Rocking on the CZ!!!

[julieandrews]

Late last year, I took a trip from Emeryville to Chicago and stopped for a few days in Denver. On the EMY to DEN stretch, I had a roomette in the 2nd or 3rd carraige from the front of the train. The overnight ride was quite smooth and I got a good nights sleep.

Different story on the DEN to CHI leg though!! I was in the very last car - the one that gets attached at DEN and that overnight ride was awful!! It was so rocky and bumpy that i nearly got flung out of bed a few times, I actually did get flung in to the wall and pointy folded up table a few times and was covered in bruises the next day on my knees and elbows. I met the people in the room across from me at breakfast and they had the same experience, and the same very weary-eyed look!!

So I was wondering firstly, if this is normal in the DEN-CHI part? Then secondly, I was wondering why it happened? I know the train was travelling quite slowly overnight on the AMY-DEN part - I guess because of going through the mountains. Whereas the DEN - CHI part is mostly flat so the train can go faster. I was wondering if the fact that I was in the last car had anything to do with it. It sort of felt like we were flapping about the back of a train, whereas on the EMY-DEN part, maybe my car was being held more rigid as it was 2nd or 3rd car back from the front?

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Late last year, I took a trip from Emeryville to Chicago and stopped for a few days in Denver. On the EMY to DEN stretch, I had a roomette in the 2nd or 3rd carraige from the front of the train. The overnight ride was quite smooth and I got a good nights sleep.Different story on the DEN to CHI leg though!! I was in the very last car - the one that gets attached at DEN and that overnight ride was awful!! It was so rocky and bumpy that i nearly got flung out of bed a few times, I actually did get flung in to the wall and pointy folded up table a few times and was covered in bruises the next day on my knees and elbows. I met the people in the room across from me at breakfast and they had the same experience, and the same very weary-eyed look!!

So I was wondering firstly, if this is normal in the DEN-CHI part? Then secondly, I was wondering why it happened? I know the train was travelling quite slowly overnight on the AMY-DEN part - I guess because of going through the mountains. Whereas the DEN - CHI part is mostly flat so the train can go faster. I was wondering if the fact that I was in the last car had anything to do with it. It sort of felt like we were flapping about the back of a train, whereas on the EMY-DEN part, maybe my car was being held more rigid as it was 2nd or 3rd car back from the front?

Right on both counts. One, being on the rear of the train, the fishtail effect. Secondly, the much higher speeds east of Denver. I have been on it when they even annnounced a warning, saying we got lulled by the smoothness of going through the moutains all day.. A lot faster as soon as we leave DEN going back east. They anounced it both before Denver and upon leaving..

 

[Montanan]

I rode the CZ eastbound a couple weeks ago, and thought the ride east of Denver wasn't too bad. The worst stretch by far seemed to be the former Rio Grande between Helper and Grand Junction. Apparently UP isn't giving that track segment too much attention these days, because it's not on a coal train route and there's relatively little through UP merchandise traffic.

 

[Konrad]

I rode the CZ eastbound a couple weeks ago, and thought the ride east of Denver wasn't too bad. The worst stretch by far seemed to be the former Rio Grande between Helper and Grand Junction. Apparently UP isn't giving that track segment too much attention these days, because it's not on a coal train route and there's relatively little through UP merchandise traffic.

Had a similar experience on the Portland sleeper of the Empire Builder. Just put it down to the lack of any weight on the drawbar allowing the car to bounce quite wildly. And the sway coming out of corners and switches could throw you to the floor.

Being in bedroom A at the extreme rear of the train probably exacerbated the whole effect.

But it made for a fun ride!

 

[tubaia]

Though we were in coach in about the middle of the train, we noticed the same thing this last summer on the EB across the plains of Montana and ND. I didn't notice it westbound, but eastbound we took some really hard knocks side-to-side. The feeling at the time was that we had taken some really hard switches, as we were suddenly being thrown to one side. The swaying was easy to get used to, but the hard, sudden knocks really throw you off kilter.

 

[Rail Freak]

I love threads along this line, as it reminds me of all showers I had on the moving train. WHEEEW!!!

I believe I was laughing every time I left the shower!!! :lol:

 

[Everydaymatters]

Years ago on the Desert Wind I was also in a sleeper that was very bumpy. It was impossible to walk without being thrown against the wall. I was full of bruises at the end of that ride.

Do the cars have shock absorbers like autos do? I thought maybe the shocks were bad in that car because all the other cars were more stable. It seemed something was wrong with that particular car.

 

[Larry H.]

I had sort of forgotten till you bring it up now. But when we made the trip From Chicago to San Francisco this spring the train had numerous places where is shook violently. Nothing on the Empire Builder the season before came close to the jolting kind of twisting that the cars on the Zephyr did. I mentioned it here but got little notice from what I recall. There is certainly something odd about the track on that route in a lot of places. I was almost surprised the that the cars stayed on the track the jolt was so severe. It was truly scary even too me.

 

[Rail Freak]

Although it was my 1st train trip, the Silver Meteor from Orlando to Washington DC was an experience! I don't know if it was my inexperience or bad trackage but it was different!!!

 

[spot1181]

Ever ride the last car on a roller coaster?

 

[Rail Freak]

Ever ride the last car on a roller coaster?

Or hold hands with 4 or 5 people while roller skating around a tight turn! Make sure you're on the rear end!!! :blink: