Silver Star Disruption (92/13)

[Cal]

Saw this on Instagram, transit docs is showing it to be 13 and a half hours late.

 

[daybeers]

Saw this on Instagram, transit docs is showing it to be 13 and a half hours late.

Woahhh

 

[jis]

Also, they had to drop off the front of the train due to damage apparently. It appears to be running only the Sleeper half of the train as seen in a FB post by usually reliable posters.

 

[Pipp]

I wonder will they have enough cars available around to put together southbound 91.

 

[John Bobinyec]

Apparently, they do. 92(13) is due to arrive at NYP at 9.28 a.m. on 4/15. There's not enough time to get it to Sunnyside and rework the consist. In the meantime, 91(15) is estimated to leave on time at 11.02 a.m. So, they put together another train, but I don't know what that consist is.
jb

 

[jis]

I suspect they used the LSL consist that arrived yesterday and augmented it with a few protect cars in Sunnyside to form a 91, while the 92 cars together with a few more protect Amfleets will be used to make up today's LSL. They also might have shorted the Carolinian and Palmetto one car each to find the cars for LSL. Just speculating.

 

[enviro5609]

I suspect they used the LSL consist that arrived yesterday and augmented it with a few protect cars in Sunnyside to form a 91, while the 92 cars together with a few more protect Amfleets will be used to make up today's LSL. They also might have shorted the Carolinian and Palmetto one car each to find the cars for LSL. Just speculating.

On the Palmetto today. No coaches missing far as I can tell. Although they are all IIs, I thought they used a I for the shorts?

 

[jis]

On the Palmetto today. No coaches missing far as I can tell. Although they are all IIs, I thought they used a I for the shorts?

Thanks for the info!

They suddenly appear to have an abundance of IIs. The Star has been seen with as many as 7 on a day or two. Maybe they have a stash of them in Sunnyside.

 

[enviro5609]

Thanks for the info!

They suddenly appear to have an abundance of IIs. The Star has been seen with as many as 7 on a day or two. Maybe they have a stash of them in Sunnyside.

I didn’t take any pictures, but during the engine change in DC I noticed that the trucks all looked freshly painted- bright shiny black without much weathering or dirt. Maybe they’ve finally cleared some of the maintenance backlog?

Or maybe they were just cleaned and I’m being too optimistic.

 

[NYP2NFL01]

92 (13) arrived at NYP today at 10:12 AM. 91(15) left NYP at 11:50 AM

 

[alpha3]

So........is Amtrak security going to try and find the mindless neanderthals who did this to begin with?? I mean......there are cameras everywhere these days. Off with their heads, I say!!!

 

[John Bobinyec]

Are you saying there are cameras all along the right of way out in the middle of nowhere?
jb

 

[MARC Rider]

They also might have shorted the Carolinian and Palmetto one car each to find the cars for LSL. Just speculating.

The Carolinian uses Amfleet 1 coaches. I wouldn't want to have to ride in an Amfleet 1 coach all the way to Chicago.

 

[jis]

The Carolinian uses Amfleet 1 coaches. I wouldn't want to have to ride in an Amfleet 1 coach all the way to Chicago.

If the choice is between riding an Amfleet 1 or delaying my journey by a day, I would reluctantly opt for Amfleet 1 though.

 

[joelkfla]

I suspect they used the LSL consist that arrived yesterday and augmented it with a few protect cars in Sunnyside to form a 91, while the 92 cars together with a few more protect Amfleets will be used to make up today's LSL. They also might have shorted the Carolinian and Palmetto one car each to find the cars for LSL. Just speculating.

Saw 91(15) on Ashland railcam.

It has the normal consist for SuperStar:
5 coaches, cafe, diner, 3 Vl II + 2 VL I sleepers, and baggage.

 

[jis]

Saw 91(15) on Ashland railcam.

It has the normal consist for SuperStar:
5 coaches, cafe, diner, 3 Vl II + 2 VL I sleepers, and baggage.

Clearly they managed to find 2 Coaches, 2 VL II, 1 VL I and one Amdinette hanging around in Sunnyside

 

[Pipp]

Thanks for the info!

They suddenly appear to have an abundance of IIs. The Star has been seen with as many as 7 on a day or two. Maybe they have a stash of them in Sunnyside.

Good to know they have many lls around, because who knows when or if the damage cars will get repaired.

 

[alpha3]

Are you saying there are cameras all along the right of way out in the middle of nowhere?
jb

Heh. It wouldn't surprise me, these days; but I was being somewhat tongue-in-cheek, sorry you couldn't recognize that. I didn't seriously mean to cut off their heads either.

 

[John Bobinyec]

You're right. People say and do so many stupid things these days. It IS hard to tell when someone is being truly stupid. Sometimes it's safer to consider them to be just as they appear.
jb

 

[Palmland]

Saw the Star today with what is apparently the current standard - 5 coaches, 5 sleepers, cafe, diner, baggage. That's about the same number of cars the Star and Meteor had when running separately. So I guess equipment availability and maintenance is not the reason the trains are combined. Since OBS can be trained relatively quickly I guess the only reason the trains are combined, and may remain so, is qualified conductor/engineers? I certainly hope the diner is staffed up to handle that many passengers.

 

[lordsigma]

So I guess equipment availability and maintenance is not the reason the trains are combined.

Don't forget about locomotive power. While the combined train may have all the cars - running them separately means double the required locomotives assuming both Meteor and Star are running with two. Locomotive availability and maintenance are also a factor to consider.

 

[joelkfla]

I certainly hope the diner is staffed up to handle that many passengers.

It's Flex dining, which doesn't take a whole lot of labor. Maximum occupancy of 5 sleepers is 144. If 1/3 of the rooms are single occupancy, it's around 100. Just doing a quick check of the northbound Star over the next few days, both Roomettes & bedrooms are still available. And in-room dining is still an option.

On the Meteor in October with 3 sleepers, which looked about half full. I was one of the few people in the diner, and the lone LSA was spending most of his time sitting and talking on the phone. He would have had no problem handling meals for 2 more sleepers.

 

[Joe from PA]

Saw the Star today with what is apparently the current standard - 5 coaches, 5 sleepers, cafe, diner, baggage. That's about the same number of cars the Star and Meteor had when running separately.

Not true. I followed many Meteors on Ashville VA live-cam, and a normal day was 3 coaches, cafe, diner, and 2 sleepers. I rode in sleepers 5 times on this train.

 

[joelkfla]

Not true. I followed many Meteors on Ashville VA live-cam, and a normal day was 3 coaches, cafe, diner, and 2 sleepers. I rode in sleepers 5 times on this train.

@Palmland meant the current SuperStar consist is equal to the normal consists of the SS & SM added together.

The SM had had 3 sleepers, 2 VL II's + 1 VLI, consistently at least since last summer, & the SS had had 2, being 1 of each, for a total of 5 between both trains. That's exactly what the SuperStar has: 3 VL II's + 2 VL I's.

I'm not sure about the number of coaches, but I think 1 of them was usually pulling 3 and the other 2.

 

[jis]

@Palmland meant the current SuperStar consist is equal to the normal consists of the SS & SM added together.

The SM had had 3 sleepers, 2 VL II's + 1 VLI, consistently at least since last summer, & the SS had had 2, being 1 of each, for a total of 5 between both trains. That's exactly what the SuperStar has: 3 VL II's + 2 VL I's.

I'm not sure about the number of coaches, but I think 1 of them was usually pulling 3 and the other 2.

Just before the mashup, SS had two Coaches and SM three. But there have been other times when both had three and sometimes SM had four. But then the Super Star on some days has had upto seven Coaches too.

So notwithstanding what Joe might think @Palmland is actually correct.