The Big Midwest Winter Storm

[MrFSS]

A friend sent me these pictures taken in Omaha during the big storm. He said I could post them here.

 

[PetalumaLoco]

Holy crap, no wonder they had engines down!

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Wow! Thanks for sharing! The amount of us on that P42 is incredible. Now its clear why they had issues.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

And people thought the F40's would have faired better.

By the looks of it, 16 is DENn's protect unit, it has hardly any snow on it... unless they're de-icing and got though it and had begun working on 178.

 

[RailFanLNK]

Let me tell you all this: I have worked outside in Nebraska since 1987, I can remember winters back to about 1969. I have never worked in a more brutal winter than this present one. There are places where there are drifts (in town) that are as high as my delivery truck. We have had not one or two but three blizzards this year. I think the last blizzard we had was in '05. We have alot of snowstorms but blizzard conditions don't happen as much. We have been pounded this year. Last Wednesday it was -35 windchill and today the high was 38 degrees. Thats a 73 degree temperature change! (sigh)

 

[sunchaser]

Boy, those pictures tell it all! After seeing those, I do not understand how anyone riding that train could blame Amtrak about being stuck somewhere. It is clearly something out of their control.

I assumed that the heat from the Locos would prevent some of that from happening.

How do they thaw them out? Does it damage the engines?

 

[amtrakwolverine]

Boy, those pictures tell it all! After seeing those, I do not understand how anyone riding that train could blame Amtrak about being stuck somewhere. It is clearly something out of their control. I assumed that the heat from the Locos would prevent some of that from happening.

How do they thaw them out? Does it damage the engines?

if its anything like the airlines they spray them with some kind of liquid that's supposed to melt the ice. either that or a bunch of people with hair dryers and heat guns.

 

[sunchaser]

Boy, those pictures tell it all! After seeing those, I do not understand how anyone riding that train could blame Amtrak about being stuck somewhere. It is clearly something out of their control. I assumed that the heat from the Locos would prevent some of that from happening.

How do they thaw them out? Does it damage the engines?

if its anything like the airlines they spray them with some kind of liquid that's supposed to melt the ice. either that or a bunch of people with hair dryers and heat guns.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Any volunteers????

I'm sure if you get to ride in on a train, & keep the liquid refreshments coming, someone would want to do it!!!

 

[ThayerATM]

Let me tell you all this: I have worked outside in Nebraska since 1987, I can remember winters back to about 1969. I have never worked in a more brutal winter than this present one. There are places where there are drifts (in town) that are as high as my delivery truck. We have had not one or two but three blizzards this year. I think the last blizzard we had was in '05. We have alot of snowstorms but blizzard conditions don't happen as much. We have been pounded this year. Last Wednesday it was -35 windchill and today the high was 38 degrees. Thats a 73 degree temperature change! (sigh)

I've been wondering why everybody has been getting into Amtrak's face about the miserable snow conditions this year, and Amtrak not being able to handle it.

I grew up in Michigan, and have lived my whole life in Michigan and New York. I've seen five foot snowfalls, and snowdrifts as high as my house. I've been snowed in many times, and I've wondered if the complainers just came from the south, and didn't know what serious snow looked like, or if they just expected that this year the central US would just brush it off and carry on.

As RailFanLNK says, this year has been something else. I'm perfectly willing to cut Amtrak a lot of slack.

 

[gswager]

The locomotive did melted some snow on a warm area such as exhaust. Once the water flow away from the warm area, it freezes up. I've heard about people throwing hot water throwing in the air on a very cold day, like 10 degrees or so, it turned into snow. As a Mythbuster fan, I did tried it and it is more than plausible!

 

[RailFanLNK]

I was on my route today when I walked into a business at the end of a conversation. I stated, "I'd rather be stuck on a train than a plane" and the woman in the store's son was on this fateful trip. His first trip on Amtrak too. He sounded like he didn't enjoy it very well but I wished they would have talked to me first. I guess he went coach and didn't have a blanket. I could have at least told him the "in's and outs" of rail travel.

 

[mucomix]

We generally don't have that bad of winters but we can get some snow from time to time. The SWC stops in Lawrence. No train just my snow-blower.

http://mucomix.smugmug.com/Other/My-Smug-M...749497618_iJpiB