Pretty cool stuff here that Fiddler was referring to in his previous posts. These are feeds of track control signals from actual trackside transmitters. Someone receives the signal and turns around and feeds it to the web for anyone to view - with the right software. The Colorado "Joint Line" was newly covered by a feed a couple of years ago. Terry Stuart of the Fallston Flagstop has this set up on CSX for the web and his guests. We got a good look. If you have time and patience to play with the software, check out the ATCSMon Wiki on the subject. There you will find information for installing and operating the software, hardware and everything else there is to know. If it looks complex, it can be. However, break it down into small, digestable parts and it isn't so bad. Start with web monitoring. If I can do it, a lot of railfans can.
I started with joining the ATCSMon YahooGroups listserv. They do ask questions first. Then I read through some of the Wiki. Once I was accepted into the group, I downloaded the software and other "members only" files for the NS Harrisburg Division (no NS Pittsburgh Div. yet). Toggling back and forth between instructions and files, I managed to get it done well before I had to shoot the computer. I'm a long way from doing much more given that there aren't any ATCS rail lines for hundreds of miles and the portable stuff is too complex as well as pricey at the moment. But the web has a lot to offer so this piece of the puzzle was worth the effort.
While it is as exciting as pond fishing or golf sometimes, it does give the computer something to show me when I'm working on something else. Some people have this set up with the right radio gear to run it from a laptop from the actual signals while they are trackside! Though it isn't the same as a scanner, it can provide other types of information. Read up! Exciting times are ahead!
BC
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