Trains.com

ROANOKE RAIL CAM

179835 views
1396 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: The English Riviera, South Devon, England
  • 475 posts
Posted by Great Western on Thursday, June 17, 2010 5:02 AM

 Using the VLC media player - WITHOUT the aid of a browser - allows full screen pics if necessary.  To acheive this the RailCam IP address has to be entered in a Bookmark.

As I type this post (using the right hand side of my pc monitor) I can watch the RailCam in a window on the left side of the monitor.  That way when a train appears that I wish to watch I can enlarge the Railcam pic: alternatively if I wish to view a full screen bowser I can do that.

I have the choice of browsers: Firefox, Opera, Dragon, AOL and lastly IE.  I mainly use Firefox but use Opera for RSS and news.  Dragon is for Ham radio web sites.  AOL and IE are rarely used.   All will show the RailCam but all use WMP.


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
    February 2002
  • From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania
  • 13,456 posts
Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, June 17, 2010 9:57 AM

Understand from previous posts there must be many ways to achieve the cam pic.

But comparing the normal size pic. as comes up on request for the web cam.....and what it covers, in doing simply what I've indicated in former post, my full screen pic. does cover the same area as the smaller window.

Quentin

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Friday, June 18, 2010 7:22 AM

IE8 is the only way I can get full screen . My primary browser is mozilla firefox but it will not allow me full screen.   RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Saturday, June 19, 2010 3:40 PM

 Been working great for a while now. Lets hope it stays that way.     RON

J610
  • Member since
    September 2002
  • 762 posts
Posted by kolechovski on Monday, June 21, 2010 8:09 AM

9:10 AM EDT...what the heck is that orange machine?  It looks like it does several things at once.  heck, I'm pretty sure that thing even does laundry!  I also notice a bunch of stuff spread out next to the high rail truck in front of it, but I can't tell exactly what it is.  Clearly, there's going to be plenty of MOWing going on today in front of the camera.  Anyone who likes watching that stuff might possibly see other goodies as well.

Edit-upon closer inspection, it's 2 machines, the first being a regulator, the second right behind it, I'm still not sure about.  It doesn't seem to be a spiker.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Monday, June 21, 2010 8:27 AM
Looks like they are getting ready to replace some ties.      RON
J610
  • Member since
    September 2002
  • 762 posts
Posted by kolechovski on Monday, June 21, 2010 8:47 AM

Yep-nice bunch of machines doing the tie work.  This is also my first time listenign to railroadradio for the area there to try to follow along.  I am amazed with the strong southern accents they all have,  They're only a little ways south of PA...I didn't know accents could change so suddenly.  I'd thought it would have just "blended in" the southern accent the further south you went.

To the guys who mentioned other methods of viewing, can you get snapshots from those means with PrintScreen, or do you just end up with a blank box like most of us get when trying it from WMP.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Monday, June 21, 2010 2:12 PM

Work completed. Back to normal.      RON

J610
  • Member since
    November 2005
  • From: Florence, SC
  • 1,614 posts
Posted by grampaw pettibone on Monday, June 21, 2010 4:15 PM

I watched the whole thing, and never did see what they did with the old ties. Anyone know?

Tom

COAST LINE FOREVER

It is better to dwell in the corner of a roof than to share a house with a contentious woman! (Solomon)

A contentious woman is like a constant dripping! (Solomon)

  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Monday, June 21, 2010 5:55 PM

Looks to me like the old ties are laying beside the track where the new ones were stacked.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: SW Pa
  • 152 posts
Posted by squeeze on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 6:51 AM

I see a caboose quite often on this site. I've watched the Chessie system locally and haven't seen one in 30 years. Now I can see at least one a day here. Too bad you only get 20 minutes or so of color in the late evening, that allows one to get the signals in color. When it goes B&W at nite it's hard to tell the signals. I see that they use the same basic set-up that the PRR used in their signaling. Pretty good shot of the rail line though, with lots of traffic. Kudos to whomever is responsible.

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: Southeast Michigan
  • 2,983 posts
Posted by Norm48327 on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 7:38 AM

j610

IE8 is the only way I can get full screen . My primary browser is mozilla firefox but it will not allow me full screen.   RON

 

 

In the lower right corner of the screen, in the black area just above the task bar, you should find two buttons. The top one toggles between full and partial screen, and the lower one locks the current mode.

I watch on Firefox, and can move back and forth between the two.

Norm


  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 8:01 AM

No,nothing there. Its ok though because I get full screen in IE8.   RON

J610
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: SW Pa
  • 152 posts
Posted by squeeze on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:56 PM

I just set up another computer on my network (WINXP) and tried watching the cam on Chrome while I had my main computer on watching on IE8. I could not believe the difference between the two. Chrome was 10 seconds faster than IE8. I watched in Chrome, then I could see the same picture on IE8 10 seconds later. A replay in effect. I'm going to try watching with Safari and the others at the same time to see the difference. Anyone else notice the difference? This is getting interesting, I'll try Linux next, anyone view with Linux? Hard to believe there is so much difference among the browsers. I tried the VLC Media player but couldn't get the web site to come up with the "open location from clipboard" in Media tab.

  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 11:43 PM

Remember that they are all trying to move data over the same internet connection (I assume), and one could have some sort of higher priority than the other.  That priority might get set by which one initiates the connection first.  Try starting them in a different order to see if that has any effect.

Also, swap the machine/browser pairing, one PC might be better than the other, even if they were purchased as "identical" PC's... (I have seen multiple PCs purchased on the same P.O. and arrive on the same day, have different mother boards or BIOS versions!)

One might have more or less fragmented harddrive causing difference in the speed of allocating file space.  Might also have different versions/setups for Anti-malware and other background utilities.

One could have been serving some other function or network connection at the time (updating databases, etc.)

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 12:57 PM

 MOW crews in action again. Not much traffic otherwise.         RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Friday, June 25, 2010 8:30 PM

Is it my imagination or has there been a lot less traffic the last few days. Maybe its just the times i have been on the site.       RON

J610
  • Member since
    May 2010
  • 32 posts
Posted by Heiter on Saturday, June 26, 2010 5:59 AM

j610

Is it my imagination or has there been a lot less traffic the last few days. Maybe its just the times i have been on the site.       RON

    I doubt it's your imagination but probably due to the track-work being carried-out which may have forced trains to be re-routed.

Heiter.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Saturday, June 26, 2010 10:36 AM

 You are right. I forgot about that. A lot of traffic this morning .    RON

J610
  • Member since
    September 2002
  • 762 posts
Posted by kolechovski on Monday, June 28, 2010 9:14 AM

A freight train that went by on teh cam had some interesting cars I hadn't seen before.  They were painted green, and sorta resembled gondolas, but higher and split in half.  What were those used for?

I also saw a locomotive on the next train to show up (far track moving to the far right) in seemingly new Conrail blue, but no lettering or other paint on it at all.  Behind it was an NS unit.  Anyone know anything about this Big Blue loco?

EDIT-10:50 AM, the loco came back and stopped at just the right point.  Apparently, it had 2 sets of twin backward slashes painted on its side in white.  What this means, I have no clue.

  • Member since
    September 2002
  • 762 posts
Posted by kolechovski on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 7:58 AM

That loco set just went by now at 8:57 AM today, with 2 covered hoppers, and that familiar red caboose on the lead.

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Tuesday, June 29, 2010 9:15 PM

Hello everyone. I just got my internet back. Been without it all day. Thought I was going to lose my mind . I missed my trains.       RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Friday, July 2, 2010 10:45 AM

Flags are up. Roanoke is ready for the fourth. Now all we need is a red,white,and blue loco.     RON

J610
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Cordes Jct Ariz.
  • 1,305 posts
Posted by switch7frg on Friday, July 2, 2010 11:59 AM

Smile   Yes indeed it is a nice day on Shenandoah Av. west bound. Does anyone know  if that little slab across fron that black SUV  is where the water standpipe used to be?? Myscreen saver is of engine N&W Y6b 2179 in 1957 at that standpipe. Just curious.

                                    Cannonball

Y6bs evergreen in my mind

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 2, 2010 7:34 PM

Just wanted to pass along in case you were not aware, that there is a Roanoke scanner online at railroadradio.net

The URL is:  http://www.railroadradio.net/content/view/174/207/

Enjoy!

 

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Friday, July 2, 2010 8:28 PM

It`s great to listen to while you are watching the cam. I discovered it about a month ago.    RON

J610
  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Sunday, July 4, 2010 10:54 AM

Haven't seen any trains this morning, but Roanoke must be having bicycle races today... lots of fast moving bicycles on the opposite side of the tracks with a couple of automobiles chasing them!

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    August 2006
  • From: The English Riviera, South Devon, England
  • 475 posts
Posted by Great Western on Sunday, July 4, 2010 11:00 AM

 I noticed the cycle race, which is still taking place.

 Of course, not wishing to offend Virginians, but the BIG cycle race taking place today is Stage 2 of the Tour de France which just finished in the City of Brussels,  Kingdom of Belgium.

There are four American teams in the race and Lance Armstrong is currently in fourth position. 

 

 

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
    April 2008
  • From: morganton north carolina
  • 515 posts
Posted by j610 on Sunday, July 4, 2010 2:02 PM

Bike race still going on at 3pm. I wonder how long a race it is? Not much rail traffic or at least not while I have been watching.   RON

J610
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania
  • 13,456 posts
Posted by Modelcar on Sunday, July 4, 2010 2:12 PM

.....Bikes still traveling at 3:11 pm.  If it's as hot there as here, that would be a bit difficult.

Quentin

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