Does anyone know where I can find out where they are located? I am looking to see if there is any along the VIA Rail line into Ottawa. That way I can photograph trains coming into Ottawa.

Dunno if there is a way to find em, except walking the line or asking RR personnel.

If you have a scanner/real radio on most of then say what mile marker they are located at when they go off.

Most railroad maps also mark where they are located too.

Posted by Agent Skelly If you have a scanner/real radio on most of then say what mile marker they are located at when they go off. Most railroad maps also mark where they are located too.

Yeah I have a radio scanner but it never seems to have much action. I programmed in most of the railway frequencies/channels unless the hot box detectors got a special frequency.

Detectors broadcast on the road frequency.

I would recommend either buying a copy of the Canadian Trackside Guide or scrounging a copy of the employee timetable for the area

Every hot box detector in Canada is on 161.415... On CN lines anyway, which is what VIA uses exclusivly from Toronto to Ottawa.

Posted by ExKa|iBuR Every hot box detector in Canada is on 161.415... On CN lines anyway, which is what VIA uses exclusivly from Toronto to Ottawa.

Thank you!

Speaking of hotboxes, CSX Finally replaced the infamous Churchville, NY detector that went something like

"Conrail Churchville Milepost 4 1 2. Speed 9 9 9 9 Axle Count 9 9 9 9 No Defects!"

In case you can't tell...it was busted

here are a couple of transmissions first one is CSX 'defect detector'
http://www.youtube...bc&feature=related

Listen to the dispatcher on this one he sounds half drunk
http://www.youtube...atch?v=O47VS_UpCuo

Any maps or freqs for the CA areas (preferably UP/SP lines in the bay area)??

Posted by RailGuy88 Any maps or freqs for the CA areas (preferably UP/SP lines in the bay area)??

http://zippy.ci.ui...ex-old.html#byroad

A lot of the frequencies on that site have not been kept up to day. I know there are several in my area that have changed from what is listed on there.

Another good source of frequency information is the Altamont Press time tables that you can buy. They're about $20 each, so it gets expensive if you are buying several, but they have really good info and it's usually up to date.

Also, you can go to model train shows and find timetables and books that are a year or two old, but the information is still mostly current.

One note on the hotbox issue... you usually have to be within a couple of miles of it to hear it. And it doesn't sound off until a bit after the train passes it. So if it's a mile and a half down the track from you (the hotbox) and a train passes by going 40 mph, you will have to wait over 2 minutes after the train goes by, before the hotbox will being talking.

BNSF has a bunch of these now on the NW Division that go like

"BNSF Detector Milepost Nine Hundred Temperature 8-3. Axle Count Sixteen. No Defects. Repeat No Defects. Defect count Zero."

Yeah must be from a Dept of Redunancy Department

Hey kids.

On the beachburg sub, which is west of ottawa:
(mile 0 is Ottawa, mile 163.9 is Brent)
There are hotboxes at:
19.5
49.9
77.3
92.9
123.0
153.7

On the Alexandria Sub, which is east of ottawa:
(mile 0 is Coteau JCT, mile 76.5 is Ottawa)
There are hotboxes at:
15.5
41.5
61.7

Hope that helps!

Posted by Agent Skelly BNSF has a bunch of these now on the NW Division that go like "BNSF Detector Milepost Nine Hundred Temperature 8-3. Axle Count Sixteen. No Defects. Repeat No Defects. Defect count Zero." Yeah must be from a Dept of Redunancy Department

CP are all the same and so boring.

CP DETECTOR LAGGAN SUB MILE TWO NAUGHT POINT SEVEN. TEMPERATURE TWO ONE DEGREES. TOTAL AXLES THREE NAUGHT SIX. NO ALARMS. CP DETECTOR LAGGAN SUB MILE TWO NAUGHT POINT SEVEN. TEMPERATURE TWO ONE DEGREES. TOTAL AXLES THREE NAUGHT SIX. NO ALARMS. MESSAGE COMPLETE. DETECTOR OUT.

Posted by Stong CP are all the same and so boring. CP DETECTOR LAGGAN SUB MILE TWO NAUGHT POINT SEVEN. TEMPERATURE TWO ONE DEGREES. TOTAL AXLES THREE NAUGHT SIX. NO ALARMS. CP DETECTOR LAGGAN SUB MILE TWO NAUGHT POINT SEVEN. TEMPERATURE TWO ONE DEGREES. TOTAL AXLES THREE NAUGHT SIX. NO ALARMS. MESSAGE COMPLETE. DETECTOR OUT.

I always loved the ones that CSX operated on the Water Level Route. They are all ex-Conrail units that were pretty simple.

"CSX DETECTOR BATAVIA NEW YORK MILEPOST 3-2-4. AXLE COUNT 2-4. SPEED 7-9. TEMPERATURE 7-8. NO DEFECTS."

Then there was the infamous detector in Churchville, NY:

"CONRAIL DECTECTOR CHURCHVILLE NEW YORK. AXLE COUNT 9-9-9-9 SPEED 9-9-9-9 TEMPERATURE 9-9-9-9 NO DEFECTS."

They apparently finally fixed it after 10 years of well, failing

UP I know has been putting in detectors with female voices. I heard one recently on UP's Cascade Sub. Its sounds MUCH cleaner than the male voice actually.