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ROANOKE RAIL CAM

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  • From: morganton north carolina
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Posted by j610 on Friday, September 24, 2010 3:40 PM

Nothing new .That is typical for this cam . It seems like it is down more than it is up .    RON

J610
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Posted by kolechovski on Friday, September 24, 2010 2:02 PM

Maybe you won't.  The camera is suddenly dying again.  It was fine earlier, but now it's black, and refreshing it simply leads to it quickly dying again.

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Posted by j610 on Friday, September 24, 2010 12:38 PM

Thanks,guys. I will check it out again tonight.   RON

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Posted by Norm48327 on Friday, September 24, 2010 11:20 AM

There is an antenna farm atop Poor Mpuntain.

Follow this link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Mountain

Norm


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Posted by Modelcar on Friday, September 24, 2010 11:04 AM

j610

I have watched the cam at various times of the night and early morning and have yet to see the lights you are all talking about. Has anyone figured it out yet ?         RON.

Ron....If you still have not located the "lights" many on here have been talking about....Just a few pointers to help.

Location:  Find 2nd from right verticle support post at parking garage.  Follow that upwards to the distant ridge on the horizon.  Believe a poster on here indicates that location is 12 plus mi. distant.

Atmospheric conditions must be good enough to see it during the dark hours.  The distance and atmospheric conditions are such that the cluster of tower lights appear to be blinking, and perhaps some of them are.

You must look close, as the intensity of these lights is much lower than most other visible lights in the cam scene.

I believe they are easier to find / see, when cam is on B&W function.

It must be a "hot" spot to locate antennes, as it appears to be a cluster of them, but the light lumens are rather faint to find and see, but look steadily and close....and when weather conditions allows one to see the far ridge, the lights should be visible.  {Twinkling & blinking like}.

Quentin

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Posted by kolechovski on Friday, September 24, 2010 10:45 AM

Wait a couple more weeks for a new moon, and they should become visible.  I'd like to see it the moment the camera goes B&W.  While I'm posting this, I noticed that the second locomotive of an SN train on the cam, NS 7379, was a high-nose.  I rarely get to see those around anymore.  It was in the conists if several tank cars, and that lovely red caboose.

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Posted by Norm48327 on Friday, September 24, 2010 1:24 AM

Ron,

 

See my earlier post. They are lights on broadcast towers atop Poor Mountain. That is almost thirteen miles distant, and atmospherics come into play. If visibility is not good you will not see them. I was there a few minutes ago, and they were not showing.

Norm


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Posted by j610 on Friday, September 24, 2010 12:42 AM

I have watched the cam at various times of the night and early morning and have yet to see the lights you are all talking about. Has anyone figured it out yet ?         RON.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 11:02 PM

Must be foggy over that area.  I can barely see them at this hour (12MidNight EDT).

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by RichardLHight on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 10:24 PM
I just checked the RCC at 10:45 EDST and found the flickering lights over the parking garage were nowhere to be seen!  There is a full moon and the sky is clear as filtered water. 
 

Rich

 

Those that desire, find a way..... Those that don't, find an excuse.

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Posted by kolechovski on Friday, September 17, 2010 1:31 PM

I forgot to mention, the camera has been really sporadic over the past few weeks.  It will be okay for a while, then it will die (often on "buffering"), and then after a while, it will be okay again.  I guess everybody else has been experiencing these oddities, so I guess it's the connection itself that has issues.

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Posted by kolechovski on Friday, September 17, 2010 1:29 PM

Well, a few things.  I do remember seeign what appears to be a couple lights that, as I mentioned before, go on and off every once in a while.  Perhaps these are the streetlights people mentioned going.  I think I had seen that incedible brightness with them.  Also, while mentioning flickering lights, I had seen the sparkly ones off in the distance.  I also had seena  number of flashing lights from paramedic units on the far end of that camera on a few occasions.  I wonder if that building is some type of residence, and if someone there has chronic medical issues.

Today, on teh camera, at 1:11, in a train passing on the far side of a single Conrail loco on the closer track, I saw a white car I hadn't seen before.  It is gondola-sized, but it was mainly a flatcar, with several large rods sticking up from it goign down the center.  What type of car is this, and what is it used for?

Also, I had saved previous notes from sightings, but I can't remember the details of them.  Maybe somebody else saw these?

Sep 14:  5:1=empty rail train

Sep 11:  UP loco # 59?? (last digits unknown, standard size loco)
NS # 6742 with blue and white striped seen, but still no other info known about it-still doesn't seem to have completed its paint process

 

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Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, September 16, 2010 9:05 AM

....Just checked on the cam, seems we have a good pic. this morning.

And just for clarity:  10:02 am....EDT.

Boy, looking at the nice pic this morning and wondering if a train is just about there, out of camera range....Wouldn't it be great if we had audio to hear the city sounds and train operations.  When working correctly, this is a real nice display of RR property, and rather active.  I really catch quite a few trains as I occasionally take a look.

Quentin

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Posted by RichardLHight on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 10:08 PM
Of course now that I've updated my profile and set the time to EST, the posted time is acurate.  So simple when I follow the program. Duh

Rich

 

Those that desire, find a way..... Those that don't, find an excuse.

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Posted by RichardLHight on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 10:04 PM
I wish the flickering lights were as easy to figure out and the time deferential!  The posts are GMT which is London, UK.  Who'd thunk it? 

Rich

 

Those that desire, find a way..... Those that don't, find an excuse.

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Posted by RichardLHight on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 9:01 PM
I'm on Eastern Daylight Savings Time and the difference is five hours into the future, which should make it somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean or would that make it England?
 
Rich

Rich

 

Those that desire, find a way..... Those that don't, find an excuse.

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Posted by RichardLHight on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 8:57 PM
Anybody know what the deal is with the time deferential?  Quentin reported that his post was at 7:50 pm and the posted time was 12:54 am in Muncie Indiana .  I've noticed that this seems to be a normal thing.  It is currently 9:56 pm in Martinsville, Virginia.  Check out my posted time.
 
Rich  

Rich

 

Those that desire, find a way..... Those that don't, find an excuse.

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Posted by Modelcar on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 6:54 PM

7:50 pm, cam working {?}, still in color, but the motion was stopping every few seconds.

Quentin

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Posted by j610 on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 2:02 PM

Working fine for me at 3:00 pm.    RON

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Posted by Norm48327 on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 11:48 AM

The camera appears to be down again. Checked it today and got a blank screen.

Norm


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Posted by Norm48327 on Monday, September 13, 2010 4:37 PM

Semper Vaporo

I had considered that much earlier in this great scientific discussion of strange lights in the sky... but Area 51 is at the compass direction of 281 degrees from the camera location... the right edge of the view is at 265 degrees so Area 51 is off screen to the right and out of view... It is even doubtful that something in the flight path to runway 16 at Area 51 would be visible from the Roanoke Railcam.

 

Unless you can factor in visibility of over 2,000 miles area 51 would be highly unlikely.

Norm


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Posted by Norm48327 on Monday, September 13, 2010 4:37 PM

Semper Vaporo

I had considered that much earlier in this great scientific discussion of strange lights in the sky... but Area 51 is at the compass direction of 281 degrees from the camera location... the right edge of the view is at 265 degrees so Area 51 is off screen to the right and out of view... It is even doubtful that something in the flight path to runway 16 at Area 51 would be visible from the Roanoke Railcam.

 

Unless you can factor in visibility of over 2,000 miles area 51 would be highly unlikely.

Norm


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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Sunday, September 12, 2010 9:44 PM

Ahhhhh!  Maybe that hunk of green cheese was heavy enought to warp space such that Area 51 was for a moment south of where Google Earth shows it... or maybe it warped Google Earth to put Area 51 some place where it ain't. 

 

Of course by the Hiesenburg Principle, since I know WHEN Google Earth took the arial photos, I can't know where Area 51 was at that time.

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Modelcar on Sunday, September 12, 2010 9:38 PM

..........Don't forget, anything is possible, connected with area 51.

Quentin

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Sunday, September 12, 2010 9:30 PM

I had considered that much earlier in this great scientific discussion of strange lights in the sky... but Area 51 is at the compass direction of 281 degrees from the camera location... the right edge of the view is at 265 degrees so Area 51 is off screen to the right and out of view... It is even doubtful that something in the flight path to runway 16 at Area 51 would be visible from the Roanoke Railcam.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by Modelcar on Sunday, September 12, 2010 9:10 PM

...........Maybe this web cam is actually pointed at area 51.

Quentin

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Sunday, September 12, 2010 8:56 PM

A strange light appeared tonight at about 9:25 PM CDT. 

It started as just a sliver of light at the very top of the scene to the left of center (maybe 1/3 of the way from the left). 

As time progressed it grew larger until it was about the size of one of the black targets in the 3 pair over the tracks near the middle of the screen.  It had a bit of a tear-drop shape, but more rounded on the right and concave on the upper left.

It remained visible for about 1/2 hour, slowly moving down toward the buildings. 

It seemed to alight on the roof of the building behind the left edge of the parking garage, where it was absorbed by the building, growing dimmer and smaller over about 5 minutes, until 9:47 when it dissappeared completely.

I suspect that it will be back tomorrow night, though I think it will probably be a bit earlier.

My guess is that it was made of green cheese!

Anybody else see it?

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by DennisHeld on Saturday, September 11, 2010 6:48 PM

In tonight's twilight, it appears dark.  I would guess that it's an exhaust plume off of the building.  Perhaps a steam plume.  It's bright at night because it's lit.  

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Posted by Norm48327 on Saturday, September 11, 2010 4:53 PM

Guys,

 

The towers on Poor Mountain are plentiful because it is the highest spot around  and that means the broadcasters don't have to build really tall towers to get their signal into Roanoake and Lynchburg. Those flashing lights always seem to be in the same place, and it would make sense to an aviator

Based on the description others have given it my best and last guess.

Norm


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Posted by Modelcar on Saturday, September 11, 2010 12:59 PM

Rich.....The "bright light" you noted hovering, I believe is the same light several of us have noted for some time.  It seems to be just a bit to the right {from the blinking lights}, and a bit down from the top of the closer ridge.  Believe it shows up right above the 2nd set of black disk {signals} over in the right sector of the view...The right signal.

Most of the time it appears to be a "dim" light, then {and on no regular timing}, seems to be replaced by a bright light.  I really haven't noticed the bright one now for some time....Have no idea what that might be.

Edit:  Just saw another object......This one I could identify.  A spider on the cam lens.....Showed up on my monitor screen here about 2 inches long.  That's a new twist.

Quentin

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