Eastern Railroad Discussion > Amtrak NEC Radio Frequency Question

I have had Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Mid-Atlantic Division frequency 160.920 programmed into my scanner for years. Recently I noticed I no longer receive any transmissions on It. Did Amtrak switch to another frequency?  If Amtrak is using another frequency can someone please tell me what it is. I want to pick up radio traffic in the New Brunswick, New Jersey area.
Thanks,
Ken Gear

Don't know how up t date this is, but I also have 160.635 and 160.010 for the Harrisburg Line.

Posted from Android

Doug Wetherhold
Macungie, PA

sig292 Wrote:
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> I have had Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Mid-Atlantic Division frequency 160.920 programmed into my scanner for years. Recently I noticed I no longer receive any transmissions on It. Did Amtrak  switch to another frequency?  If Amtrak is using another frequency can someone please tell me what it is. I want to pick up radio traffic in the New Brunswick, New Jersey area.
> Thanks,
> Ken Gear

Didn't all the railroads start using digital / narrow band technology in the recent past?  If your equipment is older it may not handle it.

Edit

Here is a link to the AAR Railroad radio frequencies.

  https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=7747

Perhaps others can chime in on which one Amtrak uses in the New Brunswick New Jersey area.

Brian



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/07/18 07:05 by choodude.

Amtrak used to have a CETC desk change at UNION in Rahway NJ.

161.1 and 160.92 if I recall correctly

Posted from Android

I also lost my Radio shack scanner feeds, I found I can download a app for my cell phone for a scanner radio, that gets RR channels. I listen to CSX mainline and West Shore railroad Fairport. Its all don by satellite. For what Its worth Ed B.

When I have these questions I Google "railroad radio frequencies [state]."  It usually gets me to this site (showing New Jersey this time);  https://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=9391  It appears that, at least in NJ, Amtrak is currently using 161.010 as its road channel.  The Pennsylvania page (found the same way) shows 101.010 north of Morrisville and 160.920 south of it.  It's obviously possible to go to the home page for the site and work your way to a specific state and then the railroads for that state, but somehow this is how I'm in the habit of doing it.  When I'm going to be spending some time in a state I print out all of the frequencies so I'll never be without the complete list (I may also save them on my iPad, but I find paper to be easier to use).

Amtrak uses AAR 54, 160.92 Washington to division post MP 72 at Holmesburg, then AAR 60, 161.01 to New York and onward to New Rochelle MNCRR. Also 54 New Haven to Boston. Harrisburg line AAR 35,160.635. MNCRR  New Rochelle to New Haven AAR29, 160.545.

 

Thanks for all the help, apperently I need to program 161.010 into my scanner. I'll give it a try.
Ken Gear

NY to Morrisville has only been on 161.010 since the middle of 2001.

FYI all readers: I have a 100+ channel scanner (as I'm sure most of you do), and I do not program by frequencies. I assign the correct frequency to the AAR channel number; that way when I look in an  ETT, or ask a friendly crew member, and find that the local channel is "54-54", i just push 5 and 4 and voila! no further programming needed. It takes a while to do the initial programming, but it's worth it; once and done, all frequencies, all railroads.