LSL Lake-Effect Snow Cancellations (Was: Tuesday 11/18 LSL cancelled)

[jis]

Tuesday 11/18/14 LSL has apparently been cancelled in both directions on account of excessive snow. Apparently the Buffalo area has been completely overwhelmed with what might finally top out at close to 7 feet of snow!

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[kwillett2000]

I am taking this route Saturday night/Sunday from South Bend to NYP. Should I be worried?

 

[Orie]

I am taking this route Saturday night/Sunday from South Bend to NYP. Should I be worried?

I would definitely pay extra attention. There is another wave of snow (2-3ft) expected Thursday into Friday. It's too soon to know precisely where and when, but it could cause more disruptions. Hopefully by Saturday night it will be all cleared, but definitely keep checking.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Looks like both 48 & 49 are cancelled tomorrow (11/19) also. They're both showing sold out.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Just posted on FB

http://www.wkbw.com/news/amtrak-suspending-service-to-and-from-buffalo

 

[amtkstn]

Is it as bad as 1977?

 

[Acela150]

I am taking this route Saturday night/Sunday from South Bend to NYP. Should I be worried?

I'd be ready to change to the Capitol Limited.. Connection made to NYP in DC.

 

[Anderson]

Wait, seven feet of snow? Good Lord!

 

[neroden]

"Jacksonville" (CSX) should never have been allowed to operate the Water Level Route. The NYC would have had rotary snowplows running.

(Seven feet doesn't sound that weird to those of us who grew up in upstate NY. A bit high, but five feet used to happen fairly regularly. We've had warm weather and relatively light snow for the last few decades -- due to global warming, probably. But snow above your head wasn't that strange when I was young, or in decades previous.)

(To be fair to CSX, you don't actually want to deposit anyone in Buffalo in such weather, and people in Buffalo should generally be staying home until it stops, so Buffalo shouldn't have trains stopping there. But there's something to be said for getting the through trains *through*, which prior railroads would have tried to do.)

 

[Orie]

Wait, seven feet of snow? Good Lord!

Thats the weird thing about lake effect snow. It affects a tiny area, but can dump feet upon feet of the stuff. Luckily it's only a factor while the water is "warm" until Lake Eerie freezes over.

 

[Anderson]

Wait, seven feet of snow? Good Lord!

Thats the weird thing about lake effect snow. It affects a tiny area, but can dump feet upon feet of the stuff. Luckily it's only a factor while the water is "warm" until Lake Eerie freezes over.

True, and I suspect this is particularly bad since the lakes (including Lake Erie;-)) are still noticeably above freezing for the time being. I checked the NWS, and the lake was close to 50 degrees at Buffalo when this hit. It has dropped 4 degrees since then, but that's still rather warm water mixing with super-cold air...*whistles* Going to be an interesting few days up there. I wouldn't place a big bet on the LSL's operations for the next few weeks.

 

[neroden]

All the Empire Service trains west of Albany are shut down as well. This is really no good. I suppose there's nowhere to lay over east of Buffalo.

Maybe when the new Rochester station is built they can lay over there when stuff like this happens. (It'll have two platform tracks off the mainlines.)

 

[afigg]

LSL #48(11/17) is still enroute, last report is 9 hours and 30 minutes late at Utica. #63(11/18) Maple Leaf departed Niagara Falls 5 hours and 13 minutes late.

A long day on #48 and #63, presumably looking at lot of snow and winds out the windows. Well, before it got dark.

 

[Anderson]

Retitled the thread since I think we may be having a few days of this.

 

[andersone]

I believe it is prudent to take such action, no one wants to repeat the disaster of 1910 at Stevens Pass

 

[MrFSS]

My wife has a friend who lives in the area. She received these in her email this AM.

 

[amamba]

Winter is coming.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Winter is coming.

I'd say winter is here. :help:

 

[afigg]

LSL #48(11/17) is still enroute, last report is 9 hours and 30 minutes late at Utica. #63(11/18) Maple Leaf departed Niagara Falls 5 hours and 13 minutes late.

For the record, here is the Status Maps summary for LSL #48(11/17). It was doing ok until it departed Toledo and then whamo. The good news is that it got to NYP ahead of morning rush hour. :wacko:

* Train 48 of 11/17/2014.
* Lake Shore Limited
* +---------------- Station code
* |    +----------- Schedule Arrival Day 
* |    |  +-------- Schedule Arrival time
* |    |  |     +----- Schedule Departure Day
* |    |  |     |  +-- Schedule Departure Time
* |    |  |     |  |     +------------- Actual Arrival Time
* |    |  |     |  |     |     +------- Actual Departure Time
* |    |  |     |  |     |     |     +- Comments
* V    V  V     V  V     V     V     V
* CHI  *  *     1  930P  *     930P  Departed:  on time.
* SOB  *  *     1  1159P *     1240A Departed:  41 minutes late.
* EKH  *  *     2  1222A *     105A  Departed:  43 minutes late.
* WTI  *  *     2  115A  *     156A  Departed:  41 minutes late.
* BYN  *  *     2  140A  *     226A  Departed:  46 minutes late.
* TOL  2  250A  2  320A  329A  342A  Departed:  22 minutes late.
* SKY  *  *     2  412A  *     746A  Departed:  3 hours and 34 minutes late.
* ELY  *  *     2  451A  *     822A  Departed:  3 hours and 31 minutes late.
* CLE  2  535A  2  550A  848A  900A  Departed:  3 hours and 10 minutes late.
* ERI  *  *     2  722A  *     1046A Departed:  3 hours and 24 minutes late.
* BUF  2  858A  2  908A  200P  229P  Departed:  5 hours and 21 minutes late.
* ROC  *  *     2  1008A *     717P  Departed:  9 hours and 9 minutes late.
* SYR  *  *     2  1138A *     911P  Departed:  9 hours and 33 minutes late.
* UCA  *  *     2  1242P *     1012P Departed:  9 hours and 30 minutes late.
* SDY  2  156P  2  200P  1134P 120A  Departed:  11 hours and 20 minutes late.
  ALB  2  250P  2  345P
  RHI  *  *     2  431P
  POU  *  *     2  448P
* CRT  *  *     2  528P  *     429A  Departed:  11 hours and 1 minute late.
* NYP  2  623P  *  *     515A  *     Arrived:  10 hours and 52 minutes late.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Wonder if passengers were making mad dashes to the cafe car and stocking up on "supplies", like people do at the stores when a snowflake is seen. :help:

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Retitled the thread since I think we may be having a few days of this.

More like a few months

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Retitled the thread since I think we may be having a few days of this.

More like a few months

I read somewhere that once the lakes freeze the lake effect snows will slow down or stop. Pick your poison...cold enough to freeze the lake and keep it frozen or tons of snow.

 

[FreeskierInVT]

Yes, once the lake freezes over, the evaporation that happens when warm air moves over the lake will cease since there will be no liquid water to readily evaporate. Watching this event from a meteorological standpoint is extraordinary (I'm a sophomore meteorology major, and we've been talking about this in my classes quite a bit!!)

 

[jis]

Curiously, Adirondack got cancelled today! Speculation is that it is more due to shortage of T&E staff who are out of position stuck at odd places. Apparently several who are certified for the Adirondack route are also certified for west of Albany and they got sucked into the vortex.

 

[VentureForth]

I believe it is prudent to take such action, no one wants to repeat the disaster of 1910 at Stevens Pass

I don't think that an avalanche is imminent in Buffalo, NY...