Talgo Ferry move

[NorthShore]

So, did this transfer happen? I spent over an hour and a half at a platform along the Milwaukee-Chicago route last night around the stated transfer time with no sight of this transfer trip. Even asked a commuter train conductor who left Union Station after Midnight if he knew anything or saw the train come through. Either the train ran especially late, it took a different routing, or the car were not transported as suggested, I must conclude.

 

[afigg]

Just a quick note afigg; Michigan's Department of Transportation is MDOT, not MIDOT; which is a private corporation.

The reason I inserted Mi is that Maryland's Department of Transportation is also MDOT. Meanwhile Massachussetts is MassDOT and Missouri uses MoDOT as their abbreviations. I see Montana uses MDT. Maine keeps it easy to figure out with MaineDOT. In future posts, I should probably refer to Michigan DOT the first time for context and then use the MDOT abbreviation afterwards.

Maryland adds to the confusion by abbreviating the Maryland Transit Administration as MTA. Which is the same as the much larger NYC MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority). So I sometimes use MdTA when referring to the Maryland agency to keep people thinking the post is referring to the better known MTA.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Chicago short power so it seem a delay might be in order, or more legal stuff.

 

[edjbox]

I hope that they go into service somewhere in the US, either in Michigan or somewhere else such as Florida or in the Pacific Northwest.

Perhaps VIA Rail could make a run for the equipment for use on their "Corridor" service, but I want the trainsets to stay in the US

 

[jis]

VIA would be very challenged to get those train sets to work at high level platform Montreal Central station which is an anchor point of its corridor service.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I hope that they go into service somewhere in the US, either in Michigan or somewhere else such as Florida or in the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps VIA Rail could make a run for the equipment for use on their "Corridor" service, but I want the trainsets to stay in the US

I just hope they go to a country which can actually run them in routine passenger service.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Cuba would probably be delighted.

 

[Steve4031]

Cuba would probably be delighted.

I would go there to ride them too.

 

[Train person]

Cuba would probably be delighted.

Odd that someone so vocal about his rail advocacy interests wants 2 new modern comfortable train sets shipped overseas. Given the current state of Amtrak's rather dismal and unsavoury single deck cars I would have thought the introduction of these sets, even though they come with their own set of not insurmountable issues, would have been a good thing.

Or is this just rather lame attempt at humor and/or trolling?

 

[Green Maned Lion]

It's an orphaned set, for one thing, there is one line in the country they make any sense on, and Cubas rail system needs new equipment. I am not the kind of advocate who thinks every oddball piece of equipment needs to be in service.

Consult rail fans for that perspective.

 

[Steve4031]

Let's not let this thread develop into another argument. IMHO gml was joking and it should be left at that.

 

[jis]

Actually I happen to think that the Talgos as deployed in the US are also pretty dismal and unsavory with pretty poor ride quality, but whatever....

 

[Steve4031]

The ride quality is suspect. I agree but I like the bigger windows. I'm tired if am fleets and horizons. Doesn't mean these cars are terrible.

 

[CHamilton]

Most of us in the Northwest are happy to have the Talgos. Given the junk hand-me-downs we usually get from Amtrak, I shudder to think what nasty equipment we'd have on the Cascades without them.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I wasn't joking at all.

 

[neroden]

Cuba has a much more comprehensive railway network than the US. We should envy Cuba.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrocarriles_de_Cuba

http://www.seat61.com/Cuba.htm

It is true that they've been having problems with equipment shortages. They've bought used equipment from quite a lot of countries, including China and France.

Of course, due to the idiotic US embargo, it's quite impossible for the Talgos to be sold to Cuba. They'd have to be sold to a third country first, and sold from there to Cuba.

 

[Steve4031]

Ok. No offense intended. Does Cuba HAVE a rail System? If so, if or when it does open up for tourism that might be interesting.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Cuba has an extensive system. On a population and size basis, perhaps the most extensive in North America. Most of the island is covered by it. They carried ~ 12 million in 2007 on their LD system.

American anti Cuban sentiment is largely propaganda. Most of Cubas bad economic condition is the result of our political policiies.

 

[afigg]

I don't see what Cuba has to do with a ferry move of the 2 Talgo trainsets from Wisconsin to Beech Grove in Indiana? :huh:

Anyway, I have not seen any reports of an equipment move, so it appears it has not taken place yet.

 

[edjbox]

Trains magazine mentioned the move

 

[Palmetto]

I don't see what Cuba has to do with a ferry move of the 2 Talgo trainsets from Wisconsin to Beech Grove in Indiana? :huh:

Anyway, I have not seen any reports of an equipment move, so it appears it has not taken place yet.

There's a Youtube video of the move--at a snail's pace--through Elmira, NY, leaving the CAF plant.

 

[PerRock]

I don't see what Cuba has to do with a ferry move of the 2 Talgo trainsets from Wisconsin to Beech Grove in Indiana? :huh:

Anyway, I have not seen any reports of an equipment move, so it appears it has not taken place yet.

There's a Youtube video of the move--at a snail's pace--through Elmira, NY, leaving the CAF plant.

That's a different move. There were going to be 2 moves this last week. One of a Viewliner II car from Elmira, NY to Bear, DE (I think, it was one of the NEC facilities). That happened as scheduled. However the other move is of the Talgos from Milwakee, WI to Beech Grove, IN; that move hasn't happened yet as far as anyone knows.

peter

 

[prech786]

Interesting note in there that Talgo was the only respondent to the Michigan RFP.

The list of US companies or operators which have passenger cars available which are certified for 110 mph, push-pull operation, meet Amtrak requirements, are ADA compliant, have business class seating, a cafe or bistro car, and are either built new or refurbed & overhauled in the last 5 years is rather short. Amtrak could have offered Amfleets, but Amtrak does not have many of those to spare.

Would be interested to learn what Amtrak's management really thinks about MiDOT possibly leasing the Talgos for the next 3 years and not paying for the Horizons. On the other hand, if MIDOT does lease the Talgos, it frees up Horizon equipment for increased service frequencies on other Midwest routes or for use on the 2 new corridor services in IL while waiting for all the corridor bi-levels to be delivered.

If the Talgo's were used in Michigan and some Horizons became surplus here’s a thought.

What if one thinks of CHI-MKE-MSP as a “Corridor” and extends one current Hiawatha Service set to MSP?

Using just the current Hiawatha schedules for instance:

#335 left CHI @ 1:00PM; arriving MKE @ 2:30; continuing to MSP arriving @ 9:00PM
#336 left MSP @7:00 AM ; arriving MKE @1:30; continuing to CHI arriving @ 3:00PM

This keeps #335 & 336 almost exactly on their current schedule, CHI-MKE-CHI, but could provide for a much more reliable MSP to CHI service. 6.5 hours MSP –MKE should be do-able? I believe one would need one or perhaps two more Horizon/Amfleet sets to cover for 335 & 336 while they went on to MSP and returned.

What about some minimal type “food service” for a 8 hour trip in this “corridor”? OMG; shades of the Afternoon & Morning Hiawatha's, LOL! Obviously this is blue sky dreamin' given all the Amtrak, Freight Railroad and State bureaucracy involved in such a simple idea, more LOL!

 

[Eric S]

There is a study, perhaps still ongoing, that MnDOT is sponsoring that looks at adding an additional train CHI-MKE-MSP (perhaps continuing to SCD). When that study is released, we'll know better what sort of capital improvements CP and Metra will require and what sort of operating subsidies IL, MN, and WI (or some combination thereof) will need to cover.

 

[Palmetto]

Prech: At one point early on in the Amtrak era, there were a few run-through trains. Chicago Union Station has only two run-through tracks, so that would limit the number of trains able to run through the station and keep going somewhere. Some options would be:

Milwaukee - Detroit

Milwaukee - St. Louis

Milwaukee - Galesburg / Quincy

Other route extensions would require a back-up move, I believe.

For some reason, though, Amtrak feels that Chicago has to be the end of the line.