Do MBTA trains set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

[brandon02852]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

 

[J-1 3235]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

I believe the defect detectors will sense any locomotives or cars passing over it. I'm not certain about hi-rail vehicles.

 

[brandon02852]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

I believe the defect detectors will sense any locomotives or cars passing over it. I'm not certain about hi-rail vehicles.

Is that a yes?

 

[J-1 3235]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

I believe the defect detectors will sense any locomotives or cars passing over it. I'm not certain about hi-rail vehicles.

Is that a yes?

Yes

It does not matter who owns the equipment or who owns the tracks.

 

[brandon02852]

Yes

It does not matter who owns the equipment or who owns the tracks.

Okay thanks =)

 

[johnny.menhennet]

While you already got an answer, I wanted to add my experiences on the west coast. Since Amtrak doesn't own any of the tracks in California, it goes like this: Between LA and Van Nuys, it says Metrolink milepost detector (some set of numbers, I think start with a 1) no defects repeat no defects. Between LA and Fullerton, it is BNSF milepost detector (some set of numbers, I think start with a 1) no defects repeat no defects. And then down to the Orange County/San Diego County Line it is Metrolink and I haven't paid attention to the San Diego part. So Amtrak does trigger other railroads' detectors. There are also some things about total axles that it says and about the total miles per hour, but I never hear the number for it, just the fact that it's said.

 

[AlanB]

The detector doesn't care about anything more than there is a train passing by and it has a job to do. It doesn't care who owns the train.

 

[the_traveler]

I've heard them give the temperature, but never the speed! And I have to laugh when it says something like "... 23 axles (or some odd number) ..." - it seems you lost an axle somewhere!

 

[trainfan969]

While you already got an answer, I wanted to add my experiences on the west coast. Since Amtrak doesn't own any of the tracks in California, it goes like this: Between LA and Van Nuys, it says Metrolink milepost detector (some set of numbers, I think start with a 1) no defects repeat no defects. Between LA and Fullerton, it is BNSF milepost detector (some set of numbers, I think start with a 1) no defects repeat no defects. And then down to the Orange County/San Diego County Line it is Metrolink and I haven't paid attention to the San Diego part. So Amtrak does trigger other railroads' detectors. There are also some things about total axles that it says and about the total miles per hour, but I never hear the number for it, just the fact that it's said.

For the Metrolink detectors, they usually state the milepost, MPH, any defects and the total axles. I remember one morning our train did set on off due to some dragging equipment.

For the BNSF one, it usually states the milepost, main or track that the train is traveling on and if there is a defect or not.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I have a Detector less than a mile from the house that gets plenty of action, ranging from a tiny 20 axles from the Heartland Flyer on up to 600 plus axles on the BNSF monsters that regularly prowl through Norman.

BNSF Detector Mile Post Four-Zero-Four Point Two. No Defects. Repeat. No Defects. Total Axles Two-Zero. Out.

 

[AlanB]

A lot of what the detector checks & says is dependent upon what RR used to own those tracks. Additionally, the trend of late is that as a detector is replaced and/or reprogrammed, they now say less unless there is a problem. This trend is due in part to a derailment of the Texas Eagle a few years back, where the Amtrak crew didn't here the report about a bad piece of track because of a very long report being broadcast by a defect detector that they had just passed over.

So while the crew of another train IIRC, might have been the dispatcher, thought that they had warned the Amtrak crew with sufficient time to stop the train before hitting the defect; that wasn't the case thanks to the long report of the detector stepping on the other radio transmission. Amtrak hit the defect and derailed.

But I've heard detectors say nothing more than "no defects" to detectors that report speed, temp, axles, train length, and of course no defects, to detectors that broadcast some combination of those various items.

 

[rusty spike]

I've heard them give the temperature, but never the speed! And I have to laugh when it says something like "... 23 axles (or some odd number) ..." - it seems you lost an axle somewhere!

I don't know how you end up with an odd number of axles...at least since all the old stearmers are gone, like the SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forwards :unsure:

 

[user 1215]

I seem to have noticed that some defect detectors are defective. At the Folkston Funnel in Georgia, you can hear two detectors that are in line with each other, and I swear that two different detectors for the same train reported different lengths and axle counts, followed by "No Defects".

 

[Shanghai]

Perhaps there should be defect detectors for defective defect detectors to ensure

the passing trains are properly defect detected.

 

[AlanB]

Counting axles on a moving train seems to be an interesting exercise for the detectors. While I've only ever had one misread things to the point where we had an odd number of axles, I've had on many trips trains that gain and lose pairs of axles as we roll along and with no cars being set out or added. Train lengths seems vary widely too, with one Silver service train that I recall going from 940 feet up to a high of around 1,300 feet.

But counting the axles is more like a secondary thing, so as to help the crew find out where the problem is. It doesn't focus on that so much as actually looking for defects.

 

[railiner]

I've heard them give the temperature, but never the speed! And I have to laugh when it says something like "... 23 axles (or some odd number) ..." - it seems you lost an axle somewhere!

I don't know how you end up with an odd number of axles...at least since all the old stearmers are gone, like the SP 4-8-8-2 Cab Forwards :unsure:

How about an ex New Haven FL-9?

 

[AutoTrDvr]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

For the benefit of those who may not know... can someone kindly explain what a "defect detector" is/does?

 

[PRR 60]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

For the benefit of those who may not know... can someone kindly explain what a "defect detector" is/does?

Simplistically speaking, it is a modern version what used to be called a "hot box detector." It is located along the track and has sensors that examine a passing train for overheated wheels and axles that are indicative of lubrication problems and can lead to failure and derailments. The modern defect detector has an automated voice communications that uses the local railroad radio frequency to tell the passing train crew the detector's findings. Those with radio scanners tuned to the local railroad frequency can hear those automated reports.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Here's a video of them testing the Defect detector and the dragging equipment catched.

 

[AutoTrDvr]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

For the benefit of those who may not know... can someone kindly explain what a "defect detector" is/does?

Simplistically speaking, it is a modern version what used to be called a "hot box detector." It is located along the track and has sensors that examine a passing train for overheated wheels and axles that are indicative of lubrication problems and can lead to failure and derailments. The modern defect detector has an automated voice communications that uses the local railroad radio frequency to tell the passing train crew the detector's findings. Those with radio scanners tuned to the local railroad frequency can hear those automated reports.

Many thanks. I actually imagined that they did more... but preventing a derailment is always a good thing.

 

[AlanB]

They can also check for dragging equipment, which can also cause problems depending on just what is dragging.

 

[user 1215]

Here's a video of them testing the Defect detector and the dragging equipment catched.

Very interesting. Even more interesting is that the rail is rusted over and it looks like it hasn't been used for a while.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Here's a video of them testing the Defect detector and the dragging equipment catched.

Very interesting. Even more interesting is that the rail is rusted over and it looks like it hasn't been used for a while.

It's in north america judging by the pickup truck near the shed. judging from the comments it might be Georgia southwestern railroad but it sounds like it's saying american southwestern railroad?

Here's audio of a NS detector malfunctioning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpICNCYZ_R4

 

[RampWidget]

I am heading to Boston on Monday from Wickford Junction and am bringing my scanner along. Will the MBTA train set off Amtrak Defect Detectors?

For the benefit of those who may not know... can someone kindly explain what a "defect detector" is/does?

Simplistically speaking, it is a modern version what used to be called a "hot box detector." It is located along the track and has sensors that examine a passing train for overheated wheels and axles that are indicative of lubrication problems and can lead to failure and derailments. The modern defect detector has an automated voice communications that uses the local railroad radio frequency to tell the passing train crew the detector's findings. Those with radio scanners tuned to the local railroad frequency can hear those automated reports.

Many thanks. I actually imagined that they did more... but preventing a derailment is always a good thing.

As AlanB pointed out, most hotbox detectors also detect dragging equipment. There are also less common wayside detectors for high cars and/or wide cars (to protect bridges and viaducts, for example.)

Many freight RRs are also installing detectors for wheel impacts (flat spots or other wheel issues). Also being utilized are trending detectors for earlier detection of failing wheel bearings. These type analyze both a sudden spike in bearing temperature since the last detector or a multiple readings in succession where a bearing is beginning to run hot, but not to the point where it will fire a wayside hot bearing detector. This information is automatically transmitted to a central office where mechanical personnel either monitor the car or direct that it be set out.