EB Mess - 2

jimhudson said:

You should a stayed in Glacier till Sept. Jeff! LOL

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Or have gone a week later. It's been beautiful there ever since we left. How's that for timing?

ahh to be able to stay in Glacier til September,,, and poor #7 is only three and a half late into Minot today,,,,,pleaase Lord, no more pads to the sched before I depart in three weeks

Looks like the schedule has settled in to 4-5 hours late into CHI and back to 2-3 hours late into SEA/PDX, even on weekends. The construction pace has picked up according to BNSF. BTW--BNSF expects freight traffic to increase later this summer due to several unrelated issues, which may possibly add to the current delays for a while.

At least the delays are becoming more "predictable".

so much for the only consistency in life is change,,,,, and I suppose I should be happy to eat a second dinner on the trip out ,,,,,,

Positive news: It looks like the #7 has done pretty well for several days, running only 1-2 hours behind and sometimes even less! Does this seem like a trend? I don't watch very closely so I am not sure how common this is.

I am taking it this weekend and now wondering if I don't need the survival rations I packed in case of an 11-hour delay. But as I learned from this forum: expect the worst, hope for the best!

If you take your "survival rations" you will not need them. If you leave them at the house, your train will be 30 hours late. Sorry this trains got issues. It changes day to day.

Yes, #7 has done somewhat better lately, but #8 continues its 4-5 hour delays into CHI most days. In talks with BNSF folks Amtrak is pressing them hard to try to get back to the "old" schedule some time this Fall, but BNSF has so far said it is too early to consider doing so and they will revisit options in a month or so. Removing the padding, given the current delays being experienced would mean 7+ hour delays into CHI most days and 2+ hour delays into SEA/PDX--certainly not comforting thoughts. I agree with BNSF that construction needs to wind down along with perhaps modestly less agricultural related traffic to get a sense of what can be done to try to return to the old schedule. One BNSF person surmised that it would be 2016 before the Hi-Line has sufficient capacity to run trains like BNSF and Amtrak would like them to run.

6-17: Not a good start for #7 leaving CHI today. Already over three hours late and still in CHI. :-(

#7(17) seems to have lost 4+ hours at Chicago - it's not only the Hi-Line that's hurting the EB's timekeeping.

As others have reported, there are intermittent problems at CHI, and on the CP from CHI to MSP, and occasional engine problems (like my son experienced last month, and others recently -- not able to get over Stevens Pass Eastbound without a BNSF helper (not to mention, on his trip 1 month back, getting stuck at Saint Anthony while a total Charlie Foxtrot freight evolution blocked the main for more than an hour - only 7 miles from SPUD)).

At least with the BNSF Hi-Line problems there's money going to fix that - cause it's hurting BNSF - and ND farmers - and intermodal -- and --

The other contributing factors have been mostly hidden by the big hi-line problems - but - "4 hours late departing Chicago" or "haven't enough power to get over the pass" -- these are also serious concerns.

Today it seems that except for 7(17) the EB trains are doing better than average -- and it's not even a weekend.

MSP_Train_Hopper said:

I just got off the eastbound Empire Builder this afternoon in St Paul at 1:30 (boarded in Minot last night at midnight). Over breakfast this morning I was talking to a lady who boarded in Seattle. She said the Seattle section was stopped in a siding and couldn't get enough power going to get over the Cascades. Twice they backed down to a nearby town to get a running start, yet they still faltered. The third time they had a BNSF engine help pull them over. A couple other people in the lounge confirmed this story.

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Cut that quote - but --

Not enough power to make Stevens Pass?

Seems pretty sorry - see my other post.

So far, the wildfires in Washington have not affected trains 7 and 8, but trains 27 and 28 may be affected by a fire near Cheney, WA. http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/wildfire-burning-near-fishtrap-lake/27042992

CHamilton said:

So far, the wildfires in Washington have not affected trains 7 and 8, but trains 27 and 28 may be affected by a fire near Cheney, WA. http://www.kxly.com/news/spokane-news/wildfire-burning-near-fishtrap-lake/27042992

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Tonight's 28 got through with no trouble. Winds are expected to continue all night in the 15-20 mph range, and the area, which I know very well, features some very rugged terrain. Add to that bone-dry conditions and it makes for some tough conditions for firefighters.

Heard an uncomfirmed report that the UP line, which runs a mile or two south of the BNSF(and Amtrak line) in this area is on fire: Power poles, ties, signals, etc. Hope that isn't a sign of things to come for the BNSF if this report is true.

Totally off-the-wall -

Amtrak offers me a MSP - NOL routing - on the eb#8 and the City of New Orleans.

A very good price.

Is the EB-CONO still guaranteed connection?

Want to go that way.

If they offer it, it would be a guaranteed connection.

Thanks, JayPea. I am taking the EB today and crossing my fingers. I will post if I hear anything useful.

Just checked the Track-a-Train feature and apparently 27 is on the move out of Spokane so nothing extraordinary has appeared to affect the rail line yet.

27 is beyond the fire area near Cheney, and is scheduled into Pasco 15 minutes late. So it seems to have gotten through with minimal delay.

NW cannonball said:

Totally off-the-wall -

Amtrak offers me a MSP - NOL routing - on the eb#8 and the City of New Orleans.

A very good price.

Is the EB-CONO still guaranteed connection?

Want to go that way.

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I was looking at that last night! Thinking of a quick trip there in Feb.

Friend conductor posted that there was broken rail, (Didn't say where, some where around the Fargo area) so that's why #8 was sitting in Fargo.

Ww

All Aboard Washington is reporting that the BNSF tracks are now closed in the vicinity of the Fishtrap Lake fire until further notice. This will affect tonight's trains 27 and 28.

Today's #8 ( 18 ) into Chicago is showing a service disruption. What's up?

IHC said:

Today's #8 ( 18 ) into Chicago is showing a service disruption. What's up?

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In my post this morning, it was sitting back due to broken rails, it's moving now and it's in Winona now.

-Sent from my iPad using Amtrak Forum App.

CHamilton said:

All Aboard Washington is reporting that the BNSF tracks are now closed in the vicinity of the Fishtrap Lake fire until further notice. This will affect tonight's trains 27 and 28.

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A report on Trainorders is saying the UP line was heavily damaged in the fire and that they will be detouring over the BNSF line. If true either the BNSF line isn't shut down or any shutdown won't last long.

Boy, when it rains it pours on the Hi-Ine! Just what the Builder needs, more Freights on its route! Maybe they'll put out a temporary schedule saying the Builder will arrive sometime this week into CHI and SEA!!!

Hope the fire is out and no-one is homeless or dead!!!! The weather witch doctors are promising an El Nino in the Pacific for Fall with more Rain etc Hope they're right as the West, NW and the SW really need it!!!