Empire Builder and the Souris River

[anir dendroica]

The Empire Builder disruption has been variously estimated to last from two weeks up to a month or more. The exact time span will depend on how much damage is caused by the flooding. It looks pretty likely to me that the Souris River bridges at Minot will be washed out if the water rises another 8-9 feet as predicted.

Here are some photos from BNSF taken yesterday. Water just starting to cross the tracks.

http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/weather/2011-06-22.pdf

I'll post photos, news articles, and updates from BNSF/Amtrak here as they become available, and I encourage others to do the same. Please don't hijack this topic for discussions or complaints about cancellations; there are plenty of other topics for that.

Mark

 

[jb64]

Thanks for posting this and starting this thread. I won't hijack it but will be watching closely since I am supposed to be on the EB westbound from CHI to WGL on July 23rd.

 

[QueenCC]

Hi,

I was planning on taking the train on 7/1 from Ohio (Lake Shore Limited to Chicago then changing to Empire Builder) to Washington State... But last night at around 8pm I get a phone call to tell me that my train from Chicago to Washington was cxl do to flooding, in SD & MT..... So after 2 hrs on the phone with Amtrak I was able to get rerouted... I'm now going via the Southwest Chief to California, then the Coast Starlight to Washington. Has anyone been on the SWC or CS? Amtrak still has me scheduled to take the Empire Builder home on 7/9, so what do you think the chances of my return getting cxl as well?

CC

 

[Rider]

I assume hijacking means altering the original topic which I won't do either.

But thanks for posting this and those photos give a very clear view of why some trains have been cancelled, and more will be. Thanks for posting. I am hoping I can access that BNSF site for more updates.

 

[Railroad Bill]

I think you will enjoy the SW Chief ride through the Raton Pass and across the deserts of NM & AZ. And you really will like the Coast Starlight. Beautiful scenery and the Pacific Parlour Car if you are a sleeper passenger. These routes will take longer for you to get to Washington, but its well worth the time.

If your eastbound EB is cancelled, you might opt for a Coast Starlight and California Zephyr ride from Sacramento to Chicago via the Rocky Mts. Another very scenic ride.

Have a great trip.

 

[eagle628]

Here are some photos from BNSF taken yesterday. Water just starting to cross the tracks.

http://www.bnsf.com/.../2011-06-22.pdf

Uh oh...

 

[Bruce-C]

Here is a real good local CBS affiliate in Minot. http://www.kxnet.com/

 

[QueenCC]

I think you will enjoy the SW Chief ride through the Raton Pass and across the deserts of NM & AZ. And you really will like the Coast Starlight. Beautiful scenery and the Pacific Parlour Car if you are a sleeper passenger. These routes will take longer for you to get to Washington, but its well worth the time.

If your eastbound EB is cancelled, you might opt for a Coast Starlight and California Zephyr ride from Sacramento to Chicago via the Rocky Mts. Another very scenic ride.

Have a great trip.

I think it will be beautiful... This is my first LD train ride.... My friend and I went with coach.... We thought about getting a sleeper but didn't want to pay like an extra 500. I'm not to worried about sleeping in coach though, because if I can sleep in a car on the LD drive across country I can sleep on a train!

 

[Ispolkom]

I just drove over the BNSF tracks in Minot an hour ago (in a tow truck -- a long story the moral of which is that these fancy electronic keys in rental cars are for the birds). The Mouse River is overtopping the BNSF tracks right now, and the river is going to rise several (5-8) feet in the next day. Given how fast the river is rising and how fast it's flowing, I'd hardly be surprised if several bridges were taken out.

Given that the same flood is going to take out homes for thousands of Minot's citizens, the Hi Line's problems are hardly the worst thing happening this weekend. We're just hoping that my mother's house (it's her 84th birthday today) gets nothing worse than water in the basement. Lots of other people we know are going to simply lose their houses.

 

[George B]

The Empire Builder disruption has been variously estimated to last from two weeks up to a month or more. The exact time span will depend on how much damage is caused by the flooding. It looks pretty likely to me that the Souris River bridges at Minot will be washed out if the water rises another 8-9 feet as predicted.

Here are some photos from BNSF taken yesterday. Water just starting to cross the tracks.

http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/weather/2011-06-22.pdf

I'll post photos, news articles, and updates from BNSF/Amtrak here as they become available, and I encourage others to do the same. Please don't hijack this topic for discussions or complaints about cancellations; there are plenty of other topics for that.

Mark

There is only about a 35% chance of the lines being open in Minot on July 15th, according to a friend who works for BNSF.

 

[sechs]

I recall the news saying that it would more than a month just for the waters to recede. I expect that it'll be a couple of feet over the rails before this is all over.

 

[kathy]

Hello, Yes, those people all need our prayers first of all. Secondly, I have a reservation from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago and then from Chicago to Whitefish, Montana on July 15th and 16th. I am wondering if it would be best to get another reservation for August and cancel this one...my one in a lifetime trip to see my brother out in W.Glacier!

Doe anyone think that timing would be better than the July date??

Thanks!!

 

[QueenCC]

So, I just got off the phone with amtrak again.... And so far they haven't cxl my train back for 7/9 yet *keeps fingers crossed everything will be ok*

CC

 

[Aurora1101]

Kathy:

I would definitely cancel your July reservation and get another one in August or better yet in September. It looks like a Minimum of a month, or maybe two months to get things back to normal out there. Even though the track may be open, there will be a HUGE HUGE backlog of freights that will have to pass through that region. I have a reservation for September, and I am worried about that being canceled. From the long range forecasts, it looks like it will be wetter than average through September.

Otherwise, if you have the time, take the Zephyr to San Francisco, the coast starlight to Seattle, and the Stub EB to Whitefish.

Good luck!! and reiterate that the people out there need our prayers.

Hello, Yes, those people all need our prayers first of all. Secondly, I have a reservation from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago and then from Chicago to Whitefish, Montana on July 15th and 16th. I am wondering if it would be best to get another reservation for August and cancel this one...my one in a lifetime trip to see my brother out in W.Glacier!

Doe anyone think that timing would be better than the July date??

Thanks!!

 

[Aurora1101]

From the long range outlooks from the NOAA climate prediction center, it does not look good at all for the northern plains.

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/30day/off14_prcp.gif

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/lead01/off01_prcp.gif

 

[Jeff]

Thanks for the pictures! I have a reservation for MSP-SEA on Aug. 1. Won't be surprised if it ends up being cancelled.

 

[going to the sun sue]

Kathy:

I would definitely cancel your July reservation and get another one in August or better yet in September. It looks like a Minimum of a month, or maybe two months to get things back to normal out there. Even though the track may be open, there will be a HUGE HUGE backlog of freights that will have to pass through that region. I have a reservation for September, and I am worried about that being canceled. From the long range forecasts, it looks like it will be wetter than average through September.

Otherwise, if you have the time, take the Zephyr to San Francisco, the coast starlight to Seattle, and the Stub EB to Whitefish.

Good luck!! and reiterate that the people out there need our prayers.

Hello, Yes, those people all need our prayers first of all. Secondly, I have a reservation from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago and then from Chicago to Whitefish, Montana on July 15th and 16th. I am wondering if it would be best to get another reservation for August and cancel this one...my one in a lifetime trip to see my brother out in W.Glacier!

Doe anyone think that timing would be better than the July date??

Thanks!!

 

[The Davy Crockett]

WOW... Amazing pics and videos. And the long range precip. forecast looks pretty ominous too. I was through Minot on #7/27 last month and the river was high then, but NOTHING like it is now. We sat in Minot for about one and a half hours, waitng for our next engine crew to become legal, and I got to talking to some of the locals. They were concerned about how high the Souris was then. They've had one tough stretch. My thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to them all.

 

[mwmnp]

Here are some recent screencaps from the KXMC-TV live stream. They have had a cameraman on the roof of one of the buildings south of the Amtrak station for the last couple days.

Officially, the track closest to the platform at the station is still in service. BNSF ran trains, all eastbound, throughout the day on Thursday and early this morning through Minot. The last plan I heard was to keep the track open until water reached the top of the rails on the Souris River bridge. Another eastbound is expected to attempt the journey through Minot around noon, though with the water rising rapidly above the rails near the Amtrak station, I wouldn't be surprised if it gets held back west of the city. The other track has been out-of-service since Tuesday.

Edit: the remaining track was taken out-of-service around 10:45 Central Time. The empty grain train expected in around noon will be turned around west of Minot.

 

[lisadinpa]

So if I'm scheduled to be on the Empire Builder from Chicago to PDX on July 25 with a return to PA (starting) on July 31, I should look for alternates now?

Thanks for the pix. Prayers/good thoughts to the residents of the Minot area and points south on the river systems.

 

[Rail Freak]

The Empire Builder disruption has been variously estimated to last from two weeks up to a month or more. The exact time span will depend on how much damage is caused by the flooding. It looks pretty likely to me that the Souris River bridges at Minot will be washed out if the water rises another 8-9 feet as predicted.

Here are some photos from BNSF taken yesterday. Water just starting to cross the tracks.

http://www.bnsf.com/.../2011-06-22.pdf

I'll post photos, news articles, and updates from BNSF/Amtrak here as they become available, and I encourage others to do the same. Please don't hijack this topic for discussions or complaints about cancellations; there are plenty of other topics for that.

Mark

My God, I had no idea! Thanx for the photos!!!

 

[frugalist]

I've been watching the webcast of the Minot TV station since last night. The tops of the rails are now under water at the Minot Amtrak station. That levy surrounding the depot must be close to 10 feet high.

I hope all the residents in the region stay safe. I can't imagine what they're going through. Changing our vacation itinerary is such small stuff compared to their problems.

 

[Bruce-C]

Here is a real good local CBS affiliate in Minot. http://www.kxnet.com/

from kxnet.com:

At 1:00pm 6/24 Minot time, the flood level is at 1558.52. Water is rising at a rate close to 1/2' per hour!!

Photos of the railroad bridge shows two tracks almost underwater, the third track has about 1' before it too is underwater.

Water flows currently in Minot are 17,000sfc. Upstream Lk. Darling dam has been releasing water at a rate of 26,000cfs. since 10pm. Thurs., Water flows of 29,000cfs. can be possible in Minot on 6/25.

The flood is now predicted to crest sometime late Sat.6/25 at 1564.5' and remain close to that level for the predictable future (about several days).

 

[rick]

It seems anybody who has reservations on the Builder through the rest of the summer should probably change them as soon as possible. I can't rememeber when a train has been this plagued. Only problem is that July and August are peak travel months for Amtrak and I wonder if any sleeper space is even available.

We took 27 from Chicago to Portland last month and we were actually early into PDX. We made these reservations last September, and it was touch and go whether the train would be running at all. As it turned out,we were quite lucky,because the train was cancelled about a week after we got back,and it's been touch and go since.

I feel sorry for the passengers who booked travel on the EB this summer. Who would expect all these fiascos? When we took the EB through North Dakota last month we were amazed the train made it through. The water was high then. i can only imagine how bad it is now.

 

[mwmnp]

The Mouse River bridge this afternoon. This bridge is under 24 hour supervision by personnel in the BNSF structures department:

A view from yesterday of the railroad overpass slightly west of the Amtrak station:



Minot Flood Ops 6-23 - 21 by NDNG, on Flickr

The same overpass this evening: