533 and 633 cars on CZ gone for the season

[Railroad Bill]

Just returned from our trip to SLC and Yellowstone and according to our wonderful car attendant Linda, the 33 cars (3rd sleeper on the California Zephyr) will be removed after yesterdays runs. We had the 33 car on both CZs #5 and #6 and had great attendants on both (Gregory on #5 last week)

Nice shots out the back of the train since CZ sleepers were on the rear, but a seemingly rougher ride being the last car. Especially that ride through Nebraska at night was a real terror :giggle:

Those car attendants will be bidding on new jobs come Monday. Linda has 33 years of seniority and will have no problem in the bumping order but Gregory was on his second sleeper run after being a dining car person for several years. His future will be a bit more uncertain.

Trip report to follow soon.

 

[RRrich]

What about Stephanie? Will she be back on PDX-CHI?

 

[Agent]

The third sleeper was already off #5(14) yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcceYm8WPJE

 

[Guestlsa]

Yes thats what sucks. My job as second waiter has been drop as Tuesday at midnight . Thinking about working the Texas eagle for while but now might end up on surfer liner until my 3 weeks vacation I end up on coast starlight for winter in diner

 

[Yoshi55]

Sorry to hear about this I guess this is part of the job. Being a new guy is always rough since your usually the first to have their job in risk of being let go.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

What about Stephanie? Will she be back on PDX-CHI?

When I rode with her about 6 weeks ago she said she would move up to the 32 Car at end of season.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Our 32 car attendants were a nice guys also on both trains. Hope they are able to keep their positions.

I believe Linda will probably bump to a 31 or 32 position as well.

 

[Nathanael]

Just returned from our trip to SLC and Yellowstone and according to our wonderful car attendant Linda, the 33 cars (3rd sleeper on the California Zephyr) will be removed after yesterdays runs.

Linda! Linda is awesome. I've had her on the CZ twice now.

We had the 33 car on both CZs #5 and #6 and had great attendants on both (Gregory on #5 last week)

Nice shots out the back of the train since CZ sleepers were on the rear, but a seemingly rougher ride being the last car. Especially that ride through Nebraska at night was a real terror :giggle:

Those car attendants will be bidding on new jobs come Monday. Linda has 33 years of seniority and will have no problem in the bumping order but Gregory was on his second sleeper run after being a dining car person for several years. His future will be a bit more uncertain.

Trip report to follow soon.

 

[Notelvis]

Nice video Agent - where did you film it?

 

[Agent]

Nice video Agent - where did you film it?

It's not my video. It was recorded by lrcopeland09 in Fairfield, Iowa. I'm subscribed to that channel because my hometown is just a few miles down the track. I wish I was filming in Fairfield since I'm missing my chance to film there before their quiet zone goes into effect this month.

 

[George Harris]

Nice video Agent - where did you film it?

It's not my video. It was recorded by lrcopeland09 in Fairfield, Iowa. I'm subscribed to that channel because my hometown is just a few miles down the track. I wish I was filming in Fairfield since I'm missing my chance to film there before their quiet zone goes into effect this month.

I hate the concept of quiet zone. It is dangerous no matter how you try to pretend otherwise, all to satisfy a bunch of whiners who want the world to run their way rather than deal with a reality that goes back to way before they were even born, much less lived within hearing distance of the railroad.

 

[Amtrak George]

Quiet Zones: I agree with George Harris. That whistle is very important as an added safety measure. Personally, I like to hear them too! When traveling I like to stay in motels that have a "railroad view" and I usually sleep right through the whistle sounds.

In the mid 70's, I was working at Okolona, Mississippi as a train order operator/freight clerk on the ICG RR. I stayed in a boarding house just across the street from the yard office. Just as I would be falling asleep, the switch crew would drop a car into an occupied yard track and I would be awakened with a loud 'BAM!" (it sounded like it was right on top of me).

A whistle is pretty tame compared to that... :lol:

 

[Notelvis]

As a kid I loved going to visit my grandparents overnight in Canton, NC where there were all kinds of great railroad noises listening to the Southern Railway switch the Champion Paper plant. The yard was out-of-sight over the hill but the sounds were phenomenal. That included the paper mill which still marked the beginning of each shift with an incredibly loud steam whistle much like in the movie 'My Cousin Vinnie'.

Of course a real highlight of any visit to the grandparents came about 2pm each day when the afternoon freight rolled into town from Asheville. When the whistle blew for the Oak Street Crossing my grandfather would get a twinkle in his eye, grab his hat from the rack, and say to me "Son, why don't we go downtown..... I've got an errand to run."

That errand would be to the parking lot of the YMCA where we could watch the train switch the yard going back and forth over the Pigeon River Bridge. Once the yard work was complete and the air tested we would load back up in the car and chase the train on to Clyde, Lake Junaluska, or Waynesville.

Forty-five years later and I still know the location of just about every grade crossing in Haywood County, NC from chasing the train with my grandfather.

We'll save discussion of the sounds a quintet of Southern Railway F7's made doing the yard work for another time!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Nice video Agent - where did you film it?

It's not my video. It was recorded by lrcopeland09 in Fairfield, Iowa. I'm subscribed to that channel because my hometown is just a few miles down the track. I wish I was filming in Fairfield since I'm missing my chance to film there before their quiet zone goes into effect this month.

I hate the concept of quiet zone. It is dangerous no matter how you try to pretend otherwise, all to satisfy a bunch of whiners who want the world to run their way rather than deal with a reality that goes back to way before they were even born, much less lived within hearing distance of the railroad.

Sigh. Just because someone has a preference and a willingness to express it does not make them a "whiner."

The problem I have with quiet zones isn't the lack of a horn. Careless drivers have made it clear that all the horns in the world won't stop them from running through a crossing. What bugs me is the requirement to physically cut off all traffic so that it cannot leave the the lane it came from until such time as it can cross the tracks. Under normal circumstances that's not a problem, but when a train stops while still in the crossing it creates a serious dilemma. Basically, there is nowhere to go until the train moves again. That could be minutes or hours depending on the situation. This is not just a legal problem. Physically there is nowhere to go. I'd like to know what folks are expected to do in that situation, because it doesn't seem as though this was thought all the way through at this point. Or maybe it's just another example of what happens when you let careless people drive. They do careless things and the rest of us take the hit for their stupidity.

 

[Bob Dylan]

What are they supposed to do? Wait till the Train Leaves, Hello??? Whats a few Minutes or an Hour compared to an Uneeded Death?? To paraphrase an Old Saying, Being in a Hurry Kills! <_<

 

[Devil's Advocate]

What are they supposed to do? Wait till the Train Leaves, Hello??? Whats a few Minutes or an Hour compared to an Uneeded Death?? To paraphrase an Old Saying, Being in a Hurry Kills! <_<

I don't think you can expect people to just sit and wait up to an hour or more for a stopped freight train to leave because they're boxed in by design. Just being honest here.

 

[Bierboy]

As a kid I loved going to visit my grandparents overnight in Canton, NC where there were all kinds of great railroad noises listening to the Southern Railway switch the Champion Paper plant. The yard was out-of-sight over the hill but the sounds were phenomenal. That included the paper mill which still marked the beginning of each shift with an incredibly loud steam whistle much like in the movie 'My Cousin Vinnie'.

Of course a real highlight of any visit to the grandparents came about 2pm each day when the afternoon freight rolled into town from Asheville. When the whistle blew for the Oak Street Crossing my grandfather would get a twinkle in his eye, grab his hat from the rack, and say to me "Son, why don't we go downtown..... I've got an errand to run."

That errand would be to the parking lot of the YMCA where we could watch the train switch the yard going back and forth over the Pigeon River Bridge. Once the yard work was complete and the air tested we would load back up in the car and chase the train on to Clyde, Lake Junaluska, or Waynesville.

Forty-five years later and I still know the location of just about every grade crossing in Haywood County, NC from chasing the train with my grandfather.

We'll save discussion of the sounds a quintet of Southern Railway F7's made doing the yard work for another time!

What a great story and great memories!!

We hope to take our grandkids on some Amtrak trips when they get a bit older. Right now, our three grandsons are 3-1/2. 1-1/2 (two next month) and six months old...

 

[Bob Dylan]

What are they supposed to do? Wait till the Train Leaves, Hello??? Whats a few Minutes or an Hour compared to an Uneeded Death?? To paraphrase an Old Saying, Being in a Hurry Kills! <_<

I don't think you can expect people to just sit and wait up to an hour or more for a stopped freight train to leave because they're boxed in by design. Just being honest here.

Chris: I see your point but in reality Man vs. Train, Train wins Everytime! :excl: :excl: :excl: I grew up in a town where Trains (MP and MKT) blocked Both Sets of Tracks and every Crossing Numerous Times during the Day for up to an Hour! Just five years ago an Overpass was Finally Built since the Hospital was across the tracks! During the years in between there were hundreds of Accidents,Sadly Lots of Deaths and Numerous Injuries from Impatient People that just Had to be Across Those Tracks Right Now!! Its actually a Local thing, IF the People want it, and the Politicians do their job, there is Money avaialble to fix these things but Railroads shouldnt be repsonsible for this by themselves! They most definitely dont want to Injure or Kill anyone I assure you! :excl: :excl: :excl:

 

[E Runs]

I hate the concept of quiet zone. It is dangerous no matter how you try to pretend otherwise, all to satisfy a bunch of whiners who want the world to run their way rather than deal with a reality that goes back to way before they were even born, much less lived within hearing distance of the railroad.

Sigh. Just because someone has a preference and a willingness to express it does not make them a "whiner."

Choosing to live within hearing distance of a rail line that's existed for 100 years and then petitioning for a quiet zone is the defination of "whiner" in my book.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I hate the concept of quiet zone. It is dangerous no matter how you try to pretend otherwise, all to satisfy a bunch of whiners who want the world to run their way rather than deal with a reality that goes back to way before they were even born, much less lived within hearing distance of the railroad.

Sigh. Just because someone has a preference and a willingness to express it does not make them a "whiner."

Choosing to live within hearing distance of a rail line that's existed for 100 years and then petitioning for a quiet zone is the defination of "whiner" in my book.

Being able to petition the government is one of our founding principles. If being first was all that's required to trump everyone else then how exactly would we ever improve anything? It's unfortunate to see any one group feel they trump all other groups just because they came first. If you don't like a quiet zone then by all means go and petition to have it removed. Isn't that how a democracy is supposed to work?

 

[fairviewroad]

I'd love to weigh in on this but I don't think we're going to have a good, thorough discussion on quiet zones in a thread with this title, since

many people won't bother to read it.

Though I suppose this topic has probably already been beaten to a pulp here on AU.

 

[Ted Bell]

I have very little knowledge of FRA regulations, and I have only been an Amtrak passenger once. So my response may not have much meaning. But I would like to contribute, so hello everyone, this is my first post.

Trying to sleep as a coach passenger was very cumbersome as the train was required to blow the horn at every crossing between SLC and Sacramento. Dirt roads and deserted crossings, yet they sounded the horn at every single one.

As a commuter, transit rider and biker in the Salt Lake valley I have seen people ignore the warnings at crossings. The crossing arms are down, the lights are flashing and the bells are ringing, yet people still drive around the arms to beat the train or turn around. The horn on the train isn't going to change their mind. Quiet zones are 100% effective for people who obey the law and drive cautiously. Those who don't end up impacting the lives of train operators, passengers, and commuters who actually obey the law. Quiet zones aren't the problem, selfish people are.

Thank you for letting me vent. Greetings to all.

 

[Ctim2]

Just returned from our trip to SLC and Yellowstone and according to our wonderful car attendant Linda, the 33 cars (3rd sleeper on the California Zephyr) will be removed after yesterdays runs.

Linda! Linda is awesome. I've had her on the CZ twice now.

We had the 33 car on both CZs #5 and #6 and had great attendants on both (Gregory on #5 last week)

Nice shots out the back of the train since CZ sleepers were on the rear, but a seemingly rougher ride being the last car. Especially that ride through Nebraska at night was a real terror :giggle:

Those car attendants will be bidding on new jobs come Monday. Linda has 33 years of seniority and will have no problem in the bumping order but Gregory was on his second sleeper run after being a dining car person for several years. His future will be a bit more uncertain.

Trip report to follow soon.

Are you talking about Linda Jenkins out of Chicago, I hear great things about her and they seem to be true!

Ctim2

 

[Ispolkom]

The horn on the train isn't going to change their mind.

Evidence seems to show otherwise:

In the early 1990’s, the FRA observed a significant increase in train-vehicle collisions at certain gated grade crossings in Florida which coincided with a statewide whistle ban on the Florida East Coast Railroad (FECR). In 1993, FRA issued Emergency Order #15 requiring trains on the FECR to sound their horns again, pre-empting the 1984 Florida statute that created the ban. The number and rate of collisions at affected crossings returned to pre-whistle ban levels.