Amtrak #6(22) Not Having a Merry Christmas Eve

[Agent]

I saw earlier today that the eastbound California Zephyr that left California on the 22nd was running over five and a half hours late into Ottumwa, Iowa. As this Amtrak #6(22) approached, I heard over the radio that it had a Union Pacific freight locomotive leading it. Then I heard something about setting out a car in Ottumwa. And then I heard the BNSF dispatcher saying the fire department would meet them as they unloaded passengers at the station. Later comments made it sound like a sleeping car caught on fire, and that all passengers safely disembarked.

 

[greatcats]

Sigh. Depressing and all too common. I hope the passengers get to their destinations; certainly some connections now missed at Chicago. At least Train 4 brought me home in good order a few days ago!

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

I seem to remember Ottumwa, Iowa back in the summer as where a tree fell and we were stranded for a few hours. I'm not sure if it was Ottumwa but I know it was in Iowa.

 

[CCC1007]

A tree? In Iowa? What is happening??!!

Ok, seriously, it should take minutes to clear a tree.

 

[Agent]

The sleeping car that had the fire must not have been set out after all. #6 passed Agency, Iowa (and a lot of trees) running six hours and fifty minutes with three sleeping cars on the end (yesterday's #6 only had two sleeping cars). Also, I noticed the two Amtrak units were nose-to-nose. The second half of the video is a radio conversation between the Amtrak engineer and the BNSF dispatcher. They say the train was delayed forty-nine minutes between Osceola and Ottumwa for "power issues," and the fire delay in Ottumwa took twenty-six minutes. The engineer also says they'll need an EOT (end-of-train) device and something about batteries dying, I think.

I later heard the sleeper that had the fire was AMTK 32097, and it was the first one in line behind the dining car. In the video you can see it's the only one without its brake indicator light on.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

Oh OTM my old home town. Sad it's not treating trains with much love.

 

[KmH]

I later heard the sleeper that had the fire was AMTK 32097, and it was the first one in line behind the dining car. In the video you can see it's the only one without its brake indicator light on.

It's nice to now know the small lights on the outside of the car near the vestibule/boarding doors are brake indicator lights.