DeggestyoltmanndSame here on the Abbeville sub. Lots of trees on RR property not trimmed back. The pine trees grow like weeds down here.What about kudzu? Has it, perchance, been conquered?
oltmanndSame here on the Abbeville sub. Lots of trees on RR property not trimmed back. The pine trees grow like weeds down here.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/03/1352802/nc-adds-two-trains-to-charlotte.html
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I am not talking about this last go-around, specifically. Mention the word "Hurricane" at the 60 Mass. Ave. N.E. Hqs of NRPC and you will be treated as a terrorist and the trains will stop forthwith! Don't use the "S" word, either.
Hays
.edited
Back to the Charlote-Columbia route. The current maximum speed on the R line from Charlotte Jct. to Columbia is 50 mph for passenger trains--and there are more than 30 speed reductions along the way. A passenger train would be put to it to maintain an average of 36 mph.
This information comes from the 2008 Columbia District TT.
Johnny
Deggesty Back to the Charlote-Columbia route. The current maximum speed on the R line from Charlotte Jct. to Columbia is 50 mph for passenger trains--and there are more than 30 speed reductions along the way. A passenger train would be put to it to maintain an average of 36 mph. This information comes from the 2008 Columbia District TT.
Johnny: Sounds like every other proposed Amtrak route. Lots of work to get it up to passenger speeds. Is ABS still on that line? Since it will probably still have haz-mat PTC will eventually have to go in.
blue streak 1 Deggesty Back to the Charlote-Columbia route. The current maximum speed on the R line from Charlotte Jct. to Columbia is 50 mph for passenger trains--and there are more than 30 speed reductions along the way. A passenger train would be put to it to maintain an average of 36 mph. This information comes from the 2008 Columbia District TT. Johnny: Sounds like every other proposed Amtrak route. Lots of work to get it up to passenger speeds. Is ABS still on that line? Since it will probably still have haz-mat PTC will eventually have to go in.
Automatic Block Signals; 50MPH maxium authorized speed
railfanjohn Automatic Block Signals; 50MPH maxium authorized speed
Deggesty railfanjohn Automatic Block Signals; 50MPH maxium authorized speed Originally, when the ICC declared maximum speed limits for railroad operation, the use of ABS (and no ATS, ATC, or cab signals) allowed freight trains to run no faster than 59 mph and passenger trains to run no faster than 79 mph. Has this been changed?
This is the current situation on Norfolk Southern's R Line between Columbia and Charlotte JCT. (109 miles): Automatic Block Signals are in effect; single track with minimal passing sidings; maximum track speed is 50 MPH for all trains.
No speeds for passenger trains are shown in the Employee timetable.
RfnJn
Phoebee: The newspaper said that service was starting on June 5th. However Amtrak web site has service starting on the 4th. Stranger still no name for the trains yet and the CLT - Raleigh train for the 4th only is train 894 and is unreserved. The train Raleigh - CLT is normal train # and reserved. Any comment?????
To the best of my knowledge the new train starts the 5th, Will be trains number 74 and 75, and will still be called the Piedmont. The pre existing Piedmont service will be the 73 and 76. Big discounts are being offered temporarily on the new train as a sort of grand opening sale to introduce it.
I have no idea what that 894 train is. I noticed that it is not discounted, has not baggage service or other amenities listed, does not have the Piedmont's bicycle racks, and it takes an hour longer to make the trip. Perhaps it is a promotional train of some kind the day before service begins.
How 'bout calling the new train the Tarheel, or would that be non-"PC"? It would avoid confusion. I can't imagine an extension to Columbia, SC being called the Gamecock. Anyhoo, it is good news.
They plan to add another round trip of the Piedmont in a couple of years if this one works out.
More on Amtrak Charlotte to Columbia
Back in the mid 1980's CSX abandoned it's "S" Line between Petersburg, Va. and Norlina, N.C. [This was the original Seaboard Air Line main line - (There are plans to re-bulid this segment as a HSR line)]. This necessitated a permanent reroute of Amtrak's Silver Star north of Raleigh, N.C. over the Norfolk Southern between Raleigh and Selma, N.C. At around the same time Amtrak and the State of North Carolina began service (403b) between Charlotte, N.C. and New York City which is The Carolinian. Later still North Carolina began running The Piedmont between Charlotte and Raleigh. (This is the service which is now being increased). There was some talk back when The Carolinian first began about extending it on south over Norfolk Southern's "R" Line all the way to Columbia, S.C. (an additional 109 rail miles). CSX was also hinting then that it wanted to downgrade more of it's "S" Line between Hamlet, N.C. and Columbia to freight train speeds only. This was and is the route of the Silver Star. There was a real possibility that the capitol cities of both Carolina's (Raleigh and Columbia) could be left without Amtrak train service. One idea was to reroute the Silver Star from Columbia to Charlotte on the "R" Line and then it would follow the route of The Crescent over Norfolk Southern from there to Washington, DC. I seem to recall a Trainmaster I knew saying something about a study which cliamed it would cost somewhere between $16 and $20 million to upgrade the "R" Line to passenger train speeds. This is a 50 MPH freight line with automatic bolck signals, track warrant dispatched with minimal sidings for meets, and in some places lots of curve speed restrictions. The feeling was NS did not want to have to accomodate a passenger train on this line.
In 1989 hurrican Hugo struck the Carolinas disrupting lots of train services! For a week after the storm Amtrak's Silver Star and Auto Train detoured over the route outlined above: Columbia to Charlotte to DC (I don't recall what they did with the Silver Meteor and Palmetto; I guess they were simply annulled). This mostly had to do with the crossing protection signals knocked out on their normal routes because of the hurricane.
Now, the track arrangement back then in Columbia was, there was a "Remote Controlled" segment of trackage between Cayce, S.C. (across the river from Columbai) and Columbia of about 2 miles length. This single track segment was used by both NS and CSX railroads and was controlled by the NS operator at Andrews Yard in Columbia. It was essentially a one train at a time in the block operation. At the time NS typically operated two trains a day northbound between Columbia and Charlotte. Both leaving in the early morning hours. One originated in Charleston, S.C., the other in Savannah, GA. and both ran through to Spencer Yard just outside of Salisbury, N.C. These were big, long, heavy freight trains which often were down to just 15 - 18 MPH on grades between Columbia and Ridgeway, S.C. The Savannah train usually arrived and departed Columbia first. The procedure back then was for it to make a pickup of cars at the Cayce siding (which had been placed eariler by a yard crew), then obtain the 'block' , cross the river and leave town without having to go into Andrews Yard. [The other train arrived on a different line from Charleston and went into the yard, hence it was not involved with the 'block' situation].
On what turned out to be the very last day of the Amtrak detours; The Silver Star pulled into Cayce on CSX (its normal route). An NS pilot crew boarded for the trip to Charlotte. At the same time the NS freight was completing its pickup at Cayce. The NS pilot crew called the operator at Andrews Yard by radio requesting the 'block'. The reply was: "stand by". The operator then immediately granted permission to use the 'block' to the freight. The long, heavy, slow freight train proceded through the 'block' and out of town. This then set up the releative high speed passenger train having to follow the long, heavy, slow freight all the way to Charlotte. The second long, slow, heavy freight followed some time later meaning Amtrak was now running between the 2 freight trains. A couple hours later the first train pulled a drawbar south of Winnsboro, S.C. This wound up being several hours delay! The it had air brake problems - more delay. All this time Amtrak was stuck between the 2 freights. Eventually the crew on the first freight went on the Hours-of-Service law and the train stopped and waited another couple of hours for a relief crew. The NS piolt crew on Amtrak also 'went on the Law' and were relieved at Chester, S.C. The freight crew on the second freight train also was 'outlawed' eventually. This whole trip was one huge fiasco.
It was never determined, to my knowledge, exactly who at NS actually instructed the operator at Andrews Yard to give the 'block' to the freight train ahead of Amtrak. It seems unlikley he would have done this on his own. It was rumored that this was done on purpose just to show Amtrak that a permanent reroutiung of the Silver Star on Norfolk Southern would not work. All of this could have been avoided by letting Amtrak depart Columbia first. This had been the procedure for the detour trains up until this day. It was just a spectacular coincedence that the freight had all its troubles on line of road further delaying Amtrak! The Silver Star finally arrived at Salisbury something like 16 hours late. Norfolk Southern could not have planned for this amount of delay but it was always speculated that they were happy to see Amtrak go away. Before this day was over Amtrak trains were given authority to return to their normal routes on CSX. The very next day things were back to normal!!
The thought has crossed my mind. I am not sure how much access I will have.
The new noon Piedmont began service today. They christened the engine about 10 minutes before it's first departure from Charlotte.
Phoebe Vet The new noon Piedmont began service today. They christened the engine about 10 minutes before it's first departure from Charlotte.
Phoebe: what is the equipment situation in reference to the past month's derailment. Is any of that equipment back in service?
I was just asking that same question today.
The engine is repairable. The cost will be over a million dollars. The trucking company is going to pay for it
Phoebe Vet The engine is repairable. The cost will be over a million dollars. The trucking company is going to pay for it
Are they leasing another loco until the wrecked one is repaired? What about the passenger car(s)?
NCDOT bought more equipment in anticipation of this new service, and some other expansions that they have planned. I believe that they have enough Locomotives for now.
On the other hand, if you look carefully at the long shot of the train with the City Skyline in the background you will notice that the last car in the consist is an Amtrak coach.
What's with the funky nose on the F59? The original fiberglass shroud gone AWOL?
Yes; as a matter of fact.
On 02/06/2009 that particular engine came across a tractor Trailer loaded with bricks that ran the gates.
The nose had to be replaced.
On 03/26/2009 the same engine came across a tractor trailer loaded with new German cars that was hung on the crossing.
Since NCDOT had only stocked one spare nose, they had to make one that time.
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