Coast Starlight gets stormed out

[AmtrakBlue]

Why do people think that there was a dire shortage before sometime today? Time for people to get reattached to reality I am afraid.

Some people are geographically challenged. Maybe they thought they were stranded in Southern CA. [emoji14]

 

[fairviewroad]

Why weren't supplies sent? As a member of the public, I don't know the ins and outs of winter rescues and such, but couldn't supplies be dropped in by helicopter? brought in via rescue workers on snow shoes? dog sleds? winterized snow vehicles? Apart from relief of passengers, imagine the images and publicity. Where were state and local authorities and rescue squads?

But why didn't someone think outside the box of ways to assist the passengers on board the train?

But that's just the thing....despite the fact that some folks on the train were communicating with voice and photos...we've seen no pics of overflowing toilets, or really anything that would suggest things were on the verge of a "Lord of the Flies" situation.

I mean, it's not like they were stuck on an Acela in Queens.... 

Amtrak Train To Boston Stuck For 6 Hours In Queens With Bathrooms 'Filled To The Brim'

 

[jis]

But that's just the thing....despite the fact that some folks on the train were communicating with voice and photos...we've seen no pics of overflowing toilets, or really anything that would suggest things were on the verge of a "Lord of the Flies" situation.

I mean, it's not like they were stuck on an Acela in Queens.... 

Amtrak Train To Boston Stuck For 6 Hours In Queens With Bathrooms 'Filled To The Brim'

Right, they throughout had power, heat, working toilets and food.

Remember the normal run of the train if on schedule was till yesterday evening, and at present it has only been like 14 or 16 hours over. Sometimes just an accumulating delay on Amtrak LD trains can stretch things to that, sometimes even in the middle of nowhere.

The reason that no one was getting all worked up about supply shortages yesterday is because there was none so far. If they had been unable to open the line to Eugene today, that would have started becoming an issue.

 

[Manny T]

So if they were stocked until today, and today's breakfast "was the last of it," and they were rescued today -- that's a happy coincidence.

If they weren't rescued until late today or even later -- they'd be out of food. That's a contingency. Was there planning for it? I don't know.

Apart from food, I read there were actual shortages -- of diapers, of sanitary products. Is that something that should be addressed? Everyone can decide for themselves.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

So if they were stocked until today, and today's breakfast "was the last of it," and they were rescued today -- that's a happy coincidence.
If they weren't rescued until late today or even later -- they'd be out of food. That's a contingency. Was there planning for it? I don't know.
Apart from food, I read there were actual shortages -- of diapers, of sanitary products. Is that something that should be addressed? Everyone can decide for themselves.
 

Amtrak doesn’t stock diapers & sanitary items.

 

[pennyk]

According to my niece, who lives in Eugene, the foot of snow they received Sunday night-Monday was quite unusual.  Although they have power and water, many in Eugene do not have either.

 

[fairviewroad]

That's a fair point, but the problem with diapers is that they come in many sizes...and take up lots of room if you want to stock any meaningful number of them. But perhaps having a sleeve of, say, size 2, 4, and 6 diapers would be a reasonable customer service gesture. Obviously in a pinch you don't have to have the exact size...any port in a storm, so to speak.

But again, this was a highly unusual situation. Most parents are going to pack extra diapers anyhow, especially on an overnight train. (I'll grant you that not everyone was expecting to be on this train overnight...).

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

The pictures are great.  Flat terrain, three tracks visible, house in the background.

I wonder if the people in the house are watch the news on there satellite TV.  Seeing a story on these stranded folks and then looking out the window, and see the train.

Think the Cardinal caused more issues then this train did.

 

[fairviewroad]

The pictures are great.  Flat terrain, three tracks visible, house in the background.

I wonder if the people in the house are watch the news on there satellite TV.  Seeing a story on these stranded folks and then looking out the window, and see the train.

I don't think the people in the nearby houses were having such a great time. In fact, the folks on the train would seem to be getting the better end of the deal, as they are arriving back in civilization this morning. Meanwhile, this is a news release this morning that describes the situation with the nearby town and highway...some helpful context about the situation this train was in. Reading this, you may surmise that it should have been the townsfolk hiking to the train for assistance, not the other way around.

As this is a government document, I'm posting the entire thing, but in case mods want to snip it, here's the link. Bolding (except headline) is mine.

Crews are working hard to open OR 58​

Trying to get food and supplies to Oakridge​

[SIZE=12pt]SPRINGFIELD—[/SIZE][SIZE=12pt] ODOT crews and contractors are working at a breakneck pace today to get OR 58 open following record snowfall and hundreds of trees that fell on the road and downed power lines. The City of Oakridge, 40 miles east of the Eugene-Springfield area, has been without power stranding residents and workers since Monday morning. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The OR 58 corridor, which connects Interstate 5 with U.S. 97 in Central Oregon, has been hit particularly hard. ODOT crews, contractors and timber fallers have already removed over 200 trees ranging in size from 12 inches to 3 feet.   There are still many more trees to remove.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]ODOT has moved crews and resources from other parts of the state and have hired a number of private contractors to help with the job.   There is still no estimate when the road will be passable. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Our immediate goal is to open a lane of traffic that will be a lifeline for the Oakridge community so we can move food and supplies, and allow the power company into the community to restore electricity,” said Jim Gamble, ODOT District 5 Manager in Springfield. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Crews are working at each end of OR 58 to open the highway. The 70-mile stretch of road travels over Willamette Pass and is an important route for east-west travel across the state. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Yesterday, during the snow storm, crews were forced to retreat twice due to the heavy, wet snow dropping these trees around crews causing multiple near misses and vehicle damage. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Due to the extreme safety concerns we were forced to pull back our crews,” Gamble said.   “Today, with the calmer conditions, we hope to make a lot of progress toward opening the road.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Other areas of Lane and Linn County are still reporting fallen trees and downed power lines.   While the major closure is OR 58, other sections of area roads still contain heavy snowfall and some fallen trees. Travelers should leave extra time when traveling and expect winter driving conditions.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Crews worked hard late yesterday and overnight to plow as much of the snow off the roads before sub-freezing temperatures hit the area. Crews also used sand, deicer and some salt in certain locations. [/SIZE]

 

[jis]

I guess another reason that they prioritized trying to get the train out of there back to Eugene instead of trying to supply in situ is because they happened to know that there was no way to do it short of helicoptering the supplies in, weather permitting. I guess those precious Diapers had to wait. :lol: I suppose after surveying the situation on the railroad yesterday they figured they could open it by early morning today, barring some mishap, and went for it. Apparently their decision based on better understanding of the actual situation on the ground bore more fruit than the armchair prognosticators' tantrums at AU

 

[fairviewroad]

A short video clip of the train being pulled backwards into EUG by a UP engine this morning...arriving within the past half-hour.

 

[jis]

Apparently a few were not having such a bad time afterall:

https://gizmodo.com/amtrak-train-stranded-in-oregon-for-36-hours-honestly-s-1832897130?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=gizmodo_copy&utm_campaign=top

Reminds me of my experience of getting stuck at Cut Bank on the Empire Builder for ten hours due to avalanches up in Marias Pass many moons ago

 

[oregon pioneer]

Apparently a few were not having such a bad time afterall:

https://gizmodo.com/amtrak-train-stranded-in-oregon-for-36-hours-honestly-s-1832897130?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=gizmodo_copy&utm_campaign=top

Reminds me of my experience of getting stuck at Cut Bank on the Empire Builder for ten hours due to avalanches up in Marias Pass many moons ago

Got stuck waiting on Marias Pass last time I came west on the Empire Builder! But the train was already very late when we got there, so I dpon't think anyone was up partying. It was the first time I saw the train split at Spokane in daylight.

It sounds like the folks on the train were way better off than the residents of Oakridge. Funny thing, that storm was nothing special here a hundred and fifty miles to the east. It was way worse to the north and west of where I am.

 

[fairviewroad]

Things aren't getting any easier for this train, which is supposedly headed back up to Seattle to drop off people where they boarded. The bridge that carries Amtrak trains across the Columbia River had a wee bit of a problem today, of the flame variety. The bridge appears to be intact, but It's not clear from this article if rail service will be able to be restored today. One presumes that the passengers on the stuck Starlight will at least be given a bus ride, now that they are back in the land of open roads.

Railroad bridge fire out, all train traffic halted

 

[jis]

Another report on the fire: https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/02/fire-shuts-down-burlington-northern-rail-bridge-across-columbia-river.html

 

[bmjhagen9426]

The woes on the CS and now the Cascades and EB are now multiplying, but hopefully the NW mess will eventually be cleaned up and not be gutted. I would not like to see it become the next Sunset East, which the Dinky and Atlantic City route is going to become unless they reopen by June.

 

[west point]

Thoughts.

1.  In this case HOS (hour of service) would not apply due to this being an actual emergency ?  They had to remain on train any way to keep HEP operating.  They would have gotten sleep any way in a sleeper?

2.  Biggest worry might have been if the locos would run out of diesel for HEP.  Engineer and conductor could have switched locos supply HEP with an announcement that power would be off about 5 minutes.

3. This is another lesson about the RRs including Amtrak have not been proactive enough to remove trees close to tracks.

4.  

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

A story that appeared in a local, east coast, newspaper.

Passengers band together on Amtrak train stuck in the Oregon mountains

 

[MARC Rider]

I would have been mustering able body pax and whatever cold weather gear is on board for a hike out.  Head North or South along the rail to the closest population area, load up supplies on sleds and pull them back to the train.  Common sense survival tactics at play here.

As someone who leads ski trips, and I suppose has some sort of liability for the participants, even though we make them sign liability waivers up the wazoo, the last thing I would if I were Amtrak would be to take random pax of unknown medical condition and physical endurance and send them out into Snowmageddon expecting them to do serious work.  

By the way, something like this did happen in 1890.  The journalist Nellie Bly was racing around the world trying to see if Jules Verne's book was realistic.  Her eastbound train from the Bay Area couldn't run over the Donner Pss because of snow so she was routed south through Bakersfield.  Meanwhile,a colleague from her paper in New York was supposed to meet her, and his train got stuck in the snow up in the Sierras.  He and  few other passengers hired the services of a local mountain man, who put them all on klunky circa 1890 skis and they skied 5 or 10 miles down the line to where the tracks were clear.   Somehow, I don't think Amtrak would allow their passengers to do something like that.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Thoughts.

1.  In this case HOS (hour of service) would not apply due to this being an actual emergency ?  They had to remain on train any way to keep HEP operating.  They would have gotten sleep any way in a sleeper?

2.  Biggest worry might have been if the locos would run out of diesel for HEP.  Engineer and conductor could have switched locos supply HEP with an announcement that power would be off about 5 minutes.

3. This is another lesson about the RRs including Amtrak have not been proactive enough to remove trees close to tracks.

4.  

Just from my personal experience in the past ...

1. I know that after we sat for nearly 24 hours, the train finally started to move again (yea!).  After about another 1/2 hour, we stopped again, this time in the middle of a swamp. The reason was that the crew (engineer? conductor?) hit their max allowed hours.  This is also my biggest pet peeve.  If there was actually someone in charge of Amtrak, they should have had at least one relief crew already on their way to our stranded train, six hours earlier. 
   
2. I don't know if we would have eventually ran out of diesel, but the relief crew that finally reached us in that swamp, came out on a replacement engine, full of fuel (but no food).
   

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

View attachment 12673

I know from the time I was on a stranded train (see previous post), the conductor would not allow anyone to get off train, siting safety concerns.  That included not allowing smokers to have a quick cigarette (the nicotine withdrawals get bad after 24 hours?), nor guys in coach to take a leak (since coach holding tanks were over flowing at this point). 

 

[Sauve850]

So if they were stocked until today, and today's breakfast "was the last of it," and they were rescued today -- that's a happy coincidence.

If they weren't rescued until late today or even later -- they'd be out of food. That's a contingency. Was there planning for it? I don't know.

Apart from food, I read there were actual shortages -- of diapers, of sanitary products. Is that something that should be addressed? Everyone can decide for themselves.

While not a pleasant thing to be out of diapers they can be created out of many items found on a train.

 

[Dakota 400]

NBC National News this evening had a report about the end of this ordeal for these people.  I am glad that the passengers are now safe.  And, while some, I am sure, will be most upset with Amtrak and/or whom/whatever, their experience really ought to be chalked up as "just another travel adventure".  

 

[Manny T]

"The crew of 13 dealt with the situation as best they could. With diapers running short, a worker in the cafe improvised with napkins and safety pins, Rhodes said, noting that they worked all the way through."

https://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/ct-amtrak-train-stranded-oregon-20190226-story.html

"They worked all the way through" -- I assume the crew of 13 and the diapers.

 

[Rover]

News report from KPTV FOX 12: