Southwest Chief Track Conditions

[henryj]

why don't we just have one LD transcontinental train that goes everywhere. It might take a week to get there but who cares. It would be a railfans dream. lol

 

[Bob Dylan]

why don't we just have one LD transcontinental train that goes everywhere. It might take a week to get there but who cares. It would be a railfans dream. lol

And it could be named "The Traveler"!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

why don't we just have one LD transcontinental train that goes everywhere. It might take a week to get there but who cares. It would be a railfans dream. lol

And it could be named "The Traveler"!

:giggle:

 

[cirdan]

This has to be one of the stupidest ideas I have ever hear of. Even dumber than the Crescent Star thing or the reroute of the Sunset through Dallas.

While I do not think it is a good idea, I also do not think it is stupid. A Fort Worth reroute could potentially only miss the towns that a transcon reroute would miss while at the same time adding some new major stops. It would also give OKC two daily trains to/from Fort Worth. It could also satisfy those in Kansas and Oklahoma who have been trying to extend the Heartland Flyer.

So again, while I do not think it a wise idea, I also can not call it stupid either. It is worth considering, IMHO.

Routing the SWC through Fort Worth might cannibalize much of the Sunset Limited's traffic (between sort of Texas area and LA sort of area). The cynic in me says this might be a first step towards the abolition of the SL. On the other hand, if combining those two trains into one is good for Amtrak's bottom line, why oppose it on principle?

 

[jis]

OTOH, it could also substantially destroy both the SWC and SL. Be careful what one wishes for. The unintended consequences often win out.

 

[Stratocruiser]

Last September and October we took an Amtrak trip completely around the country lasting 44 days. Started and ended in Fort Lauderdale. We rode on the Silver Meteor northbound, the Capitol Limited westbound, the Empire Builder westbound, Amtrak Cascades southbound, the Coast Starlight southbound, the Southwest Chief eastbound, the City Of New Orleans southbound, the Crescent eastbound, and again on the Silver Meteor southbound.

There is no question about it. Hands down the worst section of track was eastbound on the Southwest Chief between Garden City KS and Kansas City MO. We had a bedroom and you could not lay down in the bed it was so bad. I got up and hunted down the Conductor. I found him sitting up in the lounge car. I complained to him about how bad the ride was. I was not the only one there venting at him. Several other pax were there. He said he was aware of the problem, but there was nothing that could be done of course. He said he would pass on the complaints. It was a waste of money for the bedroom that night. You had to sit up so that your knees could take some of the shock of the ride. If you lay down on your back it was unbearable. The first night out of LA was smooth, but the second night was torture. Amtrak needs to do something.

 

[printman2000]

Last September and October we took an Amtrak trip completely around the country lasting 44 days. Started and ended in Fort Lauderdale. We rode on the Silver Meteor northbound, the Capitol Limited westbound, the Empire Builder westbound, Amtrak Cascades southbound, the Coast Starlight southbound, the Southwest Chief eastbound, the City Of New Orleans southbound, the Crescent eastbound, and again on the Silver Meteor southbound.There is no question about it. Hands down the worst section of track was eastbound on the Southwest Chief between Garden City KS and Kansas City MO. We had a bedroom and you could not lay down in the bed it was so bad. I got up and hunted down the Conductor. I found him sitting up in the lounge car. I complained to him about how bad the ride was. I was not the only one there venting at him. Several other pax were there. He said he was aware of the problem, but there was nothing that could be done of course. He said he would pass on the complaints. It was a waste of money for the bedroom that night. You had to sit up so that your knees could take some of the shock of the ride. If you lay down on your back it was unbearable. The first night out of LA was smooth, but the second night was torture. Amtrak needs to do something.

Unless some entity comes up with a lot of money to fix it, Amtrak will do something. Either reroute or cancel the train. Probably the former. But that is not scheduled to happen until 2016.

It was not that long ago I was riding over those same rails doing at least 79 (maybe faster, can't remember). That was quite a ride. I remember looking through the window of the end door of the coach and not being able to see the window on the door of the next car because the two cars were being rocked in different direction.

 

[amtkstn]

Until about 2003 that track section had a speed limit of 90.

 

[greatcats]

Hmmmm. I will be on the eastbound SWC next week on the Transdorm. Duct tape already in my bag. This is not the first time by any means I have taken this route. Let's see if it is any worse. I believe the speed is now 60.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

I must be a sound sleeper since I rode the SWC eastbound in Bedroom D in 2011 and slept soundly all the way across Kansas until I woke up after we were standing in the station in Kansas City. The only excitement we had was to have our sleeper struck by lightning near Lamy, NM while I was at lunch in the dining car. Only consequence was that only my car's electrical system was knocked out until it was finally repaired in La Junta, CO. So there was no air conditioning nor toilet flushing between Lamy and La Junta. Everyone in my car survived and I never noticed the rocking in Kansas.

 

[sechs]

Only thing I've ever heard was moving it to the Transcon, which would take it through Wichita, Amarillo, and Lubbock and would be just as fast as the current route (if not faster except taking it up to Albuquerque and back would likely eat up any savings).

That's not entirely accurate. While the Transcon does go through Wichita and Amarillo it doesn't go through Lubbock but heads southwest to Hereford and then Clovis with both being considered station stops.

For everyone's reference, the Southern Transcon is following subdivisions: Chilicothe, Marceline, Emporia, Panhandle, Hereford, Clovis, Gallup, Seligman, Needles, Cajon, and San Bernardino.

http://www.bnsf.com/customers/pdf/maps/subdivisions-map.pdf