#98 in the woods for 20 hours

[caravanman]

How can it be that a major derailment at a rail bottleneck would cause no problems? It can only cause problems, and train operators will know this. The lack of communication starts then, where the most important people in the equation (the fare paying human beings aka passengers) are left with the least information. Sometimes we all need a hero, a delay of this length calls for improved customer care and damage limitation, not sticking to the rules. The problem for Amtrak about giving out FREE food after an extended delay seems to be that they can't trust the crew to make those decisions, and be up-front about what was sold and what was given free?

It is not just the delayed passengers who get annoyed, there will be tens of thousands of people who will have a negative view of Amtrak through reading about and listening to passengers moans. How much better for the image if amongst the moans there were tales of crew's compassion and free food and drink, etc.

Being "trapped" on a train and paying inflated prices for food ads insult to injury, and the insult is remembered far longer!

Ed B)

 

[AmtrakFan]

Arrived 28 Hours late into New York...

Well, that beats my 24 hour late arrival into MIA on #97 back in 2002 by a mere four hours!! :lol: OBS...

I think my record is a 15 hour 97 that I picked up when the crew died on the law.

My Record in 2 Hours late on the Starlight in 2003. While Railfanning personal record 25 Hours in 2004 Southwest Chief Delayed due to Flooding, Crew Woes, Police Action due to a essentric person on the train etc.

 

[AmtrakFan]

Arrived 28 Hours late into New York...

Well, that beats my 24 hour late arrival into MIA on #97 back in 2002 by a mere four hours!! :lol: OBS...

What happened to make it 24 Hours late?

 

[Guest]

Don't hold me to this but what supposedly happened to cause the derailment, according to the conductor working 98(30) from FLO to WAS:1) An individual operating a street cleaner for a Wal Mart parking lot fell asleep at the switch and ended up on the tracks

2) Believing that no serious damage had occured, the cleaner was simply removed from the track

3) In reality it through the gauge off causing the train to derail

Again this is what the conductor told me, so I am asking if anyone has heard this as the cause or whether this is in fact inaccurate. Under federal law the freight cars can't be put back into service and must be placed on the side of the tracks and scrapped there.

Umm....That sounds like the story from the Lake City, SC derailment a few years back...

This latest derailment happened in rural Georgia.

 

[Guest_Gingee]

Gad, now I am counting how many hours I can be late on my train trip without missing my cruise ship.

 

[caravanman]

No worries on missing your cruise...Amtrak will no doubt hire a helicopter to catch up with your ship...now that would be good customer relations!

Ed. B)

 

[user 652]

Gad, now I am counting how many hours I can be late on my train trip without missing my cruise ship.

It's worth it to go a day early and spend a night in the city where your cruise originates.

 

[haolerider]

If you are traveling on Amtrak to a cruise and using the Rail & Cruise discount, it is mandatory to book your trip to arrive the day before the cruise departs. To do otherwise is just plain foolish. If your cruise departs at 11 am, I am sure you wouldn't book with an airline to arrive that morning, so your rail trip should be planned with the same logic.

 

[battalion51]

She'd still be counting the hours if they were 24 hours late, :lol:

 

[Guest_Gingee]

We plan to arrive on the Amtrak at l0:20 on Thursday and the cruise ship leaves later the next afternoon. We don't have a cruise and rail discount. We used AAA. We are going on Royal Carribbean and I don't think they were included in the cruise rates for the train. I booked this so long ago I kind of forgot why but I think that was the reason.

 

[battalion51]

You guys should be fine then. Best of luck and happy travels!