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IS THIS THE PERSON TO WHOM I AM SPEAKING

by Carl on December 24th, 2014

A while back I had enough with the way the Atlantic Shoals crews communicate with the train dispatcher and each other. We had been using radio units with head phones for years. As much as I tried to enforce “proper radio procedures” (see rules of the rails) it never failed at each session to hear people talking over each other, causing the train dispatcher, and the owner, to become very frustrated. Has this ever happened to you?:

My battery just went dead, I caught my head set wire and ripped it off my head, my ear hurts, someone is on vox, someone forgot to bring a radio, what       frequency are we using, hey Charlie turn on your radio, at least one person sometimes more, refuse to us the radio, the list goes on.

One day I was looking at the Best Buy web site and came across portable home telephones, VIOLA, a plan was hatched. I found a set of Panasonic phones model KX TGA421 (there are literally 25 other brands and types available) with a base station and 5 extensions. I placed the base station on the train dispatchers desk and located the 5 extensions on the layout near vital locations such as yards and local switching areas. I printed user info and extension numbers on the back of each hand set. Intercom mode requires no hard wiring into the home telephone system, thus making the whole system independent. The whole set cost me about $135.00!

 

The next OP session was unlike anything I had ever seen! The room was quiet, trains could not talk while in motion as phones are imaginarily only located at switches signals and yard offices. The train dispatcher could not change track authority as he couldn’t call the train. Once a clearance was given the train was gone and unless a problem was encountered en-route, would only call upon arrival at it’s final clearance point. If the train dispatchers phone is busy the caller gets a busy signal. Peace was restored!

 

I have had the system in use for over six months and everyone loves it. No one has to bring a radio to the Shoals. The instruments are rechargeable and do so while the layout is turned on. Other owners are contemplating a similar system and I hope they follow through. By the way if you need more then 6 phones you can buy two systems, thus 10 handsets and two base stations. If you do this make sure you can change the ring tone on “intercom” as I can’t with my model.

 

Now if only I could get the operators awaiting assignment to stop hanging around the train dispatcher (a modest crew lounge is in the works) total tranquility may prevail, nah that ain’t gonna happen.

 

Carl

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