Local TV reporting the Hiawatha route from Milwaukee to Chicago is currently not5 running due to localized flooding near Sturtevant. This is also the Empire builder route. Likely only temporary due to heavy rains last night and this morning.
Hiawatha route currently down flooding
- Thread starter Fred Wis.
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Here's a short story from the Milwaukee Fox affiliate - has a short video from a passenger on a train that appears to be sitting at the Sturtevant station. And here's a service alert from Amtrak.
Looks like flooding in Kenosha County and in Lake County. Those areas are still seeing heavy rains this morning.
Looks like flooding in Kenosha County and in Lake County. Those areas are still seeing heavy rains this morning.
I'd be rather surprised to see any diversions over UP between CHI and MKE. Has Amtrak ever operated over UP (C&NW between CHI and MKE? Accessing the stations from the UP line on both ends is somewhat challenging.
At this point not sure if we know if this is a relatively minor water-over-the-tracks situation or a major washout.
At this point not sure if we know if this is a relatively minor water-over-the-tracks situation or a major washout.
fairviewroad
Engineer
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I have relatives scheduled to board the EB tomorrow morning in North Dakota, which would be the train leaving Chicago this afternoon. They were planning to leave their home in Manitoba this afternoon to get a hotel tonight prior to catching the train tomorrow.
As of now, 7(12) is listed as "Service Disruption" with no indication from Amtrak of what's going on. Typical. One of the passengers is a first-time Amtrak rider. Soon to be a "never again," I'm guessing.
As of now, 7(12) is listed as "Service Disruption" with no indication from Amtrak of what's going on. Typical. One of the passengers is a first-time Amtrak rider. Soon to be a "never again," I'm guessing.
CoachSlumber
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Why is it so hard for Amtrak to provide detailed, real-time information?
fairviewroad
Engineer
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Who knows?
That said, this afternoon's EB has gone from "Service Disruption" to "estimated on - time departure."
So...who knows...maybe the flood waters receded, and things are clearing up. We'll see.
fairviewroad
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Well, it looks as though the route is back in service. An Amtrak spokesman posted on Twitter that Hiawatha Service will resume in the 3 p.m. hour, and that today's westbound Empire Builder will take its normal route out of Chicago. :excl:
mlanoue
Service Attendant
According to Track-a-Train, the Builder #8 is following its historic route to Chicago. It's near DuBuque right now.
rtabern
Conductor
It has... I was a Trails & Rails guide in 2008 on the Empire Builder when #7 did a last minute detour between Chicago and Tunnel City, WI due to flooding at Reeseville Marsh MP 137. Out of Chicago on normal route for the first five miles. At Tower A5 it went on the old Milwaukee Road west line to Bensenville where it connected with a UP line west of O'Hare. It curved back northeast and crossed over the Empire Builder route at Techny. Then north to Milwaukee paralelling regular route just to the east. Ran through Milwaukee on a different route. No connection from UP to CP so it did not go through downtown or stop. Then parallel northwest route all the way to Tunnel City around MP 245 where it goes back into CP route. This got us into MSP about 7 hours late.
I'm not that familiar with the current track connections between the former MILW and C&NW lines, but prior to Amtrak, I rode the Flambeau 400 between Milwaukee and Chicago...at Milwaukee, they both operated from the same, new (at that time in 1968), station.
So they did detour over the 'Q' at least one way? Cool, hope to see some video's taken by someone....
Years ago, it was more common for the Burlington Empire Builder to detour over the Milwaukee between Chicago and St. Paul account seasonal flooding of the upper Mississippi...
mlanoue
Service Attendant
Yes, it looks like #8 took the Q route to Savanna and then to Chicago. I didn't get to follow it on Transitdocs the whole way, but it was also being reported on Trainorders that way. But #7 went the normal route to Milwaukee. So, yes, hopefully somebody got some video of the old CBQ route.
dogbert617
OBS Chief
Speaking of that, where did the Empire Builder detour off of the Amtrak route, and what were the cities and towns it went through? I'm curious to know what the historic Empire Builder route, was. And is that noted on the Streamliner train schedule website? That's pretty cool some lucky folks got to see a route, that's rarely traversed other than by freight trains!
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The historic Empire Builder route is indeed noted in Streamliner schedules. I rode the Empire Builder in 1965, roundtrip between Spokane and Chicago. I still remember, and the Streamliner Schedules website confirmed this, the train stopping at Prairie du Chien, WI, and East Dubuque, Savanna, and Aurora, IL. I don't know where it detoured off the current route; I have a near zero knowledge of rail lines in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Amtrak re-routed the Empire Builder through Milwaukee over the Milwaukee Road from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Chicago, instead of over the "Q" which ran on the east side of the Mississippi and down through Savannah, IL as well as re-routing it through Grand Forks, ND instead of via the New Rockford Cutoff between Fargo, ND and Minot on Day 1, May 1, 1971. Part of the reasoning was the keep service to the population centers of Milwaukee (served by the Milwaukee Road Hiawathas) and Grand Forks (served by the Western Star).
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Interesting. Thanks. Not surprising MKE station was skipped.
This was another detour route used, not what No. 8 just used...
Back in "The Day", The Burlington Zephyr's, Milwaukee Hiawatha's, and North Western "400's"; used to "race" between Chicago and St. Paul over their respective routes at 100 mph speeds....
And there were a few slower choices as well... like the Soo Line (Wisconsin Central), Chicago Great Western, Rock Island ( on circuituous routes)...
trainman74
Engineer
I was on an eastbound EB that took this detour in 2002, and it left the regular route at La Crosse. The basic route was south along the east side of the Mississippi, and then turning eastbound at Savanna, Illinois, going through Rochelle, and then joining the California Zephyr route just west of Aurora.
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I noticed on train tracker that the EB was close to LaCrosse about noontime. It was sitting at LaCrescent, MN across the Mississippi from LaCrosse. The detour must have been in the mill because the wye at LaCrescent allows the train to be turned and then backed eastward to the BNSF connection at Grand Crossing. Backing onto BNSF(happened about 2:00pm) then the train could head down river on the "Q". The train tracker showed the train's progress at least to Dubuque. After that when checked around 5pm it no longer showed on the train tracker. The train report shows an arrival of 11:05pm at Chicago.
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