CZ Service Disruption (6/25) and more delays

[BigBlueBuddha]

I was in a sleeper on the ill-fated #6 (25). Here are some photos of the #1 locomotive (#817) spewing smoke and diesel fuel after an apparent ring failure after Provo, UT.

 

[C855B]

I was in a sleeper on the ill-fated #6 (25). Here are some photos of the #1 locomotive (#817) spewing smoke and diesel fuel after an apparent ring failure after Provo, UT.

On GE locomotives a turbo seal failure is much, much more common, and that's what this looks like. Well... when it's not on fire. This makes me wonder if you have one of the locos we had on #8 a week ago - it was not healthy, though not as bad.

This is one of the issues that concern me with Amtrak LD trains that I hear rarely discussed. The power fleet is getting long in the tooth, and is showing it. In eight trips in the past year, four - yes, half - were marred by loco failures, two requiring assistance from the host RR. Air compressors seem to be a weak area, too.

 

[jfw701]

Just posted on my local rail list:

[SIZE=12pt] #5 of the 28th is CANCELLED WITH NO ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PER AMTRAK. So is #6 (29) out of Emeryville. #5 (27) is ETA Denver 1159pm. #6 (25) is terminated @ Osceola, Iowa with passengers bustituted to Chicago! # 6 (26) left Omaha over the UP (old CNW) @ 157PM CT.[/SIZE]
#6 (27) will also detour over the UP (CNW) Omaha to Chicago for MONDAY 6/29.

eblkheart, where are you getting this info? Any word on whether #5 (26) becomes #6 (30) in EMY? I can't get anyone at Amtrak to tell me whether my train #6 (30) is going tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[eblkheart]

I got this information from my local trainlist. This person is connected in some way to Amtrak. That said, it's now probably old info, I would keep calling Amtrak and see what is going on with tomorrow's schedule. I'm leaving in 3 weeks for my trip...and I'm hecka nervous about it

 

[champ5601]

Passed a sitting #5 in Elko, NV today. Don't know if it was the 5(26) or 5(27)?

 

[CHamilton]

I was in a sleeper on the ill-fated #6 (25). Here are some photos of the #1 locomotive (#817) spewing smoke and diesel fuel after an apparent ring failure after Provo, UT.

On GE locomotives a turbo seal failure is much, much more common, and that's what this looks like. Well... when it's not on fire. This makes me wonder if you have one of the locos we had on #8 a week ago - it was not healthy, though not as bad.

This is one of the issues that concern me with Amtrak LD trains that I hear rarely discussed. The power fleet is getting long in the tooth, and is showing it. In eight trips in the past year, four - yes, half - were marred by loco failures, two requiring assistance from the host RR. Air compressors seem to be a weak area, too.

Yes. We seem to be seeing a lot of loco failures in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[jfw701]

Passed a sitting #5 in Elko, NV today. Don't know if it was the 5(26) or 5(27)?

Must have been the 5(26). I think the 5(27) was turned around at Grand Junction.

ELK

Departed
34 hours, 56 minutes late
1:59 pm
Mon, Jun 29 2015

 

[DutchLassie]

Following this topic with interest, as I will be on CZ 07/12/15 CHI-SFC if all goes well...

*keeping fingers crossed*

Very surprised there is nothing on Amtrak site about these problems... (I'm used to the European/Dutch railways where they probably have a bit more money to spend on keeping websites up to date with latest issues)

 

[acelafan]

#5 (26) finally made it to EMY! And it's a new record, too.

* EMY  3  410P  *  *     415A  *     Arrived:  36 hours, 5 minutes late.

 

[acelafan]

For completeness, the previous record was the Sunset in February, 2012 at 35 hours and 27 minutes late.

 

[SurebetVA]

Yikes, I'm hoping for no new records during my trips July 16-26. It is amazing that Amtrak doesn't put something on their website about the huge delays and multiple cancellations for the #5 / #6 this past week. Seems they only post notifications about planned detours and delays.

 

[afigg]

This is one of the issues that concern me with Amtrak LD trains that I hear rarely discussed. The power fleet is getting long in the tooth, and is showing it. In eight trips in the past year, four - yes, half - were marred by loco failures, two requiring assistance from the host RR. Air compressors seem to be a weak area, too.

Yes. We seem to be seeing a lot of loco failures in the Pacific Northwest.

I would say that there have been a lot of locomotive breakdowns across the entire LD system and on many state corridors. Appears that the entire diesel fleet is getting stretched thin. The recent rash of grade crossing collisions resulting in damaged P-42s that have to be repaired is likely contributing to the problem.
The new Siemens Charger diesels coming to the mid-west and CA corridors should help ease the demand and free up some P-42s for suse elsewhere, but those won't enter service until at least later 2016. With the P-42s breaking down too often, I wonder if Amtrak management is making any contingency plans such as re-allocating capital funds or take out a loan to place an option order for 20 to 40 Siemens Charger locomotives to plug the equipment shortfalls, although new diesels would probably not be available until 2018/2019.

Meanwhile, the CONO #59 (6/27) got into a grade crossing collision over the weekend, according to trainorders, resulting in a damaged P-42 and thus had to borrow freight locomotives to complete the run to NOL. Arrived at NOL 11 hours and 40 minutes late.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Here is the latest status update on resumption of normal Zephyr service from Trains Magazine: ‘California Zephyr’ resumes after extensive delays, cancellations

Here is the schedule for resuming normal operations published by Trains Magazine

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari tells Trains News Wire that after four days of disrupted service finding equipment and crews out of position, service was being restored as follows:

Westbound:
Train No. 5 departing Chicago on June 25 and 26 both continued to Emeryville, Calif.
Train No. 5 of June 27 terminated at Grand Junction, Colo., today, and will head east from there as train No. 6 on July 2
Train No. 5 of June 28 was cancelled, but Monday’s train No. 5 is operating on the regular route

Eastbound:
Monday’s train No. 6 from Emeryville, Calif, is cancelled, so no train will operate into Chicago on July 1
Train No. 6 of June 30 will operate normally
Train No. 6 of July 1 will not operate between Emeryville and Grand Junction (see above)
Train No. 6 of July 2 will operate normally

 

[Kibbler]

Amtrak seem to be surprised that the desert is hot in the summer - there are speed restrictions imposed when it's 100 degrees (15-25mph) until 9pm so expect further delays.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Amtrak seem to be surprised that the desert is hot in the summer - there are speed restrictions imposed when it's 100 degrees (15-25mph) until 9pm so expect further delays.

The delays were caused by flooding in Iowa that caused a major detour on top of any other "normal" delays (heat restrictions, freight, etc)

 

[jis]

Amtrak seem to be surprised that the desert is hot in the summer - there are speed restrictions imposed when it's 100 degrees (15-25mph) until 9pm so expect further delays.

This problem was not caused by heat restrictions. It was caused by flooding related diversion over UP between Omaha and Chicago.

 

[Kibbler]

I said expect future delays - not that this was the reason for previous ones! I can assure you 5 (29) has been advised it will need to go slowly this afternoon due to the heat - so future station stops will be late (though Amtrak.com expects the train to claw back 4 hours of its current delay which seems rather optimistic).

 

[jis]

I said expect future delays - not that this was the reason for previous ones! I can assure you 5 (29) has been advised it will need to go slowly this afternoon due to the heat - so future station stops will be late (though Amtrak.com expects the train to claw back 4 hours of its current delay which seems rather optimistic).

So what made you come to the conclusion that Amtrak is surprised? Or were you suggesting that you expect that Amtrak would be surprised. If so, what is the basis for that?

 

[SurebetVA]

Looking at the Amtrak map it doesn't look like today's #6 went as normal nor has #5 started.

 

[MadManMoon]

I'm sitting on the 8.5-hour late 6(28). This train was about 6 hours late departing EMY (and SAC, where I boarded) and we've lost another 2 hours along the way, mostly freight traffic and (I suspect) some heat restrictions. This train arrived as 5 and arrived at 4:30AM on 6/28 (actual scheduled arrival was 4:10PM on 6/27).

Other than that, it's been an uneventful ride! I already called AGR and switched to 30(1) since I was clearly going to miss my connection to 50(30). And I'm glad I did - with our current estimated 10:30PM arrival into CHI, I wouldn't have made even the Lake Shore Limited!

 

[afigg]

I said expect future delays - not that this was the reason for previous ones! I can assure you 5 (29) has been advised it will need to go slowly this afternoon due to the heat - so future station stops will be late (though Amtrak.com expects the train to claw back 4 hours of its current delay which seems rather optimistic).

Amtrak has no control over the heat restrictions (outside of the NEC and MI tracks that it owns), the restrictions are imposed by the host railroad. Amtrak is hardly the only passenger service that encounters heat restrictions, VRE & MARC (on the non-NEC lines), MBTA, etc will run under heat restrictions on hot days.

Heat restrictions can be fixed I gather in most cases if there is someone willing to pay for it. MBTA (in MA), which brought the CSX line from Framingham to Worcester several years ago, has a series of "Rail De-stressing" projects underway to eliminate the heat restrictions when the temps hit 85 degrees. A good example of how sharing a portion of an LD route with a commuter or state corridor can benefit the LD service. While the MBTA is doing this for its busy commuter line, the Lake Shore Limited won't get hit by frequent heat restrictions between WOR and Framingham. MBTA Worcester Line project page which describes the project in useful detail (unusual for the MBTA).

 

[SurebetVA]

Looking at the Amtrak map it doesn't look like today's #6 went as normal nor has #5 started.

I was wrong. Looks like #6 got started 4 hours 45 minutes late and #5 is going to get started late as well. Maybe they will be back to somewhat normal soon???

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Looking at the Amtrak map it doesn't look like today's #6 went as normal nor has #5 started.

I was wrong. Looks like #6 got started 4 hours 45 minutes late and #5 is going to get started late as well. Maybe they will be back to somewhat normal soon???

Read post #113 for the timeframe

 

[SurebetVA]

Thanks AmtrakBlue - I saw post #113 but I thought things might have changed - especially when #6 was almost 5 hours getting started (I guess that is what they call normal?) and #5 was due to leave at 2pm but is still sitting at CHI 4 hours later.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

SurebetVA, operating normal actually refers to operation on the normal route and not detouring as those that detoure all the way from Omaha to Chicago on UP tracks instead of BNSF. If you read the article referenced in my post 113 you will see where those trains that detoured on UP from Omaha to Chicago arrived on the "north" side of Union Station instead of the South Side which is the normal arrival side. Timeliness will continue to suffer until equipment and OBS crews arrive in time. This is particularly true for Emeryville departures which are definitely dependent on arrival of preceding days CZ and OBS crew in time to turn and restock the train and provide adequate rest for the crew which returns on the next day's CZ from Emeryville since all the OBS crews for CZ are based in Chicago.