Today's Trains Newswire reports that the LSL and Capitol for Monday and Today have terminated/turned at Toledo with bus service between there and Chicago. Trains received no response to questions about tomorrow and future days.
As much as I would not like having to drag my luggage around, if I were going, I'd rather be moving forward.
With no indication that the situation will improve shortly, I think Amtrak should continue busing at least until the trains can stay within no more than 3-4 hours late. Until they can get a lot closer to on time, I'm using different modes.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
Elsewhere with late trains:
I've been checking on the Empire Builder in the run-up to a trip of my own, and Sunday's eastbound edition out of Minot departed 4 hours late and lost another 5 hours between there and Chicago, arriving at the latter in the wee hours of morning. Ugh!
Ed, I'd love to rent a room in your house for a week. You live in the middle of the storm. Just for fun I turned on the Chesterton camera and booted up the NS Chicago Line on ATCS Monitor yesterday while I worked. I swear that hours went by without a train going through Chesterton. Every so often I heard an off-camera whistle from a Michigan Line train. I guess the definition of gridlock is when nothing moves. Felt like that yesterday. I think that Amtrak did the right thing. At some inconvenience to its passengers (a 200-mile bus ride) it delivered them within a semblance of the schedule. Last night the westbound Capitol got decent handling by CSX (21 minutes late arriving Pittsburgh) but is now almost 3 hours late approaching Toledo, where it will terminate. Apparently the wb Lake Shore is already terminated this morning in Toledo. The new normal, indeed.
Fred
Actually four per day and I think that would be a help. Those are 79mph trains vs 60 and 50 mph trains, plus the highest priority trains on the circuit.
Yesterday sounded pretty chaotic. NS was tying trains down everywhere and didnt have enough "wheels" to transport crews back to Elkhart and Chicago. There was a shortage of van drivers.
CSX seemed very chaotic also and to top it off CN had to issue 7 slow orders to their trains between Griffith and MP 100.
Was this all coincidence or a dominio effect? Meanwhile the NS NKP seems fluid.
Ed
Will the cancelling of CL &LSL help any ? @ 2 less trains each way ?
Convicted One Isn't this just the culmination of years and years of consolidation? This is the drill: The big boys have been gobbling up the smaller lines for years and years, taking the bridge traffic off and then claiming the acquired lines will no longer support themselves with local business only, so they file for abandonment, and are successful. Alternate lines that once were available are removed for the express economic benefit of the lines that are now "victims" of the congestion that resulted in part from that consolidation. What better solution than to now expect the tax payers to fund enhancements to add capacity to the remaining overloaded infrastructure. There are so many lines that once bypassed/avoided Chicago that are no more, because they were choked off through the above process. The result is your "meltdown"
Isn't this just the culmination of years and years of consolidation?
This is the drill: The big boys have been gobbling up the smaller lines for years and years, taking the bridge traffic off and then claiming the acquired lines will no longer support themselves with local business only, so they file for abandonment, and are successful. Alternate lines that once were available are removed for the express economic benefit of the lines that are now "victims" of the congestion that resulted in part from that consolidation.
What better solution than to now expect the tax payers to fund enhancements to add capacity to the remaining overloaded infrastructure.
There are so many lines that once bypassed/avoided Chicago that are no more, because they were choked off through the above process. The result is your "meltdown"
First I have to say I am not entirely clear what the status of those former trunk lines is: downgraded, sold off to short lines or abandoned. If the feds get involved in upgrading an abandoned RoW, they should simply take it through eminent domain and use it as a dedicated, passenger-only HSR route linking the east coast with the midwest with a viable service not subject to meltdowns due to short-sighted freight railroad strategies.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Dakguy201 MP173 2. If the trainset is to be turned in Chicago, how are they maintaining any resemblence to normal timekeeping at this point in time. They are almost to the point of annulling a train movement for a day and starting over, unless Amtrak has extra equipment. Ed Last night's Lake Shore departed Chicago at 2:45am, some 5 hours 15 minutes late. It was last reported at Elkhart, more than 8 hours late. The Capitol is listed as a service disruption, so I don't know if it even ran.
MP173 2. If the trainset is to be turned in Chicago, how are they maintaining any resemblence to normal timekeeping at this point in time. They are almost to the point of annulling a train movement for a day and starting over, unless Amtrak has extra equipment. Ed
2. If the trainset is to be turned in Chicago, how are they maintaining any resemblence to normal timekeeping at this point in time. They are almost to the point of annulling a train movement for a day and starting over, unless Amtrak has extra equipment.
Last night's Lake Shore departed Chicago at 2:45am, some 5 hours 15 minutes late. It was last reported at Elkhart, more than 8 hours late. The Capitol is listed as a service disruption, so I don't know if it even ran.
Johnny
If these disruptions, whatever the cause, continue much longer, much of Amtrak's LD operation's future becomes doubtful, whether as transportation or a land cruise. Lotsa fun being stuck on a train somewhere for many hours with no food, etc. and unable to even get off.
Both WB trains vanished from Amtrak's map at Toledo this morning.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
blue streak 1 A question for BALT and Oltmann. In the era of DPU operations could NS cut number of trains and save crews by taking 2 trains to same destination and combine them using DPU technology ?. That train would certainly need to be able to not stop and block grade crossings. On this route are there some train length limits that preclude some combinations ? Realize that at present the RR would have to combine enough at same time to be able to keep route fluid.
A question for BALT and Oltmann.
In the era of DPU operations could NS cut number of trains and save crews by taking 2 trains to same destination and combine them using DPU technology ?. That train would certainly need to be able to not stop and block grade crossings. On this route are there some train length limits that preclude some combinations ? Realize that at present the RR would have to combine enough at same time to be able to keep route fluid.
You can run ridiculously long trains between Chicago and Elkart w/o DPU. It's really flat. And, has been pointed out - there are already issues getting them in and out of yards.
Not sure if this was NS's fault yesterday but Amtrak yesterday at 540pm (about 10 hours late) was instructed to violate the hours of service rules and run a few miles and then hold for a recrew.
A couple of points...
1. How in the world are they feeding people if the trains are that late?
Unconfirmed report is that NS is gaining ( gained ? ) control of the Englewood diamond from METRA ? Most METRA trains reported ( unconfirmed ) now being routed onto the Englewood flyover. If so then this may be one link in a chain to reduce delays on the NS route ? If so METRA will have to wait on NS & Amtrak ?
BaltACD . Length can be a double edged sword..
. Length can be a double edged sword..
I don't know what the NS train length restriction is, if any. However, with the terrain from Elkhart to Chicago I am sure they are running maximum length trains and DPU is not necessary for their movement. The down side to extremely long trains is that terminal facilities that were built in a bygone era can rarely handle these trains on a single track. When trains have to used multiple tracks to be yarded or dispatched they must block the leads for extended periods of time thus preventing other movements from using those leads. Length can be a double edged sword..
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
It's looking like P050 - the scenic tour through Indiana, the Ohio River Valley and Western Virginia - has become the 'reliable' route between Chicago and DC, even if the scheduled trip is longer.
Looks like another tough day for Amtrak.
Train #48 shows a 930pm departure from Chicago, yet left South Bend at 626am...which is 6:30 late. Currently it is west of Toledo and is tracking 6:14 late.
Train #29 is west of Waterloo, In and is "only" 1:44 late. However, current speed is 0mph.
Train #49 is due into Waterloo in 3 minutes and is 1:14 late.
Here in NW Indiana it appears to be another challenging day for NS and Amtrak. 33E has recrewed at MP479 with 23K right behind it. Ahead past 482 train 31M is tying down it's train. It sounds as if work has been cancelled today at the new crossover at 479. There are "a number of short time eastbounds".
I have work to do, but the drama is intriguing.
ACTS is also becoming obsolite as railroads go with satalite commuinication. We call the area between east Deshler and Galetea the "black hole".Csx has redone the folkston Ga area as others have told me.Getting back to NS they had 2 trains waiting in Archbold and no local came to town that I could tell.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
ATCS Monitor is a Yahoo Group. Go there and ask for membership. The learning curve is steep, be forewarned.
Any chance that non subscribers could access ATCS ?
...and all the way to Amtrak at 21st St. LSL is following
Have route and signals all the way to Englewood.
Both trains completed zig-zag at 466...have route though Porter. Looks like a relatively clean ride the rest of the way.
oltmannd oltmannd Both trains are departing Elkhart following a couple intermodal trains ahead. Looks like the IM trains are going to join the pile at Porter (now four trains deep), but once an EB intermodal gets by, there's a chance the two Amtrak trains can scoot by Porter on track 2. We'll see. Nope. Routed into the clog at Porter. That'll cost'em an hour each, at least.
oltmannd Both trains are departing Elkhart following a couple intermodal trains ahead. Looks like the IM trains are going to join the pile at Porter (now four trains deep), but once an EB intermodal gets by, there's a chance the two Amtrak trains can scoot by Porter on track 2. We'll see.
Both trains are departing Elkhart following a couple intermodal trains ahead. Looks like the IM trains are going to join the pile at Porter (now four trains deep), but once an EB intermodal gets by, there's a chance the two Amtrak trains can scoot by Porter on track 2. We'll see.
Nope. Routed into the clog at Porter. That'll cost'em an hour each, at least.
Well, yep! The Capitol is going to back from one to two at CP466. I suspect the LSL will follow suit as it's being held short of CP466.
oltmannd The WB LSL and Capitol have gotten past a WB NS merchandise train and a WB intermodal train and are currently overtaking a CPR train on the fly, but are headed toward a clog west of Elkhart. FIve WB trains at Porter and two at CP462, with two more on the way to the party - and a solid parade of eastbounds. ...its not for lack of trying!
The WB LSL and Capitol have gotten past a WB NS merchandise train and a WB intermodal train and are currently overtaking a CPR train on the fly, but are headed toward a clog west of Elkhart.
FIve WB trains at Porter and two at CP462, with two more on the way to the party - and a solid parade of eastbounds. ...its not for lack of trying!
Fred Frailey Jay, did they serve the lunch menu on train 30 yesterday? Fred
Jay, did they serve the lunch menu on train 30 yesterday?
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