14(22) Mechanical Issues

Yet another issue on the CS route...

http://amtrak.einnews.com/article/129320292/hrv45C4iJhmYfk4

Looks like it is on the move again... last report out of Albany at 11:55pm Pacific Time... 10 Hours, 25 Min. late... Since the train most likely won't make it into Seattle until the early morning (assuming it travels all the way north) I presume this means that 11(24) will have a much delayed departure from SEA.

Seems like, combined with the weather systems coming through it has been quite the week for Amtrak LD delays... especially in the West.

Have to pay to see the article.

Hm... interesting... it was free for me... maybe a preview? Basically it was a story in the LA Times that the train was stuck in a rugged area of the mountains in Oregon. Unknown Mechanical Issues according to Amtrak. They anticipated another locomotive would come to assist. Currently the train is just under 10 hours late departing PDX heading towards SEA.

14(23) is the usual 1+ (1.5 in this case) hours late leaving SAC. OTP for train 14 in California continues to be a regular issue.

Good thread on Train Orders. Engine broke down north of Chemult in deep snow. Many many problems getting new power in, hooked up, and brakes retested. Here's what I posted at TO, harping for the 4th or 5th time on the pathetic state of the "Amtracking" software.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/amtrak-train-seattle.html

* KFS * * 2 825A * 905A Departed: 40 minutes late.

* CMO * * 2 940A * 1033A Departed: 53 minutes late.

* EUG * * 2 1244P * 230P Departed: 1 hour and 46 minutes late.

* ALY * * 2 130P * 1155P Departed: 10 hours and 25 minutes late.

* SLM * * 2 203P * 1030P Departed: 8 hours and 27 minutes late.

* PDX 2 340P 2 420P 137A 216A Departed: 9 hours and 56 minutes late.

* VAN * * 2 436P * 244A Departed: 10 hours and 8 minutes late.

KEL * * 2 514P PT

CTL * * 2 557P PT

OLW * * 2 622P PT

TAC * * 2 711P PT

SEA 2 845P * * PT

I'm assuming the news article plus all you guys' posts are correct and the Amtrak info is simply wrong. But it clearly shows the delay as being between EUG and ALY. Any comments on this? The whole "Amtracking" system/protocol is an out-of-date POS. I assume that fixing it would require replacing ARROW with something more suited to this century. Is Amtrak planning for that?

Amtrak has since revised the time at Eugene. It now shows 8H 33M late there.

jb

Also in the thread about the CS delay on TO, there was this post by TCnR:

"Listening to the Eugene RRScanner Feed this morning and I heard a touchy conversation between a hogger and the Dispatcher. Seems they had pulled a drawbar, then set out the car, rules said they had to walk the train since it had been sitting for 4 hours. There was so much snow nobody could walk train, not sure of the location but it's likely they could not walk the train during a fine summer afternoon either due to the numerous tunnels, bridges and general rough terrain alongside the tracks up there"

So maybe the problem is a combination of one of #14s units having problems along with the UP crew's issues.

The thread also mentions that #14 had been stopped just north of CMO.

I'm at SEA King Street waiting for 11(24). They have announced that for those of us going to CA, the train will be leaving at 11 AM. For people going to WA and OR as far south as EUG, a replacement train is boarding now, and will leave on time at 9:45.

Now I'm curious... what does this "replacement" train consist of?

roadman3313 said:

Now I'm curious... what does this "replacement" train consist of?

Click to expand...

I'm guessing it is a Cascades set.

roadman3313 said:

Now I'm curious... what does this "replacement" train consist of?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I couldn't see it. Due to the construction here, the temporary waiting room is at the north end of the building while the tracks are at the south end. But I assume it's one of the sets that normally would run the VAC service, since SEA to EVT is still closed.

I'm just wondering, but how did this happen:

* ALY * * 2 130P * 1155P Departed: 10 hours and 25 minutes late.

* SLM * * 2 203P * 1030P Departed: 8 hours and 27 minutes late.

* PDX 2 340P 2 420P 137A 216A Departed: 9 hours and 56 minutes late.

Where'd the engineer get that time machine?

BTW, will the replacement train show up as 1011 or something like that?

Which would make sense since with the closure they may have a set to spare. I assume they would call in crew off the Extra Board to staff it? Quite the way to spend a Christmas Eve...

Then again maybe they used that replacement Cascades set when they use the Superliner equipment? A bit surprised they actually ran an extra set but logistically it must have worked somewhere in terms of getting that train set and crew back to SEA as well.

Still waiting. Just announced that the mechanical check is still going on, and that they'll know more in 25 minutes. Apparently 14 arrived at 7 am.

Still in SEA. I assume that the people at the shops are still struggling with some maintenance. But they have done a very poor job of communicating with the people at the station. Amusingly, I just got two calls that the train has been delayed due to a service disruption. Little late, guys.. They handed out some snack packs a while ago.

The cascading effect is going to be interesting to watch over the next few days, that is assured.

CHamilton said:

Still in SEA. I assume that the people at the shops are still struggling with some maintenance. But they have done a very poor job of communicating with the people at the station. Amusingly, I just got two calls that the train has been delayed due to a service disruption. Little late, guys.. They handed out some snack packs a while ago.

Click to expand...

WOW Charlie! Sounds like the SEA Staff is winging it! What a way to spend Christmas Eve! At this rate it will be Dark by the time you get to Tacoma! :giggle:

Too bad they couldnt notify you earlier since you Live there so you could have stayed @ Home longer! Id bet that hanging out in the "Temporary" crowded Station with people who are becoming antsy and upset by the delay isnt lots of fun! Hope you get going soon, have a PPC, wonderful OBS and the Food and Drink is World Class on the Starlight! Happy Holidays, California has to be Sunny to make up for this fiasco!

Finally boarding 11(24). I just heard that they were going to turn the train in PDX and bus everyone there, but at the last minute, they decided to run 14 all the way to SEA, which is why we are so late today. I would guess they found something that couldn't be fixed in PDX, and had to be done in the shops here.

Jim, the good news is that we have a real PPC, so I hope that we'll have a good ride. It will be anybody's guess what the lunch schedule will be. Unfortunately, there's an idiot who's been complaining all morning in the station, who's in the same sleeper car with me. I guess it's off to the PPC ASAP.

And we're off at 2:09pm.

Glad to hear you are on the move! Hopefully it will be a smooth trip. Enjoy

You'll have a nice ride tomorrow morning around mt Shasta. Lucky you.

Just arrived on train 11 in PDX almost exactly 4 hours late. The crew has been fantastic, given that they arrived on 14 in SEA this morning at 7 am, and were expecting to deadhead to PDX. Apparently they didn't get word to expect passengers at SEA until we were actually boarding! Major props to SCA Bob, LSA Nancy, PPC attendant Dominic, and everyone else.

They had an abbreviated lunch with two entrees in the diner, plus the usual two in the PPC. I opted for the PPC, where I had excellent conversations, as one might expect. They even managed a short wine tasting at 5:00, although I skipped that.

Our good buddy who complained loudly all morning in SEA is in my sleeper, so I've been staying in my room with the doors closed. It was a bit sad to start seeing the sun go down in OLW, and to be in total darkness by Vancouver, WA, but we've been making good time. The sleeper is a rebuilt Superliner I, which is in excellent shape -- much different than the poor stuff pdxjim saw a few days ago.

Christmas carols playing in the PPC, but no lights this time, And no turkey dinners this year. So it goes.

And we're pulling out of PDX at 6:10 pm -- only a 15 minute stop. But the PA just announced that the dining car door is open -- oops!

Merry Christmas to everyone in AU, and may all your train trips be successful!

Four hours down...which means I'll be trackside tomorrow (Christmas) in my jolly non-regulation-Station-Host hat fourish hours later than I want to be! Say hi, CHamilton, if you're still aboard...I wonder how many we'll be boarding at SJC? It was pretty quiet last year...and a four hour hit probably means a quiet day this year too, as a lot of people will be rebook onto the Thruway buses south to SLO/SBA (with connections for LAX.)

Oh well...it is what it is, right! Happy holidays!

Surfgeek, we have just arrived at SAC at 8:18am, so we're 2+ hours down now. I'll look for you at SJC.

The crew has been busily rearranging transfers to Stockton -- people now get a train transfer via MTZ to 714 rather than a bus from SAC to 712. But everyone (except our friend, who I've christened the Grinch) is pretty relaxed about it. I had a nice breakfast with a couple who is getting off here, and who got an extra breakfast thanks to our being late. They said that they got on in EUG last night, and since it was unclear whether the diner would still be open by the time they got on, the stationmaster there sent them across the street to a restaurant for dinner, which Amtrak paid for. A nice gesture.