Re: PC: hotbox detectors

[ddevene <ddevene@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jerry Jordak wrote:
> 
> PennCent wrote:
> >
> > I'm collecting recordings of talking hotbox detectors, of any railroads
> > but mostly Conrail. I don't know much about the history of these
> > devices, and don't know if they were around back in Penn Central's time,
> > but if they were, and PC had them, does anybody have any recordings of
> > them they would like to share/trade/sell? I would supply the tape or you
> > could just send them over the internet.   Don Narris--Canton, Ohio
> 
> I didn't think that talking detectors came into vogue until the 1980's.
> Before that, they used to have trackside signals, or trackside
> indicators with lights that gave the axle number, side of train,
> and type of problem.
> 
> I just checked my 1980 Conrail timetable, and it makes mention of
> detectors with trackside signals or indicators, but no talking
> detectors. So I would guess that PC never had any talking detectors.
> 
> Later,
> -Jer
> 
> --
> Jerry W. Jordak               The boxcars and flatbeds, whistle blowin' steam
> mailto:jer@smellycat.com      That was yesterday
> http://prozac.cwru.edu/jer/   Now those big trains don't come anymore
> ** Let Conrail be Conrail **         -- Restless Heart, "Big Iron Horses"



To all.

The first talking detector I know of was at Toledo Junction, Ohio 
(Between Crestline and Mansfield at the site of the junction between the 
PRR main line and the Carrothers line to Toledo.) in about mid-1981.  
This thing would blow your ears out at SA Tower in Upper Sandusky when I 
was an operator there at that time.  The next one we knew of and could 
here real well at Upper was "Conrail Hot Box Detector, Millbury, Ohio." 
The first recording had a slight lisp, the second recording two months 
later did not have a lisp.  So be it.

>From then on, they started springing up everyplace.  Most of the 
detectors on the PRR Ft. Wayne line had a read out of some kind, 
although several towers had tape machines in them for quite some time.  
I remember Delphos "GZ" and NS Tower in Lima for sure.  There may have 
been others.  

"Real men throw Armstrong Levers for a living."  

Dale A. DeVene Jr.