Crescent delays

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An automobile crash bear tracks has delayed Crescent 19 as of now 3+ hours.  Debri on tracks or track damage unknown.

2 dead, 1 critical after crash near train tracks, DeKalb officials say – WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta (wsbtv.com) 

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Found out Crescent was behind a NS freight that had to wait for part of car to be removed from track.

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Crescent #20 / 10 Apr cancelled from NOL - NYP no reason given.

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Crescent #20 / 10 Apr cancelled from NOL - NYP no reason given.

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This may be the reason.  # 20 / 10 left NOL on time at 09:15 but do not know how far it traveled as NOL got as much as 8 inches of rain in parts of city that caused major flooding.  Maybe the P-42s ran into flooding and shorted out the DC traction motors?  Also maybe water got up to the wheel bearings on locos and cars that will require replacement of bearings as well.  Also a EF-1 tornado in Slidell along NS tracks. 

 

New Orleans flash flood leaves residents cut off and cars underwater after storm warning (msn.com)

 

New Orleans streets flood, stalling traffic - no water reported in buildings, yet | wwltv.com

 

Also train #58 CNO took an hour delay to cross the rebuilt CN bridge over the spill way river.

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The cancellation of 20 / 10 APR was well justified due to flooding and tornado.  However Amtrak's response to making up to the displaced passengers was absolutely not the best.  

Any passengers booked from CLT - thru Greenboro to ALX & north could be accommodated on the Carolinian. Danville - thru Mananassas passengers out of luck.  Roanoke train thru LYH could take boarding them if passengers got notified in time.  Of course Amtrak had all day on the 10th to put together say 3 - 4 spare cars at WASH + a loco, Put them on the back of 19 / 11th to CLT.  Left cars and loco at CLT to originate 20 back to at least WASH for connections onward.

Now Amtrak has cancelled 19 / 12 APR NYP - NOL due to 20 / 10th equipment not available at NYP.  If Amtrak had really wanted to protect those booked on 19 / 12 it could have done the following.  Attach 20 / 10's train set to 20 / 11 and D/H to WASH.  Drop that set at WASH to make up 19/12 to NOL.  Give passengeers from NYP south an Acella to WASH to board 20.

But wait that would cut into bonus paymets so would never have happened.

This would work for any train 20 that could not complete its travels one day if that set could be attached to next day's 20.  Also would work for Meteor but not STAR.

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 happened.

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Amtrak DOES NOT have sufficient equipment to allow them to run schedules On Time even when the expected equipment arrival is later than the On Time departure of the train from Origin.

AutoTrain has two sets of equipment - as long as they run NEAR On Time there are no issues in having the Origin departure protected On Time.  However, if one or both of the trains get 6, 8 or more hours late - there is not sufficient equipment to Originate an 'extra' set of equipment On Time.  The only options Amtrak has is to either attempt to run the equipment back into an On Time operation, OR cancel one or more round trips so the existing equipment can be originated On Time from both ends of the run.