Down the tubes .......again......sigh.....

[railiner]

That's one thing I always do. I always plan to be there a day earlier then I need to be.

Same here, even when flying. Especially if travelling to embark on a cruiseship...

 

[jis]

I do take earlier flights but not necessarily a whole day earlier, since there usually are so many choices.

 

[andersone]

Father always cautioned about painting with a broad brush.

Returned yesterday from a short holiday junket to Heaven (Iowa) grabbing the Zeph at Galesburg and only running to Ottumwa. On the way out Wednesday we had the lower coach all to ourselves save one other passenger and were on time. Never saw the SCA until we detrained and then helped She Who Must Be Obeyed getting her case off. Returning yesterday we were almost three hours late. While lunching in the diner with a marvelous couple from Evanston learned that in Denver the time was lost as they struggled getting two private cars off the end of the consist. There wasn't a seat to be had in the day coach up or down and the diner was running very low. Made for a late return home - we have seven hours of driving from GBB (still quicker than the Cardinal) . In the words of the great **** Clark it was an 85 - easy to dance to but the lyrics could have used some help.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Father always cautioned about painting with a broad brush.

... we have seven hours of driving from GBB (still quicker than the Cardinal) ....

OK. I give up.

Cooper Bussman fast shipping? Gershman Brittner & Batton solid waste consultants? Great British Pound vs US Dollar charted. Green Business Bureau. Or GBB Home Page to reach boys for Christ?

That's what comes up when I enter GBB in Yahoo search.

No point in following the clue. (I did, and looked up the Cardinal route. But Amtrak schedules do not reveal station codes.)

My editor used to say, "That's DARK".

(You sure didn't want to see angry editor mark like that on your draft, LOL.)

D.on't

A.ssume

R.eader

K.nows.

Please, using numerical codes (#13 is three hours late) or alphabetical codes (three hours late getting home to GBB) does not help your reader understand your meaning.

Not picking on you, Andersone, but insider lingo on this blog is epidemic. I feel if us auslanders don't object from time to time, it will only worsen.

 

[andersone]

GBB is Galesburg I drive there a lot to catch western LD's

 

[WoodyinNYC]

GBB is Galesburg I drive there a lot to catch western LD's

Thanks. I should have remembered that. You posted before about the conductor advising you to get off a late train to Chicago and take a Thruway heading east.

But my Alzhie symptoms include forgetting names. Much more so than forgetting things. So I remember you taking the Thruway as a short cut but forget GBB.

 

[HenryK]

Woody, I heartily agree. Some superfoamers play so much inside acronym baseball that nobody outside the anointed knows what the hell they're talking about. I'm a longtime rail buff and even write about trains from time to time, but sometimes I'm absolutely mystified at the posts on this forum. No wonder the noobs just walk away from it scratching their heads.

 

[BCL]

Woody, I heartily agree. Some superfoamers play so much inside acronym baseball that nobody outside the anointed knows what the hell they're talking about. I'm a longtime rail buff and even write about trains from time to time, but sometimes I'm absolutely mystified at the posts on this forum. No wonder the noobs just walk away from it scratching their heads.

Three letter acronyms in all caps are generally going to be station codes. On air travel forums that would be assumed to be an airport code.

I typed in "gbb amtrak" and got Galesburg immediately.

 

[willem]

Well put, Woody! TLAs (three letter acronyms) should be explained. An example of a TLA that pretends to be a station code is CUS, and it shows up regularly. I suppose it's slightly better than just saying Union Station, since there is only one Chicago Union Station, but it isn't that much work to type it all out.

 

[afigg]

While massive problems remain, from crippling equipment shortages and 3-day-a-week trains to obsolete facilities, equipment, and technology to uncooperative host railroads, things are looking better, and could get much better fairly soon.

The situation for Amtrak in terms of reliability and service improvements should get better over the next 2 years, but Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 was not a good year. Maybe more of a stay in place year due to track and system upgrade projects, equipment problems and shortages, and a bad accident. The January, 2016 issue of Trains Magazine has a short article on Amtrak's problems with the final ridership numbers for FY2015 which were down -0.1% from FY2014. If it were not for the derailment of Regional #188 and the subsequent shutdown of the southern NEC for days, FY2015 would have seen an uptick in ridership.

I think FY2016 will be better in On-Time Performance (see how I spelled that out rather than use just the OTP acronym!), although the 2016 Spring to Summer track work season is likely to hit a lot of corridors. Equipment reliability and occasional shortages for the P-42 locomotives is likely to continue to be a problem, that will only be partially alleviated with new Charger locomotives, but those won't show up in number until well into FY2017. With the diesel locomotive reliability problems, Amtrak may have to put acquiring new Chargers at the top of the list in the Fleet Strategy Plan, but without funding, the Fleet plan will be wish list unfortunately.

 

[Ryan]

Woody, I heartily agree. Some superfoamers play so much inside acronym baseball that nobody outside the anointed knows what the hell they're talking about. I'm a longtime rail buff and even write about trains from time to time, but sometimes I'm absolutely mystified at the posts on this forum. No wonder the noobs just walk away from it scratching their heads.

Three letter acronyms in all caps are generally going to be station codes. On air travel forums that would be assumed to be an airport code.

I typed in "gbb amtrak" and got Galesburg immediately.

This, a thousand times over. It's not brain surgery.

Well put, Woody! TLAs (three letter acronyms) should be explained. An example of a TLA that pretends to be a station code is CUS, and it shows up regularly. I suppose it's slightly better than just saying Union Station, since there is only one Chicago Union Station, but it isn't that much work to type it all out.

Amazingly enough, even though the station code isn't CUS, googling "CUS Amtrak" immediately provides the answer.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Woody, I heartily agree. Some superfoamers play so much inside acronym baseball that nobody outside the anointed knows what the hell they're talking about. I'm a longtime rail buff and even write about trains from time to time, but sometimes I'm absolutely mystified at the posts on this forum. No wonder the noobs just walk away from it scratching their heads.

Three letter acronyms in all caps are generally going to be station codes. On air travel forums that would be assumed to be an airport code.
I typed in "gbb amtrak" and got Galesburg immediately.

This, a thousand times over. It's not brain surgery.

Well put, Woody! TLAs (three letter acronyms) should be explained.

Amazingly enough, even though the station code isn't CUS, googling "CUS Amtrak" immediately provides the answer.

Amazingly enuff, I typed "GBB" into Yahoo Search again, and got 15 pages of replies. Not one of them had anything to do with Amtrak. Not one of them had anything to do with Galesburg. Not one answered the query for GBB.

Amazingly enuff, I can stop giving a **** about what is written in jargon.

 

[neroden]

If it were not for the derailment of Regional #188 and the subsequent shutdown of the southern NEC for days, FY2015 would have seen an uptick in ridership.

Given how bad 2015 was for Amtrak -- remember the fiscal year started off with the Norfolk Southern dispatching disaster which broke all Chicago-east services. And there were multiple weather-related shutdowns of the NEC and other corridor services as well. I'm actually surprised it was that close.
Fiscal Year 2014 was honestly bad as well, with the NS meltdown starting at the end of FY2014, and for unclear reasons, ballooning overhead expenses (IT?)

Fiscal Year 2013 was of course terrible, with Superstorm Sandy, and ballooning overhead expenses again (IT again?).

Heh... when I started doing intensive analysis of Amtrak's financials, I Was looking at the 2012 fiscal year and more than five years of constant year-over-year improvements on nearly all measures. Then the next three years have been one thing after another. Even the Empire Builder delays didn't start until mid-2012.

Hopefully Amtrak can resume the growth trend soon. Basically all we need is a year or two without any disasters, natural or manmade.

Even with all the planned ARRA work still in progress in 2016, and even with the aging and diminishing P42 fleet, 2016 could be a good year if Amtrak just doesn't get hit with anything more. If nothing goes wrong in 2016 or 2017, there could be a huge bounceback of ridership and revenue in 2017, which is also when the ARRA projects are mostly arriving.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

...

I can tell you that Amtrak employees care, and have pride in their work. I speak from almost 100 years of Amtrak employment in my direct family!

...
Has morale improved?

I'd been wondering if morale has improved in any noticeable way among Amtrak employees over the past 6 or 7 years.

...

So are the employees feeling better about Amtrak -- seeing it from the inside -- and feeling better about their jobs and themselves? Seeing Amtrak from the outside it should seem so, but I'm asking.

Something to keep in mind is that some people on this forum will NEVER be happy with Amtrak. ...

Yeah, but I asked if employee morale had improved.

I'm interpreting the lack of response to the simple question as a simple No.

 

[BCL]

Woody, I heartily agree. Some superfoamers play so much inside acronym baseball that nobody outside the anointed knows what the hell they're talking about. I'm a longtime rail buff and even write about trains from time to time, but sometimes I'm absolutely mystified at the posts on this forum. No wonder the noobs just walk away from it scratching their heads.

Three letter acronyms in all caps are generally going to be station codes. On air travel forums that would be assumed to be an airport code.
I typed in "gbb amtrak" and got Galesburg immediately.

This, a thousand times over. It's not brain surgery.

Well put, Woody! TLAs (three letter acronyms) should be explained.

Amazingly enough, even though the station code isn't CUS, googling "CUS Amtrak" immediately provides the answer.

Amazingly enuff, I typed "GBB" into Yahoo Search again, and got 15 pages of replies. Not one of them had anything to do with Amtrak. Not one of them had anything to do with Galesburg. Not one answered the query for GBB.

But you didn't use the magic word.
gbb amtrak

"gbb train" works about as well.

 

[niemi24s]

I'm interpreting the lack of response to the simple question as a simple No.

Interpret it any way you want, but even though the question might be a simple one in my opinion it's answer is as elusive as Jimmy Hoffa's whereabouts.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Amazingly enuff, I typed "GBB" into Yahoo Search again, and got 15 pages of replies. Not one of them had anything to do with Amtrak. Not one of them had anything to do with Galesburg. Not one answered the query for GBB. Amazingly enuff, I can stop giving a **** about what is written in jargon.

If you want replies about Amtrak why not include "Amtrak" in the search query? I don't understand what you're complaining about or why you're upset about it. I've been a member of many forums and every single one has included shorthand entries for things that are commonly discussed among members. If you don't know what something means then either search for it or ask someone who does. Seems simple enough to me. I'm not sure why you think AU should be different from every other forum but based on the large numbers of folks who use station codes and other acronyms I'm guessing you're in the minority here.

 

[CCC1007]

The codes are even used officially in the system timetable and for baggage handling.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

If you think an acronym might be a station code, just go to Amtrak.com and type it into the from or to station box and it will show option(s) showing the stations.

 

[Everydaymatters]

I can understand the questions about the station codes. It was a long time before someone said they are in the front of the System Time Table. I don't think there are many, if any, on this forum that know all of the codes.

Next time you are near an Amtrak station, ask for one. They usually have a few. Or request one by phone or at their site.

 

[willem]

How much time does it save to type GBB rather than Galesburg? And I don't mean just for the initial typist, but for all the people who would be tasked with reading nine letters rather than three?

How much time does it cost to go to a search engine and guess what the typist meant?

When the original typist is showing his or her superior knowledge and talking to the clique, I can somewhat understand the motivation. When the original typist is asking for help, as I have seen on multiple occasions, it would seem to make sense to be as clear as possible. When the original typist is trying to convey information, it would seem to make sense to be as clear as possible.

 

[Seaboard92]

For me sometimes I use the codes just because I can't spell some of these station and city names. As some of it is complex.

 

[afigg]

How much time does it save to type GBB rather than Galesburg? And I don't mean just for the initial typist, but for all the people who would be tasked with reading nine letters rather than three?

How much time does it cost to go to a search engine and guess what the typist meant?

When the original typist is showing his or her superior knowledge and talking to the clique, I can somewhat understand the motivation. When the original typist is asking for help, as I have seen on multiple occasions, it would seem to make sense to be as clear as possible. When the original typist is trying to convey information, it would seem to make sense to be as clear as possible.

It does save time to type NYP instead of New York Penn Station, WAS instead of DC Union Station, and BOS instead of Boston South Station. But I think NYP, WAS, BOS, CHI are easy station abbreviations to figure out. I agree that when it comes to less well known or obscure station codes, the first poster who uses the station code should make a habit of spelling it out. Follow-up posts. at least for the next page or so, can use the code as anyone reading the posts can scan baclk a few posts to see the code explained.

 

[jis]

Too bad we don't have a facility like airliners.net has which captures all the common acronyms and codes and hyperlinks them to their definition automatically when you post something.

There is always some amount of judgement involved in determining what is within the scope of common knowledge of the group being addressed and what is not. For example I assume that in the more detailed discussions, things like P42DC or AEM-7 in the context of locomotives are well known terms. And I assume that if anyone does not understand they will simply ask. Unless you make such assumptions almost any post would get distracted from the core subject matter by having too much crud explaining all the common acronyms. For example, if each time I had to say that "the NEC had a 12.5kV 25Hz electrification with PRR Coded Track Circuit (CTC) based Cab Signal with an ACSES overlay for providing PTC", I had to expand out every acronym, that would drive everyone that know what these are nuts. I would expect anyone who is getting involved in a detailed discussion of the power supply and train control systems would know these acronyms, and if they didn't they'd simply ask instead of diverting the entire thread into a meta-discussion of what should be done with acronyms.

Since it is hard to guess what is the level of familiarity that all readers have, I just try to strike a middle ground and just explain further if asked.

 

[niemi24s]

It's my opinion that the use of arcane terms, slang, acronyms and other gibberish lends a certain aura of exclusivity or "hipness" to a post and perhaps the poster. Why say "I have a reservation on the Empire Builder from Chicago to Portland" when "Got a EB rezzy from CUS to PDX" is sure to send a casual lurker from another country running for the barf bucket? This is after all, a forum about Amtrak which has America as a part of its name. And as good patriotic and xenophobic Americans we certainly wouldn't want to cotton to any of them there foreigners, the metric system, the day/month/year date format or the twenty four hour clock.

Bwaaa-ha-ha-ha!!!