UK Rail Radio

[Class76]

In the USA there is Railroad Radio to listen to the chatter of engineers and dispatchers etc,is there such a thing for UK railways as I have searched and found nothing. ??

[Suicide Perkies]

I don't think there is.

There is the NRN (National Radio Network) but if a controller wants to talk to a driver (usually in an emergency) they have to have special message sent to them advising them to stop and call in using their cellular phone (or the guard's)

If a signaller wants to talk to a driver or vice versa there's the SPT (Signal Post Telephone) which requires them to stop and get out of the train to use it (drivers are told to get out immediately and use the phone if they're ever stopped for a red).

Failing that, the guard has a company-issued cellular phone.

Signal boxes have internal and external phones if they need to speak, but generally they talk to each other using the block bells. Some areas with multiple boxes in close proximity (Shrewsbury) have radios to stop them tying the phones up.

Stations and freight terminals might have localized handheld radios, but that's about it.

I don't know about local transit systems.

[Peter749]

Originally Posted by Class76

In the USA there is Railroad Radio to listen to the chatter of engineers and dispatchers etc,is there such a thing for UK railways as I have searched and found nothing. ??

The only radio channels you would hear is around the larger stations - the station staff use them to for passing info about station workings, and at some freight terminals where the Shunter would give the driver a radio to assist when propelling his train in to sidings.

In the US they don't have full signalling systems, apart from busy commuter areas, like they do in Europe. The dispatcher tells the engineer [driver] how for to go, where to wait for a train coming the other way and other instructions.

European Drivers just drive to a timetable and the signals and do not have the need for the chatter.

In the US a Hotbox detector tells the driver by radio that he has a hot axle on the 103rd car [wagon] and someone goes and checks. In Europe the Hotbox Detector alerts the signalman who stops the train with signals.

They do have radios in European locos and units but generaly they just use them to contact the signaller when stopped at signals or out of course.

A number of routes in the uk run DOO [Driver Only Operation] passenger trains. On such routes the driver has a Cab Secure Radio to contact the Signal with the push of one button with out leaving his cab.

Bit long but HTH

Peter

[Class76]

Thanks for this SP and Peter very informative,It made me think as I have airband scanners and wandered if UK railways had their own frequencies as the USA but typical "old blighty" a guard with a mobile phone lol.

[Suicide Perkies]

Originally Posted by Class76

Thanks for this SP and Peter very informative,It made me think as I have airband scanners and wandered if UK railways had their own frequencies as the USA but typical "old blighty" a guard with a mobile phone lol.

They do have their own radio frequencies! It's just not something that's used very much nor is it available for the public to listen to.

Before the mobile phone, if they wanted to speak to a driver or vice versa the train would stop/be stopped next to a signal box and the driver would go into the box and talk to the signalman (who would have a telephone). Likewise, if the station staff need to speak to the depot, they pick up the phone. Nowadays they sometimes use radios, but it's most for chargemen and dispatchers to relay information back and forth for very mundane things like missing luggage, missing traincrew, and other station-related duties.

It absolutely is not the "crappy Britain bodges its way along" you're making it out to be. A lot of this stuff has been around for years and years (the NRN infrastructure is huge, the relay towers are everywhere), and only now is it being phased out in favour GSM-R based communications.

[Class76]

Originally Posted by Suicide Perkies

It absolutely is not the "crappy Britain bodges its way along" you're making it out to be.

Lol are you serious that was just a bit of humour to end the thread I dont need you to preach at me I understand what was said.

[Suicide Perkies]

Can you imagine how I felt going to the trouble to give you a detailed answer and getting a "LOL" and flippant comment in response?