What is one item that's an absolute necessity

[frank]

If I had to choose one thing to have on an overnight train trip it would have to be.....a deluxe bedroom!

Frank

 

[AMTK@AUS]

I have to agree with F59 PHI, meeting girls on trains is one of the biggest perks!

Seriously though, On Track On Line provides a Travel Tips page, which may be of some help to you.

Have a great trip!

 

[canoe86]

OK, bought the scanner today. Now, how do I know what setting to use , not only for my train , but any train I might encounter. (if this is a dumb question, answer it anyhow!! :lol: )

Any other scanner tips?

 

[Amfleet]

OK, bought the scanner today. Now, how do I know what setting to use , not only for my train , but any train I might encounter. (if this is a dumb question, answer it anyhow!! :lol: )
Any other scanner tips?

Along with the manual that came with your scanner and the following that Alan provided earlier in this thread, you should be able to work it.

If you'd like more info on both using a scanner and the frequencies needed, you may wish to check out this information page from OTOL.  

 

[AlanB]

OK, bought the scanner today. Now, how do I know what setting to use , not only for my train , but any train I might encounter. (if this is a dumb question, answer it anyhow!! :lol: )
Any other scanner tips?

As Amfleet mentioned, follow the link that I gave you earlier. You will find everything that you need to know about Amtrak frequencies for every route on the OTOL pages. Plus HaRRy Sutton who wrote those pages will give you some ideas on how to use the scanner, what to expect, and what rules should be followed.

For the specifics of using your scanner and programing it, you will of course have to refer to the manual that came with the scanner.

Have fun!

 

[canoe86]

Sorry about not seeing that link earlier. Thanks!!!! Been messing with this thing all night, it is like learning a new language.

Now I got the scanner, gotta work on getting a girlfriend. :blink:

 

[tp49]

If it's got more than 100 channels and you want to use it only for rail then I would program all the AAR frequencies in order into the scanner then you could lock out the ones you did not need on your trip.

Also what type of scanner did you get?

 

[canoe86]

I bought a Radio Shack, 1000 Channel dual-Trunking scanner. Model Pro-95.

We live in a rural area so the scanner will be used for much more than our trip. The trip just served as the catalyst for us to finally buy one.

 

[tp49]

I have a PRO-95 as well, nice scanner. I would suggest then setting aside one of the 100 channel banks for the AAR frequencies then just locking them in and out as needed it's easier then trying to program it for speific trips if you're planning on hitting different routes.