A lot of this only works on weekends. Springfield to Worcester is single track except for a few miles on each end. CSX runs a fair number of trains through there in the daytime.
henry6 Probably the biggest problem was qualified and rested crews. Springfield to Boston one way is about 2 and a half hours...with at least a half hour sign in and sign out on each end of a round trip...you've got a 6 hour day...can two round trips be sqeezed in 11 hours and 59 mnutes? Probably not. Then, yes, locomotives come as the next problem.
Probably the biggest problem was qualified and rested crews. Springfield to Boston one way is about 2 and a half hours...with at least a half hour sign in and sign out on each end of a round trip...you've got a 6 hour day...can two round trips be sqeezed in 11 hours and 59 mnutes? Probably not. Then, yes, locomotives come as the next problem.
John WR There was a day before the Hell Gate Bridge when the Federal Express (trains 71 and 72) took the inland route, crossed the Hudson and went down the west side of New Jersey bypassing New York.
There was a day before the Hell Gate Bridge when the Federal Express (trains 71 and 72) took the inland route, crossed the Hudson and went down the west side of New Jersey bypassing New York.
You had me confused until I realized you were going Boston to Washington and not the other way.
There were as I recall a couple of flavors of this operation. One of them involved the whole train being loaded on a lighter or ferry and given a leisurely trip up the East/Harlem River, not just over the Hudson. If I remember correctly, this bypassed 'Manhattan' but you were just across the river from it when you got to the eastbound side. This was back in the days when the consist was shorter -- I think they used the train-ferry 'Maryland' at one point, and that was limited to something like 6 cars; you didn't have to split the train into multiple 'sections' and then reassemble it.
At one point ISTR that train went over the Poughkeepsie Bridge, L&HR, and then ... I think ... down the Bel Del. This partly followed the route by which S1 6100 went to the World's Fair. I think that's what you were mentioning... BUT trying to divert Amtrak service via that route today might pose some ... problems... <VVBG>
IIRC before the Shoreline electrification there were some regular schedule NH-BOS trains via Springfield.
Thanks for the pictures, Roll Along. I looked for some but couldn't find any.
John
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Service has been restored with numerous delays and cancellations. Found photos of the wreck online: http://www.ilovenewhaven.org/
i think the biggest issue with using the inland route, while a good idea, as a detour is the lack of diesel electric motive power to handle the detour trains, especially on the Boston end. With the P40/42 fleet spread so thin as it is, having enough power sitting around on standby for inland detours is not a good use resources.
This is certainly a problem for people traveling on the Shore Line, especially people using the New London and Westerly stations. But I have never known it to happen before.
Due to a P&W DERAILMENT near east haven service is suspended until ( ? )
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Alert_C&pagename=am/AM_Alert_C/Alerts_Popup&cid=1251623526410
AMTRAK is running a detour train New Haven - springfiel - boston each way. The NH - SPG portion can be covered by a regular crew. SPG - BOS can be covered by a spare BOS - ALB crew . However AMTRAK does not keep anough bos crews qualified on the SPG segment.. IMHO that situation needs addressing some how.
1. Maybe there could be 2 -3 NYP - BOS trips that follow the inland route thereby getting many more crews qualified without the high cost of qualifying.
2. There should be no problem of MBTA allowing their portion BOS - Worcester ( 44 miles ) to accept these short notice detours. That would be especially desireable to MBTA if the detours stopped at WOR.
3. That would only require getting CSX to sign some advance agreement for the 54 mile WOR - SPG allowing for short notice trains..
4. Another factor is MBTA's desire to EVENTUALLY run BOS - SPG.
5. all this just begs the question that there is eventually a second route BOS -NYP - WASH that can take detour trains when the certain to happen closure of one rote for whatever reason happens.
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