Stretch/Smoke Stop List

[Bob Dylan]

Here is a list of Stretch/Smoke Stops than I have gleaned from various sources for while. Not sure how up-to-date is these days. View attachment 26437

Add Beaumont,TX which is a Crew Change point for the Sunset Ltd.

If the Texas Eaglete is running Late, which it mostly is now Days, Texarkana is not a Smoke/Fresh Air Stop

 

[basketmaker]

Add Beaumont,TX which is a Crew Change point for the Sunset Ltd.

If the Texas Eaglete is running Late, which it mostly is now Days, Texarkana is not a Smoke/Fresh Air Stop

Thanx for the update. I have seen many "long stops" are all dependent on delays and crews. Sometimes yes-sometimes no.

 

[Maglev]

So I tried to look up the dwell time at Beaumont, Texas, and the "Details" function isn't working. For the Sunset Limited only, I at least get the start and end points. But when I click on "Details" for a switch to the Texas Eagle ($5 less in a Roomette!), it shows no city names at all.

 

[hlcteacher]

thank you

 

[Cal]

So I tried to look up the dwell time at Beaumont, Texas, and the "Details" function isn't working. For the Sunset Limited only, I at least get the start and end points. But when I click on "Details" for a switch to the Texas Eagle ($5 less in a Roomette!), it shows no city names at all.View attachment 26449View attachment 26450View attachment 26450

Center of Excellence once again showing it's excellence.

 

[Tlcooper44]

One subtraction you should make is the Zephyr stop at Winterpark-Fraser. I have never been able to get off there for a fresh-air Marlboro Light, and I have traveled through there at 12 or 13 times.

I’ve gotten off here. It was a smoke stop in 2020

 

[Seaboard92]

Fraser/Winter Park Colorado depends on how heavy the load is getting on or off, and is at the discretion of the crew. I've had one there and I had enough time to go all the way up to the lead locomotive and back.

 

[IAmNotATrain]

This thread seems woefully out of date now (examples include stops at Beaumont and Layfette on the Sunset Limited not being on the list, as well as the new Floridian not being on there and the Twilight Shoreliner schedule changes). Why don't we compile a new list of these stops in 2025?

(I would love to especially hear about the Crescent, City of New Orleans, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle and Lake Shore Limited as I will be riding them starting in less than two weeks on the discounted Rail Pass)

 

[joelkfla]

This thread seems woefully out of date now (examples include stops at Beaumont and Layfette on the Sunset Limited not being on the list, as well as the new Floridian not being on there and the Twilight Shoreliner schedule changes). Why don't we compile a new list of these stops in 2025?

(I would love to especially hear about the Crescent, City of New Orleans, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle and Lake Shore Limited as I will be riding them starting in less than two weeks on the discounted Rail Pass)

If you view the schedule on amtrak.com, it shows the scheduled arrival & departure time for each stop.

If you want a hard copy, keep hitting "show more" and it will eventually show all stops at once, and you can then use the print function to generate a pdf.

 

[Maglev]

If you view the schedule on amtrak.com, it shows the scheduled arrival & departure time for each stop.

If you want a hard copy, keep hitting "show more" and it will eventually show all stops at once, and you can then use the print function to generate a pdf.

I have found that the PDF does not show dwell times at stations, and instead I copy-and -pasted from the first schedule shown.

Edit: as corrected below, it is the route schedule that does not show dwell times.

 

[IAmNotATrain]

Well, I got bored and decided to make a site listing all of these stops on the network. I based these stops on a combination of my own personal experience and the RPA timetables. Please let me know if any of it is innacurate. I would especially like to know which of Emeryville/Oakland/San Jose is the long stop on the Coast Starlight and which of Texarkana/Marshall/Longview is the long stop on the Texas Eagle.

Here is the link.

 

[basketmaker]

Curious if you can step off the Auto Train during crew change/fueling in Richmond?

 

[IAmNotATrain]

Curious if you can step off the Auto Train during crew change/fueling in Richmond?

It's in Florence, SC and I believe that you can into a small area (never been on that train to confirm though).

 

[joelkfla]

I have found that the PDF does not show dwell times at stations, and instead I copy-and -pasted from the first schedule shown.

It seems to show them if you search by the starting and ending stations:


but not if you select the schedule by route name:

 

[basketmaker]

It's in Florence, SC and I believe that you can into a small area (never been on that train to confirm though).

Thanx... had been talking to an ol' co-worker in Richmond and my brain made my fingers go nuts!

 

[zephyr17]

Well, I got bored and decided to make a site listing all of these stops on the network. I based these stops on a combination of my own personal experience and the RPA timetables. Please let me know if any of it is innacurate. I would especially like to know which of Emeryville/Oakland/San Jose is the long stop on the Coast Starlight and which of Texarkana/Marshall/Longview is the long stop on the Texas Eagle.

Here is the link.

San Jose, Oakland and Emeryville are all relatively long stops on the Starlight. San Jose is an engineer change with a scheduled 12 minute dwell and is always a fresh air stop, but never a smoke stop as smoking is absolutely forbidden on San Jose station property.

They tend to really discourage people getting off for fresh air/smoke breaks in Emeryville because of the number of passengers getting on and off there, though they are scheduled there for a 10 minute dwell. Oakland is scheduled for a 15 minute dwell, and they are usually ok with people getting off there, but usually make an announcement discouraging people from going into the station.

 

[IAmNotATrain]

San Jose, Oakland and Emeryville are all relatively long stops on the Starlight. San Jose is an engineer change with a scheduled 12 minute dwell and is always a fresh air stop, but never a smoke stop as smoking is absolutely forbidden on San Jose station property.

They tend to really discourage people getting off for fresh air/smoke breaks in Emeryville because of the number of passengers getting on and off there, though they are scheduled there for a 10 minute dwell. Oakland is scheduled for a 15 minute dwell, and they are usually ok with people getting off there, but usually make an announcement discouraging people from going into the station.

Interesting. The one time I rode the Starlight (northbound) we were told that after Salinas the next long stop would be Sacramento. I wasn’t sure whether that was standard though, so I figured I’d ask. Maybe it’s different southbound?

 

[Cal]

Maybe it’s different southbound?

When I was on 11 in August San Jose was a not a smoke stop, which surprised me.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Well, I got bored and decided to make a site listing all of these stops on the network. I based these stops on a combination of my own personal experience and the RPA timetables. Please let me know if any of it is innacurate. I would especially like to know which of Emeryville/Oakland/San Jose is the long stop on the Coast Starlight and which of Texarkana/Marshall/Longview is the long stop on the Texas Eagle.

Here is the link.

I rode 421 (south/westbound) through this area on December 21st. We were 4-5 hours late, and the fresh air stop was Texarkana. Confirmed on asm.transitdocs, we were stopped at Marshall and Longview (and Mineola, blocking traffic) for a while too, but they weren't fresh air stops unless I missed an announcement.

Cumberland should be on the Floridian list unless it changed. Definitely was one for the Capitol Limited. Also, Merced for the San Joaquins (crew change).

 

[IAmNotATrain]

I rode 421 (south/westbound) through this area on December 21st. We were 4-5 hours late, and the fresh air stop was Texarkana. Confirmed on asm.transitdocs, we were stopped at Marshall and Longview (and Mineola, blocking traffic) for a while too, but they weren't fresh air stops unless I missed an announcement.

Cumberland should be on the Floridian list unless it changed. Definitely was one for the Capitol Limited. Also, Merced for the San Joaquins (crew change).

I specifically left Cumberland out because it was not a smoke stop on the inaugural southbound Floridian. (We did sit in the station for a while but the conductor did not let us out)