# why no northbound Texas Eagle today (8/19)?



## iliketrains (Aug 19, 2018)

I am curious by the Texas Eagle northbound did not run today. Here's the link that said it was a service disruption.

http://dixielandsoftware.net/cgi-bin/gettrain.pl?seltrain=22&selyear=2018&selmonth=08&selday=19


----------



## TinCan782 (Aug 19, 2018)

Maybe this incident with #21 yesterday?

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,4615888

The locomotive (and the vehicle) was literally "toast".

http://www.kltv.com/story/38912767/update-no-injuries-reported-in-amtrak-train-collision


----------



## caravanman (Aug 20, 2018)

One of the joys of internet browsing is that one stumbles across totaly unrelated items to the original.

Following the link above to the Amtrak item, I noticed the sidebar story about "Wienerland announcing closure". Gosh, I thought, they had a sausage related themed park???

No, just was a restaurant!






(I guess it was a slow news day....)

Ed


----------



## iliketrains (Aug 20, 2018)

The status has been updated. Looks like the train started running at Longview, TX in the middle of its schedule. For some reason it couldn't run between San Antonio and Longview.


----------



## AmtrakBlue (Aug 20, 2018)

iliketrains said:


> The status has been updated. Looks like the train started running at Longview, TX in the middle of its schedule. For some reason it couldn't run between San Antonio and Longview.


I don't think 21's consist made it to San Antonio. They bussed pax from 21/421 to San Antonio.


----------



## west point (Aug 20, 2018)

Front of @21s loco appears destroyed. Took some time to get a replacement loco for 22 ?


----------



## jis (Aug 20, 2018)

21 consist was dragged to Longview where it turned to 22. An engine was probably found for it in Fort Worth protect.


----------



## Bob Dylan (Aug 20, 2018)

jis said:


> 21 consist was dragged to Longview where it turned to 22. An engine was probably found for it in Fort Worth protect.


This.( except a UP Freight Rescue engine started out pulling the turned #22 and now a KCS Engine is pulling it with the Badly damaged P-42 deadheading behind it, still not in St Louis yet!

(This is one of my pet peeves, No Long Distance Train should originate with just one Engine, especially since the P-42s are becoming less,and less reliable and it's taking longer and longer for Freight Rescue engines to be obtained when incidents happen)


----------



## jis (Aug 20, 2018)

Bob Dylan said:


> jis said:
> 
> 
> > 21 consist was dragged to Longview where it turned to 22. An engine was probably found for it in Fort Worth protect.
> ...


Well the flip side of that same coin is that fewer and fewer of them are serviceable at any given time, ergo, either you have to outright cancel trains or run them with one instead of two. I have seen Meteor come by with a single engine on occasions though normally it has two. The bigger issue upon failure is getting an engine that can provide HEP. While a freight unit can propel the train it cannot keep HVAC going in the train.


----------



## caravanman (Aug 20, 2018)

I believe in India that trains include one or two "generator" cars, often one at each end on longer trains. I don't know if the electric loco's provide power to the trains when connected to the overhead wires, or whether those trains still run with the generator cars. At least with seperate generators, the power would stay on for A/C if the loco itself failed.

Ed.


----------



## jis (Aug 20, 2018)

caravanman said:


> I believe in India that trains include one or two "generator" cars, often one at each end on longer trains. I don't know if the electric loco's provide power to the trains when connected to the overhead wires, or whether those trains still run with the generator cars. At least with seperate generators, the power would stay on for A/C if the loco itself failed.
> 
> Ed.


India is complicated.

Some trains in India have so called EOG (End On Generation), i.e. they have Generator Cars one at each end that deliver Hotel Power to the train.

Other trains consist of self-generating cars, in which each car has a alternator run from one of the axles of the car, and a large battery bank. These cars are basically self sufficient as long as the batteries last. The batteries are charged from the axle driven alternator at speeds above 15kph or so.

EOG and Self Generating cars cannot be mixed in a consist. so a train is either EOG or self generating.

There is a small but growing subset of Electric Locomotives (WAP-5H and WAP-7H) which have an additional inverter to deliver Hotel Power to the train. These are so called HOG (Head On Generation) locomotives. When they are pulling an EOG consist, very often they supply the Hotel Power and the EOGs are not used, but I don;t believe there is any consist (called rake in India) that come with an EOG Car even when a HOG engine pulls them, since there is no guarantee that a HOG engine will always be available.

Add to this the fact that a car may be a screw coupler equipped one or a center (Tightlock) coupler equipped one, and it may be equipped with vacuum brake or air brake, and never the twain shall meet, and you can see the phenomenally complex logistical task that the mechanical and coaching department of Indian Railways manages for hundreds of trains, day in and day out. All engines are equipped with combination coupler that can couple onto both Center Tightlock Coupler and screw coupler, and most can deal with both Vacuum and Air brakes, but the cars are not that versatile. They need to be mixed and matched properly..


----------



## jis (Aug 20, 2018)

Back to the topic on hand. Here is a report on the grade crossing accident:

http://www.kltv.com/story/38916298/reduced-speed-diminished-amtrak-collision


----------



## VentureForth (Aug 20, 2018)

Looks like the engineer was able to get down to 10-15 MPH before the collision, yet what a firey eruption! Wonder what would have happened at 60 MPH or more...

Glad everyone is OK. I may actually know some people from the church they were bussed to. My old stompin' grounds.


----------



## iliketrains (Aug 20, 2018)

The local church provided food and water. There are some churches left in America that have a heart.


----------



## CAMISSY55 (Aug 20, 2018)

VentureForth said:


> Looks like the engineer was able to get down to 10-15 MPH before the collision, yet what a firey eruption! Wonder what would have happened at 60 MPH or more...


It was nice (and appropriate) that the engineer was praised by the Sheriff's Department investigators for

"the quick action taken...that averted any serious injuries." And also, that the news outlet included it in its reporting!


----------



## JayPea (Aug 20, 2018)

I am on 22 headed for Chicago. I just got back from dinner and one of my tablemates was on the train that hit the truck. She was so impressed by the way the engineer was able to avoid an even worse situation by slowing down and by how Amtrak personnel and the townspeople of the town nearby handled everything.


----------



## iliketrains (Aug 23, 2018)

JayPea said:


> I am on 22 headed for Chicago. I just got back from dinner and one of my tablemates was on the train that hit the truck. She was so impressed by the way the engineer was able to avoid an even worse situation by slowing down and by how Amtrak personnel and the townspeople of the town nearby handled everything.



That is so wonderful!!


----------



## cpotisch (Aug 23, 2018)

iliketrains said:


> JayPea said:
> 
> 
> > I am on 22 headed for Chicago. I just got back from dinner and one of my tablemates was on the train that hit the truck. She was so impressed by the way the engineer was able to avoid an even worse situation by slowing down and by how Amtrak personnel and the townspeople of the town nearby handled everything.
> ...


We've found that Amtrak staff's aptitude for dealign well with incidents like that can vary. In most cases, they keep calm and make sure the situation stays under control and the passengers are doing okay. Every once in a while you'll luck into a terrible crew and the passengers end up having to calm the crew down. Fortunately it sounds like the crew on 22 that day fit into that first category.


----------

