Chasing 4014 & 844 with handheld scanner

The steam crew uses the local Road Channel for running communication.  For side talk they sometimes use a UP channel not used in area where they are running.  The Ogden road channel frequency is 160.515.  Laramie to Granger is 160.740.  Here are best guesses for around Cheyenne.

AAR numbers are the numbers of the crew radios channel numbers.  To program your scanner use the xxx.xxx numbers.

for Denver to Cheyenne and Cheyenne to Laramie:

All UP Road Channels (#)

1  Speer Cheyenne Laramie Denver
  AAR 24 - 160.470  #2
2  Cheyenne Yard, GJ yard,
  AAR 38  160.680  #5
3  Road Greeley Sub
  AAR 69 - 161.145
4  Steam Crew,  NS Road
  AAR 58    160.980  #6
---------------------
5  Pueblo to Kansas
  AAR 20 - 160.410  #1
6  North Platte area
  AAR 27 - 160.515  #3
7  Denver to Salina, Kansas
  Laramie to Ogden
    AAR 42 - 160.740  #4

8  RR Police - Mutual Aid 
  AAR 73 - 161.205
  WY Highway Patrol
9  156.750 Inter Gov
10 155.910 Car-to-Car
11 155.445 Cheyenne Dispatch
11 155.445  Laramie Dispatch
  Cheyenne Yard:
12    AAR 36  160.650
13    AAR 44  160.770
  Cheyenne Car Dept.
14  AAR 64  161.070
15  AAR 32  160.590 

  MOW
16  AAR 33  160.605
17  AAR 61  161.025

  Dispatcher links:
18  452.825    19  457.825
20  452.875    21  457.875
22  452.900
23  457.900  Sherman Hill Reptr
Of Interest

      Admin PBX
24  LaSalle Laramie   
  AAR 94  161.520
25  UP Limon Sub
  AAR 40 - 160.710

Golden Sub, Royal Gorge, Moffat
    AAR 92 - 161.490

@Susan Deats, A response much more straightforward and on target than I could have ever imagined! Thanks so much!

Susan

thanks for the cheat sheet. Should come in handy tomorrow. 😉

Keep in mind the MORE channels scanned will also produce  more unwanted signals. BETTER to monitor the ROAD channels for the area you will be traversing, and focus on those. I am a long time scanner user, and presently have a compact touch screen base/mobile programmable digital scanner which covers both the 800 MHZ and VHS bands. Also keep in mind some states prohibit the use of MOBILE scanners by law, and you risk confiscation of your equipmenr if caught! Most common handheld scanners have limited sensitivity, without an external antenna, which when attached to your auto, acts as a ground plane with much better reception. Auto antennas usually include a magnetic mount and you may need an SMA adaptor, depending on what type of antenna input your hand held has. Common handhelds are Bearcat, Uniden and Radio Shack. The more premium mobile units such as ICON are more effective but pricey!

FYI: My current compact base/mobile scanner is the much acclaimed Uniden Homepatrol 2. I elected to have mine preloaded for my area in Nashville, TN for an additional nominal charge. It has a digital touch screen and has a power switch and volume controls. I can select the actual bands being scanned with an easy menu option. Range and sensitivity are also easily selectable as well. Price at the Uniden Warehouse was about $450, with preprogramming extra ($50). This unit is about the size of the average transistor radios of the 1960's, and has a side SMA antenna mount with a "rubber duck" antenna as stock. I purchased an after market premium extendable antenna, which gives better reception of VHS (most railroad frequencies). Best scanner I have ever owned, and I owned a couple dozen over the years! My package included both AC and auto DC USB plugs. The unit comes with an AC power cord, which plugs into the USB AC plug. The unit comes with four rechargeable AA batteries, but I primarily use it as a base unit, so it stays pluged into the AC USB plug.

When 4014 and 844 were stopped at Harriman, Jim Hunter, the passenger Conductor. was talking to the steam crew with his radio.  My channels did not pick up their chatter.  What frequency or channel were they using?

Your scanner should have picked up that transmission unless they were using an 800 Mhz unit or even a cell phone? Most railroads still use VHS frequencies as above.

What is a good scanner and where do you buy one since all the local radio shacks closed up?