Train car tracking

[Lemosteam]

Is there any way to track the movement of a specific train car?

I have the car number.  It contains my son's new truck on its way to Detroit.  Is there any way to follow its movement? Just for fun, really.

[RockGp40]

Probably not for public use. AskRail is an app that will tell you certain things but you need to be approved by a Class 1 to use it. lat-lon.com is a website that tracks things too like locomotive movements but you would need an account. There are scanners all along the railroads to tell them where things are, but aren't accessible as far as I know by the general public.

[sd45elect2000]

We know of a few groups that would like to track tank cars of bad stuff or containers full of good stuff depending on the group..

Homeland security has security in place so that shouldn't happen...

[learmoia]

Whats the car number..... (just in case someone has the ability to do that sorta thing)..   

[learmoia]

We know of a few groups that would like to track tank cars of bad stuff or containers full of good stuff depending on the group..

Homeland security has security in place so that shouldn't happen...

I've heard that the Class 1s watch social media very closely, about employee communication of train locations... (for reasons like that..)

One story I heard recently:
An employee gave his railfan friend some info on a train with a heritage loco.

The Railfan went out and got pictures of the locomotive..

Then the Railfan posted to his social media.. "Thanks 'Employee Name' for the heads up on 'Train symbol' with 'Identifying locomotive' departing 'Location Date and Time'

Here are the great pictures I got!.. and posted the pictures..

Then the 'social media' department was ready to fire the employee for divulging company information... and the local manager had to talk them off the ledge to save the guys job.

So.. yeah.. the info isn't supposed to go out, and if your have access too it, be careful who you share it with.. AND.. if you have a friend who can get you that info.. be careful what YOU do with it.

[Ed Kapuscinski]