Bruce KellyAs I write this, No.7 (some 6 hours late) is just leaving Hauser, ID, after a brief stop at the fuel pad. Not just to drop off or pick up deadhead crews, which the Empire Builder often does here in winter, but to actually fuel both units.
After reading your post, I went to asmtransit.docs and looked at the map. for#7 (3) and it wasn't shown. So I went to the timeline for it and these are the last two posts
So I suspect it was annulled at Spokane with bussing between Spokane, Seattle and Portland with #8 originating at Spokane tonight.
Everything that can possibly impact Amtrak has been in play. Snow, severe cold (which requires trains to run at slower speeds and can cause broken rails), avalanche danger on Marias Pass, freight congestion, road conditions affecting crew and other personnel travel, motive power failures, etc. There's a BNSF video making the rounds which shows they've been facing horrendous conditions across northern Montana, record-setting accumulaton and low temps.
As I write this, No.7 (some 6 hours late) is just leaving Hauser, ID, after a brief stop at the fuel pad. Not just to drop off or pick up deadhead crews, which the Empire Builder often does here in winter, but to actually fuel both units.
ALL:
I notice that both eastbound and westbound Empire Builders are delayed in Montana. Example: #8/01 departed Spokane on time and had significiant delays and it running about 5 hours late departing Red Wing, MN. Were these delays track or derailment issues?
Ed Burns
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