EAST COAST ITC

CSX radio · 220 MHz · Western MD, PA & WV

East Coast ITC

East Coast ITC is an independent railfan project by Ethan Gordon. Small listening receivers, hosted in windows along the CSX main line, pick up the railroad's radio traffic and turn it into a live dispatcher-style view of the trains moving across the mountains.

Host a receiver See the network

About

What East Coast ITC does

The railroad is constantly talking. Trains and trackside equipment along the CSX line exchange radio messages around the clock, and those messages say a lot about what is moving where.

East Coast ITC collects that traffic with a chain of small receivers placed near the tracks, then pieces it together into a dispatcher-style display of the line. It's a hobby project built by a railfan, for people who love watching trains.

How a site works

  1. 01A host near the tracks lends a window, an outlet and their Wi-Fi.
  2. 02A mini PC about the size of a deck of cards and a small antenna go in the window. Setup takes about 30 minutes.
  3. 03The receiver listens to the railroad's radio traffic. It never transmits and doesn't touch any railroad equipment.
  4. 04Traffic from every site is combined into the dispatcher view, and each host is credited for their contribution.

Network

Current sites

Live

Brunswick, MD

Covering CSX traffic through Brunswick on the Potomac.

Live

Mance, PA

Hosted at the Mance post office. Reaches west over the grade as far as Sand Patch.

 Looking for hosts
  • Keystone Sub: Rockwood, Confluence, Ohiopyle and Connellsville, PA
  • Mountain Sub: Keyser, Piedmont, Oakland, Terra Alta, Tunnelton and Grafton
  • Cumberland Sub: Paw Paw, Magnolia, Orleans Road and Hancock

Become a host

Got a window facing the tracks?

Homes, shops, museums, B&Bs and town buildings near the line all make great sites. Higher windows with a clear view of the tracks work best.

Ask about hosting

What it involves

  • A deck-of-cards-sized mini PC and a small window antenna
  • Under $10 a year in electricity, which I cover
  • Connects to your Wi-Fi
  • Listen-only. Never transmits
  • I handle installation and upkeep
  • Removed any time you ask

Also from East Coast ITC

ITC LocoTracker

Follow the locomotives. ITC LocoTracker is East Coast ITC's companion site for keeping tabs on engines on the move.

Open ITC LocoTracker

Contact

Get in touch

Interested in hosting a receiver, or have a question about the project? Send a note and I'll get back to you. You can also email ethang@eastcoastitc.com.