SWC - How did this happen?

[crabby_appleton1950]

SWC - How did this happen?

History for Amtrak 3 originating 05/14/2015 (Th)

The SWC left Fullerton, CA nine minutes late ~ and arrived in L.A. 1 hour, 2 minutes early

(a distance of about 25 miles)

 

[guest]

Happens every day, if the train is essentially on time into southern California. It's called schedule padding, and has been a feature of railroad timetable construction forever.

 

[Willie1946]

The scheduled time from LAX to Fullerton is 35 mins. The scheduled time from Fullerton to LAX is 1 hour 41 minutes. Subtract the pad on #3s of 1 hour and 6 mins and and they were pretty much on time.

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

So it's not a case of "Back To The Future".

 

[CHamilton]

So it's not a case of "Back To The Future".

The SWC doesn't get to 88 MPH in that area. The speed limit is 79!

 

[amtkstn]

This happens almost every trip. Beside the padding,the SWC makes a lot of time up in Arizona with some 90 MPH running.

 

[TinCan782]

Very common...practically every day...the padding in the schedule allows 1:41 to travel 26 miles.

I have been 1-2 hours late through Victorville, San Bernardino and made up the time, and then some, between Fullerton and Los Angeles.

 

[fillyjonk]

This kind of thing used to be fairly common on 22 - I'd get on in MIN an hour (or more) late, and we'd wind up in STL as much as an hour early the next morning, sitting on the tracks.

the magic of padding. I don't complain about it at all. (I haven't noticed it happening of late, I don't know if it's more freight traffic during the night or what that eats up the padding, but it seems the last few trips I took we were either on time or late in to STL)

 

[afigg]

There is serious padding for the end of the #3 run. Here is a recent example of SWC leaving Fullerton 1 hour and 8 minutes late and, presto, its exactly on time arriving at LA Union Station. Helps with the endpoint OTP, not so much with the all station stop OTP.

History for Amtrak 3 originating 05/05/2015 (Tu)
* Southwest Chief
* +---------------- Station Code
* |    +----------- Schedule Arrival Day 
* |    |  +-------- Schedule Arrival Time
* |    |  |     +----- Schedule Departure Day
* |    |  |     |  +-- Schedule Departure Time
* |    |  |     |  |     +------------- Actual Arrival Time
* |    |  |     |  |     |     +------- Actual Departure Time
* |    |  |     |  |     |     |     +- Comments
* V    V  V     V  V     V     V     V
* CHI  *  *     1  300P  *     300P  Departed:  On time.
.....
* BAR  *  *     3  339A  *     446A  Departed:  1 hour, 7 minutes late.
* VRV  *  *     3  418A  *     526A  Departed:  1 hour, 8 minutes late.
* SNB  *  *     3  532A  *     637A  Departed:  1 hour, 5 minutes late.
* RIV  *  *     3  553A  *     657A  Departed:  1 hour, 4 minutes late.
* FUL  *  *     3  634A  *     742A  Departed:  1 hour, 8 minutes late.
* LAX  3  815A  *  *     815A  *     Arrived:  On time.

 

[sechs]

Keep in mind that all of the train schedules are padded at important places -- where there's crew work to be done or connections to make -- not just the end.