Train Radios

[MNK.Trains]

is there any sort of radios that you can access to gain information on trains passing

 

[Scotrail84]

Do you mean like a scanner?

 

[Aictos]

is there any sort of radios that you can access to gain information on trains passing

Sorry no, the systems in use are for safety critical communications between the signaller and the train crew and are not available to listen into for obvious reasons.

Before anyone says "but you can with aircraft...." that is a whole different ball game.

 

[Scotrail84]

Sorry no, the systems in use are for safety critical communications between the signaller and the train crew and are not available to listen into for obvious reasons.

Before anyone says "but you can with aircraft...." that is a whole different ball game.

I've always wondered if you could use a scanner to scan into the nrn network

 

[shedman]

The NRN network would be rather boring to be honest. Since its used in a completely different way to other industries communications I can't think if much worth listening to on it. Don't get me wrong I don't mind listening to the often inaudible emergency broadcast but even they don't often give much away

 

[ole man]

Does the NRN have a frequency like aircraft and airports?.All i see around are 065 and 068 etc etc they are what the driver uses in emergencies

 

[156441]

The NRN uses different 'channels' in different areas. The 065/068 boards you see knocking around are reminders to the driver/guard to change the channel as it doesn't do it automatically.

The most you ever hear on the NRN is a message along the lines of 'this is an emergency message can the driver of 2R07 please bring the train to an immediate stand and press the red button........' then repeated followed by this is network rail control....Out.

The driver then contacts the signaller by private broadcast so you get no info at all!

 

[tdg1986]

Before anyone says "but you can with aircraft...." that is a whole different ball game.

In what way?

 

[Smudger105e]

I must admit, I struggle to understand why safety critical railway systems such as NRN or GSM-R are treated with such secrecy, when aircraft systems, or those of the emergency services, for example, are not. It seems to me that this may encourage the view that the train operators may have 'something to hide'.

Would it really matter if someone listened to train - shore communications?

 

[jopsuk]

no- but then, the emergency services and I believe ATC are shifting/have moved to encyrpted communications.

With GSM-R, if anything the encryption on the voice tranmissions is basically a bonus feature; it's the abillity for signaller and driver to contact each other directly and easily and the data connection that are the primary features.

 

[90019]

or those of the emergency services, for example, are not.

Police systems cannot be listened in to and Fire brigade ones you can only hear the response. Ambulances are the only ones you can hear, but I can't remember if they've changed or not, since it's been a couple of years since I last used a scanner.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Police systems cannot be listened in to and Fire brigade ones you can only hear the response. Ambulances are the only ones you can hear, but I can't remember if they've changed or not, since it's been a couple of years since I last used a scanner.

Not anymore, it's now the same digital encrypted system that Police and Fire now use.

 

[GB]

The most you ever hear on the NRN is a message along the lines of 'this is an emergency message can the driver of 2R07 please bring the train to an immediate stand and press the red button........' then repeated followed by this is network rail control....Out.

RETB zones you might here more.

 

[Poggs]

I must admit, I struggle to understand why safety critical railway systems such as NRN or GSM-R are treated with such secrecy, when aircraft systems, or those of the emergency services, for example, are not. It seems to me that this may encourage the view that the train operators may have 'something to hide'.

Would it really matter if someone listened to train - shore communications?

NRN and CSR are not secret, but they are not public. They are private communications. You could listen to CSR - it's MPT 1327 - but what would you hear? A load of data bursts from radios setting up and changing area. Messages between the signaller and radios, if you were close enough to a station - but bear in mind it's trunked so you'd need to listen to the control channel to know which frequency to tune in to. Not impossible.

GSM-R is encrypted because it stops communications being intercepted and allows individual SIMs to be blocked if they're stolen. Same with LU Connect. We don't have that luxury with NRN or CSR, but to be fair, you can't extract a Storno 6000 radio from a cab without the right tool, so instances of stolen radios will be much lower.

I'm interested to know why you're hinting that something private means there's something to hide.

 

[172212]

is there any sort of radios that you can access to gain information on trains passing

No, but using this site, you can get the headcode of the train passing. Just click on options in the top-right hand corner, change from normal to detailed, type in the station you're looking for and the desired time, and a list of trains should appear with their headcode in the info column. You can even see trains going back to the depot.

Hope I've helped

 

[Smudger105e]

I'm interested to know why you're hinting that something private means there's something to hide.

I wasn't hinting. I am staff and know the sort of boring stuff that goes over NRN.

This is Birmingham Control, will the driver of 2N26 contact Control when it is safe to do so.

I just didn't see why people said that it was secure, whether there was a real reason it was secure...

 

[wessex]

Interesting link here

 

[scotsman]

RETB zones you might here more.

All you hear are tokens being exchanged. If anything's up, you'll hear about it over the radio but, given the number of trains on RETB lines, it's not very often.

They're boring too..."Two Zero Three Five at Crianlarich station, clear of section, requesting token Crianlarich to Dalmally, over" "Driver Two Zero Three Five, press and hold send and receive, over..."

 

[GB]

They are all boring, the point was there is generally more to hear.

 

[MNK.Trains]

No, but using this site, you can get the headcode of the train passing. Just click on options in the top-right hand corner, change from normal to detailed, type in the station you're looking for and the desired time, and a list of trains should appear with their headcode in the info column. You can even see trains going back to the depot.

Hope I've helped

On this site i cant find anything