Was on delayed west bound Cal Z out of Salt lake City. UP provided engineer and conductor up front at some road crossiing. Amtrak engineer stayed up front as a mechanical instructor (blended brake and HEP was having problems) and conductor on train as the customer service representative/manager to the next Amtrak crew change point.
Certainly Amtrak has trained crews available to man nos. 5 and 6 between Chicago and KCMO as well as between Lincoln, Nebr. and Denver.
But I should think Amtrak train and engine crews would also be required to accompany the detouring trains between Lincoln and Kansas City. Only their people would know what to do in case the locomotive-mounted "hotel power" generator develops a problem or their people would know what needs to be uncoupled (like power cables and communications lines) if a car needs to be setout and secured.
Also there's the matter of passenger counts, trip reports, tickets and transportation charges collected that need to pass from Amtrak conductor to Amtrak conductor.
CShaveRR Our friend Jeff has been a pilot on detour moves over UP--they just take the trains over the routes over which they're qualified. But Amtrak crews can handle their own trains between KC and Chicago.
Our friend Jeff has been a pilot on detour moves over UP--they just take the trains over the routes over which they're qualified. But Amtrak crews can handle their own trains between KC and Chicago.
Not pilot, the actual engineer. Almost always the UP crew (engr and condr) handle the train. The Amtrak engr usually rides back in the train. The Amtrak condr is in radio contact with the UP crew.
The time I had it, we had to stop at Marshalltown so they could change Amtrak engrs. One got off a coach and the other got on. The Amtrak condr was going to be out of time east of Clinton and he said a relief would be cabbed to him somewhere in Illinois.
When we have detoured over the CN, the UP usually establishes a pilot board. The last time the board consisted of engineers and company officers. Every train that detoured got a pilot. The previous time we detoured, if both engr and condr had made two trips over the CN, they let us go without a pilot.
Right now, the Iowa Interstate is detouring over the UP between Fairfax (near Cedar Rapids) and Council Bluffs due to a washout on the IAIS at Colfax, IA. In this case, I believe it's just a UP crew on board. Handled like a haulage rights train.
The UP is, or maybe was detouring over the IAIS from Des Moines to Council Bluffs. Again, I think they are only using IAIS crews, no UP on board.
Jeff
CShaveRR SJ, I'm pretty sure that the trains went via BNSF down to KC, then took the old Santa Fe up to Chicago (or the other way around). It may have required an extra train crew to pilot the train, especially over that KC-Omaha link, but shouldn't be a real problem. Our friend Jeff has been a pilot on detour moves over UP--they just take the trains over the routes over which they're qualified. But Amtrak crews can handle their own trains between KC and Chicago.
SJ, I'm pretty sure that the trains went via BNSF down to KC, then took the old Santa Fe up to Chicago (or the other way around). It may have required an extra train crew to pilot the train, especially over that KC-Omaha link, but shouldn't be a real problem.
Along the lines that have been indicated and posted here .
A detoured train; Does the originally assigned crew from the home road stay with the power on the reroute (detour?) and back into their home road territory?
Does the hosting road on the detour provide the crew without any of the Home roads crew on board?
Are the circumstances different for AMTRAK reroutes than for what would be a 'normal' freights detour? I know most of their Engineers work as employees of AMTRAK, but do they looks their senority on the road they left to work for Amtrak or is it some kind of dual senority?
How does a railroad crew become authorized to run a train on another railroad's territory?
I am guessing that if one railroad had trackage rights on another railroads territory their crews would would be 'authorized' during the normal course of the excercise of trackage rights, and to be considered qualified as PILOTS?
Pilot Crews: Does each railroad division maintain records of their own personnel who are qualified on another company's territories? How does a railroad assign personnel to a PILOT job, is it in the normal rotation, or is their a speciall assignment board for these kinds of issues?
Does a Pilot crew consist of an Engineer and a Conductor, or just an Engineer?
What is required for an Engineer or Conductor to be qualified as a Pilot on a foreign road's territory?
In November '92 when UP's 3985 came into Memphis ( to go on to CRR's Santa Train) they came down on the MoP RR's line out of Arkansas. They had to stop on the east side of the Miss R. Bridge, to drop the MoP pilot, and to pick up a CSX pilot to get through Memphis to Leawood Yard. The MoP pilot was a very young engineer, and came down from the cab covered with soot. (The smoke box forced draft nozzle had quit working, and they had to run with what amounted to a natural forced draft). The whole bunch from the cab was pretty well smoked up. That MoP engineer ( the pilot ) was so happy after that ride, I imagine it took years to get the grin off his face!
edblysard And I am sure that Amtrak knows or has a good idea about how much time the crew will use, and I would bet they have a crew in a van headed out to a relief point way ahead of the train crew. Might even cab them out there a day ahead of time and plan for it.
And I am sure that Amtrak knows or has a good idea about how much time the crew will use, and I would bet they have a crew in a van headed out to a relief point way ahead of the train crew.
Might even cab them out there a day ahead of time and plan for it.
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Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
There was a posting on here a few days ago that Amtrak #5/#6 was rerouted south instead of across Iowa due to flooding.
My question is: The crew signs on - would have to be Chicago area I would imagine and then instead of a straight shot across Iowa, they meander down south before heading back up to here (Lincoln NE)
Do they run into this route putting the crew over their work hours? And if not, what if they run into a problem (broken rail, engine failure, anything that would take up their time) and they can't make the whole detour in the allotted time.
It's not like Amtrak has crews just sitting around on the detour route to step in as needed. Or do they? Do they put a UP/BNSF engine on the headend and give it to whose ever tracks they are using along with that railroad's crew?
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