What type of radio do you railfan with? When I first started railfanning, I had the usual cheap Radio Shack scanners. But I received so much pager intermod from the surrounding mountaintops, it was nearly useless in hear distant trains. T
Through research, I found that the best hand held radios to listen to railroads were amateur radios that ham enthusiasts used.
This led to the Vertex VX150 radio. This provided me with over a decade of reliable use (and for only $79!) This radio died a few years ago on a trip to Donner Pass....so I then purchased its replacement radio, the Yaesu FT250. This is also a great little radio...although I added a Smiley Slim Duck antenna tuned to the railroad bands. Here is a short video of the radio in action.
These are available at Ham Radio Outlet or online via a number of dealers.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Friday Night Foamers 2011
Headed over to Downtown Burbank Station after a long week and decided to take some video. One thing you notice is the different equipment that Metrolink is now utilizing as compared to the first purchase of F59PHs and Bombardier bi-level equipment. Enjoy the video and leave comments
A unique assortment of Metrolink and Amtrak equipment on display this evening. First off an EMD F59PH #865 leads a set of Bombardier equipment on Metrolink train #221 bound for Lancaster, and is quickly followed by a Metrolink MP36PH #890 leading train #123 bound for the Ventura Subdivision. The last car is one of the newly received Rotem built cabcars #647. Next up is Antelope Valley train #223 with Metrolink F59PHI #862 in peeling paint departing the station while train #222 arrives being pushed by repainted but unfinished #871. A little later, Amtrak train #798 arrives with control cab 90218 on the point and being pushed by an Amtrak #509, a General Electric P32-8WH (Dash 8.) Finally, the last train of our outing is the famous Amtrak Coast Starlight, led by a pair of GE P42s and a visiting Sounder F59PHI headed to the Los Angeles Amtrak Shops for maintenance. Not bad for two hours, eh?
Thursday, May 19, 2011
First Post
The purpose of this blog is to document my history of railfanning in the Southern California area, as well as feature some of the photographs and videos taken over the years. It will be a work in progress, so bear with me. In the mean time, let me start by offering up this first YouTube video:
This shows the number of various trains that ran through Burbank Station on a typical weekday night...before the economic slowdown the country currently is recovering from. The folks hanging out called themselves the Friday Night Foamers. It is stunning to see how much has changed in just five years on the Metrolink Valley and Ventura subdivisions, with changing equipment and traffic levels. What do you think?
This shows the number of various trains that ran through Burbank Station on a typical weekday night...before the economic slowdown the country currently is recovering from. The folks hanging out called themselves the Friday Night Foamers. It is stunning to see how much has changed in just five years on the Metrolink Valley and Ventura subdivisions, with changing equipment and traffic levels. What do you think?
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