Are they holding 11 & 14 to check for track damage from the quake?

[AmtrakBlue]

Just curious as both are "overdue" just north and just south of the Napa Valley

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I would imagine so as the epicenter is very close to where the trains pass.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

NBC Bay Area just announced the Napa Valley Wine Train has ben cancelled today, though I have no idea where that runs. Caltrain and BART are inspecting but so far have no problems, though they are well south.

 

[PRR 60]

Both #11 and #14 are being held pending track and structure inspection. I would assume that also includes the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin services as well.

A Magnitude 6.0 earthquake is pretty significant. The Bay Area Loma Prieta quake of 1989 that caused extensive damage was a 6.9. Note that the earthquake magnitudes are logarithmic. In english, that means that each full number represents a ten-fold increase in power. A magnitude 6 is 10 times the strength of a magnitude 5. A magnitude 8 (a big one) is 100 times the strength of a magnitude 6. The Loma Prieta quake was about 8 times the strength of this one.

The infrastructure impact of a quake is dependent on lots of variables including depth of the event, the geology of the area, and the type of ground movements (horizontal and vertical). An earthquake to a structural engineer is like a tornado to a meteorologist. It brings mixed emotions. On one hand you dread the potential human impact, but you relish the additional data to enhance seismic engineering methodology. Each one is a little different.

 

[PRR 60]

NBC Bay Area just announced the Napa Valley Wine Train has ben cancelled today, though I have no idea where that runs. Caltrain and BART are inspecting but so far have no problems, though they are well south.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is a tourist service from Napa to St. Helena and back in the Napa Valley.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Both #11 and #14 are being held pending track and structure inspection. I would assume that also includes the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin services as well.

A Magnitude 6.0 earthquake is pretty significant. The Bay Area Loma Prieta quake of 1989 that caused extensive damage was a 6.9. Note that the earthquake magnitudes are logarithmic. In english, that means that each full number represents a ten-fold increase in power. A magnitude 6 is 10 times the strength of a magnitude 5. A magnitude 8 (a big one) is 100 times the strength of a magnitude 6. The Loma Prieta quake was about 8 times the strength of this one.

The infrastructure impact of a quake is dependent on lots of variables including depth of the event, the geology of the area, and the type of ground movements (horizontal and vertical). An earthquake to a structural engineer is like a tornado to a meteorologist. It brings mixed emotions. On one hand you dread the potential human impact, but you relish the additional data to enhance seismic engineering methodology. Each one is a little different.

Bill, you are such an engineer Thanks for the geological lesson.

 

[PRR 60]

Bill, you are such an engineer Thanks for the geological lesson.

It's an affliction that I cope with, but sadly there is no cure.

The Dean of Engineering's office at Villanova had a poster, "Ten Tell-Tale Signs Your Child May Become an Engineer." Number 1 was, "Likes Trains."

 

[GG-1]

Bill, you are such an engineer Thanks for the geological lesson.

It's an affliction that I cope with, but sadly there is no cure.

The Dean of Engineering's office at Villanova had a poster, "Ten Tell-Tale Signs Your Child May Become an Engineer." Number 1 was, "Likes Trains."

I am tempted to edit/replace the word "sadly" to "happily" :wub: :lol:

Aloha

 

[roadman3313]

The news is reporting that Capitol Corridor service is currently suspended between Roseville and San Jose due to track inspections. San Joaquin services are suspended between Oakland and Stockton due to track inspections. Caltrain service has been cleared thus far between San Francisco and Whipple Road and Redwood City at this time with no defects found. Track inspections are continuing south to San Jose. BART track and structure inspections have been complete and service should be operating as normal (minus scheduled track maintenance). As mentioned earlier, the Napa Valley Wine Train will not be operating today and Coast Starlight trains 11 & 14 have been held out of the area. Train 6 (California Zephyr) will also be held until inspections have been complete. The special ACE train service for the 49ers game today from Stockton to Santa Clara/Great America has been cancelled for track inspections.

This quake is reported to be a 6.1 centered 3 miles northwest of American Canyon (6 miles southwest of Napa). This is as reported by the local Bay Area news. Ironically I'm out of town in the LA area this weekend, driving back home to the Bay Area today. News channels down here are broadcasting the live reports and updates from the Bay Area news channel feeds. Looks like damage in the Napa Area. Multiple injuries reported. Most serious injuries due to falling debris. No reports of fatalities yet (thankfully). More damage and leaks are being discovered as people wake up and daylight breaks for the day. My friend who is the PIO for CHP in the Bay Area says minor highway damage near Vallejo/Napa area. No damage found to any of the SF Bay Area bridges.

 

[PRR 60]

For the closet nerds among us, here is the full info on the quake from the USGS.

M6.0 - 6km NW of American Canyon, California

 

[Bob Dylan]

Just talked with my brother in Sonoma/ lots of small after shocks, some glass breakage, cracks in walls, roads around Sonoma, power/cable/ internet was out for 4 hours/Cell Phone networks jammed, people being urged not to drive/ stay home/USAC Race is @ Sonoma Track, not canceled so far? and Grape Harvest just started,lots of Tourists, Valleys are jammed!

So far things overall look good, the people are important so hopefully the death toll and injuries will be minimum!

The track safety inspections are routine around the Bay Area, I've been on Trains several times in that area during quakes, Better Safe than Sorry!

 

[chakk]

A few critical injuries, but so far no deaths reported from the earthquake at 3:20 AM Pacific Time.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[the_traveler]

Bill, you are such an engineer

But he plays a Forum Manager on AU!

 

[jacorbett70]

Both #11 and #14 are being held pending track and structure inspection. I would assume that also includes the Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin services as well...

Train 14 should have been clear of the area hours before the earthquake hit. However, there was a 3.5 hour delay shortly after departure from Los Angeles that left it on the wrong side of the quake zone.

* Train 14 of 08/23/2014.* THIS TRAIN EXPERIENCED A SERVICE DISRUPTION.

* Coast Starlight

* +---------------- Station code

* | +----------- Schedule Arrival Day

* | | +-------- Schedule Arrival time

* | | | +----- Schedule Departure Day

* | | | | +-- Schedule Departure Time

* | | | | | +------------- Actual Arrival Time

* | | | | | | +------- Actual Departure Time

* | | | | | | | +- Comments

* V V V V V V V V

* LAX * * 1 1010A * 1022A Departed: 12 minutes late.

* BUR * * 1 1029A * 223P Departed: 3 hours and 54 minutes late.

* VNC * * 1 1040A * 234P Departed: 3 hours and 54 minutes late.

* SIM * * 1 1111A * 257P Departed: 3 hours and 46 minutes late.

* OXN * * 1 1144A * 339P Departed: 3 hours and 55 minutes late.

* SBA * * 1 1240P * 443P Departed: 4 hours and 3 minutes late.

* SLO 1 322P 1 335P 711P 850P Departed: 5 hours and 15 minutes late.

* PRB * * 1 437P * 1010P Departed: 5 hours and 33 minutes late.

* SNS * * 1 628P * 1158P Departed: 5 hours and 30 minutes late.

* SJC 1 811P 1 823P 146A 156A Departed: 5 hours and 33 minutes late.

* OKJ 1 924P 1 939P 257A 308A Departed: 5 hours and 29 minutes late.

EMY 1 954P 1 1004P 318A Arrived: 5 hours and 24 minutes late.

MTZ * * 1 1046P PT

DAV * * 1 1125P PT

SAC * * 1 1159P PT

CIC * * 2 147A PT

RDD * * 2 306A PT

 

[PRR 60]

Train 14 should have been clear of the area hours before the earthquake hit. However, there was a 3.5 hour delay shortly after departure from Los Angeles that left it on the wrong side of the quake zone.

Per Trainorders, one of the locomotives on #14 (Dash 8 #510) caught fire at Glendale. They had to get another locomotive at LAX.

 

[the_traveler]

Why did 14 have a Dash-8 and not the normal P-42? :huh:

 

[jis]

Perhaps because the normal P42 crapped out?

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

I don't know about today, but when I rode CS #11 August 7 it had a Dash-8 as the second engine. I also saw this Dash-8 on the CS #14 in Santa Barbara on July 26. Makes me think it is on the CS regularly.

 

[Eris]

I don't know about today, but when I rode CS #11 August 7 it had a Dash-8 as the second engine. I also saw this Dash-8 on the CS #14 in Santa Barbara on July 26. Makes me think it is on the CS regularly.

Not any more, I guess!

 

[Gone Loco]

The Dash 8s regularly show up in the Starlight's lashups. ATMK 510 will obviously not be one of them until 8th Street can get it back out on the road.

 

[user 3575]

14's delay was a lucky break. Had it been about 30 minutes less late, it would've been rolling across the Carquinez Bridge when the 6.1 earthquake struck. Not good.

Bad day for the Starlights yesterday: 14's engine fire and motive issues up and over Cuesta Grade, and 11 suffered a "trespasser incident" fatality on approach to Salinas...said incident involving a person jumping or otherwise becoming under the baggage car, and only being discovered when the baggage and freight (SNS is currently handling freight for SJC as the freight door is inop at San Jose) were being unloaded. Crew requested and deserved relief.

11, 14 (23) and the Caps are all showing service disruptions today; Sundays can be busy up here and there's another 49er preseason game at Levi's Stadium underway -- no Capitols and no ACE service to the stadium is probably messing up the transport plan.

Best thoughts to our neighbors in wine country today.

 

[DesertRat]

What do the trains do when they're held pending inspections? Are they sitting just where they are, or do they park themselves at the nearest station?

 

[SP&S]

Sometimes the trains just can't catch a break. I'm on 14 tomorraw (25) LAX-PDX and I guess I'll just be happy to make it and not worry about being on time.

This must be my vacation of delays, coming down on 11(20) we were three hours late and lost power in the Parlour car two thirds of the way down. Peeking in it looked eerie with just the emergency lighting in the darkness.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

At 4:49, I received this update on the Cap Corridor, which uses the same tracks as the CA and the CS:

"Service between Sacramento and Oakland Coliseum has resumed, but you may encounter delays. We are expecting to resume service between Hayward and San Jose by 7PM. Thank you for your patience."

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Status maps shows 11 moving again - 10+ hours late. 6 and 14 are still listed as service disruptions.