Most of the radio traffic we’ve monitored while riding on AMTRAK trains has been fairly routine, like hearing automatic sensors report the speed of our train and the total number of axles it has. Occasionally there will be something humorous, like the time we heard the crew of our eastbound Zephyr discussing having to wait at Davis to pick up a passenger coming in on the westbound Zephyr who had forgotten to get off at his stop. There can be radio traffic about the impact the weather is having on our train’s operating schedule. (On one of our trips west on the Southwest Chief, we awoke at about 3:00 a.m. to find everything quiet and the “Chief” standing still. Turning on the scanner, we heard our engineer asking if he could proceed, and the dispatcher telling him to wait until after the tracks ahead had been inspected for flooding.) Sometimes there is radio traffic with elements of high drama. (On another trip west on-board the “Chief” we got to listen in on an incident unfolding in one of the coaches, where a woman who was either intoxicated or on drugs had aroused the suspicions of the on-board staff, who were trying to determine if she had a weapon and/or was being disruptive to the other passengers. Authorities in Albuquerque were notified and she was taken off the train once we arrived there. Common sense (not to mention common courtesy) suggests that the radio traffic monitored on-board a train should be treated as one would treat a police, fire or emergency call: listen, but don’t try to approach or interfere. Conductors and other on-board personnel have always answered my questions as to what radio frequency they are currently using. (When listening to radio traffic while riding in a coach, I always wear little earphones so as not to disturb other passengers.) All in all, being able to listen in on some of this “behind-the-scenes” activity makes our trips more interesting. We usually include any interesting radio traffic in our trips reports, but would welcome the opportunity to share it via a dedicated forum. (And we would certainly go there to read about the radio traffic that others have monitored.)
h34r:
