Empire Builder #8 (06/27/16)

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Albo5000

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 24, 2016
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Hope we aren't going to see a repeat of yesterday. I see the EB has been in Sandpoint, ID for a long time. Any ideas on what happened?
 
It left Seattle almost nine hours late and is just now leaving Libby. If it sat in Sandpoint it couldn't have been for very long as it has lost "only" nine minutes since leaving Seattle--not much consolation for those aboard #8 I'm sure.
 
I mis read the time table, i see that now, must have been engine troubles in Seattle? I hope they didn't make everyone sit on the train the entire time.....
 
I mis read the time table, i see that now, must have been engine troubles in Seattle? I hope they didn't make everyone sit on the train the entire time.....
Might it be because #7 was late. I can't remember the timing of the late #7, but it was this weekend.
 
I mis read the time table, i see that now, must have been engine troubles in Seattle? I hope they didn't make everyone sit on the train the entire time.....
Might it be because #7 was late. I can't remember the timing of the late #7, but it was this weekend.
#7 last night was very late into Seattle last night. About 11 hours late or so. That would have put it into Seattle 5 hours AFTER #8 was supposed to depart.
 
#7 last night was very late into Seattle last night. About 11 hours late or so. That would have put it into Seattle 5 hours AFTER #8 was supposed to depart.
Adding info, checking Status Maps archives, #7(6/24) arrived at SEA 11 hours late at 9:25 PM (Sunday). #7(24) was on-time until it got to Minot and then got later and later until it was 11 hours late at Shelby MT. Weather problems perhaps? Broke a streak of mostly early or not severely late arrivals for #7 at SEA over the past month (median arrival time of 24 minutes early).

#8(6/26) departed SEA at 1:36 AM, so the train was turned around in 4 hours. Now we'll see if it can make up much time eastbound by the it gets to MSP.
 
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I'm on the #28 train that left from Portland on the 26th. Got a call yesterday that the train would be late and was told that the arriving #27 was delayed in eastern Montana due to flooding and a possible washout. We departed Portland a little after 11:30 last night and was held in Spokane for about an hour and a half this morning for the #8 from Seattle. It was neat to be able to watch the sections hook up as I have always slept through it before. However we didn't get breakfast served since the 8 was late and the power was out while they hooked up the cars. We are now just arriving Whitefish at 4:05pm. Seem to be holding running time ok, and haven't had to stop for freight traffic yet.
 
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My wife and I decided to give the EB another chance for our regular trips to Minneapolis. The trip from WB from Chicago on the 23rd was excellent. We arrived in St. Paul a few minutes ahead of schedule. We are returning to Michican tomorrow (28th) and I see that 28/8 is over five hours late. That will mean an eight-hour ride in a cramped bus and no lunch in a dining car.

I do not understand why Amtrak cannot put together a train or trains from MSP for regular service or because the eastbound EB continues to have poor on time performance.

Just a year ago my wife and completed a month-long rail trip around Europe without one train being more than fifteen minutes late.
 
As long as a bus doesn't get involved in the mix and you are not in a critical hurry to be somewhere or make a connection, getting stuck on a train isn't that bad. At least you can get up and walk around, eat, drink and in some cases go outside onto the platform area. Try doing that on a crammed 777 stuck on the tarmac for 8 hours!

Last Summer my southbound Texas Eagle got halted short of Joliet because of a major gas leak and ended up having to back to CUS; several of us enjoyed Supper during this adventure and I joked about how we had a leisurely Dinner Cruise. At CUS we "holed up" for several hours waiting for a relief crew that was certified on the Rock Island (so we could come into Joliet from the cross direction), but were allowed to leave the train as we were told it would be at least 4 hours. Nice to be able to take a shower right there in the shed!

Of course by now and continuing for the duration of the 15 hour delayed run, 2 camps of pax developed. Those of us who were enjoying the adventure and those who could do nothing but *****, squeak, moan and say nothing good about Amtrak, even though the delay had nothing to do with Amtrak.
 
My wife always assume traveling by Amtrak is an adventure. I would not mind getting into Chicalo late and take the next day's Wolverine to Jackson, Michigan--IF-- Amtrak paid for a night's lodging.

After taking the Queen Mary II home from the previously mention European rail trip we took the Lake Shore Limited home. It was not the smoothest ride, but we got to Toledo, Ohio on time.

We expect an EB adventure in the winter, but not in the summer.
 
I hope they didn't make everyone sit on the train the entire time.....
Having not been to Seattle since the refurbishment at King Street Station was finished, I don't know that the seats are better on the train, but I would certainly expect to be able to pass the time more comfortably on the train than in the station—and that is true for coach or sleeper, awake or asleep. In this case, of course, the train was probably being cleaned and stocked, and so that would not have been possible.
 
In Seattle, I would prefer to be on the train in my roomette where I can comfortably read and/or nap. But generally the problem is that the train hasn't arrived or if has it has to be turned and serviced first before pulled back into the station.
 
If my train was late for 9 hours in Seattle I would spend the day in the city. I'm sure they don't tell (or know) when the train will be ready so most people probably stay close anyways. We had less than 24 hours in Seattle when I last went and had the EB been 11 hours late arrival, it would have literally ruined our day in the city. Guess we got lucky that it arrived early.
 
8 is really late today. Even though my trip is in April, I glad I decided to take 8 one day, and take the rest two days later.
 
We detrained in St. Paul around 4:00 this afternoon - 8hrs 15 mins late. The dining car crew was getting ready to break out the Dinty Moore stew for dinner service. We had a service attendant trainee who said that the more seasoned crew wouldn't tell her much on how the dinner service would go but to be prepared...

The conductor made an announcement after Staples that they couldn't say much about how things would be handled in Chicago as far as connections, but people should wait until 2 crew changes down the line at Winona before things would start to be figured out, and that there wouldn't be answers until after Columbus at the earliest. Connections in Chicago were already well sunk by that point so I am surprised that they were going to wait.

I was surprised that the dining crew seemed to be tight lipped with the trainee on how dinner service would go and that Chicago was tight lipped with the conductors on how missed connections would go. Thinking of how late the Empire Builder was running a year or two ago, it would seem like the process to deal with these issues would be well rehearsed.

While waiting for our checked luggage, the ticket agent said that tomorrow's train (8 & 28) should be pretty much back on schedule.

Not going to lie though, I thoroughly enjoyed the extra hours on the train.
 
Our EB adventure on the 28th consisted of a nine-hour bus ride to Chicago. There was no food voucher for lunch or even a bottle of water. Even the bus was late getting into Chicago, but we managed to make our Wolverine connection.

We continue to promote Amtrak, but the first time travelers we met yesterday may be disappointed. I hope the rest of their trip on the Lake Shore Limited was better than the bus.
 
The dining car crew was getting ready to break out the Dinty Moore stew for dinner service. We had a service attendant trainee who said that the more seasoned crew wouldn't tell her much on how the dinner service would go but to be prepared...
I had my first stew dinner last week on #8. Now, it might not look that great, but it tasted OK (I was a Boy Scout and have done my fair share of camping!)

I did miss my connection to the City of New Orleans but Amtrak rebooked me on the Capitol connecting to the Crescent.

Amtrak put us in a hotel and gave us another packaged dinner upon our arrival in Chicago. Really, they handled the misconnection quite smoothly and I was pleasantly surprised.

dinty_moore1.jpg
 
Chicago can sometimes scrape up an extra set of equipment, even for the builder, so there shouldn't be too big of a delay if there is any at all in getting 7(1) out.

Looking up the status on the Amtrak app, the set that will become 7(1) arrived at 1800 today and should be ok for an ontime departure tomorrow.
 
I was on that train on June 24th leaving Chicago, we left on time, we had to wait somewhere before Williston N.D. for a crew because of the washout, can't remember where, then we were only about an hour late. We pulled into Williston, and were told we would be there for 3-5 hrs, because of the washout. After 3hrs, we pulled out and made about 40 miles and were told that we had to wait until they were finished fixing the track. Then we had to wait for 2 freight to go through first to "test the track", then our crew timed out. We sat in a prairie, no one was allowed out of the train, until another crew could come. 4hrs later we were on the move. I was 11plus hours late into Essex Mt. One woman opened the door from the lounge car and walked until we couldn't see her anymore, still do not know if she made it. Amtrak knew that the washout was there hours before we got to the area, knew that we would need another crew, and yet didn't deploy them any earlier. They came from Shelby Mt. and that was about 4hrs away from where we were. From the dining car discussions, they lost a lot of customers that day, most said they would never get on another train again. I was lucky, and in a roomette, the coach passengers had it very rough, there were some people on from Uncommon Journeys, you can imagine what they were saying.
 
Our EB adventure on the 28th consisted of a nine-hour bus ride to Chicago. There was no food voucher for lunch or even a bottle of water. Even the bus was late getting into Chicago, but we managed to make our Wolverine connection.

We continue to promote Amtrak, but the first time travelers we met yesterday may be disappointed. I hope the rest of their trip on the Lake Shore Limited was better than the bus.
Our EB adventure on the 28th consisted of a nine-hour bus ride to Chicago. There was no food voucher for lunch or even a bottle of water. Even the bus was late getting into Chicago, but we managed to make our Wolverine connection.

We continue to promote Amtrak, but the first time travelers we met yesterday may be disappointed. I hope the rest of their trip on the Lake Shore Limited was better than the bus.
That really sucks, did you end up getting some kind of reimbursement.
 
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