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montana mike

Conductor
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
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1,520
Location
Whitefish, Montana
Looks like BNSF is starting things early this year. With good weather, almost no snow cover and a lot to do on the Hi-Line in 2015, travel delays appear to be starting early. Two of the EBs are way behind today (#8, still plugging away in Wisconsin for example, will be over 6 hours late into CHI).

I booked myself an eastbound connection with the CL next month (figuring 2 hours and 45 minutes would be doable given the decent timekeeping until recently), but my BNSF friend just told me I better have Plan B in place, as he thinks the 3-5 hour arrival delays into CHI-town may be coming back sooner rather than later. Rats!!!!!

He also told me BNSF has let Amtrak know what THEY think the delays will be and had suggested that Amtrak consider adjusting the schedule again for the construction season or just eliminate all of the connections for the EB's again. So far no response from Amtrak HQ on this.
 
I realize that today, however, BNSF has given Amtrak notice of their work schedule and possible delays AGAIN this year. Hopefully BNSF will do everything they can to mitigate these delays, but you know as well as I do, when they are planning to spend several hundred million in track resurfacing, replacing tracks and even adding more tracks, the work schedules of these projects often interfere with everyday operational schedules. It has for over three years now. This is why BNSF has been discussing ways with Amtrak to limit the impacts of this year's construction and maintenance efforts.

I will let you know if I make my connection next month........
 
Unfortunately, in recent months, CP delays have been almost as bad as, or even worse than, BNSF delays. And I expect them to get worse, thanks to a certain hostile CEO. :-(
 
On #27 over the weekend, I saw many miles of roadbed ready for double track At least some of it seemed too long to be sidings. Bridges were in but so far no signals have been moved. Any word on how much of this they plan to do this spring? Just curious. Far fewer unit oil trains than I'm used to seeing. The stacker traffic east-bound over the mountains was non stop.
 
My understanding is the BNSF plans to double-track as far west as Snowden, MT. If so, that will bring them past the furthest-most Bakken oil loadout which is Trenton on the Glasgow Subdivision and Dore, ND on the Sidney Line Sub. West of there, it'll be the current single track with sidings AFAIK.
 
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Any idea if they will be doing a complete directional routing system again in North Dakota with eastbounds travelling the Devils Lake/Hillsboro and the westbounds travelling the KO?
 
Any idea if they will be doing a complete directional routing system again in North Dakota with eastbounds travelling the Devils Lake/Hillsboro and the westbounds travelling the KO?
No clue here about that. If the last-year scheduled projects completed, there will be two new passing sidings on the FAR-GFK line -- which would help the EB from last years several total tie-ups on that part of the route. BUT that 90 mile stretch FAR GFK is , has been, and will be, subject to floods, frost heaves and being not so important for freight.MOT-GFK might be more important to BNSF, for crude trains, but really, not even Warren B has a clue, and I don't think Rose or anybody else at BNSF has a clue, about what BNSF needs, given the crazy oil-price situation, given the lcoal politics --

Don't bet on anything out there in Dakota.

It's anybody's guess how that whole thing plays out, and me, I need the EB to visit my kids, and I'll allow an extra day, just to be safe
 
Just a quick update from my local BNSF contact today: He said BNSF has told Amtrak that they should expect 1-2 hour delays in eastern ND into western MN from now thru August as they finish up construction work in that area. Also, Amtrak could experience 1-2 hour delays in MT (throughout most of the state) as a number of smaller projects begin shortly. No big delays in any one area, just a lot of slow orders and intermittent stoppages from time to time.

I think the 3-5 hour estimated delays over the entire EB route, as suggested by my other BNSF friend may come to pass, especially as we get into the height of the construction season (June thru Sept).
 
On #27 over the weekend, I saw many miles of roadbed ready for double track At least some of it seemed too long to be sidings. Bridges were in but so far no signals have been moved. Any word on how much of this they plan to do this spring? Just curious. Far fewer unit oil trains than I'm used to seeing. The stacker traffic east-bound over the mountains was non stop.
 
BNSF has allotted $162 million in MT for construction and maintenance. A decent amount. I expect that these efforts should be in full swing within the next 45 days and last thru much of the Fall.
 
Does anyone know when construction will start on the La Junta subdivision?
 
Sounds like a temporary schedule adjustment is called for owing to the construction delays.
 
Note that #8, currently in MN (and 3 1/2 hours behind today), lost ALL of that time thru eastern ND and MN last night. The very area my BNSF guy has told me will be one of the slow order areas in 2015. This coincides with several projects that started last week. Could be a challenge for me to make that 2 hour and 45 minute connection in April. Rats......now I know why Amtrak would not let me book a connection on the CL.
 
Note that #8, currently in MN (and 3 1/2 hours behind today), lost ALL of that time thru eastern ND and MN last night. The very area my BNSF guy has told me will be one of the slow order areas in 2015. This coincides with several projects that started last week. Could be a challenge for me to make that 2 hour and 45 minute connection in April. Rats......now I know why Amtrak would not let me book a connection on the CL.
:(

I'm hoping for them to restore it in order to get to Rockville (instead of WAS.) The current connections are terrible (get into WAS at 12:30 AM, after the Metro closes, and almost 12 hours later than the CL would.) I'm half tempted to fly or bus to Chicago if the connection isn't restored, because losing that much time is terrible.
 
I will let you know if I make my connection. I have my doubts now (the local Amtrak stationmaster says 50-50 at best), given the increasing delays that BNSF construction efforts along this route will cause this Spring and Summer. My local contact said BNSF is really ramping up the construction given the mild and generally dry weather along the Hi-Line (essentially no snow from the Rocky Mtn front to MSP-amazing). Frustrating that they can't set up thru service with a "supposed" 2 hour and 45 minute connection time, but that's the reality of the moment I am afraid.
 
Yeah, the EB connections in CHI -- bad - the connections WB to the CS -- bad.

BUT - for those of us, like possibly a majority if EB users west of MSP and east of SPK --

The train still works good. The timing - not so much -- the connections -- not good.

But driving US 2 -- worse.
 
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Agree about the connections issue. It was interesting that BNSF urged Amtrak to adjust the EB schedules slightly to try to meet connections, but Amtrak said no!! So basically all EBs just go point to point with no connections on the west coast and very few opportunities in CHI to continue eastbound. At least BNSF is being honest about their ability to push the pax trains thru their still clogged Hi-Line route. They made it clear what options Amtrak had and it was Amtrak senior management that chose to go back to the old schedule, even though BNSF told them that the delays would still continue, albeit somewhat less than before (3+ hours vs 6+ hours over the past couple of summers). With the early start of the construction season and very little chance for any major flooding in ND and MN it should be a very active construction and maintenance season for them, which hopefully will mean better timekeeping NEXT year.
 
The trouble is, if you adjust the intermediate points schedule, then if you do arrive early, you have to sit and wait. :-( And the dispatchers may still delay you.

This can make performance even WORSE. There have been no instances in the past where adding slack to the schedule on a Class I has helped OTP, and many where it made it worse, so Amtrak has probably learned from experience.

I don't suppose BNSF offered to pay Amtrak a large sum in compensation for using an alternative schedule.

Given the history here, I would have made the same decision Amtrak did. Hopefully enough improvements and BNSF will be able to start running trains on time next year.
 
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The point MM mentioned about "no likely flooding this year"

That seems likely, no floods foreseen on the route this year, and it is a big plus. (what years this century didn't flood parts of the Hi-Line?)

Hope a drier year helps BNSF with their upgrades this year. And the lower crude prices may temporarily take some traffic off the line - good? bad? for who?

Anyhow, hoping for a good construction season, but delays will be part of the game, no doubt.
 
#8 in MN lost over 2 1/2 hours going thru ND last night, which is what BNSF has predicted will be happening. Rats.

:-(

Note sure what happened to #7 after Libby, MT, but now showing a service disruption. The Hi-Line jinx is alive and well in 2015.
 
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Given the current lateness of today's #8 now just into WI (over 4 1/2 hours behind), it looks like it will miss all connections except for the LSL, and even that is in jeopardy. Meanwhile westbound #7 is now running 90 minutes behind, losing that time in ND/MT, the area that my BNSF contact told me that BNSF informed Amtrak that the EBs would lose 1-2 hours daily from now until the Fall.

Amtrak was so intent on putting the EBs back under the old schedule they ignored the realities of what they were told would happen during the 2015 construction season. So I would expect 2+ hour delays westbound and 3+ hour delays eastbound being the norm from now until late Fall.

Maybe next year................
 
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