Amtrak #2, departed 4/15/22

[Todd]

I'm currently sitting on the #2 which departed yesterday (4/15).

We departed 45 minutes late of the scheduled departure time of 10pm, due to some equipment issue.

I awoke at just before 6am and we were/are stopped about 100 miles West of Maricopa.

We have been sitting still since I awoke 3 hours ago; and are now at 4 1/2 hours late and counting. The conductor said that it a disabled UP freight locomotive, but Amtrak Alert Twitter says it is "unscheduled track work". Who knows, no update on when this will be resolved (which isn't encouraging).

At least we are stuck in a gorgeous spot!

 

[Todd]

We are now moving again, at exactly 10am.; 5 hours and 45 minutes late.

 

[Shanson]

We are now moving again, at exactly 10am.; 5 hours and 45 minutes late.

I've been on the Sunset when it ran 12 hours late, so missed the connection to Austin. They offered Greyhound as a substitute (all the charter busses in San Antonio were booked for band competitions), but Greyhound wasn't dropping us at the Amtrak depot. We wound up staying in a hotel and taking the next morning's Eagle.

 

[Todd]

yeah, I'm headed to New Orleans but met a guy in the cosmopolitan lounge at LAX who goes to Fort Worth often on Amtrak and he felt that he is probably going to have to take a bus once we get to San Antonio, it has happened to him before.

 

[Todd]

We just had an incident at first stop (Maricopa) since our length delay; two guys thrown off train for refusing to wear masks, it wasn't pretty, the guys were irate. Police met them at the station when they got off. It caused another delay and we are leaving Maricopa exactly 6 1/2 hours late.

 

[Brian Battuello]

Being thrown off at Maricopa is cruel and unusual punishment. Sounds like they deserved it!

 

[Todd]

The adventure continues...we have been stopped for 90 minutes about 30 miles east of Tucson...had a crew change (crew timed out) and when they started the train they are having some PTC? issue with alerts they can't get rid of...

Now at 8 hours late and sitting still...

This week I took the EB and the CS...both got in early...this is my first taste of the other side of Amtrak...

 

[Brian Battuello]

A long time ago, before GPS and cell phones, I was on the CZ somewhere in Nevada. I work up in the middle of the night and the train was stopped. In the distance a sign flashed "Casino". I looked at my watch and it was 1am. I went back to sleep and woke up around 8am and saw the same sign. I had no idea where we were but I knew we were at least 7 hours from where we were supposed to be. Train derailed ahead. Don't remember when we got to Emeryville/San Francisco.

 

[Cal]

Any updates?

 

[Todd]

Pretty uneventful after all the problems the first half of the trip. We are just about to get into Houston at 5:30CT, so currently just under 7 hours late. Unfortunately that probably means getting in around 4am to New Orleans rather that 9:40pm tonight.

 

[Dakota 400]

Pretty uneventful after all the problems the first half of the trip. We are just about to get into Houston at 5:30CT, so currently just under 7 hours late. Unfortunately that probably means getting in around 4am to New Orleans rather that 9:40pm tonight.

Arriving so early in New Orleans, you could be the first guest of the morning for Breakfast at Brennan's.

 

[Todd]

We made it in at 4:30am today, 6.5 hours late...all the delays in the first half of the journey...so, I knew I would be sleeping on the train pretty early...not fun getting up at 3:30 to get ready for disembarking...then walking 1.6 miles to hotel....no taxis at that hour...

 

[Dakota 400]

then walking 1.6 miles to hotel....no taxis at that hour...

One of the lessons that I have learned when traveling is to take with me a couple of phone numbers of taxi companies or car services just in case no taxis are available when I arrive. Even needed to have a number when the Silver Meteor arrived at Fort Lauderdale rather late.

 

[Sidney]

I was on the Sunset/Eagle from LA to Chicago in a roomette about 15 years ago. A drug bust,freight traffic and a stalled freight contributed to a twelve hour late arrival in San Antonio. Amtrak put us up in a hotel,gave us a food voucher and we were put on the next days Eagle. I was upgraded to a bedroom.

This kind of delay was great! A full evening in San Antonio was an unexpected bonus. Glad I had no agenda.