WEB Cams down on tower

[Tom Casper]

The snow storm seemed to have disrupted the signal from the coal tower cams as they are off line. Lets hope Jason can get them restored soon.

Tom C>

[Quentin Lockwood]

All cameras down! I'm guessing it is a power issue.

[Jerry Sullivan]

It is now Saturday and they are still down. Snow or whatever caused the problem, but guys, there has been only a little snow this year, and that will be an issue for the railroad this season. As I understand it the plan is to only use oil fired engines this year which means some trains may see that new (to the C&TS) diesel in use although it was not planned to be used for regular trains. I retired as a docent after the 2023 season and because my wife insisted on not going there in 24. Now at 86, I would be more of a liability. But we do plan one last ride in late Sept. and we have our Parlor car reservations & lodging reservations already. The lack of snow is a BIG issue for the agricultural interests in the Chama valley. We have me several of the ranchers and farmers when we were out there and worshipped at the 1st (and only) Baptist church in Chama.

Jerry Sullivan

[Kathy Walser]

We apologize for the webcam outage. We are working on the problem, but think it is a hardware issue that may take some time to fix.

Thank you for your patience.

Kathleen Walser
Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
Social Media Coordinator

[Tom Casper]

Thank you Kathleen for the note. Lets hope it can be fixed soon.

Tom C.

[Kathy Walser]

We hope so, too, Tom. If I hear any updates about repair timelines, I will share them here and on our social media platforms.

Kathleen Walser
Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
Social Media Coordinator

[Jason Rose]

This is definitely a hardware failure. We're working to get it resolved.

Please understand that we're all volunteers with "real" jobs, families, and busy lives. It doesn't help that I'm also 1000 miles away.

[Jerry Sullivan]

Understand it Jason. I'm more than 1500 miles from Chama which is another reason I had to give up being a docent. I appreciate all that you folks do and a lot of things cannot be fixed by remote control, so it will not be the end of the world if the issue is not fixed before Memorial Day but we can hope it is by then. I get a kick seeing a certain individual break a safety rule every time I watch and being retired from the broad gauge (CSX) myself I am tough on safety.

[Bob Bliss]

Thank you, Jason, for all that you do, and we REALLY appreciate you!

BTW, whenever we are in Chama, I would be more than happy, with your guidance, of course, to check on anything for you. I am a "techy" since the 1980's with a broad background in "stuff." I don't know if guiding someone remotely would be realistic or not. And, I'm also a new docent as of July 2024 :-)

Best - Melanie Bliss
[melaniehoagbliss@gmail.com Hutto, TX]

[Jerry Sullivan]

Well Melanie, maybe I'll see you on the Eastbound, Sept. 26 but I'll be nice to whoever. In the meantime, if you are on a train with Kim Garcia, give her a hug for me - nicest young lady I know out there. My wife and I both hope we see her in Sept. Best conductor is Lucas Maez and a good friend too. I hope you started the docent thing at a relatively young age. I was 80 the year I trained for it which was no big deal as I had been a car host on New River trains in WV but I regret not going out and starting it when I retired in 2001 from CSX.

[Michael Brown]

Because all three cameras are off line, I don't think the problem is on the coaling tower. It looks like the issue is with the equipment that interfaces with the network in Chama. Have you tried to reboot the equipment? Try leaving the stuff off for about an hour. Due to a power problem a cisco router ( that also was the phone system) with one of our customers was knocked out. Cisco logged into the router and spent two days, and the system was still down. For some reason we turned the router off for about an hour and the system came back up. Can't hurt.

[Tom Casper]

Parts have been procured for the router and now needs some onsite hands to work on it. Gaining on getting it UP!

Tom C.

[Sam Seiber]

The camera status was discussed in detail in the last commission meeting (5/3). See my report (friends report section): http://train.sbseiber.com/CTM2025May03.html

[Steve Hughes]

One of the highlights of my day when I first get up is looking at the action in the Chama Yard as crews ready the steam locomotives for their daily tasks. It's been such a bummer now that the web cameras are still down. Gosh a web camera can't be so complicated that we can't get them back on-line. What's the hold-up!!! Come on, Get them up & make my day! Thanks!
Steve Hughes

[Quentin Lockwood]

Reposted from NG Discussion Board

Tom Stewart
May 24, 2025 08:00PM Registered: 17 years ago
Posts: 203
It's been many weeks since the cameras went offline. I'd complain about that, but I'm the one on the hook to get them working... :-)

We are sorry the webcams have been offline for quite some time. A couple of things happened to take them down. First, we had a hardware failure with some old electronics in the Chama depot. We verified that the cameras and radios in the Chama yard are working correctly, but without Internet access, they're useless to the Friends and the general public.

While looking for a replacement, unsuccessfully, we eventually purchased new equipment that will set us up for a much better webcam experience, and better wifi internet for the Friends volunteers to use while in the Chama yard. When we installed the new equipment and tried to match the configuration used before, we tripped over a second more severe problem. For several years, the webcams have been taking advantage of the railroads high speed commercial fiber connection. The Friends have appreciated this support from the railroad for years, but discovered the hard way that the railroad had made some simplifying changes to their agreement with Windstream (the only phone and internet company in the Chama valley). Those changes reduced the railroad's monthly bill which is a great thing. But, the changes also eliminated the static IP address we were using.

We reached out to the railroad when we realized something wasn't working and also reached out to Windstream technical support and some engineering staff that we're acquainted with. The answer from Windstream was repeated at least four times: "Nothing has changed on our end". It turns out that the cost saving change by the railroad didn't trickle through Windstream's reporting systems for several weeks after actually taking effect and they were giving us old and inaccurate information.

Because of these issues, we decided to purchase our own fiber connection to the Internet - this will make us independent form the railroad, allowing us to manage our network, and the railroad to manage theirs. This is great for us, except for two things: 1) Windstream is remarkably expensive (boo!) and 2) it is taking over six weeks for Windstream to configure a new NID at the railroad and a few other pieces of equipment.

As of 5/23, Friday afternoon, Windstream thinks they'll get our fiber connection working in a few weeks. Our new equipment is installed and waiting for this, with two configuration settings to be made: our new IP address and corresponding changes to our webcam hosting partner. Once that happens, the webcams will be available to the public.

We sincerly apologize for the outage, and hope we'll regain your confidence in a few weeks.

In the meantime, please think about joining us in Antonito and Chama as a volunteer, and purchase tickets on the C&TS - "America's longest and highest scenic railroad".

---
Because my job is requiring me to learn a lot more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) than I ever wanted, I've asked Meta's Llama 3 to write us a short epic story about the internet and Chama. Forgive me for the following!!!


In realms of old, where webcams gazed upon the land,
A tale of woe befell, their digital sight unmanned.
First, hardware failed in Chama's aged frame,
Verifying cameras worked, yet useless without internet's name.

Seeking replacement, new gear was bought with care,
Better webcam experience and wifi awaited there.
New equipment installed, config matched with ease,
But a second problem arose, more severe in its release.

Years past, webcams utilized railroad's fiber might,
Friends appreciated the support, but changes brought forth night.
Railroad's bill reduced, a boon indeed, yet static IP lost,
Leaving Friends to face the darkness, their digital voice frost.

Outreach made to railroad and Windstream's aid,
Repeated answers echoed: "Nothing changed on our end" displayed.
Yet truth unraveled slowly, weeks after change took hold,
Cost-saving measures by the railroad left Friends in the cold.

Independence beckoned, fiber connection sought,
Friends decided to purchase, managing their own network brought.
A new IP awaited, hosting partner's gentle shake,
And public access granted, soon the webcams would partake.

Apologies sincere offered for the outage's sting,
Confidence hoped regained as weeks went by with healing wings.
In the meantime, join Friends in Antonito and Chama's fold,
Volunteer, and tickets purchased on C&TS, "America' longest scenic railroad" to behold.

[Tom Casper]

That is some story! Glad things are moving along as I enjoy the view with my morning cup.

Tom C.