west point
Engineer
Amtrak now cancelled thru July 14rh. Any one with link to the inside gateway map. What would even be better if someone could come up with an ETT.
Fire impacts Coast Starlight (6/29/21)
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danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
As you can see, the BNSF line in question diverges from the UP(SP) route pretty early, so you'd miss a lot of stops. A bus bridge would avoid that issue.
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I've been checking google news for anything about the dry canyon/hotlum trestle/bridge, and not much pops up. I hope that's a good sign. I saw the picture from the side posted in #53 above, hard to believe there could be so much damage to one section without affecting the strength of the remaining bridge.
I guess a more detailed report will come along eventually.
I guess a more detailed report will come along eventually.
Danib62
Service Attendant
Yea it’s weird this hasn’t had any real mainstream press coverage…
Maybe the press is preoccupied with the Surfside condo disaster.
Danib62
Service Attendant
I think the local press out in Northern California can walk and chew gum.
Danib62
Service Attendant
Not looking good 
When I posted the picture of the damage I said it was expected to take several months to repair. My source was told this by a RR professional.
Again, disrupted isn't cancelled. Amtrak will decide if they want to run a bus bridge or simply not provide service north of Sacramento. Could go either way. Not that bus bridges are much fun, either for sleepers, coaches or food service.
I'm sure any RR expert would say that it will be at least several months, but until they do a detailed analysis of every beam, we won't know if it is months or years. I wouldn't want to ride over steel exposed to 1000+ heat!
I'm sure any RR expert would say that it will be at least several months, but until they do a detailed analysis of every beam, we won't know if it is months or years. I wouldn't want to ride over steel exposed to 1000+ heat!
Danib62
Service Attendant
Someone once told me that jet fuel can’t melt steel and you expect me to believe some burning trees did /sarcasm
Melt it, no. Weaken it, yes. And dry trees burn very very hot. Try sticking an old Christmas tree in a fireplace and see what happens.
I'm no structural engineer or even metallurgist. But I've seen car fires collapse freeways, and freeway beams are a lot bigger than the carefully designed thin web of steel that railroad bridges are made of.
Take a look at the collapsed beams in the picture. There was no train weight on them, they stopped supporting the bridge weight and buckled on their own. Forget passengers, I wouldn't want to be the first lumber train over the bridge.
But this is all speculation. At some point UP will make a more detailed announcement.
I'm no structural engineer or even metallurgist. But I've seen car fires collapse freeways, and freeway beams are a lot bigger than the carefully designed thin web of steel that railroad bridges are made of.
Take a look at the collapsed beams in the picture. There was no train weight on them, they stopped supporting the bridge weight and buckled on their own. Forget passengers, I wouldn't want to be the first lumber train over the bridge.
But this is all speculation. At some point UP will make a more detailed announcement.
August 15th? Wow.
mlanoue
Service Attendant
I see on Transitdocs and Amtrak's Track-a-Train that #14 is heading toward Eugene only 33 minutes late. Several stops in California have no data. So, they must be already running the bus bridge. Or a detour. I didn't check it out earlier to see the route.
Bus bridges were announced to run through today. Whether or not they continue is unknown (unless an updated service alert has been posted).
Danib62
Service Attendant
Anyone think I'll be able to convince Amtrak to reroute my PDX-EMY trip through CHI by taking the EB to CZ? 
Sure but it will cost you $$$$$$$$$$$$Anyone think I'll be able to convince Amtrak to reroute my PDX-EMY trip through CHI by taking the EB to CZ?
Amtrak.com is now showing a Bus Bridge between Sacramento and Klammath Falls effective 6/29-TBD for #11 and #14, which is good news since the Trains,aren't cancelled.
The Bad News is that the Overnight will be on a Bus, not in your Room or on the Train.
No word on whether Sleeping Car Charges will be reworked or Refunds issued to already Booked Passengers!
The Bad News is that the Overnight will be on a Bus, not in your Room or on the Train.
No word on whether Sleeping Car Charges will be reworked or Refunds issued to already Booked Passengers!
I just tiptoed through the reservation system and it shows Train 11 cancelled through Bastille Day, July 14th, from Seattle to Portland. It's an appropriate date, as in recent years they've been eager to cancel huge portions of long-distance trains, then been attacked in local media and by the state and national RPA's and finally run part of the route with a bus bridge where possible.
I'm sure my congresswoman's staff in Denver will appreciate spending time getting Amtrak to run trains. First, they'll have to be briefed that there are multiple choices of solutions that are all better than what they have set up. Eugene's congressman is working on delivering a billion dollars to Amtrak; he'll have to mention to Gardner that a train can be turned in Eugene or Klamath Falls.
If they can't set up a SAC<>KFS bus bridge to protect my reservation I might as well make another trip to DC.
(Photo from visiting to save SWC from being cleaved in two.)
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Where on Amtrak.com did you see that the bus bridge was open ended? I just looked after seeing your post and the service advisory still says 6/29-7/1.
"Effective June 29, 2021
Coast Starlight Train 14, departing Los Angeles on 6/29 through 7/1, will operate as a bus bridge between Sacramento (SAC) and Klamath Falls (KFS) due to wildfires on the route."
And phantom reservation attempts still come up with it being cancelled. Schedules tab now does, too
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On the Amtrak App at Service Alerts and Notices it says that "Coast Starlight Disrupted Due to Wildfires, Effective Jun 29th - August 15th'. When you click it it says through July 1st, however it's July 1st and the bridge is definitely not repaired.
I have a reservation on the Starlight in August, during the time the bus bridge is in place. I'm deciding not to cancel as I'm young, and have never experienced a bus bridge before so might as well knock it off the list (an Amtrak bingo night would be great). And I'd like to ride along the Puget Sound before it's re-routed.
I have a reservation on the Starlight in August, during the time the bus bridge is in place. I'm deciding not to cancel as I'm young, and have never experienced a bus bridge before so might as well knock it off the list (an Amtrak bingo night would be great). And I'd like to ride along the Puget Sound before it's re-routed.
I do not think the bus bridge is continuing past today.
On the Schedules tab, the whole route shows today:
and shows as cancelled tomorrow
Also, a bit ago, before the train got to Portland, I checked and 11 was bookable PDX-KFS today. It isn't tomorrow, also showing as cancelled on the reservation page.
The train is again bookable for the entire route starting again on July 15th. I agree you should wait to take any action until at least July 15th and see what the status is then.
On the Schedules tab, the whole route shows today:
and shows as cancelled tomorrow
Also, a bit ago, before the train got to Portland, I checked and 11 was bookable PDX-KFS today. It isn't tomorrow, also showing as cancelled on the reservation page.
The train is again bookable for the entire route starting again on July 15th. I agree you should wait to take any action until at least July 15th and see what the status is then.
Hubby and I had tickets on the CS and TE for a trip to Texas two days after the big Oakridge slide. When the slide happened and took out the tracks through the Cascades, Amtrak contacted us and offered a bus bridge to SAC. But they also said that ALL service would be cancelled after a few days, and our return trip was not guaranteed beyond SAC (translate: we were on our own to get home from there). No bus brisge, no nothing. The train was entirely cancelled. It actually took over three months to get the tracks back in service. They did have to wait for the snow to melt, so perhaps this repair will be quicker.
We opted to cancel the trip entirely, and received a full refund.
We opted to cancel the trip entirely, and received a full refund.
The Oakridge slide was a much bigger deal that this trestle. It was huge and on reverse curves so it actually took out two levels of track. It was a huge job to stabilize what was most of a mountain and reconstruct the railroad.
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