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Semi-official Rochelle webcam discussion thread

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Posted by phkmn2000 on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 10:19 AM

Full screen not working on Chrome Win 10 and no sound 3/25 AM.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 11:35 AM

But... whether full screen or not, the image is jumpy and freezes often.  Make watching it sort of frustrating.  (Sound seems to work now, though!)

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 11:20 AM

just tried it... werks fer me. Win 10, ie-11

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by wkrass on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 11:08 AM

The full screen option is not working.  Does anyone else have this problem?

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Posted by kenotrainnut on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 9:27 AM

For the benefit of the techies working on this: No audio on my Mac (Chrome) Tuesday morning, however I do have audio on my iPhone (Safari).

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Monday, April 23, 2018 9:55 PM

Sound this evening but the level seems a little lower than before.  Or maybe the diamonds are just quieter.

EDIT: Tuesday, 12:54 pm CDT loud and clear with an EB BNSF stacker coming through.  MacOS, Safari 11.1.

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Posted by Brian Schmidt on Monday, April 23, 2018 1:56 PM

Folks, we are aware on Monday of a problem with the audio and have opened a work order to look into it. You'll know when it's fixed because... you'll have audio once again!

Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine

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Posted by AgentKid on Sunday, April 22, 2018 3:49 PM

Pjangis
no sound- audio is fine on the computer

I think this is a genuine physical problem with the camera as opposed to a software program.

It happened yesterday afternoon. I had the camera on, watched one train, and turned to something else. I then noticed there was no sound, so I thought I just needed to push the button. There was no button and people were moving around, but there was no sound. I think this time the camera may need some physical attention.

Bruce

 

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Posted by MrLynn on Sunday, April 22, 2018 8:38 AM

Pjangis

I have great video but no sound- audio is fine on the computer.

Ditto.  No sound from the webcam.  Also the video keeps freezing.  Pretty hopeless if there are no trains, as I can't tell if the picture has frozen (no wind so the trees aren't moving).  Have to reload the site to unfreeze.  What's wrong?  Running Safari on MacOS 10.12.6.

/Mr Lynn

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Posted by Pjangis on Sunday, April 22, 2018 8:09 AM

I have great video but no sound- audio is fine on the computer.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 1:10 PM

That YouTube cam is a TEMPORARILY free camera to watch... it will go away soon and be replaced with another one.  To watch it after it goes away from the URL you know, you will have to PAY a fee to the people that control it.

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Posted by cefinkjr on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 12:41 PM

I can open a YouTube video showing Rochelle from a low, trackside angle.  Works very nicely, first time, every time.

OTOH, I can open the TRAINS web cam feed for a high angle view, have to position it within the small frame where I can monitor it, and then see an ad telling me to subscribe to TRAINS.  (How did I get to the web cam without being a subscriber????)

Now which web cam am I going to watch?

SoapBox

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Posted by cefinkjr on Saturday, April 14, 2018 5:34 PM

jeffhergert
Yellow over Yellow is our Approach Diverging signal.

I was going to say we're talking about a "diverging approach" here but I hate puns so let's call it a different philosophy (or something).  From Day 1 on the NYC, mentors told me over and over again that signals don't tell the engineer where he's going; only how fast he is permitted to go there.

Chuck
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Posted by jeffhergert on Saturday, April 14, 2018 12:37 PM

cefinkjr

 

 
CShaveRR

Advance Approach...means the next signal will be an Approach.

 

 

Thanks.  Advance Approach on the Central was Yellow over Yellow over Red or just Yellow over Yellow (Rule 282A).

 

To be technical, Advance Approach means be prepared to stop at the second signal, trains exceeding 40 mph reduce speed to 40 mph.  

Advance Approach signals can also be used in advance of 40 mph turnouts lined for the diverging route.  On the exCNW side in Iowa, our 40 mph crossovers have two flashing yellows in advance of a crossover movement.  Before they went to approach-lit signals, where you could see the next two flashing, you knew you were going to crossover.  If one flashing and the next not, you were going to stop.  If you were crossing over, the ATC cab signal stays at clear.  If you are going to stop, it goes to restricting and above 40 mph passing the signal will make a penalty brake application.  Below 40 mph you have 70 seconds to get under 22 mph before getting the penalty.  It's getting these penalty applications and/or being forced to slow to restricted speed on a signal that only requires 40 mph that makes ATC unpopular with UP. 

Yellow over Yellow is our Approach Diverging signal.

Jeff

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Posted by cefinkjr on Saturday, April 14, 2018 11:07 AM

CShaveRR

Advance Approach...means the next signal will be an Approach.

Thanks.  Advance Approach on the Central was Yellow over Yellow over Red or just Yellow over Yellow (Rule 282A).

Chuck
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Posted by xjqcf on Saturday, April 14, 2018 7:12 AM

blhanel

 

 
cefinkjr

BNSF has a stack train stopped on the diamonds...blocking a UP EB and a UP WB stopped just beyond web cam range.

So how do I know this?  Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHjbfHprf28 for another live web cam looking at the Rochelle diamonds from a different angle.

 

 

 

WOW!!!

I think Kalmbach aughta make a deal with Railstream to host that one and pitch the one on the shelter.  Muuuch better night view and sound, plus you get some indication of what's coming from the signals...

OTOH, it appears to be delayed by about 30 seconds- but I couldn't care less about that.

 

 

I've been watching this cam during its freebie week, goes back behind the paywal after Sunday. They also have another cam at the diamonds facing east, but not sure of its field of view.

Two things about cam  quality: 1. Resolution is better. 2. Nighttime performance is "night and day" better than Earthlink's cam. Our cam at night is pitch black except for direct light sources, headlights, FRED's etc. but I can't make out anything about moving trains (visually); Railstream's cam makes good  use of available light without dropping to a black and white night vision mode. I'd settle for such a night vision mode on Train's cam. As for cam position both have pluses and minuses; Railstream's is ground level looking west along UP  from ground level with a good view of UP's westbound signals, view of BNSF is only so-so (maybe better on their east-looking cam?) Trains cam is more balanced and, with its elevated position, gives a better overview. A final observation is that I perceive train speeds to be higher on Train's cam than on Railstream's for both railroads, a function of both location and focal length.

 

It appears to me that in the burgening railfan cam market (mainly Railstream and Virtual Railfan) Trains needs to step up its game again, although, not being solely a cam service, might not quite feel the urgency.

 

PS One other nice feature (At least on the freebie YouTube trial feed) is real time chat. Using this forum topic is just not the same (that said I don't know if Railstream or Virtual Railfan have a chat feature on their web sites.

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Saturday, April 14, 2018 12:49 AM

blhanel
OTOH, it appears to be delayed by about 30 seconds- but I couldn't care less about that.

Time delta between Trains webcam and the other feed seems to be almost exactly one minute this evening.  I noticed on the Flagstaff feeds tonight that the displayed time was a minute or more behind actual time, but the reported arrival and departure times jibed with what I saw on the feed's time display.  A brisk 36° in Flagstaff at boarding time tonight.

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Posted by CShaveRR on Friday, April 13, 2018 11:50 PM

Advance Approach...means the next signal will be an Approach.

Carl

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Posted by cefinkjr on Friday, April 13, 2018 9:37 PM

OK, UP experts; what's a Flashing Yellow signal?  In my day on the NYC, you would only have seen Red over Flashing Yellow over Red, Red over Flashing Yellow, a dwarf Flashing Yellow over Red, or a dwarf Flashing Yellow. The Name was Approach - Limited (Rule 281D).  [No, I don't remember all that; I still have an NYC Rules of the Operating Department.]

I also notice that when I have seen a UP Flashing Yellow aspect, it has changed to Green well before the approaching train gets to the signal.

Correction: Just saw a UP WB (empty hoppers?) drop a Flashing Yellow to Red without the signal changing to Green.  

Chuck
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Posted by blhanel on Friday, April 13, 2018 8:53 PM

cefinkjr

BNSF has a stack train stopped on the diamonds...blocking a UP EB and a UP WB stopped just beyond web cam range.

So how do I know this?  Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHjbfHprf28 for another live web cam looking at the Rochelle diamonds from a different angle.

 

WOW!!!

I think Kalmbach aughta make a deal with Railstream to host that one and pitch the one on the shelter.  Muuuch better night view and sound, plus you get some indication of what's coming from the signals...

OTOH, it appears to be delayed by about 30 seconds- but I couldn't care less about that.

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Posted by cefinkjr on Friday, April 13, 2018 6:02 PM

BNSF has a stack train stopped on the diamonds...blocking a UP EB and a UP WB stopped just beyond web cam range.

So how do I know this?  Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHjbfHprf28 for another live web cam looking at the Rochelle diamonds from a different angle.

Chuck
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Posted by AgentKid on Thursday, April 12, 2018 11:22 AM

CShaveRR
Was it more like a Conrail blue?

Thanks for that, it does make more sense than a GTW colour. It was not quite Conrail blue, but that could just be the effect of sun bleaching since the "back in the day" paint job.

Thanks,

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

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"O. S. Irricana"

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Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, April 12, 2018 10:42 AM

Was it more like a Conrail blue?  Back in the day, there were a bunch of widenose GE units that had been leased to Conrail, painted CR blue and with "LMS" lettering (if memory serves).  When the lease was over, I believe CN got about half of those.

Carl

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Posted by AgentKid on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 2:15 PM

Interesting to see how a situation evolves. Two days ago I saw one of the trainmen on the local pacing around the switch looking agitated, and now two days later, there are two machines, between four and six trucks, and numerous personnel. No wonder railways are so expensive to operate. Nothing is easy.

On another note, what is up with that second unit on a WB BNSF train that passed about half an hour ago. It was all blue with a CN wet noodle on the side. Not the usual red, black and white. It didn't look like a GTW colour and you would think it would have a GTW version of the noodle. Is it some kind of patch job on a recent CN loco purchase? Inquiring minds want to know.

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Sunday, April 8, 2018 7:13 PM

   Has anybody used the "share image" feature on the cam lately?   I tried it yesterday and today, and it goes through all the motions and reports "image sent", but I never get anything.   I've used it in the past with the same parameters and it worked.

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Posted by jeffhergert on Thursday, April 5, 2018 9:16 PM

 

jscott

 

 
CShaveRR

At least for now, though, a UP unit will always be leading on the UP.  I'm not sure whether ATC will be removed from that line once PTC is in place.

 

If one looks at the documents UP submitted to FRA at the beginning of PTC, it stated that, if and when PTC proved itself, it would apply to remove ATC and the CCESS (or whatever it is).  Why run multiple (some obsolete) systems when one works.  Which, of course, begs the question: will this work?

Scott

 

 

 

 

 

CCS is coded cab signal.  It (and ATC) do something PTC currently doesn't in signalled territory.  The cab signals provide protection within a block if conditions change while you're in that block.  Like a rail breaking or someone opening a switch.  Once you're past the signal governing entrance to a block, PTC won't register a change within that block.  Cab signals do. 

Remember, wayside block signals tell you the condition of the block you are entering, cab signals tell you the condition of the block you are in.  PTC works off the wayside signals.

Jeff

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Posted by jscott on Thursday, April 5, 2018 8:13 PM

CShaveRR

At least for now, though, a UP unit will always be leading on the UP.  I'm not sure whether ATC will be removed from that line once PTC is in place.

 

If one looks at the documents UP submitted to FRA at the beginning of PTC, it stated that, if and when PTC proved itself, it would apply to remove ATC and the CCESS (or whatever it is).  Why run multiple (some obsolete) systems when one works.  Which, of course, begs the question: will this work?

Scott

 

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 5:07 PM

   Has anybody noticed the reflections on the rails about this time in the afternoon?  The sun is ahead and to the left, and there are reflections on the BNSF rails to the left, about where you'd expect them to be according to the shadows, but at about the same angle to the right, there are bright reflections on the UP rails.   There isn't another source of light on the right because when a train passed by on the far track, it did not interrupt the reflections on the near track.  Could there be be a pattern of wear causing the surface of the rails to have a grain pattern that reflects the sunlight at that angle?

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Posted by AgentKid on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 7:45 AM

jeffhergert
With some of the land barges they run

The second of two huge EB UP freights just cleared the diamonds at 0740 CDT. From the size of them you would think they are trying to get all of the railcars in the American Midwest to Chicago by lunchtime. Good grief!

Bruce

 

So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.

"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere"  CP Rail Public Timetable

"O. S. Irricana"

. . . __ . ______

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Posted by jeffhergert on Monday, April 2, 2018 11:36 PM

CShaveRR

At least for now, though, a UP unit will always be leading on the UP.  I'm not sure whether ATC will be removed from that line once PTC is in place.

 

UP has never liked ATC.  It's much more restrictive than UP's CCS (Coded Cab Signal) and can at times require bad train handling.  With some of the land barges they run that can mean breaking a knuckle or pulling out a drawbar.  Once PTC is fully functional, CCS may last but everyone expects ATC will be gone.

Jeff

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