What's happened to the "Silver Service"

[Foodman53]

What has happened to the "Silver Service" trains in Florida, particularly northbound. At a glance it appears that both 98 and 92 have been hours late, even only as far as Jacksonville. Are late southbound arrivals fouling up the turnaround times that badly. Maybe "Miami Joe" or someone else in the know could tell me......Thanks

From the "Florida Funnel"

Foodman53

 

[engine999]

Well last week there was a CSX train derailment, and now its getting into heat restriction season. The temperature changes so quickly that heat orders are in place. This can add some signifigant delays to trains.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

I had also been wondering as they've been running pretty late through the Orlando Corridor. Late enough, frequently, that I don't think that 92, even bypassing Tampa, is making that track-work area early enough. Ironically, Sunset has been getting into Orlando closer to on-time than the Silvers have. :blink:

 

[Guest]

What does heat orders do?

 

[Trogdor]

What does heat orders do?

When the temperature rises, there is a risk that the steel rails will expand, causing heat kinks (track deformities). Ever since a couple of bad Amtrak derailments a couple of years ago attributed to such a problem, CSX has been placing speed restrictions on passenger trains whenever the temperature rises above a certain point.

Some would speculate that CSX is placing slow orders on passenger trains because it's easier for them to do that than to maintain the track properly. When the problem occurred a couple of years ago (IIRC, after a Capitol Limited derailment when a track supervisor lifted a speed restriction too early, before track maintenance was completed), CSX's response was so extreme that they were restricting passenger trains to 30 mph, even as they allowed their freight trains to go 40 mph or more.

 

[engine999]

Usually they go into place when there are raipid changes in temperature. Currently it can be 70 degrees in the morning and get to 90 degrees by noon. That signigant rise and fall in temperatures cause the restrictions to be issued.

 

[AmtrakWPK]

98 was about 4.5 hours late passing through Longwood this evening.

 

[Guest]

My brothers work for Norfolk Southern and said this is not a major problem for them. Does NS have better maintenance than CSX? I hear alot of bad things about CSX but Amtrak seems to use them alot.

 

[rile42]

I've got a question concerning "heat orders"? How do the railroads in the West deal with heat through the deserts? I traveled the length of the California Zephyr a couple of years ago in the middle of summer and don't recall slowing for any such problem. I'm sure the temperature changes in the desert in Nevada between night and day rival anything that CSX would encounter.

 

[GG-1]

I've got a question concerning "heat orders"? How do the railroads in the West deal with heat through the deserts? I traveled the length of the California Zephyr a couple of years ago in the middle of summer and don't recall slowing for any such problem. I'm sure the temperature changes in the desert in Nevada between night and day rival anything that CSX would encounter.

Aloha

Some years ago while on the Desert Wind suddenly lurching, almost nocked me off my feet. The crew called it the "Arizona kink" the said it move all day as a result of thempature. They said it is less than 1/16 inch. I thought we were on the ground.

 

[Miami Joe]

#92 is running "inside a window" because of trackwork! There's been a few times that #92 has departed before #98 to pass the trackwork before M of W shuts down the track.

Since #98 runs down the east side of Fla, it by-passes the trackwork being performed by CSX.

MJ B)

 

[battalion51]

Actually Joe the trackwork is up in the Carolinas. Right now 92 is running the same route up to Savannah as 98. It's the SAV-RMT area that causes problems. Since 92 runs the inland route it takes longer to get to RMT than it does 98 on the coast route.