Southern Pacific Detector Overview

SP's CAMCO units received a custom voice of Katherine Reynolds, a professional voice-over artist and announcer for NBC out of San Francisco. She was also used in various SP employee training videos.

CAMCO (Consolidated Asset Management Co.) was a Harmon subsidiary that specialized in distributing railroad materials, including communication & signal products such as defect detectors. Some of these units reverted to the familiar male Harmon voice after SP's purchase by Union Pacific.

An alternate Harmon voice heard only on the Wilmington Line (SPCSL) in Illinois. It is unknown if these units were installed by SP or the Chicago Missouri & Western that previously owned the line before falling into bankruptcy. Videos of the line confirm the bungalows and track hardware to be typical Harmon equipment.

The Servo 9000 units on SP were relegated primarily to former DRGW lines, and lacked the female voice used on most of SP's other models.

SP's Sentry 2058 units utilized the voice of an STC employee named Linda, who has since retired. Her husband, Paul, was the male voice used on their detectors.

This is the voice commonly mistaken for Majel Barrett of Star Trek fame, a popular tale in railfan folk lore. This has been debunked by Southern Pacific employees and other industry professionals.