End of Train Devices

I have a question about these. I assume that each RR has a number of low power radio freqencies assigned to it for these devices to communicate with the head end. My question is, what is the radio range for these devices and is it feasible, or common place, for the head end to actually pick up the signal from another nearby EOT, or one on a passing train rather then the correct one? With a limited number of frequencies, there must be some with he same ones, I would think.

They are all the same, and any railroad might have any other roads EOT on their hind end. The EOT has a transmitted signal, decodeable by entering a five digit number, into the head-end box.( in theory, this means there could be 99,999 different numbers, on EOT's) The five digit number is engraved into the side of each device. When you enter this number into your loco's head end box, You have to initiate a "communication check" with the EOT. This links the rear-end to the head-end. Next, you would "arm" the EOT's emergency actuation feature. This allows you to "bust the trainline" from the rear of the train, in case of a clogged, or closed trainline. Once you have linked up to your EOT, it's yours, and the odds of someone passing you, with EOT number 89523 are highly unlikely. Even if they did, they are not linked to yours, and could not detonate your air. Radios, and EOT's are probaly the two hardest pieces of equippment, to keep on your own locos, and trains. EVERY railroad has everyone elses stuff, and it all "just works out" in the end. Hope this helped

Its always fun to dial in someone else's fred and dump their air, classic praink. I got to ride around on a real ETD yesterday, BN 12569 a cab with working everything. I caught a work train, the regular guy laid off. Other than the heat I enjoyed myself.

GN 599 wrote:Its always fun to dial in someone else's fred and dump their air, classic praink. I got to ride around on a real ETD yesterday, BN 12569 a cab with working everything. I caught a work train, the regular guy laid off. Other than the heat I enjoyed myself.

We have had at least one hogger get fired for doing that. CN's head end devices don't need someone to push the button on the FRED's to arm up. However, it DOES show up on the download...

Its best to do it on an SD40 or something similar as they physically have to pull the tapes. Which rarely happens unless the locomotive is involved in a situation. I've heard of guys doing it but never tried myself.

We used to do it all the time, on the Soo Line. Monitoring the carmens channel, I would snag the EOT numbers, being given to the boss, from the guys in the yard. Time to depart, and there might be 2 or 3 trains, waiting for a "shot out the barn". Listening to another guy, going to do his air test, as he was entering his numbers, we were "shooting his air". Ditto for the other train as well. Results? DS, this is train XYZ. We are ready to depart, air test complete. A quick call to the other trains, finds them having "air problems", and we are first to leave. Monitoring the yard channel, on the handheld, always a must. Might be harder to do this now, but there are other ways, to skin that cat. I don't know how many times I "thought" I saw a handbrake, or open plug door, on that other train, trying to get out ahead of me.............. Strangely enough, usually 10-12 cars, from the hind end.............

NS uses a diffrent frequency for theirs still don't they? How does this work on other roads? I assume they have the correct frequency?

Golden Arm, that's cold. I like!!!

I worked between Winslow and Belen last summer and we kept getting Box 2, Crossing Warking Malfunction notifications. The hogger thought it was a friend of his ahead of us calling it in to the 1-800 notification like just to mess with us.

Besides that trick a Santa Fe guy taught me to use a broom handle and turn up the retainers on passing cars close to the rear. Causing the detectors to go goofy and the DS to run you around them on up the line.

Funny, how many ways we can think of, to "not" run a railroad........

GOLDEN-ARM wrote:Funny, how many ways we can think of, to "not" run a railroad........

Management thinks of even more ways, I think that's funny....