The Polar Vortex
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The wind is picking up here tonight. Shall I run down the street to see if there are any wires down behind my neighbors' yards? 
. HECK NO! I'm staying in my comparatively warm house tonight. (I keep the temp in the 60's to save $$).
. HECK NO! I'm staying in my comparatively warm house tonight. (I keep the temp in the 60's to save $$).
Ryan
Court Jester
Yeah, it's getting pretty windy here too. That and super tight catenary, it's bound to happen.
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Fun job? Working catenary in 20 degree weather with wind in the dark.
Diesel fuel is good for -20 with simple treatment. The trick is not to turn off the engine in very cold weather. Diesel burn at +80 so a running engine will keep the fuel warm. Some engines use a fuel heaters in the tanks, some use a filter base heating system, but just the fuel running up to the engine block and unneeded fuel drain back to the tank, keeps the fuel in service.
Sarah, Candid Camera once did a shoot at the PA/DE border & stopped cars coming into DE and told them DE was closed. And I think it was during warmer weather.
I had forgotten all about "AM Weather". It really was an excellent weather program. Strictly science; no hype. The Albany public radio station also used to have a good morning 5 minute forecast with guys that taught meteorology. I just rely on NWS on the web. Or even better...I walk outside and look west!
As I recall from trips south on Amtrak in the late 70's, early 80's, during the winter, the spaces in between cars were much more open, and the snow would build up there.
A lifelong New Englander, the coldest I've ever seen was -28, and frankly, it didn't seem all that bad. When it gets that cold in New England, it's almost always calm, with no wind. I'm just glad I don't live near a body of water. River and lake towns are like tombs when it's cold.
As I recall from trips south on Amtrak in the late 70's, early 80's, during the winter, the spaces in between cars were much more open, and the snow would build up there.
A lifelong New Englander, the coldest I've ever seen was -28, and frankly, it didn't seem all that bad. When it gets that cold in New England, it's almost always calm, with no wind. I'm just glad I don't live near a body of water. River and lake towns are like tombs when it's cold.
RRUserious
OBS Chief
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2011
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- 505
To think kids used to go out before sunrise in this type of weather to deliver newspapers. Hope they never got frostbite.
blueman271
Lead Service Attendant
This. While I love Guam and am glad I got stationed here, I really miss the seasons. Fall and winter are my favorite and I can't wait to get stationed stateside again and see some snow.No. I like having four seasons, and I love snowy winters.
VentureForth
Engineer
That is how Mr. Walter Elias Disney got his start...
In Savannah, it's 20° right now. Supposed to be 76 by the end of the week, but not before we get chilly, gloomy rain.
It is these sort of drastic temp swings that wreak havoc on welded rail...
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With catenary failures reported at several locations, perhaps Amtrak can indeed get some of the $3 billion of Superstorm Sandy relief funds set aside for storm and weather resilience for catenary replacement. The weather related failures help make the argument. Team up with SEPTA and NJT to propose to replace the catenary with constant tension, outside of what is already being replaced in NJ for the high speed project, from Newark DE to Newark NJ (how's that for bookends). Price tag might be a sizable chunk of the $3 billion available though.
The widespread disruptions show forcefully how skeletal and fragile Amtrak's network really is. Amtrak has done a phenomenal job of providing service to most of the country with ridiculously limited resources for 40+ years. But now we need to lobby for the sort of funding that is needed to provide a truly robust passenger rail system.
henryj
Conductor
Looking at the Amtrak Status maps, I have never seen anything like this. Amtrak is almost completely shut down. I guess you can say rail transportation is no longer the most reliable form of transport. Looks like buses take the lead now. Using hindsight now, I think what Amtrak should do next time this occurs is just annul all LD trains out of Chicago and New York and concentrate on keeping the NEC and a few other critical routes open. Forget the rest. People are staying home anyway.
andersone
Conductor
you arent kiding
i just took this off of Hitchhiker's Guide To Amtrak
and what a wonderful resource the Hitchhiker is !!
i just took this off of Hitchhiker's Guide To Amtrak
and what a wonderful resource the Hitchhiker is !!
My read of the Amtrak status maps show a lot of corridor trains are still running, even in the Chicago region. yes, some are running very late, but they are running. #808 (7) has departed MSP 20 minutes late; we will see how late it gets to CHI. The NEC is in bad shape because of catenary failures, but some trains are getting through. The west coast trains, except for the LD trains to/from CHI are doing ok.
There is no single place, AFAIK, to check how well the intercity buses are doing, but given the reports of numerous road closures, they are probably having a couple of very bad days as well.
It is the LD trains that are getting clobbered, mainly because the long routes through rural areas increase the odds of a snow drift, busted switches, traffic jams from broken down freight trains blocking the train. For the LD trains, Amtrak may have to be more aggressive in canceling LD trains in advance the next time a major deep freeze like this occurs, even if it leaves people stuck at the major stops..
N
Nathanael
Guest
Actually, turns out this is likely to be caused by "global warming" (which is a confusing name for global climate change). Global warming is an increase in the average global temperature: the added heat increases the chances of an unusually high pressure system at the pole, which is what pushed the air from the north pole down so far south.So much for global warming.
N
Nathanael
Guest
FWIW, I just finished a road trip to Michigan and back from upstate New York -- we got *very very lucky*, finessed the ice storm westbound, and finessed the polar vortex eastbound. Basically, if I had been driving on *any* days other than the particular ones I'd chosen, off by one day in any direction, there would have been trouble.
This is by way of saying: with the recent weather, roads aren't holding up so well for long-distance travel either.
This is by way of saying: with the recent weather, roads aren't holding up so well for long-distance travel either.
I'm sorry, what? The police have been telling people to stay off the roads since Sunday. We've had over a foot of blowing, drifting snow, and the highways are still covered with black ice.
Also, this:
http://www.greyhound.com/en/servicealerts.aspx
June the Coach Rider
OBS Chief
We complain about the extent of the coverage, but there are people out there that would go out in the severe cold because they have never been in it before and without being told, they don't realize how quick frost bite can set in.
And I love how the reporters are out there doing just what they tell us not to do. Their faces are uncovered. I'm sure they cover them back up as soon as the camera is off of them, but it sends the wrong message.
henryj
Conductor
Well Sarah, everytime an Amtrak train gets into trouble they send buses, that is what I see. They just rescued passengers from #4 and #6 with buses to get them to Chicago. Looking at this critically, I would think Amtrak is better off just cancelling their LD trains out of Chicago. Hey the airlines don't even hesitate to cancel flights. If possible Amtrak could continue the Sunset Ltd and the Crescent for transcontinental travel and the trains to Florida seem to be still running. But why bother with the Lake Shore, the Cardinal and the Capitol. They aren't really essential. Amtrak can concentrate on the NEC, the Keystone service, Chi to Milwaukee and a few other short but critical routes and just wait until this blow over for the others. By the middle to the end of the week all this will be gone.
tim49424
Engineer
I did the same thing but from Wisconsin to Michigan. I missed the ice storm by 48 hours, and the arctic vortex by less than 12 hours. Sadly, what was scheduled to be my final round trip on Amtrak from Tomah, WI to Kalamazoo, MI, from December 20 (the day of the ice storm) through December 28, ended up driving to Holland from Marshfield, WI on December 18 and due to illness not returning to Marshfield until this past Saturday, January 4. At least I made it safely and soundly each way with no major issues.
Ryan
Court Jester
You must have missed the story of the stranded trains that buses couldn't reach.
On a related note:
fillyjonk
OBS Chief
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Kind of like the interminable (well, to me, at least) announcements on the LD trains about "Wear your shoes, people!" and "Don't let children run the length of the train unattended."
Common sense ain't so common any more.
That said - I went out to help shovel a driveway path clear here (central IL) yesterday midday. It was cold, but not the instant-death cold I'd been told to expect. I did have a heavy wool coat, scarf over my face, hat, and mittens....I grew up in snowbelt country so I know how to dress.
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