Max Allowable Speed on BNSF Transcon

[timz]

oltmannd

I think the Super C was allowed ATSF passenger speeds.

Doubt anyone can find a timetable allowing it more than 79.

[erikem]

My recollection of the Trains coverage of the Super C was that the train made time without using streamliner speeds by avoiding streamliner stops.

- Erik

[CMStPnP]

erikem

My recollection of the Trains coverage of the Super C was that the train made time without using streamliner speeds by avoiding streamliner stops.

- Erik

I read that as well, that West of Kansas City almost all the way to CA most everything was either a flagstop or skipped.      I believe they stopped at the larger cities like Albequerque though.

[daveklepper]

crew-change/refuelling points only

[AMTK55]

I beg to differ. Not just in New Mexico and the BNSF Needles Sub, but also in Northern Missouri, Amtrak 3&4 can go 90. Intermodal, Autoracks, TOFC and some X trains go a max of 79 out there I believe. I've been within 15ft of a Z train blasting by a platform at 70-79. Hoooooly crap. Really Scary.  ATSF went a whole lot faster back in the day. I remember hearing about speeds around 100mph, then brought it down to 90 because the maintenance costs were just too much to keep up with. Some people have got to have some timetables. 

[dakotafred]

AMTK55

 Some people have got to have some timetables. 

 

Or one of Donald Steffee's annual speed surveys in Trains, or even a World Almanac from 50 years ago, which always listed the fastest U.S. runs, point to point. (Sorry, I chucked all of mine.)

[mudchicken]

Everybody is down to 79MPH since ATS came out (Passenger & Freight)...and rarely were freight trains allowed above 60 anymore.  The difference was in design speed where passenger trains were allowed the 3 inch (and at one point 3.50  inch) unbalance in the speed calculations. Freight trains were stuck with the 1.75 inch unbalance.

The limits of 90 MPH running between Ellinor and La Junta  on the La Junta Sub has been shrinking rapidly. There is no more 90 MPH Running between Syracuse and La Junta, it's all 79 MPH with freight dropped to 55. About 55 miles of that 102 miles used to be 90 per. Not anymore. Basically, there is no longer any 90MPH track left in CO (The ATS inductors between La Junta and Trinidad were supposed to be removed, but it appears some of the inductors are still out there where EMD and GE occasionally test under absolute block protection....There's nothing out there except the Army tank range at Simpson/Pinion Canyon.)

Until the tonnage on that line comes up (most of it siphoned off by the ex-BN/CB&Q lines to the north), there's no need to maintain to a higher standard.