Empire Builder cancelled today?

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saxman

saxman

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May 18, 2004
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I was going to go out to the Grand Forks station tonight and watch #8 arrive. But checking the status the Builder is not running, nor did it yesterday (3rd and 4th). Anyone know whats up?

Chris
 
I know they've been getting a lot of snow in Montana. Perhaps there are weather issues.
 
If the Train Status page on Amtrak.com is to be believed, the Westbound trains have been arriving, but they haven't sent an Eastbound train out since Saturday. If they keep that up, they're going to run out of Train sets in Chicago!

I look forward to finding out what is going on, since I'm supposed to take it from MSP to SEA departing next Tuesday.
 
Amtrak Train #8 is was detoured yesterday and will be today and tomorrow over the BNSF LaCrosse sub into Chicago due to CP-Track/Work in the LaCrosse Area. That is why the system shows the service disruption message for the affected eastbound Empire Builders. The westbound Empire Builders are not affected by the detour and are still operating over their regular route, thus there isn't a service disruption message. I like the old system better where it took more than a lil' ol' detour to "freeze" up the website train status page with that nasty service disruption message.
 
That explanation was in the back of my head too, but I was apparently so foolish as to think that a detour East of St Paul should not affect the ability to report the status over the entire route!
 
Yes, North Dakota is getting pounded with snow and rain as I look out my window, but its not enough to cause much delay.

I coulda swore I heard #8 pulling into GFK around 1:30 last night as I got in bed. The stations less then a mile away, and those P-42 have a very distinct horn I think. I'm hearing horns all the time, living in the middle of the BNSF yard here. But I was thinking no it can't be Amtrak. Guess it was.
 
The train that went through Grand Forks last night arrived Chicago tonigh at 6:59 pm. It was about an hour late int MSP this morning. Yesterday, It arrived MSP ontime, and left about 45 minutes late. It pulled into Chicago at 6:30 pm.

I tracked the train all day yesterday and learned that agents on the phone could only tell me what time 8 left MSP. Throughtout the day I called, and different agents read the detour message to me, and then just told me that it would be 45 minultes late into Chicago. This was based on the lated departure out of MSP, not on the detour. So reallly, the train is in a "dead zone" for information the whole time it is on the detour.

I will be riding this detour on Monday, October 10. I will provide a trip report when I get back.
 
Well it was the only thing moving in Minot. >> Big-time snowstorm delays occurred yesterday to the Empire Builder, Train 8(4). The only passenger transport moving in Northern North Dakota was Amtrak. Somebody tell Mineta, quick! The train got so late, the crew's hours ran out short of their crew change point at Minot. There was no way in the blizzard to safely get a recrew to the train, so BNSF ordered an Hours of Service violation. Crew worked about 20 min. past the 12 hours.

I got this in an email. Hmm maybe old Norm needs to ride it.
 

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