Updates

9/17/2021

Amtrak 160 is out of the paint shop.  Link to Amtrak's twitter announcement. 

Added new Springfield, MA web cam

Added new Muscatine, IA web cam

NS 1074 is now reportable again as it's been spotted outside of Altoona, PA

9/13/2021

Release of Android 3.0.61 - Released 9/12/2021

• Performance Improvements

I'm also actively working on the iOS version which is currently in testing and still on schedule for end of September pending no surprises arise.

Brian =)

8/31/2021

Android Version 3.0.56 - Released 8/31/2021

• Ability to unmask password on login/registration. This will allow you to copy/paste complex passwords.
• Can now search for sub divisions around your device (More > Sub Divisions > Map Icon top right)
• Numerous small bugs/tweak

8/29/2021

NKP 765 is now reportable again 

8/26/2021

Android Release 3.0.54

• Home Screen added Latest Reports (must be turned on in settings)
• Web cams are now searchable when submitting a new report
• Report Submission, fixed an issue with prefill

8/25/2021

If you updated to the new HU android app (Android 8.1 or older) and received an object reference error or the application is failing to load.  I've developed fix for this issue (3.0.53) and will be publishing it to the store later today.

Brian =)
HeritageUnits.com - Founder / Developer

I've released the Heritage Units Android App (3.0) to the play store.   

• If you have a fatal issue where the application won't run please contact me at the support link (https://www.heritageunits.com/main/contact) and please be detailed to the issue that is occurring.  I will likely respond asking for screenshots if it's an error that I'm not a aware of as this will assist with faster resolutions.  Please be patient as I'll try to resolve any issues as fast as possible.  Note that application has been available for 48 hours and many folks are already updated to 3.0 and are using it to report locomotives. 
   
• If you're running Android phone with the operating system (4.0 / 5.0) - Less than 0.6% of users.  Note that you're a rare bird and I still have the legacy version out there FOR NOW...  but it will be removed before 2022.  My recommendation is that it's time to upgrade your phone.    
  
  

• If you're running Android phone with the operating systems (6.0 / 7.0) - Less than 4% of users .  Please note that these operating systems support is running thin and thus you may receive errors and I'll attempt to resolve them but I can't provide any guarantees.  Just like the 4.0/5.0 operating systems, it's recommended that phone upgrade be in your future.
   

Brian
HeritageUnits.com - Founder / Developer

8/22/2021

New Web Cam - Washington, IA

Added new web cam for Cinncinati, OH.  Note that camera does change directions but when faced east it will see the trains entering/leaving Cincinnati. 

8/21/2021

New mobile apps are on the way... 

These are 100% complete rewrites of the current version and address many issues the plagued the old one.  Below are a couple notes about the releases and their planned release dates.

• Complete new UI experience.  
• Fixed issues requiring frequent logins (note you will need a new fresh login with this new app)
• Time zone issues when submitting reports
• You can now set the leading locomotive if it's not a tracked unit.  In the current version you could only state "other" or select one of the reported locomotives.
• Sub divisions / mile posts are now available.  We're actively building our database so this is experimental but will include radio frequencies, detector locations, etc... 
• If a sub division is selected during a report, the train direction should match timetable directions (N/S or E/W) for the sub division.  We know some are confusing so we provide helpers per division.
  
• Notifications within the app of when a locomotive matches your near by settings.
• Many more...

Rollout

• Android app should start a staged rollout next week pending no issues arise during our final testing.
• Apple app should follow right behind with a mid- to-late September rollout.

Not included (but coming very soon...)

• Photo uploads

Brian =)
HeritageUnits.com - Founder / Developer

8/14/2021

Updated the North East, PA web cam URL and set the owner to Lake Shore Railway Museum

8/5/2021

Removed  (repainted) - BNSF 1608 - ATSF Bluebonnet

8/2/2021

Added BNSF1594 (BN Paint)

7/26/2021

Added Palmer, MA Web Cam by Boston and Maine Live

7/25/2021

Added AMTK108 (Phase VI)

Added AMTK160 (Dash 8 Phase III)

7/23/2021

Reactivated BNSF 9407

7/16/2021

Added - BBLE862 (DMIR Paint)

7/8/2021

Added VirtualRailfan.com Web Camera - Spartanburg, SC

7/7/2021

Added Railstream.net Web Camera - Atlanta, GA

6/30/2021

Added - AMTK301 - Day 1 - 50th Anniversary

6/28/2021

Removed - MNCR126 - New Haven

6/18/2021

Added - BNSF1787 - BN Paint

6/14/2021

Removed - KCS 2972 - KCS Grey

CSX has officially renumbered CSXT1 (Spirit of WV) to CSXT173.   Note that we renumbered the locomotive last week due to CSXT1 (B&O Scheme) venturing out on the OCS. 

6/9/2021

CSXT1 & 2 - B&O Heritage Scheme locomotives are available for reporting.

6/4/2021

Unlocked NS 8098 (Conrail) for reporting

5/29/2021

Added Rocky Mount, NC web cam

5/28/2021

Added Oklahoma City, OK web cam

Added - IHB3800 - Salute our Troops - Note that notifications are disabled on this unit due to it's limited range

5/27/2021

5/24/2021

NW611 is enabled for reporting

5/21/2021

We've received word about the new CSX1 (F40PH in B&O Scheme).  We're holding on changes until we receive confirmation that CSXT1 (Spirit of WV) is officially renumbered and confirmed.   This is to avoid confusion and reporting the wrong locomotive.

5/19/2021

Added Belle Plaine, NE web cam (thanks T. Hogan)
Added Fostoria, OH (thanks A. Wenger)

5/17/2021

Updated link to new Roanoke web camera and updated the link to Hotel Roanoke Rail cam.   Many thanks Bruce P. for the email!

5/1/2021

As of 5/1/2021 we've officially deprecated SMS notifications due to lack of utilization and costly to maintain.   Please note that we'll have push notifications coming to our mobile apps. 

5/3/2021

Added - Metra North Commuter Units in New Haven paint (P32AC-DM #228-231 and BL20GH 126-127, 129-130).  

Please note that we don't send out notifications for units in regular commuter service. 

4/26/2021

4/23/2021

4/22/2021

We've unlocked NW611 in preparation for its move in May.

https://www.strasburgrailroad.com/611-at-strasburg/

4/17/2021

Fixed an issue where the server was failing to send out emails during registrations / forgot passwords.   If you registered your account between 4/12/2021 8PM EST to 4/16/2021 8PM EST you likely didn't receive an email.  

Please visit the profile page to generate another email verification link (link)

4/16/2021

Added - WE7023 - 30th Anniversary

4/14/2021

Added Cedar Fall, IA to the web cam map

4/8/2021

4/4/2021

4/3/2021

UP1995 reporting restrictions have been lifted. UP has placed the unit back in service as of yesterday. 

3/31/2021

3/30/2021

On the web site (Desktop View) we've added the ability to see the locations of web cams within the USA/Canada. Please contact us if there are missing.   This will be useful if trying to locate and track a Heritage Unit.   

Also note that this is in preparation for our new mobile app which will ask specifically what camera you saw the locomotive at to assist with keeping reporting consistent. 

HeritageUnits.com is not affiliated with these camera operators.  While some of these cameras are free to view, others are not.  We do ask that you support each operator on their respective sites via a membership or donations.

Brian =)
HeritageUnits.com 

3/29/2021

3/22/2021

3/18/2021

Added - KCS2823 - KCS Grey

3/16/2021

Removed - BCOL 4643 - BC Rail Paint - Scrapped

3/15/2021

3/11/2021

3/8/2021

Added  - Canadian Pacific's "Central, Maine & Quebec" units

• CMQ1002
• CMQ1006
• CMQ2001
• CMQ2002
• CMQ2003
• CMQ2004
• CMQ2006
• CMQ3812
• CMQ3816
• CMQ3817
• CMQ9004
• CMQ9010
• CMQ9011
• CMQ9014
• CMQ9017
• CMQ9020
• CMQ9021
• CMQ9022
• CMQ9023
• CMQ9024

Removed - NS 3215 - 2014 NMRA - SOld to PRLX

Reactivated - NS3492 OLS as it's been spotted in numerous locations. 

3/5/2021

Added - EMDX7235 - EMDX Black

3/1/2021

2/26/2021

2/22/2021

2/15/2021

Reactivated CSX 911, 3194 and 1776.   Reportable on CSX Q410-14 to Selkirk, NY

2/12/2021

2/6/2021

2/5/2021

AMTK184 is now reportable again

2/1/2021

1/26/2021

Added remaining KCS units in Grey.

SD40-2

• KCS 661 
• KCS 3219

GP38-2

• KCS 1908 
• KCS 1909
  
• KCS 1915 
• KCS 1921 
• KCS 2004 
• KCS 2014 
• KCS 2022 
• KCS 2023 
• KCS 2029

GP40-3

• KCS 2809 
• KCS 2830 
• KCS 2841 
• KCS 2844 
• KCS 2846 
• KCS 2898  
• KCS 2964 
• KCS 2972 

 GP40-2LW

• KCS 2900 
• KCS 2902 
• KCS 2906 
• KCS 2911

1/24/2021

Removed - BNSF 2843 - ATSF Bluebonnet (Repainted)

Removed - BNSF 2831 - BN Paint (Repainted)

1/22/2021

Added - KCS 2967 - KCS Grey

1/21/2021

1/14/2021

1/11/2021

Removed - BNSF 193 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

Just resolved an issue with our password reset.  If you had troubles logging in after a password reset it's likely that your new password wasn't complex enough.  The password reset page wasn't displaying validation messages when a new password didn't meet the requirements.    This has been resolved at as of 1/10/2021 6:30PM EST.  

There have also been a couple instances where a fellow user might accidently selected the wrong locomotive during a report.  For example; it's a locomotive on the east coast only but was reported on the west coast.  This could happen if the person was scrolling the locomotive selection screen and accidently tapped the wrong locomotive during a scroll.  For such a unique situation; we've added geo-fencing for handful of unique locomotives.

Brian =)

1/5/2021

Added - BNSF 3027 - BN Paint

12/30/2020

Our moderators now have the ability to update the leader status on a report.  Previously if a user made a mistake selecting the leader we would have to take it down.   Now our team can fix the mistake so the report can stay viewable.

Brian =)

12/28/2020

Removed - GTW 4926 - GTW Paint - Repainted

12/27/2020

Removed - BNSF 1885 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

12/26/2020

Fixed an issue where the "distance away" was displaying incorrectly on the latest location view on the mobile app.  This view was never designed to show the distance away and thus resulted in very confusing results. 

Brian =)

12/24/2020

The entire staff here at HeritageUnits.com wish everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, & Happy New Year...

12/22/2020

Fixed a bug on the mobile (web) for locomotive list page. Was creating duplicate entries for the same categories.   Thanks J. Higgins for bring this to my attention.

Brian =)

12/17/2020

Fixed a bug where user favorites was not displaying within the apps (iOS/Android/Web).  Many thanks to Tom B. for bringing it to my attention.

Brian =)

12/14/2020

Removed - BNSF 2947 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

12/13/2020

12/12/2020

Removed - AMTK 189 - Big Game Train - Stickers removed 

12/9/2020

Removed - BNSF 2949 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

12/8/2020

Removed - BNSF 2939 - BN Paint - Repainted 

12/5/2020

11/30/2020

Added - BNSF 196 - ATSF Bluebonnet
Added - BNSF 1638 - ATSF Bluebonnet
Added - BNSF 1645 - ATSF Bluebonnet
Added - BNSF 1648 - ATSF Bluebonnet
Added - BNSF 1761 - ATSF Bluebonnet

11/28/2020

11/27/2020

BNSF677 & BNSF686 are reportable again. Spotted in Kansas City, MO. 

11/25/2020

11/24/2020

Removed - BNSF 2857 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

11/22/2020

Removed - IC 2455 - Blue Devil - Scrapped

11/21/2020

Fixed a bug where custom favorites couldn't be updated on the web.  Thanks Phil for letting us know.

Brian =)
HeritageUnits.com - Founder/Developer

11/16/2020

11/12/2020

Renamed - CN 3233 to Veterans Unit

11/7/2020

11/6/2020

Fixed a bug where the category drop down on the mobile apps was only displaying a the sub category.  This was a server level fix;; thus the fix will be immediate for any affected app versions.

Brian =)

11/1/2020

10/29/2020

Removed - BNSF 1739 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

Removed - BNSF 1738 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

10/25/2020

Added 3 "New" Heritage units from Canadian National.   CN3023 (EJE), CN3008 (IC) and CN3069 (WC).   All 3 locomotives with addition of CN3115 (BCOL) are on train CN M396.  

A video of the units can be found at this link ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdH7YV2SQ-Y )

10/18/2020

Removed - BNSF 2869 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

10/16/2020

Removed - BNSF 1757 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

10/13/2020

Quick update on the upcoming 3.0 mobile app.  

For the past month I've been making core changes to the server in preparation for the 3.0 app.  Below are a couple features I'm looking to bring into v3.0.

• Sub Divisions / Mile Post - We'll ask the reporter for more details like the sub division, mile post and timetable direction.  If you don't know all those details; it's ok!    We're building the app to suggest them to you and also provide pointers on the correct direction (sometimes North/South is actually East/West on a railroad's timetable). 
  
  
• Web Cameras - We're building in features to speed up web camera reporting and pre-fill in details about the location. 
  
  
• Push Notifications - Currently only our android app (premium accounts) has the ability to do notifications but they're built upon a "pull" notification that works on a schedule.  We're looking to replace this with "push" notifications for iOS/Android.
  
  
• Photo Uploads - Currently only available via our web version.  Looking to add the ability to upload directly from your phone. 
  
  
• Routing Predictions - Our ultimate goal... with more detailed reporting our goal is send notifications to you if you train is inbound to your location.  Note this will likely be delivered in later version as we stabilize the 3.0 version. 

Please be patient as I build things out but if you have enhancement ideas please send them to me at our contact page. 

Brian =)
HeritageUnits.com - Founder / Developer

BNSF680 is reportable again

10/12/2020

Added - AMTK 600 - David L. Gunn Memorial - Note that this is in commuter service so we've disabled notifications for this locomotive

10/11/2020

BNSF625 is reportable again (was in storage)

10/10/2020

Added another "new" heritage unit CN3115 in BC rail paint. This unit previously was a 100th anniversary unit. 

It's been spotted in it's new paint but no word on the official release date.  

Their is also another Illinois Central heritage unit (all black "deathstar") that is painted but it's number is still TBD.

Top notch stuff coming out of Canadian National!

Added a "new" heritage unit.  Fresh out of the shop in true GT (Blue/Red) paint - CN 8952 - Grand Trunk Western

10/9/2020

Resolved an issue while submitting new reports where a new report could result in a "Object reference not set to an instance of an object".  

10/7/2020

Applied a small fix for the map view on the mobile web version where it wasn't pulling up the report when clicking on the marker icon. 

Fixed a display issue with trending locomotives (Mobile & Web versions)

10/6/2020

10/3/2020

Removed - CEFX 6012 - SOO Paint - Repainted

Added - CN7600 (GP40-3) CN 600 (Slug).   As of right now we're describing them as "Canadian National Green" paint.  You can view a picure of them at this  (link).  

Please note that links only work on the web version of heritage units.  In our new app they'll be clickable. 

9/29/2020

Removed - SOO 4409 - SOO Paint - Repainted

Removed - BNSF 3172 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

Removed - BNSF 1746 - ATSF Bluebonnet - Repainted

9/26/2020

Removed - BNSF 2952 - ATSF Bluebonnet  - Repainted