From: j.albert@snet.net   
      
   On 1/26/15 4:04 AM, mroberds@att.net wrote:   
   > At least one of the switches in the next town east on the Kansas City   
   > Southern has been radio-operated for a while.  The engineer or conductor   
   > could key in some numbers on their radio, which were transmitted as DTMF   
   > on the air.  Once the switch actually moved, it would transmit a short   
   > single-tone beep as an acknowledgement.   
      
   Looks like the railroads have finally realized the potential of   
   "power-operated, remote-control" switches that could be thrown by other   
   than train dispatchers (at CTC consoles).   
      
   It's certainly cheaper than paying a brakeman or conductor to "walk 'n'   
   throw" them!   
      
   In another vein...   
   Are any railroads using digitally-transmitted technology to "monitor"   
   the positions of hand-operated switches in dark territory?   
      
   I'm thinking of a small transmitter connected to each hand-operated   
   switch "in the field" that could transmit whether a switch was in   
   "locked and lined for the main" position, or not so.   
      
   To avoid laying "physical wire" to each location, perhaps some kind of   
   wireless/satellite technology could be used to convey the state of each   
   switch back to the dispatcher's office...   
      
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