talking defect detector near Central Bridge?

Hi, In my travels I have noticed some equipment and a pole with an antenna next to the ROW outside of Central Bridge near the Junction Road underpass. Is this a defect detector or a radio relay equipment? What are the radio ofrequencies of CP on that line? Thank you.

Bob, That problably is an antenna. There is a detector north of there at MP 503. When I lived in Duanesburg I used to hear the detector on my scanner.

There is a CP dispatcher base radio site at:

CENTRAL BRIDGE W RWY XING OFF RT 148
SCHOHARIE JUNCTION SCHOHARIE NY

Road & DS frequency is 161.100 N of Central Bridge and 161.475 S of Central Bridge. Train to DS call-in is 160.425

Sounds like you're describing the Central Bridge radio repeater (somebody correct me if I'm using the wrong term here...).

The talking defect detector is a few miles to the north, at CPF 503 (once upon a time known as Esperance Station). That location is pretty much next to the NY Route 30 underpass, not Junction Road.

I live within a couple of miles of this detector, across the Schoharie Valley, and hear it clearly on the scanner. Good source of info for an afternoon chase up Richmondville Hill.

Gardiner Cross
Cripplebush Valley Models
"Great Looking Rocks, In Less Than A Million Years"
www.cripplebush.net

Hi Gardner,

No, Its right at where Junction road goes under the tracks. There are 2 seperate bridges and on 2 different levels there and the road makes a very sharp turn right before the bridges.

Im looking forward to getting a scanner and listening to some radio transmissions.

BTW, those engines sound great from up on the hill where I am, right up the hill from you. How is the caboose?

Your probably right about it being a radio repeater.. I read your reply wrong, sorry!

FYI, that location on Junction Road was the location of CB cabin (where the main went from one track to two) from about the early 60s (when the Schoharie Creek bridge and Howe's Cave Hill was single-tracked) to the early 80's (when the switch was moved back to its current location at Esperance Station).

That probably explains why the radio repeater is there--they didn't bother to move it when they moved the switch. Esperance Station is tight up against a hill, and I'd suspect the repeater would be more effective right where it is. For example, the talking detector can barely be picked up on Route 7 at the top of the hill.

BTW, when you get the scanner, given where you're located you may be able to hear the detector at Richmondville summit (CPF 528) as well. I can't get it at my house, but I often times can get it if I walk up to my brother's barn at the top of the hill. That's only about 30 feet of relief. Some time this summer, I'll buy one of those Traintenna things, put it in my attic to get it as high as I can, and see if that makes the difference.

The caboose is a long term project, to say the least. I have to replace the flooring before I can do much of anything. The area next to where the stove was is totally soaked in #2 fuel oil, and on a hot day the smell is enough to gag a vulture.

Thanks for all the info. Ill be there on the last week of the month, thursday-sunday. Ill have to stop in and say hello and just bs a bit.

Good luck with the caboose.. it looks great from the road in thw winter.