4 (4) The Train From Hell?

[VentureForth]

Looks like our Global Moderator Anderson is going to be lucky with his train 4(5) being truncated in KCY. At least he may get a bustitution.

Looks like the real train from hell was the one before his. It left Princeton, IL 2 minutes late yesterday afternoon, but it's been sitting on the track about 50 miles outside of the next stop, Mendota, for over 17 hours.

Any word from anyone in the area what's going on? Anderson mentioned "track outage". Fillyjonk then reported:

I've also heard of one stalled train and now this morning one that seems to be in distress somewhere west of Chicago.

We need boots on the ground in the frigid farmland of Western Illinois to report!

I'm baffled, to say the least, that the estimated time into Mendota keeps getting pushed out. Is the ETA updated automatically, or is there an optimistic conductor reporting that they'll get there any minute now?

This just in from CNN.com:

Stranded Amtrak passengers

The nasty winter weather left 500 people on three Amtrak trains stranded overnight in northern Illinois, an Amtrak spokesman said.

The Bureau County Sheriff's Office said it responded Monday night after the trains were reportedly stuck in snowdrifts.

The Mendota Police Department received a report from Amtrak around 6 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) about a train stuck about 4 miles west of the city, Sgt. Ken Haun said. Officers tried to reach the train but couldn't because of the weather.

Amtrak worked to make other arrangements, putting some passengers on buses.

On one train, about 300 passengers had to wait more than nine hours to reach their destination, CNN affiliate WXMI reported.

The train was stuck in Kalamazoo, Michigan, en route to Chicago. "It was kind of like purgatory," a passenger told CNN affiliate WLS, adding that it was "not quite hellish because there was good company."

 

[Guest]

ABC news report:

3 amtrak trains stranded by 12 ft drift

http://abcnews.go.com/US/amtrak-trains-hundreds-passengers-stranded-monday/story?id=21445064

 

[fillyjonk]

WLS Chicago briefly mentioned this morning that the train outside of Mendota was suffering "overflowing sinks" in the washrooms." (Let's hope the toilets were not also overflowing).

So, so, so, so glad I didn't try to be "tough" and leave for home Monday night as planned. (It's not even clear if 21- which I would have been on - even left Chicago.)

 

[VentureForth]

Excellent article.

Wonder why the CZ and IZ aren't showing on the status map?

 

[John Bobinyec]

Excellent article.

Wonder why the CZ and IZ aren't showing on the status map?

Which status map? Are we talking about 6(5) and 380(6)?

jb

 

[cuppb001]

It is very unfortunate that these people are stuck in this bad situation but when looking at it at another perspective it also shows Amtrak's increaing ridership numbers. I remember when a train would break down and people would be stranded and there would be 60-70 people on board. The critics in the comments would snarl about running a Silver consist for example with only that many people. But 500 amongs 3 trains. Not too shabby. Again I am not trying to be inconsiderate of the situation they are in.

 

[Rob Creighton]

Has a melt down of this proportion ever happened in the Midwest before? At least in the existence of Amtrak? I don't ever remember media coverage or even coverage in Passenger Train Journal about everything just falling apart and I grew up in Chicago.

One thing I remember, a little off topic... but somewhat relevant in the middle of cold snap. Walking from the frigid vestibule into the diner, warm, toasty, brightly lit by sun with the smell of coffee and food. One of those wonderful sights, smells and visuals that you just can't get any where else!

 

[VentureForth]

jb - The "official" status map on the Amtrak Home Page. I can't see the other one as it is blocked as uncategorized here at work.

cuppb001 - All I can say is Tru Dat.

 

[PRR 60]

It is very unfortunate that these people are stuck in this bad situation but when looking at it at another perspective it also shows Amtrak's increaing ridership numbers. I remember when a train would break down and people would be stranded and there would be 60-70 people on board. The critics in the comments would snarl about running a Silver consist for example with only that many people. But 500 amongs 3 trains. Not too shabby. Again I am not trying to be inconsiderate of the situation they are in.

Now, that is truly a "glass half full" thought!

 

[Anderson]

I bailed to the River Runner. At the moment, my plan is, if the Card is operating from Indianapolis, to grab a one-way rental between STL and IND and connect from there.

 

[VentureForth]

Maybe not a train from hell after all. According to Chicago Tribune,

The train got stuck around 3:15 p.m. and everyone was fed a meal of beef stew and mashed potatoes with a dinner roll and coffee or water about 6:45 p.m., she said.

A second train came but got stuck too, she said.

Then about 6 a.m. today, a rescue train showed up from Galesburg to take them to Princeton, the closest stop not obstructed by snow.

The staff has been pleasant and trying to make people comfortable, she said, but no one was able to tell them what was happening from about 10:30 p.m. until about 6 a.m.

"The staff of the train have really been trying to make everyone as happy and comfortable as possible," said Johnson, who boarded her train in Galesburg. It's not clear which of the three trains -- the Southwest Chief, the Illinois Zephyr or the California Zephyr -- she was on; she said it was one of the Zephyrs.

 

[John Bobinyec]

I bailed to the River Runner. At the moment, my plan is, if the Card is operating from Indianapolis, to grab a one-way rental between STL and IND and connect from there.

Assuming that you were to connect in Chicago, how do you prevent your reservation from being canceled, if you don't board there?

jb

 

[PaulM]

. But 500 amongs 3 trains. Not too shabby.

Something doesn't add up. From this more detailed report from the Quincy Herald-Whig:

It repeats the more than 500 passengers on three trains. It goes on to say the Illinois Zephyr had 300 passengers and mentions a third train loaded with 217 people. That leaves more than -17 for the unmentioned second train. The 300 for the IZ isn't all that out of line. It often runs with 5 coaches (plus cafe/BC) and I suppose the Horizons have about 60 seats.

The H-W article also says Amtrak supplied food, water, blankets and pillows for the evening. I didn't know cafe cars carried Dinty Moore!

Another oddity is that in order for the IZ, normally one of Amtrak's most reliable trains, to get tangled up with the SWC and CZ, it had to be running 7 hours late, compared to only 2 or 3 for the LD trains.

Could some of there RR operations experts explain how 3 trains could get stuck in the same place. I would have thought that the first would have radioed the dispatcher who would have stopped following trains before getting stuck.

Also my condolences to travelers and employees. I barely escaped to warmer climes on the on time all the way 3(4)

 

[AmtrakBlue]

. But 500 amongs 3 trains. Not too shabby.

Something doesn't add up. From this more detailed report from the Quincy Herald-Whig:

It repeats the more than 500 passengers on three trains. It goes on to say the Illinois Zephyr had 300 passengers and mentions a third train loaded with 217 people. That leaves somewhere between -17 and 0 for the unmentioned second train. The 300 for the IZ isn't all that out of line. It often runs with 5 coaches (plus cafe/BC) and I suppose the Horizons have about 60 seats.

The H-W article also says Amtrak supplied food, water, blankets and pillows for the evening. I didn't know cafe cars carried Dinty Moore!

Another oddity is that in order for the IZ, normally one of Amtrak's most reliable trains, to get tangled up with the SWC and CZ, it had to be running 7 hours late, compared to only 2 or 3 for the LD trains.

Could some of there RR operations experts explain how 3 trains could get stuck in the same place. I would have thought that the first would have radioed the dispatcher who would have stopped following trains before getting stuck.

Also my condolences to travelers and employees. I barely escaped to warmer climes on the on time all the way 3(4)

Maybe the reporter got the count mixed up with the train in Kalamazoo that had 300 passengers. That train was mentioned in other reports in addition to the 3 trains in IL.

 

[saxman]

I bailed to the River Runner. At the moment, my plan is, if the Card is operating from Indianapolis, to grab a one-way rental between STL and IND and connect from there.

There's an Ambus between BLN and IND that can make the Cardinal. It leaves BLN at 7:15 pm. Of course who knows if the Lincoln Service trains are running today?

 

[SarahZ]

I agree with Betty. The way the article is written, I think the reporter mistakenly included the train in Kalamazoo. There wasn't much of a transition between the bits about the trains stuck in IL and the quote from the passenger stuck in Kalamazoo.

 

[Agent]

Not sure which thread exactly to put this news in, but BNSF is sending a rotary snowplow to Illinois, presumably to help free trains stuck there. It passed through Agency, Iowa at 9:54 AM.

 

[Blackwolf]

Not sure which thread exactly to put this news in, but BNSF is sending a rotary snowplow to Illinois, presumably to help free trains stuck there. It passed through Agency, Iowa at 9:54 AM.

That old B-unit looks pretty smart in BNSF orange and green!

 

[fairviewroad]

Not sure which thread exactly to put this news in, but BNSF is sending a rotary snowplow to Illinois, presumably to help free trains stuck there. It passed through Agency, Iowa at 9:54 AM.

Awesome catch!

 

[Anderson]

I bailed to the River Runner. At the moment, my plan is, if the Card is operating from Indianapolis, to grab a one-way rental between STL and IND and connect from there.

There's an Ambus between BLN and IND that can make the Cardinal. It leaves BLN at 7:15 pm. Of course who knows if the Lincoln Service trains are running today?

Lincoln Service is down (the requisite connection was already axed anyway), but I have a one-way car rental from St. Louis to Indianapolis. I should have about 8 hours for the drive, which ought to be enough, even with the weather. So, with chewing gum and bailing wire, I've stuffed together a trip from LAX-RVR without going through either CHI or NOL.

 

[MiRider]

Not sure which thread exactly to put this news in, but BNSF is sending a rotary snowplow to Illinois, presumably to help free trains stuck there. It passed through Agency, Iowa at 9:54 AM.

Awesome catch!

Thanks for posting that video - very cool!

 

[PaulM]

I agree with Betty. The way the article is written, I think the reporter mistakenly included the train in Kalamazoo. There wasn't much of a transition between the bits about the trains stuck in IL and the quote from the passenger stuck in Kalamazoo.

I too was confused by the article you mention. But the Herald-Whig article is clearly talking about its home town train. It is much more detailed and lucid, other than mentioning a third train, but not a second.

As I said, the 300 for the IZ seems reasonable, especially since the article says it and the Carl Sandburg had been consolidated.

 

[JayPea]

I was watching the WGN news out of Chicago and of course they had the obligatory interview of a passenger at Union Station (from the SWC, I believe) who said there was no food and that Amtrak should have been better prepared, etc, etc, etc. Any other news report I've seen indicated just the opposite. So I guess it's a matter of who and what you want to believe.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I was watching the WGN news out of Chicago and of course they had the obligatory interview of a passenger at Union Station (from the SWC, I believe) who said there was no food and that Amtrak should have been better prepared, etc, etc, etc. Any other news report I've seen indicated just the opposite. So I guess it's a matter of who and what you want to believe.

Maybe that passenger was <fill in any number of posters on AU>. Oh, wait, <fill in any number of posters on AU> said s/he would never ride Amtrak again. h34r:

 

[greatcats]

Good luck!