I think service disruptions are also more like when the actual service of the train is disrupted, meaning a station may have to be bypassed or the train will just truncate earlier. Mechanical and trespasser strikes rarely, if ever, are classified as service disruptions unless it closes the line and therefore causes the train to be cancelled or stop early.
Southwest Chief discussion Q4 2023 - 2024
- Thread starter pennyk
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Another unlucky run for the Chief. 3(08) is running 5 hours late due to engine problems in La Junta, a disabled freight west of Raton, and police activity in Las Vegas.
So I guess BNSF really is running freights on the Raton sub again.
So I guess BNSF really is running freights on the Raton sub again.
Septa9739
Lead Service Attendant
Inconvenient as that was yesterday, I think that is a good thing for the long term viability of the Chief on the current routing.
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It appears, based on information on other lists, that the return of freight service over Raton Pass is incorrect.
Apparently Amtrak locomotive 22 failed and was removed from No. 3 at La Junta and a BNSF locomotive was added. Then the BNSF locomotive failed at Raton and another BNSF locomotive was sent from La Junta.
So no freight train over Raton Pass, just a failing BNSF locomotive. Corrections would be welcome.
Apparently Amtrak locomotive 22 failed and was removed from No. 3 at La Junta and a BNSF locomotive was added. Then the BNSF locomotive failed at Raton and another BNSF locomotive was sent from La Junta.
So no freight train over Raton Pass, just a failing BNSF locomotive. Corrections would be welcome.
Thanks for the clarification, that makes sense. Currently 12 hours late and not to LAUPT yet.
Another engine failure on 3(09) at Kansas City.
Another engine failure on 3(09) at Kansas City.
The P42s are really hanging on by a thread it seems.
We were on 4(8) that was put on the siding for an hour, waiting for 3 to pass. There were no freight trains that passed before it and we saw no freights at all.
Given how bad the rail ride was in that area, I thought we would rock right off the track. Guessing that the freight carriers don't want to sink money into track that they aren't running on.
Only somewhat related to the Chief, but not sure where else to put it. Mods can move if necessary. Essentially just a little rant.
Today I was at LAUPT when #4 came in. As I've done dozens of times for any train that comes into Union Station for years, I walked up to see the engines up close (not much longer we'll see exclusively P42s). Unfortunately one of the contracted station employees didn't let me since I would "interfere with the train crew." I just want to point out that 784 (a very full Surfliner) and 4 were boarding from the same platform tonight, and the platform behind me was PACKED with carts, passengers, and employees. Alternatively, the space up by #4's engines had maybe 3 employees, there wasn't even a baggage cart there, so I feel like her reasoning lacked substance. I didn't argue, of course, but it was just annoying. One of the things I general love about LA Union is that they allow passengers to stay on the platform whenever and don't restrict boarding like they do in many other major stations. I really hope this doesn't become normal.
Also just today I saw station services interfere with service more than I've ever seen passengers, as a service cart was using and blocking the only open Business Class car, and the crew took 15 minutes to get another one open, leading to about 7 passengers being very confused.
Today I was at LAUPT when #4 came in. As I've done dozens of times for any train that comes into Union Station for years, I walked up to see the engines up close (not much longer we'll see exclusively P42s). Unfortunately one of the contracted station employees didn't let me since I would "interfere with the train crew." I just want to point out that 784 (a very full Surfliner) and 4 were boarding from the same platform tonight, and the platform behind me was PACKED with carts, passengers, and employees. Alternatively, the space up by #4's engines had maybe 3 employees, there wasn't even a baggage cart there, so I feel like her reasoning lacked substance. I didn't argue, of course, but it was just annoying. One of the things I general love about LA Union is that they allow passengers to stay on the platform whenever and don't restrict boarding like they do in many other major stations. I really hope this doesn't become normal.
Also just today I saw station services interfere with service more than I've ever seen passengers, as a service cart was using and blocking the only open Business Class car, and the crew took 15 minutes to get another one open, leading to about 7 passengers being very confused.
Septa9739
Lead Service Attendant
I would refer your concern to the station master. There certainly shouldn’t be obstructed doorways.
LA Union Station's open platform has gotten to be unusual in the general Amtrak scheme of things, which is more and more controlled access to platforms. Hope this isn't a foretaste of them cracking down there.
However, with that said, at many service/fresh air stops they discourage going up to the engines and have for a long time. The reason is usually fueling at those, though.
I hope they don't restrict access to the platforms unnecessarily. The only places where it really makes sense are NYP and Chicago, where the platforms are very narrow and extremely busy.
At most longer fresh-air stops, I like to walk the entire length of the train, back and forth, both to see it and for the exercise. Sometimes, when the engines are getting fueled, I turn around before getting too close, but many platforms are wide enough (or there is a parking lot next to the platform providing extra room), and I just stay well clear of the people working. I have never been asked or told not to do this.
I have done this in Albany, Washington, Atlanta, Alton IL (hour delay because a truck had hit a tree which took a power line down onto the tracks about 10 miles south of us), several extended stops on the EB (but never in Spokane, which I have always slept through!), Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, El Paso (burrito lady!), Albuquerque, Grand Junction (or wherever the long stop is in Colorado on the CZ), once in Reno (the only time it wasn't late ), and one very long stop in Winnemucca (when the prior day's west-bound CZ was so late the crew change was delayed 2 hours while our new crew got their required rest), and several other stops I can't remember at the moment.
My main concern was always being near a door well before it is time for the train to leave, not getting scolded for being in the way.
At most longer fresh-air stops, I like to walk the entire length of the train, back and forth, both to see it and for the exercise. Sometimes, when the engines are getting fueled, I turn around before getting too close, but many platforms are wide enough (or there is a parking lot next to the platform providing extra room), and I just stay well clear of the people working. I have never been asked or told not to do this.
I have done this in Albany, Washington, Atlanta, Alton IL (hour delay because a truck had hit a tree which took a power line down onto the tracks about 10 miles south of us), several extended stops on the EB (but never in Spokane, which I have always slept through!), Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, El Paso (burrito lady!), Albuquerque, Grand Junction (or wherever the long stop is in Colorado on the CZ), once in Reno (the only time it wasn't late ), and one very long stop in Winnemucca (when the prior day's west-bound CZ was so late the crew change was delayed 2 hours while our new crew got their required rest), and several other stops I can't remember at the moment.
My main concern was always being near a door well before it is time for the train to leave, not getting scolded for being in the way.
Well they were doing their job since they needed to unload/reload things for the Business Class car. However, the crew should have had one of the other two doors opened.
Yeah. If LAUPT goes towards controlled platforms I'll be very sad, but I don't see that happening unless they start making Amtrak-only platforms, since Metrolink trains having restricted platforms wouldn't really work IMO.
This is my concern too. Haven't been scolded yet!
To be fair to Amtrak, they often have two trains departing the same platform at Union Station in Chicago. A few times, there have been two midwest service trains on the same TRACK. So this could be even more confusion.
I agree. Metra also gets people boarding the wrong train, but Metra doesn't worry about it too much because there's another train in an hour or two, and just as frequent trains coming the other way to turn around. Until the Midwest has Amtrak service that frequent, IMO it's proper for Amtrak to take precautions.
west point
Engineer
It is time for sandwich boards at entrance of each car.
Siegmund
OBS Chief
In the rest of the civilized world, there are LED screens at each car door, to say what train is in front of you. Here is an example, snapped as it rolled past me on another track while I waited for my train in Italy last fall. The top three lines of text are the train number, origin, and destination -- "da Venezia SL a Milano C.le" = "from Venice Santa Lucia to Milan Central" -- and the fourth line scrolls and displays the times of all the scheduled stops. At most stations there were also TV monitors spaced one car-length apart along the platform, telling you where to line up based on which car your seat was in.
trimetbusfan
OBS Chief
The Talgo 8 trainset(s) running on cascades have similar exterior displays (when they are working)
Little late in posting this but one thing that concerned me about the run that we had from LAX - CHI was the fact that the train ran with the vestibule doors open coming out of LAX (on 12/8) until sometime after 10 or 11 p.m. that night. It seemed to us to be a safety issue that we could had a straight shot from the the midpoint of the sleeper car all the way through the transdorm in one direction and in the other direction through the dining car.
This was the first time that we had experienced this, it seemed to get rectified after a crew change when the vestibule doors were again closed between the various cars.
This was the first time that we had experienced this, it seemed to get rectified after a crew change when the vestibule doors were again closed between the various cars.
It is very much a safety issue and against the rules to move with a vestibule door open.
However, your description of the situation, a "straight shot from the middle of the sleeper car to the transition car in one direction and the diner in the other direction" does not sound like the vestibule doors to the outside of the train, which are downstairs mid-car and do not provide access between the cars. It sounds like the end doors between the cars that were stuck open. That is not a safety issue, but rather something of a passenger comfort issue because of increased noise.
I have been on Superliners with "stuck" end doors several times. It is not a big deal unless you are in roomettes 9 or 10 and get the benefit of the increased noise.
trimetbusfan
OBS Chief
Yes, sounds like OP is talking about the doors between cars rather than the doors to the outside (which would be a big deal if those were to be open for that long of a period of time).
The doors between cars can be held open through a switch. It’s not a safety issue if those are kept open, except for the ones at the front and end of the train (which are kept locked).
You are correct - it was the second level doors on the Superliners between the Transdorm through the Dining Car. My error. Still seemed to us to be a safety issue in the event of a fire that could quickly spread between cars with the doors being open. (That's what we get for living next to a fire door for years in an apartment building - first thought is fire.)
In my experience, a lot of the time when they are switched to remain open it is because the door open/close mechanism has failed and they set them to "open" because manually wrestling open those pocket doors is really work.
In this case, though, I imagine they were switched to open to make servicing easier, since LA is the originating station, and just hadn't been switched back to normal operation.
A serious fire just breaking out in steel passengers cars with no gasoline, diesel or kerosene in them has rarely, if ever, occurred.
In cases where there have been fires, it is usually in a serious crash with the ignition and fuel source outside the train. The one that comes to mind is where a truck slammed into the side of the California Zephyr, the transdorm if memory serves, at the US 95 crossing north of Fallon. There was a severe fire caused by ignition of the truck's fuel, but even then it didn't spread much.
In other serious, fatal crashes, such as the fairly recent derailments of the Builder due to track misalignment or the Chief slamming into a rock truck in Missouri, fire has not been an issue. Kinetic forces caused the injuries and fatalities.
End doors being open is fairly common and not considered a safety issue. Vestibule doors being open is considered a serious safety issue because passengers could wander out of the open doors at 79 mph.
Fire was indeed a serious issue in the 19th century with wooden cars lit by kerosene lamps and heated by potbelly stoves. It isn't a problem now.
If you want something to worry about, worry about a heavy truck trying to beat a train to a crossing, a very frequent occurrence.
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Fires can be a serious danger on passenger trains. The VIA Rail head on collision at Hinton, Alberta some years ago comes to mind. I believe some of the deceased passengers and crew were killed by the impact and others by the tremendous fire which ensued (causing as I recall some of the aluminum car structure to melt.
VIA also lost a Skyline dome car to fire in Halifax a few years ago due to improper disposal of smoking or cooking material. In that case the train had arrived in Halifax shortly before and there were no passengers or crew on board when the fire boke out.
VIA also lost a Skyline dome car to fire in Halifax a few years ago due to improper disposal of smoking or cooking material. In that case the train had arrived in Halifax shortly before and there were no passengers or crew on board when the fire boke out.
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