Trains.com

ROANOKE RAIL CAM

179907 views
1396 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Southeast Michigan
  • 2,983 posts
Posted by Norm48327 on Thursday, May 27, 2010 4:28 PM

 Up for a few minutes then down again.

Norm


  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Thursday, May 27, 2010 4:41 PM

Dead . Hopefully not permanently . Really enjoyed this cam .  RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Thursday, May 27, 2010 9:57 PM

10:55 pm edt .  Its up again . Still a bit jerky . Wonder how long it will stay up this time ?       RON

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Friday, May 28, 2010 4:19 AM

j610

10:55 pm edt .  Its up again . Still a bit jerky . Wonder how long it will stay up this time ?       RON

 

It was operating in a jerky fashion yesterday (UK) afternoon-evening 28th.    It's operating at the moment (UK) 10.15am so I suppose your time would be about 04.15/05.15.    We've even got our pet spider back weaving its way across the lens.

Heiter.

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Friday, May 28, 2010 4:34 AM

Heiter

j610

10:55 pm edt .  Its up again . Still a bit jerky . Wonder how long it will stay up this time ?       RON

 

It was operating in a jerky fashion yesterday (UK) afternoon-evening 28th.    It's operating at the moment (UK) 10.15am so I suppose your time would be about 04.15/05.15.    We've even got our pet spider back weaving its way across the lens.

Heiter.

 

 

Oops!  Should have said 27th, tired mis-type!

Heiter.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Friday, May 28, 2010 8:32 AM

9:30 am .Gone again. Wonder what the problem is ?            RON .

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Friday, May 28, 2010 9:14 AM

j610

9:30 am .Gone again. Wonder what the problem is ?            RON .

 

 

It went down about the same time here in the UK allowing for the time-difference.    The picture has been jerky and was found to be going through the motions of replaying several frames occcasionally as somebody else had noted.   

What I have also noticed recently is that it reappeared streaming at 500kbps and is now streaming 691kbps although the image screen is black.    Just prior to the faults, the system was operating at 991kbps and the image was, as we know, a hit and miss affair....

Anybody seen the reddish brown spider yet..??

 Heiter.

 

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Friday, May 28, 2010 5:54 PM

6:45  Its BAAAAACK!!!!!!!!! Who knows for how long .Still a bit jerky . We shall see .         RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Friday, May 28, 2010 11:03 PM

Gone again .  I  think we can forget about this cam for a while .     RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2010
  • 17 posts
Posted by rggwilson on Saturday, May 29, 2010 8:04 AM

I  e-mailed the Roanoke Hotel hoping to get a responce - NOTHING!

Perhaps with enough complaints (I guess that is what you might call it) they

will get around to fixing it. I really like this cam - sure hope it isn't gone for good.

Ron Wilson

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Saturday, May 29, 2010 10:59 AM

I also e-mailed them last sunday and still no response. To me , this was the best web cam out there .                                RON

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Saturday, May 29, 2010 11:30 AM

j610

I also e-mailed them last sunday and still no response. To me , this was the best web cam out there .                                RON

 

By not replying to you they can't be accused of commiting themselves whatever the reason.    They did eventually reply to me but that was just to state the obvious, that they needed another server to help cope with the upsurge in popularity of the rail-cam which is another way of saying that the hotel business comes first but if that's the case then why don't they just say that and stop beating around the bush??  

Well it's one or more of several trains of thought, excuse the pun!    They, like me and others now, either can't be bothered...or they can't afford the cost of putting it right...or they're trying to do it themselves but haven't a clue.    Anybody else with any thoughts or ideas..??

I can agree that it was probably the best rail-cam from what I've seen and if the cam at Rochelle was to be improved then that may detract from the visiting public, despite the reasons/excuses given.   Perhaps I'm being too cynical..??   

Heiter.

  • Member since
    June 2001
  • From: US
  • 13,488 posts
Posted by Mookie on Saturday, May 29, 2010 12:20 PM

It exasperated me once too many times, so I unplugged it!  Mischief

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Saturday, May 29, 2010 7:39 PM

If they need money , maybe they should solicit donations . Just a thought .         RON

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Sunday, May 30, 2010 8:05 AM

j610

If they need money , maybe they should solicit donations . Just a thought .         RON

 

 

It's back on again but running at the previous stream of 500 Kbps.

Heiter.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Sunday, May 30, 2010 11:35 AM

This is one cam I think we can chalk up as history .Its not worth the aggravation .      RON

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Sunday, May 30, 2010 12:24 PM

j610

This is one cam I think we can chalk up as history .Its not worth the aggravation .      RON

 

I don't know which is worse, Roanoke or Rochelle!!!    One is jerky *when* it's on and the other is always jerky and too small.

If any organisation is going to do a job and expect credit for it then they should at least do the job properly or not bother.    I think I'll join the rest of you and pull the plug because none of them are worth the aggro'.

Cheers... Heiter.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Sunday, May 30, 2010 12:32 PM

Went from being the best u.s. railcam to one of the worst . Very disappointing.   RON

J610
  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: The English Riviera, South Devon, England
  • 475 posts
Posted by Great Western on Sunday, May 30, 2010 1:47 PM

The cam seems to be working well today (Sunday 30th.).  I have looked at it, periodically, for over seven hours without issue.  (noon -19.50)

Alan, Oliver & North Fork Railroad

https://www.buckfast.org.uk/

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. Lewis Carroll English author & recreational mathematician (1832 - 1898)

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Sunday, May 30, 2010 2:57 PM

Great Western

The cam seems to be working well today (Sunday 30th.).  I have looked at it, periodically, for over seven hours without issue.  (noon -19.50)

 I'll concur that it has been working today but in a jerky fashion and usually with action closest to the camera being most affected.    It has crashed and momentarily frozen a few times today too.    I can't recall the cam working yesterday at any time whatsoever.    They've had it operating at four different rates that I know of but it hasn't reached its high of 991kbps for a while.    I'll go with run and other's and unplug it as it's just not worth the hassle of the guessing game as to when it'll be on or not.

Heiter.

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Sunday, May 30, 2010 3:09 PM

 Oops!    A slight slip of the keys: I should have said, "I'll go with RON and other's..."

Heiter.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Monday, May 31, 2010 12:04 AM

I`ll miss it . Its the one I watched most often .   RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Monday, May 31, 2010 9:58 AM

Just wondering . Why did they decide to screw with this cam ?. I thought it was working great . Better than any other I have seen except the one in the netherlands.    RON

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Monday, May 31, 2010 11:04 AM

j610

Just wondering . Why did they decide to screw with this cam ?. I thought it was working great . Better than any other I have seen except the one in the netherlands.    RON

 

The cam in Nederland is really good being well positioned, bio-directional and has sound t'boot :-)

As to why they (I presume you mean the Roanoke Hotel..??) decided to "screw with this cam" is a question only "they" can answer.  The reply which I received blamed the *popularity* of the cam in relation to the server being unable to cope with the sudden demand.    I was led to believe that an improved server would soon be utilised but this appears to be anything *but* the case.    You don't need a university degree to install a web-cam!!

My reasoning from what they told me, rightly or wrongly, is that their internal system works better without the web-cam so are they now thinking, "Who's bothered about the web-cam..??"    

I honestly believe that they don't give a monkey's proverbial, in a manner of speaking, and *if* this is the case then why don't they just switch the useless thing off and be honest about it because most of us have unplugged the thing anyway!!    I wish somebody would switch-off Rochelle too for what use it is.

Modern technology and they can't run a continuous smoothly-operated web-cam without sound, it's sad.    The thought of sound probably scares them rigid anyway.. ;-)

Cheers,

Heiter.    

  • Member since
    April 2010
  • 17 posts
Posted by rggwilson on Monday, May 31, 2010 11:16 AM

I  know Trains only provides a link to the Roanoke Cam but it would seem to me that they could contact the Roanoke Hotel and apply a gentle pressure on them. I am a physically disabled and almost 75 years old. I was using that cam to go my "armchair" railfanning. I miss it a lot.

I just cannot understand how the Roanoke Hotel can let such a good publicity tool go so wrong. You would think they would at least acknowledge our e-mail messages to them.

Ron W

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Monday, May 31, 2010 11:33 AM

 Ron.      I must slow down when typing...made even worse by a tight clear poly-cover on my keyboard.    Of corse it's a bi-directional cam they have in Nederland and not something out of a science lab... ;-))

Cheers,

Heiter.

 

 

 

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Monday, May 31, 2010 11:57 AM

rggwilson

I  know Trains only provides a link to the Roanoke Cam but it would seem to me that they could contact the Roanoke Hotel and apply a gentle pressure on them. I am a physically disabled and almost 75 years old. I was using that cam to go my "armchair" railfanning. I miss it a lot.

I just cannot understand how the Roanoke Hotel can let such a good publicity tool go so wrong. You would think they would at least acknowledge our e-mail messages to them.

Ron W

 

 

Trains magazine is only a link, as you state, but they could, as you suggest, apply some gentle pressure!     I would have thought that Trains magazine would by this time be aware of the recent problems and, if not, you would be advising them as they are providing a link to something which is not working possibly as and when it should.     Keep sending e-mails to both parties explaining that it's one of your main enjoyments and how it affects you and many other people, like you, with disabilities.      Perhaps a telephone call to the hotel from rail-fans in or not too far from Virginia..??

Cheers,

Heiter.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Monday, May 31, 2010 1:04 PM

The hotel does not care anything about this cam . They installed it and then found out it was more than they wanted to deal with .Its a shame that one of the museums could not take it over .But , they are already low on funds .    RON

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Monday, May 31, 2010 1:40 PM

j610

The hotel does not care anything about this cam . They installed it and then found out it was more than they wanted to deal with .Its a shame that one of the museums could not take it over .But , they are already low on funds .    RON

 

Perhaps several business's could get together and share the operation making it an even cheaper advertising solution but get it away from the hotel who, as most now believe, don't care about it.    There are many ways of funding such an operation and by responsible people.

Keep smiling...

Heiter.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Monday, May 31, 2010 2:41 PM

Now we just need to figure a way to put that plan into action.    RON

J610

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy