Sunset Limited punctuality

[Bill Haithcoat]

The Sunset Limited's poor OT performance is one of my worst obsessions.

But I made a spot check over the weekend and found these results:

Saturday:

#2 arrived Orlando 8 minutes late.

#1, left El Paso on time.

Sunday:

#1 arrived LA 33 minutes late

#2 arrived New Orleans 24 minutes late, left on time

Monday:

#1 Pascagoula, MS , 2 hrs. 26 minutes late

#2 Mobile, left 1 hr. 33 minutes late.

Looks a lot better than those 10-15 hour delays! Maybe things are really improving with the new stetched out schedule.......here is hoping.....

Of course that means that the same train which left NOL on time last night is already about 1 hr. 33 mniute late just up the road at Mobile,, but still l.........for the SL........maybe not so bad.

 

[Steve4031]

Well, the schedule was primarily changed on the UP portion of the trip. On the New Orleans to LA segment, performance seemed pretty good.

On a somewhat related note, The Texas Eagle needs some work. On Monday, March 7, My friends and I were schedule to take 22 back to Chicago from St. Louis. On sunday night, I checked with Amtrak, and it was about 4 hours late. Monday morning at 6 a.m., it was still 4 hours late. But since we were boarding in St. Louis, the agent told me that we should plan on leaving on time b BUS!!!!

Since this is a family forum, my response is unprintable. But it did start with "F". I called Hertz, rented a car, and we drove back to Chicago. No one in my group was the least bit intersted in a bus ride.

 

[MrFSS]

On sunday night, I checked with Amtrak, and it was about 4 hours late. Monday morning at 6 a.m., it was still 4 hours late. But since we were boarding in St. Louis, the agent told me that we should plan on leaving on time b BUS!

What happens to the novice traveler who checkes the website and sees the train is 4 hours late, so shows up 3 hours late at the station thinking they still have plenty of time and low and behold, the bus has already left!

Will the train still stop and pick up those that didn't want to ride the bus that left on time?

Just curious.

In other words, do you have an option of taking the bus on time or being late on the train?

 

[jccollins]

But since we were boarding in St. Louis, the agent told me that we should plan on leaving on time by BUS!!!!
Since this is a family forum, my response is unprintable.  But it did start with "F".  I called Hertz, rented a car, and we drove back to Chicago. No one in my group was the least bit intersted in a bus ride.

You could have just waited the extra four hours for the train to arrive... I doubt they would have made you board the on time motorcoach if you would have rather waited for the train. They probably just ran the motorcoach to accommodate those passengers in a hurry that did not want to wait for the train. In any event a motorcoach has more room to move around than in a car where you are strapped into a seat and can't move around (my least favorite way to travel).

The same thing happens here in Reno all the time. If westbound train 5 is late, we will order up motorcoaches to depart from the station on time to get passengers back to California. However, we always have 25-30 passengers that stick around and wait for the train, even if it is 10 hours late as it has been on more than a few occasions (courtesy of the UNION PACIFIC, of course).

 

[Steve4031]

But since we were boarding in St. Louis, the agent told me that we should plan on leaving on time by BUS!!!!
Since this is a family forum, my response is unprintable.  But it did start with "F".  I called Hertz, rented a car, and we drove back to Chicago. No one in my group was the least bit intersted in a bus ride.

You could have just waited the extra four hours for the train to arrive... I doubt they would have made you board the on time motorcoach if you would have rather waited for the train. They probably just ran the motorcoach to accommodate those passengers in a hurry that did not want to wait for the train. In any event a motorcoach has more room to move around than in a car where you are strapped into a seat and can't move around (my least favorite way to travel).

The same thing happens here in Reno all the time. If westbound train 5 is late, we will order up motorcoaches to depart from the station on time to get passengers back to California. However, we always have 25-30 passengers that stick around and wait for the train, even if it is 10 hours late as it has been on more than a few occasions (courtesy of the UNION PACIFIC, of course).

If I was buy myself, I would have. But my girlfriend and a couple of other people were with me. She wanted to be back in Chicago by a certain time, which we would have made if the train remained 4 hours late. I believe that if we had waited, Mr. Law (first name Murphy) would have started his shift as UP dispatcher, and then stuck 22 for another 2 or three hours.

So I saw this as a no win situation for me. Wait for the train, and have my girlfriend POed at me. (it seems that everytime we ride Amtrak, one train on a round trip is more than 4 hours late). Anyway, thats life.

 

[jccollins]

I believe that if we had waited, Mr. Law (first name Murphy) would have started his shift as UP dispatcher, and then stuck 22 for another 2 or three hours.

Probably. :lol: Every time I bring my family or friends along with me on a longhaul train (ESPECIALLY one that operates over the U.P.), I tell them that it departs about two hours later than it is actually scheduled to and then they are pleasantly surprised if I tell them it is going to come in early or not very upset if it ends up really being 3 hours late. (In other words I never show them the published timetable - "mine" usually ends up being more accurate anyway)

 

[YOUNG FAITHFUL]

Everytime I take my girlfriend on an amtrak trip, our trains are usually late. This includes the NEC & EMPIRE SERVICE. When I do a solo trip..guess what? ON TIME!!! and that includes recent ld trips on #4 lax-chi, which arrived 1/2 hr. EARLY!!

Should I dump the girlfriend? :huh: :unsure:

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

So far so good for #2 today comming through LA It's on time.

 

[musher]

Everytime I take my girlfriend on an amtrak trip, our trains are usually late.  This includes the NEC & EMPIRE SERVICE.  When I do a solo trip..guess what?  ON TIME!!! and that includes recent ld trips on #4 lax-chi, which arrived 1/2 hr. EARLY!!
Should I dump the girlfriend? :huh:   :unsure:

I guess that all depends on the girlfriend. Maybe she's worth getting used to late trains! :lol:

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

So far so good for #2 today comming through LA It's on time.

Always good to hear from you BNSF 1088. You are closer to the scene (and fully familiar with the difficulties) than the rest of us.

The eastbound was one hour 19 min. down into Orlando last night , but that beats ten hours down, or a bustitution, by a long shot.

 

[Steve4031]

Everytime I take my girlfriend on an amtrak trip, our trains are usually late. This includes the NEC & EMPIRE SERVICE. When I do a solo trip..guess what? ON TIME!!! and that includes recent ld trips on #4 lax-chi, which arrived 1/2 hr. EARLY!!
Should I dump the girlfriend? :huh: :unsure:

Only if she prevents or discourages you from going railroading.

Seriously, my girlfriend does not really like trains that much, but she understand that I really enjoy it, and support me taking trains. Once she even paid for me to ride in the 10-6 sleeper on the Three Rivers a few years back. I was short cash, and if I waited till the next paycheck, the last 2 rooms might have sold. So she helped me out, and then just treated me to it. So that was pretty cool.

 

[battalion51]

Now there's a keeper. :lol:

But seriously, in any relationship, no matter how much the other dislikes a hobby or whatever, they need to get over it (unless it's detrimental to your/someone else's health/life).

 

[Steve4031]

Now there's a keeper. :lol:
But seriously, in any relationship, no matter how much the other dislikes a hobby or whatever, they need to get over it (unless it's detrimental to your/someone else's health/life).

Yeah, she is definitely a keeper. Some day I will take her on the Canadian. We will go Westbound, so when it is late, we get to see the Fraser River Canyon in daylight.

 

[capltd29]

train 1, as of 11 05ET scheduled to arrive LAX 21 minutes late, hope!!!

JP