "Q" trains through Decatur (this functionality seems to broken on the BullSheet.com website)
CSX "K" trains through Decatur
CSX "G" trains through Decatur (some of these actually terminate/originate in Decatur)
CSX locals around the Decatur area
Norfolk Southern:
The NS operates yard jobs around the clock in Decatur due to the many industries they work along the Tennessee River.
These jobs usually carry the name of ADxx (such as AD01 for first shift).
The NS typically runs three locals a day, A80, A81 and A85. More info on these trains to come.
Live Audio Feed Hardware:
September 2007: I am working on a new set up for the radios, antenna, tower, etc. Look for new photos coming soon!
Interested in running your own live audio stream on the Internet? Check out the new tutorial on setting up your own live scanner feed on the Internet!
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