New Gulf Coast service (New Orleans - Mobile and Baton Rouge)

JamesWhitcombRiley · Oct 30, 2024

zephyr17 said:
They still seem to be more reliable than the ALC-42s.

Are you sure about that? The P42's are often a problem southbound out of WAS, and sometimes LOR for the Autotrain. Northbound, it's track conditions, usually signals. Are the ALC-42's still having winter issues? How about in Canada?

zephyr17 · Oct 30, 2024

JamesWhitcombRiley said:
Are you sure about that? The P42's are often a problem southbound out of WAS, and sometimes LOR for the Autotrain. Northbound, it's track conditions, usually signals. Are the ALC-42's still having winter issues? How about in Canada?

They are still breaking down fairly regularly on the Builder, including an incident recently near Ephrata, WA where it broke down so thoroughly it couldn't even provide HEP and passengers were stuck in the dark. Note it wasn't in the winter.

AFAIK, VIA has a different variant, SCV-42, on their corridor services. They recently experienced an infamous breakdown that resulted in passengers being stuck for hours without working toilets (no HEP).
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/service-meltdown-on-via-train-622-passengers-stranded.87894/

VIA continues to use their very reliable rebuilt F40PHs for long distance services.

jis · Oct 30, 2024

zephyr17 said:
AFAIK, VIA has a different variant, SCV-42, on their corridor services. They recently experienced an infamous breakdown that resulted in passengers being stuck for hours without working toilets (no HEP).
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/service-meltdown-on-via-train-622-passengers-stranded.87894/

VIA continues to use their very reliable rebuilt F40PHs for long distance services.

I don't believe VIA has any SCV-42s that can be used outside of their corridor sets. So their only choice on LD trains is F40s or P42s

zephyr17 · Oct 30, 2024

jis said:
I don't believe VIA has any SCV-42s that can be used outside of their corridor sets. So their only choice on LD trains is F40s or P42s

That agrees with my information. And their long distance services are in the hands of the F40s. I am pretty sure their P42s are only on the corridor, too.

railiner · Oct 30, 2024

zephyr17 said:
VIA continues to use their very reliable rebuilt F40PHs for long distance services.

Probably the best passenger diesel since the E-9’s…

zephyr17 · Oct 30, 2024

railiner said:
Probably the best passenger diesel since the E-9’s…

VIA improved upon them in the rebuilds of the early 2000s by installing separate HEP generators (which accounts for their distinctive rear "hump"). So they are not constantly in Run 8 to provide HEP, and can apply all 3200 HP of their prime movers to tractive effort.

Amtrak25 · Oct 30, 2024

VIA Rail's GE P42's have never seen the world east, north, west of the Corridor, they never will, Winnipeg and Vancouver shops are not GE-friendly, and they are to be retired with the Charger/Venture sets. Several already have. The standard loco outside the corridor until 2035 will be the EMD F40, rebuilt for at least the 2nd time. Beyond 2035, who knows, probably a freight loco knock off. I don't see them depending on any sort of Charger in the middle of nowhere, especially where the temperature is -40C/F, and not with what everyone is going through with them.

I am on a Canadian e-mail group; I mostly just observe. One of their Venture trains breaks down on average every couple of days and they have yet to figure out how to MU them without the computers going nuts. So no Ottawa/Montreal "J" trains as long as that goes on, which would also solve the axle count issue west of Brockville. IMHO, Chargers are junk.

As for the 3rd Hiawtha set when the Borialis started, they abolished it. I don't know what they did to the schedules, though they have some very tight relays, some as little as a half hour. Maybe that is how they will scape up Mobile equipment.

jiml · Oct 30, 2024

Amtrak25 said:
VIA Rail's GE P42's have never seen the world east, north, west of the Corridor, they never will, Winnipeg and Vancouver shops are not GE-friendly, and they are to be retired with the Charger/Venture sets. Several already have. The standard loco outside the corridor until 2035 will be the EMD F40, rebuilt for at least the 2nd time. Beyond 2035, who knows, probably a freight loco knock off. I don't see them depending on any sort of Charger in the middle of nowhere, especially where the temperature is -40C/F, and not with what everyone is going through with them.

I am on a Canadian e-mail group; I mostly just observe. One of their Venture trains breaks down on average every couple of days and they have yet to figure out how to MU them without the computers going nuts. So no Ottawa/Montreal "J" trains as long as that goes on, which would also solve the axle count issue west of Brockville. IMHO, Chargers are junk.

Well said. To fill in a couple of blanks, several F40s are currently "in the shop" for the next rebuild. They should be good for another 10 years. On the subject of "J" trains, they have figured out how to MU a conventional train with the Siemens sets. The new wrinkle is what was normally an eastbound operation (Ottawa and Montreal trains separated at Brockville) has now resumed on some westbounds, allowing the combined train to rocket through CN-imposed restrictions on the Siemens at level crossings. I live on the eastern corridor and train-watching has turned into a spectator sport, since you never know what is going to turn up (and at what time).

user535733 · Oct 30, 2024

Amtrak25 said:
As for the 3rd Hiawtha set when the Borialis started, they abolished it. I don't know what they did to the schedules, though they have some very tight relays, some as little as a half hour.

Hmmm. Railcam yesterday and today continues to record three clearly distinct trainsets working Hiawatha.

Amtrak25 · Oct 31, 2024

OK. Someone from Chicago on Trainorders said they eliminated the 3rd trainset, and enlisted the numbered Hiawathas that get each of the two sets.

daybeers · Nov 1, 2024

Sunrobber said:
The proposed Amtrak Mobile to New Orleans passenger rail service is scheduled to depart Mobile at 6:30 AM and 4:30 PM daily, and arrive in New Orleans at 11:18 AM and 9:14 PM. How is this user friendly and what population segment are they trying to serve? I’m going to have to keep driving

So I think you got this info from a badly worded quote that's been swirling around. This article puts it better: https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/...oute-awaiting-decision-from-mobile-officials/

If service commences, trains will depart Mobile at 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and return to the Port City at 11:18 a.m. and 9:14 p.m.

IIRC, the estimated travel time is around 3 hours 15 minutes, meaning this would be the rough schedule:

Read Down	Read Down		Read Up	Read Up
6:30 AM	4:30 PM	Mobile	11:18 AM	9:14 PM
9:45 AM	7:45 PM	New Orleans	8:00 AM	6:00 PM

New Gulf Coast service (New Orleans - Mobile and Baton Rouge)

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