Late Empire builder (#8, #28)

[bocarat]

My wife and I, while on a three week rail pass, got stuck here in Sandpoint Id. While this is a great place to be "stuck" I wonder how realistic our Saturday 2:35 am departure is. With the closing (due to vandals) of the station here I really don't want to be waiting on the platform.

 

[Minnestoans]

Is the train going yet from Whitefish? We were on the train that went back to Whitefish last Saturday. We ended up buying a car and driving back to Minnesota!

 

[TraneMan]

Is the train going yet from Whitefish? We were on the train that went back to Whitefish last Saturday. We ended up buying a car and driving back to Minnesota!

Yes, the train started moving on Thursday.

 

[fairviewroad]

Is the train going yet from Whitefish? We were on the train that went back to Whitefish last Saturday. We ended up buying a car and driving back to Minnesota!

Buying a car???

Seriously? Details, please. That's a bit of an extreme solution.

 

[Bierboy]

7 & 8 are running just fine since last Thursday...

 

[PaulM]

Buying a car???

Seriously? Details, please. That's a bit of an extreme solution.

Our only car is 13 years old; and the only time it gets driven is on out of town trips (and then only if Amtrak doesn't go there of course :giggle: ). When it finally gives up the ghost along the road somewhere, that will be my solution.

 

[fairviewroad]

Well, after several relatively trouble-free days, we're back to a service disruption for 7/8. Yesterday's 8 left SEA about 3 hours late, probably due to a late arrival of 7...but was holding its own until dropping off the map near Glacier Park. Yesterday's 7, meanwhile, was doing fairly well until disappearing after Wolf Point. What gives? (I notice today's 7 has left CHI on-time...but how far will it get?)

 

[EB_OBS]

Well, after several relatively trouble-free days, we're back to a service disruption for 7/8. Yesterday's 8 left SEA about 3 hours late, probably due to a late arrival of 7...but was holding its own until dropping off the map near Glacier Park. Yesterday's 7, meanwhile, was doing fairly well until disappearing after Wolf Point. What gives? (I notice today's 7 has left CHI on-time...but how far will it get?)

An avalanche derailed a BNSF freight train near Essex, MT. It took out 19 freight cars. Bustitution today between Havre and Whitefish and flipping the train equipment and OBS crews back.

 

[fairviewroad]

An avalanche derailed a BNSF freight train near Essex, MT. It took out 19 freight cars. Bustitution today between Havre and Whitefish and flipping the train equipment and OBS crews back.

Wow, thanks for the update. I have two relatives due to board #7 tomorrow morning in GFK. Do you know if the bustitution is still on for tomorrow, too?

 

[tim49424]

Not sure about #7 out west, but I just got a call from an Amtrak ticket agent in Milwaukee regarding the derailment and they are providing an express shuttle from Tomah to Milwaukee, and then having us take the Hiawatha from Milwaukee to Chicago. This is different than my previous two experiences with bustitiutions out of Tomah, as they provided a charter bus in the past and stopped at all the station stops from Tomah to Columbus and headed SE into Chicago.

 

[EB_OBS]

An avalanche derailed a BNSF freight train near Essex, MT. It took out 19 freight cars. Bustitution today between Havre and Whitefish and flipping the train equipment and OBS crews back.

Wow, thanks for the update. I have two relatives due to board #7 tomorrow morning in GFK. Do you know if the bustitution is still on for tomorrow, too?

Haven't heard yet. Train 8 and 7 will depart on-time today though, so we'll see.

 

[anir dendroica]

From BNSF:

Carload train H-NTWPAS9-25 derailed near Pinnacle, Montana at 1230 on Wednesday, March 9, 2011. This location is approximately 45 miles east of Whitefish.

BNSF personnel are on the scene assessing the situation and working to determine the impact associated with the derailment. There is currently no estimated time for the reopening of the main track. We will provide updates to this advisory as information becomes available.

BNSF may re route some traffic in order to minimize impact to service. Customers may experience additional delays of 24-48 hours on shipments moving through this corridor.

#8(8) departed West Glacier at 11:22 am, which would have put it pretty close to the derailment location at 12:30.

News article here:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/03/09/1577418/freight-train-derails-near-montanas.html

 

[Bierboy]

We got in on the #7 today in Seattle a half hour EARLY, so we missed this by one day. We passed Essex last evening. We're due to come back on the #8 leaving Saturday, so we'll see how that goes....

 

[TraneMan]

We're due to come back on the #8 leaving Saturday, so we'll see how that goes....

Looks like 8 is up and running now.

 

[Bierboy]

We're due to come back on the #8 leaving Saturday, so we'll see how that goes....

Looks like 8 is up and running now.

Yep, status maps indicate both 7 & 8 left on schedule. I would suspect either BNSF told them the tracks would be OK by the time they respectively arrive there, or Amtrak is prepared to bus passengers again between Whitefish and Havre...

 

[Bierboy]

Well now both 7 & 8 from yesterday are listed as Service Disruptions. 7 terminated at MSP and 8 at Wanatchee, WA. Anyone have an update on the derailment east of Glacier and the status of resumption? What's Amtrak doing with the passengers on both trains?

 

[EB_OBS]

Train 8(8) flipped at Whitefish. Passengers were bussed to Havre. Train 7(8) turned around at Havre. The plan at this moment is for the same operation for 8(9) and 7(9). BNSF said 36 hours to cleanup so hopefully the departures on the 10th will get through.

 

[Bierboy]

Train 8(8) flipped at Whitefish. Passengers were bussed to Havre. Train 7(8) turned around at Havre. The plan at this moment is for the same operation for 8(9) and 7(9). BNSF said 36 hours to cleanup so hopefully the departures on the 10th will get through.

So these were the trains that left yesterday, correct? Because I know that's what they did with the trains that left Tuesday. We're scheduled to come back from Seattle to Chicago leaving Saturday, so obviously we're keeping a close eye on this situation. Thanks.

 

[henryj]

The Builder has been suspended off and on all winter. Time to send the equipment down south where it can do some good. Add it to the SWC, the Eagle and the Sunset Limited. Turn the Builder into a coach only day train between MSP and Chicago and Portland and Seattle to Spokane. Forget the rest of the route until summer.

 

[Bierboy]

Here's an updated article on the derailment causing this latest disruption...

 

[anir dendroica]

The Builder has been suspended off and on all winter. Time to send the equipment down south where it can do some good. Add it to the SWC, the Eagle and the Sunset Limited. Turn the Builder into a coach only day train between MSP and Chicago and Portland and Seattle to Spokane. Forget the rest of the route until summer.

As one who rides the Builder every winter, I have to voice an objection. In an average winter the EB might be suspended for 3-5 days total, and on many days it provides the only safe and reliable transportation option across the northern plains. This year has definitely been worse than most, both in terms of weather and other bad luck. I'm sure some folks at BNSF are wondering why their trains keep jumping the tracks - four ND/MT mainline derailments in a month has to be taking a chunk out of the bottom line.

Latest from BNSF:

"As mentioned in a Service Advisory issued on March 9, 2011, BNSF reported that carload train H-NTWPAS9-25 derailed near Pinnacle, Montana. The current estimate for the main line to return to service is 10:00 a.m. CST on March 11, 2011."

That should be in time for tomorrow's #7/#8 (i.e. today's departures) to get through, but I suspect BNSF has >25 freights waiting on either side so I wouldn't be surprised if the bus bridge persists an extra day.

Mark

 

[michael moffitt]

BNSF updated things today--it was NOT an avalanche, but a straight derailment just outside of Essex, saw the images, looks pretty grim. BNSF says they hope to have the track back in service by midday on 3-11, but not sure they can make that schedule. This winter has seen more derailments on this section of BNSF's service area than anyone in NW MT can recall. BTW--The weather yesterday was not a factor--party sunny, no wind, no precipitation.

 

[Bierboy]

BNSF updated things today--it was NOT an avalanche, but a straight derailment just outside of Essex, saw the images, looks pretty grim. BNSF says they hope to have the track back in service by midday on 3-11, but not sure they can make that schedule. This winter has seen more derailments on this section of BNSF's service area than anyone in NW MT can recall. BTW--The weather yesterday was not a factor--party sunny, no wind, no precipitation.

The revised estimate for returning to service is "early tomorrow morning".

 

[fairviewroad]

As usual this board contains far more info than what's available on the Amtrak website. I called the 800 number this

morning to find the status of train 7(9) as my relatives were due to board in GFK this morning. I wanted to see if the

bustitution was still in effect. It took 25 minutes to get an agent...meanwhile I had long since found my answer thanks

to this thread. The only thing the agent told me that I hadn't already found out here was that #7 left GFK about 48 minutes

late this morning (AKA "on time" by GFK standards). So I assume the bustitution won't throw things too far out of whack. But

the agent wouldn't hazard a guess regarding arrival into SEA. So they'll get there when they do, I s'pose. Oh well, that's what

cell phones are for.

I know it's been stated many times here...but it sure would be nice if Amtrak actually communicated with customers about

irregularities rather than putting "SERVICE DISRUPTION" on its website. How hard would it be to, you know, write up a sentence

or two about what's going on and slap it on the ole' website, rather than forcing people to wait on hold to find basic info. :angry:

 

[EB_OBS]

Well, more BAD news. BNSF just reported a 5ft deep x 30 ft wide mudslide at the Broadway tunnel in Everett, WA. Still trying to figure out what to do about today's #8(10. With the equipment on the wrong side of the slide there's no way to bus around it.