How do you firgure out a Train ID?

Question

I was wondering how the railfans figure out train ID's

Answer 1

Well, it can be a bit complicated, the engine number is indeed the correct way of identifying a train that is is running extra, for instance it would be the UP7544 east. That is how trackside employees confirm if a train has arrived so it is safe to occupy a track to work on it.

But for rail fan's purposes they are usually interested in the trains manifest ID, which tells the type of merchandise (not specifics but grain, coal, mixed, etc.) and the originating/terminating stations.

Even working for the rr's that can get complicated but the rail fans seem to have better access than employees LOL.

Actually, the rail fan sites and publications tell all of this information.

It is not classified or secret in any way, but it does take a bit of research.

Answer 2

If you look on the front of the locomotive (engine car thats at the front of the train), a number is written in contrasting colors.  This number is the locomotives  ID. It's usually only for digits long. As for the name of the trains route, you may just want to visit a railyard and ask.

DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF A MOVING TRAIN TO SEE ITS ID NUMBERS !!!!!

Answer 3

It's usually a good guess based on schedules and observing.  Whenever a train uses its radio it must identify itself by railroad, train number, and usually engine number too (FCC regs as well as FRA.  A hobbyist with a scanner can hear the trains and will therefore know which trains are by at a given time, so after seeing a van train go by 4 days in a row at about the same time, the fan can usually figure that the train will regularly run by at that time.

If there's a problem on the line, schedules can be disrupted, and it's hard to say what a train ID is in that case.  Even on the railroad, we can't always ID a passing train - we look at the cars as they go by and see if we can recognize them (salt hoppers for one town, big grey garbage containers for another), but even then it's still pretty much a mystery to us.