NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

Unread post by justalurker66 »

No good vantage point for 423 (not a drone owner) but nothing new seen next to the existing signals.
CP 426 has two new cantilevers westbound (yard two track covered, main line three track turned). New mast mounts will replace the eastbound bridge.
The intermediates to CP 435 have PTC antennas installed and new gravel around the base of the old signals.
Interrail was working at CP 437 on Sunday ... and it appears they have been working west of South Bend.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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Anyone been to Kendalvlille lately? Has the EB signal been raised?

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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justalurker66 wrote:Anyone been to Kendalvlille lately? Has the EB signal been raised?
A quick trip Saturday ... NO CHANGE noted at Kendallville (no new EB cantilever).
Also CP 342 (West Bryan, OH) still has the WB cantilever on the ground.

I noticed the Huntington District has PTC antennas on two new signal locations between East Blakeslee and Montpilier. Those new intermediates are not in service (one on CR 8.50 the other on CR I). West Blakeslee's new WB signals are not bagged nor turned to field and are apparently in service? West Blakeslee's new EB signal is laying next to the old signal.

Back in Indiana there are PTC antennas at the CPs west (south) of Butler on the Huntington District. I was trying to get to Whiting before sundown so I did not follow the Huntington District to see how far PTC antennas had been installed.
Last edited by justalurker66 on Sat Oct 03, 2015 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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Still no visible change at Kendallville. A cantilever remains unassembled north of the tracks.
Are there signals around the corner that are not visible from the east?

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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Still no visible changes at Kendallville ... is the Eastbound installed around the corner to the west out of sight from public roads?

LakeATCS
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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Things look like they are getting really close east of Elkhart for the new signal cutover. I took a drive past a good portion of the section.

It looks like a 358 and 360 are getting higher antennas. Everything looked about ready to go.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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LakeATCS wrote:Things look like they are getting really close east of Elkhart for the new signal cutover. I took a drive past a good portion of the section.

It looks like a 358 and 360 are getting higher antennas. Everything looked about ready to go.
Is the EB visible at Kendalville?

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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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justalurker66 wrote:
LakeATCS wrote:Things look like they are getting really close east of Elkhart for the new signal cutover. I took a drive past a good portion of the section.

It looks like a 358 and 360 are getting higher antennas. Everything looked about ready to go.
Is the EB visible at Kendalville?
I didn't have time to zoot in there, but there is a chance they may put the thing around the curve where you can't see it anyway.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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LakeATCS wrote:I didn't have time to zoot in there, but there is a chance they may put the thing around the curve where you can't see it anyway.
Possible. The WB cantilever and the entrance signal from the short line were sitting near the current WB signal when they were originally delivered. There was still an extra cantilever there on the north side of the tracks the last time I looked (a few weeks ago).

If they go far enough around the corner it should be visible from SR 3. Unfortunately Google's "2015" arial update ended just north of the CP ... so any signs of construction (such as a road back to a new signal location) are not shown.

I have not been to Butler in several months but that was another one where the signals were still on the ground despite work appearing complete all the way to Kendallville and then beyond Kendalville to Elkhart.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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Nothing seen from SR 3, the north end of S Lincoln Ave (entrance to NS yard) or along W Mitchell St.

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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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I found the missing EAS cantaliver at cp 379 kendalville. It's laying on the ground by the WAS just north of the switch heater propane tank.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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LakeATCS wrote:I found the missing EAS cantaliver at cp 379 kendalville. It's laying on the ground by the WAS just north of the switch heater propane tank.
Yep ... the same place I have been seeing it since before the WB signals were installed.

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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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New Google maps uploaded today including Kendallville

Dave

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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Not even a hint of the eastbound signal. Strange.

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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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They are finally adding the ptc antennas to the 412-419 areas it seems, hope the one at 417 goes up fast and the atcs antenna is active a lot higher! will give goshen atcs server a better chance to pick it up!

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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rob46580 wrote:They are finally adding the ptc antennas to the 412-419 areas it seems, hope the one at 417 goes up fast and the atcs antenna is active a lot higher! will give goshen atcs server a better chance to pick it up!
417 was received fine before NS turned down the power. I would not expect them to make reception easier for us. If NS was having reception problems turning up the power would be a cheaper solution than relocating the antenna.

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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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justalurker66 wrote:
rob46580 wrote:They are finally adding the ptc antennas to the 412-419 areas it seems, hope the one at 417 goes up fast and the atcs antenna is active a lot higher! will give goshen atcs server a better chance to pick it up!
417 was received fine before NS turned down the power. I would not expect them to make reception easier for us. If NS was having reception problems turning up the power would be a cheaper solution than relocating the antenna.
That is the nice thing about the PTC requirement. It's forcing them to raise the Antenna height to have enough PTC coverage on 220MHZ. The FCC has limited them to 5Watts on 220MHZ. This is forcing them to raise the masts at the MCPs. Since both the 900 and 220mhz antenna are on the same mast, we get a 900mhz boost.

Height on 900mhz is vastly more important then the wattage.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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LakeATCS wrote:That is the nice thing about the PTC requirement. It's forcing them to raise the Antenna height to have enough PTC coverage on 220MHZ. The FCC has limited them to 5Watts on 220MHZ. This is forcing them to raise the masts at the MCPs. Since both the 900 and 220mhz antenna are on the same mast, we get a 900mhz boost.

Height on 900mhz is vastly more important then the wattage.
I hope you are right. Interrail crews were out at 417 and 419 today. If they put up the new H shaped antennas holders and NS doesn't lower the power to compensate it should improve the range. Getting 423 and 426 reliably would also be nice.

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justalurker66
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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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The antennas are up (may not be connected) at CP 412 (by Westbound signals), 414, CP 417 (by Eastbound signals) and 419
The antennas at the intermediates are PTC only ... just the two loops on one side of the mast.
The antennas at the CPs are PTC on one side of the mast and a short ATCS antenna on the other side of the mast.
The new CP ATCS antennas are about the same height as the current CP 412 antenna ... so hopefully that will help.
Elkhart-Goshen PTC Antennas
Elkhart-Goshen PTC Antennas

The new antenna tower at Martins is a replacement for the regular radio tower further east down the track. The old antenna tower will have an embankment and US 33 built next to that location ... and eventually a fifth track if the Marion Branch is ever double tracked. So NS has moved the local radio tower west to across the tracks from Martins. (This tower is not specifically for PTC.)
New Goshen Radio Tower<br />(old and new towers shown)
New Goshen Radio Tower
(old and new towers shown)

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Re: NE Indiana NS Chicago Line PTC project

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Thank you for all the information.


GTW

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