passengers suffering from amtrak's winter woes
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Good article. I said the very same thing here a few weeks ago and was roundly dished by many who think that railroads just always give up in cold weather. I think this article points out many of the issues that should be addressed.. As I mentioned earlier, its like no one at Amtrak can remember what happened last winter and its all a big surprise when it gets cold again.. Hey, insulate the water lines or do something. Design the cars right in the first place, that could have been a big help instead of now being always caught off guard. You sympathizers for every thing that goes wrong can shoot some emails to the newspaper reporter this time.
HP_Lovecraft
Service Attendant
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It was an absolute nightmere when the Downeaster was out for 10 days after the Ice Storm in December. Amtrak had no idea what was going on because its a state-sponsored train, and they do not have direct control.
The State agency blamed freight companies for not fixing the signals fast enough. The freight blamed MBTA, and round and round the blame goes. Trying to figure out where the train is from "Julie" is comical at best.
Enough people were made angry that they actually came up with some sort of solution:
GPS Train Tracking
The system, when finished, will have a GPS unit on every train sending real-time location data to the MeDOT website. So, in theory, you will always know exactly where your train is.
But... I suspect the money might run out before its fully functional.
The State agency blamed freight companies for not fixing the signals fast enough. The freight blamed MBTA, and round and round the blame goes. Trying to figure out where the train is from "Julie" is comical at best.
Enough people were made angry that they actually came up with some sort of solution:
GPS Train Tracking
The system, when finished, will have a GPS unit on every train sending real-time location data to the MeDOT website. So, in theory, you will always know exactly where your train is.
But... I suspect the money might run out before its fully functional.
Joel N. Weber II
Engineer
This is not a terribly difficult technical problem. The ham radio version of this can be done with a $100-$200 GPS reciever, a $400-$500 radio, maybe another $50-$100 for the antenna, and labor to install it all, times the number of Downeaster cab cars in existence, plus the costs for the recieving stations. Of course, Amtrak/MeDOT can't use the ham bands, but I can't imagine a business band or cellular adaptation of the technology could cost all that much more.
Lafayette, IN also has something like this working for their local bus system, I think.
had8ley
Engineer
Maybe Dutch can help us out on this one. I thought all Amtrak engines were equipped with GPS already. I know I used to ask the Riverside res agents the GPS location of the Sunset, back in the dark ages of 12 hour plus delays, they would say "25 miles west of Yuma, AZ" and nine times out of ten the GPS would be way more accurate than Julie. I would just calculate the miles out of station and factor in the speed limits and slow orders. It worked pretty well. Only thing I can figure is the units that the Downeaster has are captive to that train and never were equipped with GPS. Anybody know for sure?
HP_Lovecraft
Service Attendant
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The Downeaster is blessed with a cellbased public WIFI system. So, like you said, they is nothing really technical that needs to be done as far as sending the data to MeDOT. Just a matter of hooking them together.
What I have heard is the delay is the software is still being developed.
Funny anecdote: During a storm last month, I took the train to work. When I went to take the train back, it never arrived. When I called "Julie" for a status, I was immediatly transfered to a live operate... about 30 minutes later. Who told me my train "disappeared". ?!?!?!?? I told her I saw the south bound go by, so I know it exists. "Nope. The train has disappeard. You should find a hotel sir".
Turns out a different trainset died, so they gave my train a different number, effectively combining all the night trains together, then flagged it as "sold out" so nobody else could book it. Thats fine, but Amtrak did not realize that, leading to some perflexing answers.
Still, beats a bus/plane/taxi any day.
Joel N. Weber II
Engineer
What does their software need to do that whatever system they have for the buses in Lafayette, IN can't do?
Joel N. Weber II
Engineer
One also should think about the distinction between a GPS reciever that tells the operator of a vehicle where they are, vs a system that will announce the location of that vehicle to the world at large.
George Harris
Engineer
Have seen this work in two different cities, Taipei, Taiwan and San Francisco CA. simply put, when I walk up to the bus stop shelter on the 4th street side of the corner of 4th and folsom, it has a scrolling sign that will say in succession things like: No. 45: 2 minutes and 15 minutes, No. 30: 4 minutes and 10 minutes, No. 9S, 18 minutes. Unfortunately, for the bus that runs on Folsom Street side across the same intersection there is not equivalent shelter or sign, so you are guessing how long the wait will be.
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amtrakwolverine
Engineer
what there trying to install is a lo-jack for trains.
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
Hah, I'm just finishing reading a book about The Andrews Raid, better known as The Great Locomotive Chase. Civil War, "The General"
In addition to the book, you want Keaton's movie, "The General," based on that book. (best viewed on a big screen)Hah, I'm just finishing reading a book about The Andrews Raid, better known as The Great Locomotive Chase. Civil War, "The General"
Bit of trivia: filmed in Cottage Grove, OR, and "The Texas" stayed in the Row River until relatively recently when scrap prices were high so someone hauled it out. There is still some track there. None of those modern computer-generated special effects here, or miniatures for the crashes, it was all filmed with genuine steam equipment.
PetalumaLoco
Conductor
Already have it on DVD!In addition to the book, you want Keaton's movie, "The General," based on that book. (best viewed on a big screen)Hah, I'm just finishing reading a book about The Andrews Raid, better known as The Great Locomotive Chase. Civil War, "The General"
Bit of trivia: filmed in Cottage Grove, OR, and "The Texas" stayed in the Row River until relatively recently when scrap prices were high so someone hauled it out. There is still some track there. None of those modern computer-generated special effects here, or miniatures for the crashes, it was all filmed with genuine steam equipment.
Aloha
Untill Alice pointed out the 2007 train theft, The Andrews Raid, better known as The Great Locomotive Chase. Civil War, "The General" was the "theft" I was thinking about.
There wasn't any computer Animation, but some of the area surrounding the action were hand drawn plates. At our union convention the artist showed me the mats he had done for this picture. He had learned of my interest in trains at the prior convention and new I was a delegate to the Chicago Convention and getting there partly by train so he brought pictures of the "Mat Plates". The original plates were painted on optical glass.
Untill Alice pointed out the 2007 train theft, The Andrews Raid, better known as The Great Locomotive Chase. Civil War, "The General" was the "theft" I was thinking about.
I had the opportunity to meet and work with a couple of the crew from the movie. That shot of Keaton on the engine rods was Keaton, no double used. When the engine went into the river they said the sound was like crying. Alice is wrong on one thing though.Alice said:
There wasn't any computer Animation, but some of the area surrounding the action were hand drawn plates. At our union convention the artist showed me the mats he had done for this picture. He had learned of my interest in trains at the prior convention and new I was a delegate to the Chicago Convention and getting there partly by train so he brought pictures of the "Mat Plates". The original plates were painted on optical glass.
had8ley
Engineer
Well I don't know about stealing an entire train but I think the last robbery of a mail train happened right in New York City at the NYC Hudson Division station Marble Hill. Don't remember the date but think it was in the '30's.
frj1983
OBS Chief
This has been an incredible winter here in Chicago, :blink:
And I'm not making any excuses for Amtrak, it seems that every year when Winter rolls around, Amtrak is somehow caught offguard and has problems galore with it's equipment. Yet to the west of them, Metra manages to keep its equipment warm and unfrozen.
Although I must admit, that this year has been a bit problematic for Metra as well. They too have had frozen toilets, car doors that don't open or close, and strangely enough, locomotive failures. Everyone's equipment is getting old and needs to be replaced.
I managed to speak with my acquaintance at Amtrak Chicago a few weeks ago and he intimated to me that it is a case of (sorry politically incorrect): "too many chiefs and not enough indians!" Amtrak like everyone else is trying to make do with less (employees), but it comes back to bite them in many ways!
And I'm not making any excuses for Amtrak, it seems that every year when Winter rolls around, Amtrak is somehow caught offguard and has problems galore with it's equipment. Yet to the west of them, Metra manages to keep its equipment warm and unfrozen.
Although I must admit, that this year has been a bit problematic for Metra as well. They too have had frozen toilets, car doors that don't open or close, and strangely enough, locomotive failures. Everyone's equipment is getting old and needs to be replaced.
I managed to speak with my acquaintance at Amtrak Chicago a few weeks ago and he intimated to me that it is a case of (sorry politically incorrect): "too many chiefs and not enough indians!" Amtrak like everyone else is trying to make do with less (employees), but it comes back to bite them in many ways!
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All Genesis units on Amtrak are equiped with the GPS units, But im not sure about the NPCU's, as only lead locomotive will send signal.
amtrakwolverine
Engineer
what the lo-jack does is keep track of the train so they can use that info to give to the pubic.
had8ley
Engineer
Dutch;
I'm just thinking that cabbage engines don't have GPS so the Downeaster would not able to transmit southbound. Sound right?
South Florida Tri-Rail's system is undergoing renovations, apparently, but when I last used it, it showed the system map, and every train running on it, with the train's number, the current location, the OTP status of it in minutes, and a color code for each train symbol that corresponded to a "lateness" category. It also showed the last reported speed in mph for the train. Pretty impressive.
Ryan
Court Jester
MARC (Maryland) does the same thing in graphical and tabular form:
Map:
http://www.marctracker.com/PublicView/location.html
Table:
http://www.marctracker.com/PublicView/status.html
It's an absolutely invaluable resource, it's the first website I hit in the morning, and I usually always check it before I leave work (no sense standing at the train station waiting for a late train if I can stay on the clock!)
Map:
http://www.marctracker.com/PublicView/location.html
Table:
http://www.marctracker.com/PublicView/status.html
It's an absolutely invaluable resource, it's the first website I hit in the morning, and I usually always check it before I leave work (no sense standing at the train station waiting for a late train if I can stay on the clock!)
And METRA has far less plumbing to deal with than Amtrak, as METRA doesn't have diners, cafes, and sleepers. Additionally METRA has far less switching work to do, which means that they can keep the train powered probably 95% of the time.
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