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CPR Magazine Article
Communications and Public Affairs
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Volume 26   Number 3

April 1996


Decoders Allow Train Crews to Activate Crossing Gates, "Talkers"
John Timmins
Just hearing the word "decoder" conjurers up images of spies and Cold War espionage, or the plastic toy rings that kids once hunted for in cereal boxes. But it's no secret that a little decoder, similar to a garage door operner, is improving grade crossing safety for the West Coast Express. And this device is no toy.
 
Dual Tone Modulated Frequency (DTMF) decoders are being used in locations where grade crossings are in close proximity to station platforms, creating timing problems with the crossing gate lowering mechanisms. With the device mounted in locomotives, commuter trains don't need to creep forward to trigger crossing gates before they can safely advance. Crews can now lower the gates from the cab.
 
No longer is there a danger of trains occupying crossings before the gates are down. And no longer are motorists confused and alarmed by trains positioned so close to raised crossing gates.
 
"Our train crews love it," said Peter Milne, the railway's Signals & Communications project supervisor for Vancouver commuter services. "And the motorists aren't complaining any longer.
 
Milne got the idea from the success of a similar application involving automated voice response mechanisms, or talkers, on the Nelson subdivision.
 
There, talkers alert crews to slide-fence damage when trains trigger track signal circuits. Because track forces are often in vehicles too light to trip the circuits, decoders are used to activate the talkers, thereby insuring advanced warning of any trouble ahead.
 
"That project," Milne said, "owed its success to Brad Stankovich and Mike Hartney (both of S&C), who designed and built the system. It worked so well that I thought I'd try it here. I gave the project to Brad and he had the units built, tested, and installed.
 
The success of the DTMF decoders on the WCE has led to their adoption by the Light Rapid Transit (LRT) commuter trains in Calgary. They are also being used to activate talkers on the CPRS main line near Vancouver.

This CP Rail System News article is copyright 1996 by Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company.