Coast Starlight discussion 2023 Q4 - 2024

[sublib]

Just rolled into Oakland on #11.
Pretty late already. Over 2 hours late.
Rained all the way down from SEA. Now, they've terminated the train in Oakland citing tracks washed out up ahead. Anyone know where the washout occurred?

Thanks.

 

[GDRRiley]

its somewhere between SLO and Gilroy, trying to get a firm location from some people I know.

 

[Cal]

If anyone wants to see the process of switching 14 into 11, this railcam has it with full radio chatter.

 

[Cal]

Now, they've terminated the train in Oakland citing tracks washed out up ahead

I understand that Oakland is the base in the BAy, and therefore makes it preferable to turn the train. But I feel like they could've gone the single hour further down to San Jose which is a pretty big stop?

 

[GDRRiley]

I understand that Oakland is the base in the BAy, and therefore makes it preferable to turn the train. But I feel like they could've gone the single hour further down to San Jose which is a pretty big stop?

Yes they could have but crew changes are at Oakland and thats where amtraks full yard is. The only thing SJ has going for it is a wye large enough to turn the whole train.

 

[Cal]

Yes they could have but crew changes are at Oakland and thats where amtraks full yard is. The only thing SJ has going for it is a wye large enough to turn the whole train.

By big stop I meant a lot of passengers, now everyone disembarking or boarding got screwed at San Jose. I think it would’ve been feasible to run the train down to San Jose (the engineer crew change is there anyway). Helps a lot of passengers and isn’t insanely hard to do.

 

[joelkfla]

By big stop I meant a lot of passengers, now everyone disembarking or boarding got screwed at San Jose. I think it would’ve been feasible to run the train down to San Jose (the engineer crew change is there anyway). Helps a lot of passengers and isn’t insanely hard to do.

Seems to me that if the train crew gets off in San Jose, they'd have to bring in a new crew just to take the train back to Oakland for servicing. That could get expensive, especially if the contract requires payment for some minimum number of hours per shift (I don't know whether it does, but I've seen it in other union contracts.)