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News of problems

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by l1avs, Apr 6, 2009.

  1. l1avs

    l1avs New Member

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    I was out and about in Cornwall yesterday following the Royal Duchy's progress, and luckily I decided to view at Bodmin where there was lots of updated news regarding the problems at Newton Abbott.
    But had I decided to view 'out in the countryside', I might have been alone with no idea of what was going on.
    Is there no way the mobile phone system can be used for 'early warnings' of problems and delays?
    Might save some wasted (and expensive journeys).

    On a positive note, it was lovely to see the number of people events like this can bring out! =D>
     
  2. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    One of the best way is via this forum, find out if there is anyone actually travelling on the train who is prepared to call you with any news or updates. There are several of us mainly in the north west who do this and it normally works quite well, except on certain parts of the S&C and Shap where phone coverage is non existant.
     
  3. James

    James Part of the furniture

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    Even the most basic mobiles have internet capabilities nowadays...maybe it's time to hang up the brick.
     
  4. ADB968008

    ADB968008 Guest

    Google has released IMaps...

    Maybe someone or some locomotive owner, would be willing to link their mobile phone to the IMaps page.. then we will see in real time where the train is.

    I'm thinking of a particular railtour this year I am going to ride on, and maybe volunteer my whereabouts on the web to show the train's location for those interested.
    Could be an interesting experiment. (NXEC already does it.. any train will show you real time on a map where it is).
     
  5. buseng

    buseng Part of the furniture

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    Does Nat-Pres have a mobile (WAP?) website/page?
     
  6. Bean-counter

    Bean-counter Part of the furniture

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    I use a BlackBerry and have managed to log on to NP from that. It is a bit labourious typing in user name (partly my fault for having such a long name!) etc. and isn't the easiest to then use but it is possible and actually probably a more like the normal version that say mobile E-Bay.
     
  7. Stu in Torbay

    Stu in Torbay Part of the furniture

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    I think that generally speaking the mobile phone system already does this job now. I was in a random field at Dainton with a load of others, and about 10 mins past the due time, some phones started going, and we all soon knew Nunney was off at NA with a box, and Champion was being summoned from Plymouth. I tried to log on to nat pres on my PDA, but it was so bright in the sun, I couldn't read the screen!!! ](*,)
    I try and make sure someone i can contact has quick access to Nat Pres for updates. It's never that long before someone posts if there is a problem. Normally, if all is quiet, that's good news!
     
  8. devonsteam

    devonsteam Member

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    I use a few 'gen 'sites, based on yahoo...

    there are several including GWgen and SWRG... Always find up to date stuff on there and fairly easy to get it to be seen on you mobile....

    It was amazing to see the people on Dainton, possibly over 100, with most in contact with someone either on the route or in contact with someone looking at the gen sites...
     
  9. blackfive

    blackfive Member

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    But only if you are on it!
    Now, if you could view the position of a train that you are not on, that could be very handy.
    Shouldn't be all that difficult to come up with a cheap GPS/GMS box to do the job.
     
  10. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Yes maybe, but there are still large areas of the country where 3G is not available or at best very unreliable. Probably more than you think, here in Cheshire, about 3 miles off the M6, there is still no 3G coverage despite assurances by phone companies that there is. At several of my local viewing spots the story is the same, I know because I was conned into buying a phone on 3G and it used to drop the phone signal so often that in the end I locked it to the 2G mode.
     
  11. noelist

    noelist Member

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    Hmm..a cheap GPS/GMS box..brilliant idea, anybody know who to ask to produce one? but for us who generally stand in a field near top of incline,nobody else about and dont know anybody on the train... Is friends of loco owners phone line for 10 quid a year still going, thats my best bet.
     
  12. Spamcan55

    Spamcan55 New Member

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    ... Is friends of loco owners phone line for 10 quid a year still going, thats my best bet.[/quote]

    Yes it is.
     
  13. roachie

    roachie New Member

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    I would gladly contribute if I could understand your post. Please expand.
     
  14. Stu in Torbay

    Stu in Torbay Part of the furniture

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    I've been thinking of the GPS + GSM thing. Should not be too difficult (or expensive) to have a box that includes a mobile phone and input from a GPS receiver. So anyone wanting to know the position of the train could text a blank message to it and it would interrogate the GPS text back a location.
    If every railtour operator had one, and put it on their train (or every loco owner - covers LE positioning moves too then), they could charge 50p or so per text, thereby paying for the kit, and generating a small income.
    I think I might look into this a bit more. I am a GPS engineer after all!
    Could call it TrainTrack or something!
    hmmmm, thinking cap on.
     
  15. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    That sounds like an interesting idea Stu, I guess that most loco owners would cooperate if it was earning something. It would certainly be a very useful source of info for linesiders, I for one would happily pay 50p for an accurate update.
     
  16. Spamcan55

    Spamcan55 New Member

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    Roachie:

    Sorry, my attempt to quote part of a previous post didn't work properly.

    Friends of the Main Line Steam Locomotive Operators (FMSLO) in Lichfield run a phone recorded message service. There is an annual sub. The phone number is changed every year to cut out the freeloaders. I don't have the full address to hand at the moment. Any profits get put towards main line associated projects (IIRC the water supply at Garsdale was contributed towards, as were generator vans, to help get rid of ETHELS)
    I haven't found it useful once the weekend has started as the message is usually recorded on about Thursday, ready for the weekend, but for those (like my Dad), who won't let a confuser in the house it is very useful, although you often have to sit through a whole list of timings before you get to the tour you're interested in. Don't blink!

    Sometimes there is additional info of a kind that doesn't make it onto UKSteam.
     
  17. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    With one exception the "system" mentioned above seems to work OK here in SE England. i.e friends on the train or on an earlier part of the route usually send an update when they have got their first photo etc.

    The exception being the VSOE Pullman train behind 35028. Not yet had a phone call from anyone on that train yet. I wonder why!
     
  18. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    You obviously don't move in the right circles. :-#

    There is no better way for updates that the contacts either on the train or down the line. As some of you will know, if I'm out on a tour then I will gladly send text updates every so often. It's quick as well if you set up the list as a group then only have to do it once and all get the message.
     
  19. belle1

    belle1 Part of the furniture Moderator

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    I even got a couple of updates whilst on holiday in New Zealand in may last year! :smt023

    Neil.
     
  20. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    #-o Forgot to take you off the list... Still its always nice to know that whilst you are away, life goes on at home.. :)
     

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