How does an engineer know what frequency to be on?

Hi All,

Just got into railfanning several months ago by a few friends that have been into it for many years. All the times we've gone to Roselle Park and Bound Brook to watch freight go by, one question has come up that none of us knew the answer to. How does the engineer know when to change channels on his radio and how does he know what channel to tune into to? Is it just simply because he's been qualified on the route he's running and knows when and what channel to switch off to, or is their signage, or does the dispatcher tell him where to go?

I'm very interested in the radio operations of the railroad, as I've been a radio head for many years. I've been listening to public safety for the past 15 years and have been the communications officer for the local rescue squad and OEM for the past several years. I also hold an amateur license, but really haven't been all to active with it except for use with OEM.

Thanks,

Mike

The Employee timetable governs what channel is in effect from **** to ****.
So yes Qualifications dictate what channel to be on.

Ok, that's what I thought it was. Thanks Dutch!