Railfan Aid? - Loveland area couple builds Train Alert system to help reduce traffic backups

[rdamon]

Now we need someone to do this around Rochelle!

http://www.reporterherald.com/business/ci_31567947/loveland-couple-builds-train-alert-system-help-reduce

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Could you imagine an alert system like this in downtown Hammond sometime in the late 1960's to early 1970's?

[mudchicken]

Largely a solution in search of a problem. Now if they they could find all the stupid motorists behind the wheel and trespassers in that area, they might be providing a public service.

BNSF's Front Range Sub, UPRR's Ft Collins Sub and two parts of OmniTrax's Great Western Operation in play here. The biggest impediment to railroad operations in that country is the locals doing stupid things...(burning bridges, going around gates, crawling under slow moving trains on Mason Street, bad street design, poor urban planning, etc.)

As per usual, clueless newsworker.

[Haselmaier]

The software that does the visual analysis will be available for free soon. (It is going to be "open sourced" - meaning it will be available to anyone for free - and software developers can modify and enhance it.). The remainder of the technologies we used to implement the system (cameras, PCs, a website and a couple of Twitter accounts) are available for free or for low cost. An idea of what is required put it together can be found here: http://jimhconsulting.com/trainalert-implementation.html The majority of users we have today are interested in being alerted because they want to avoid traffic issues. I know of at least one (maybe there are more - I'm not sure) rail fan who is a user. Jim

[rdamon]

That is great work Jim,

It will be interesting to see what the OpenSource community does with this.  (Un)fortunately I do not live by a rail line, but I could see applications like identifying when the school bus passes to alert the downstream parents.

Robert