What's with the EB delays this week

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jmbgeg

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I just opted out of a SPK-SEA trip on EB 7 after 2:15 a.m. became 6:30 or 7:00. I spoke with Customer Service and heard that there was a conacopia of delay reasons. Freight trains, 2 fuel issues, ... Never heard of fuel delays. EB is a mess tonight, e.g.:

http://72.148.42.113:8080/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=7&selyear=2010&selmonth=12&selday=09

http://72.148.42.113:8080/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=8&selyear=2010&selmonth=12&selday=10

Other EB trains are very late. Very frustrating as I am trying to finish off the Take Ten promotion trips.
 
Recently EB #7 has been late leaving Chicago, with additional delays accumulating along the route. Has it been held for a connection with an eastern train, or is there something else amiss?
 
anir dendroica said:
Recently EB #7 has been late leaving Chicago, with additional delays accumulating along the route. Has it been held for a connection with an eastern train, or is there something else amiss?
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Good question. You are correct. But then why does it go from 1.5 hours to 4 or 5 hours late in route?
 
It's not just been this week -- even since Thanksgiving the EB times have been way off. I have some friends who are conductors on the CHI-WIN leg of the route and they say mechanical is often late getting the train out of the yards, then you lose more time because your are out of Metra's "window" (if the EB leaves more than 35-40 minutes late it gets stuck behind a Metra between Chicago and Rondout, IL and will lose more time) -- then you add the snow, cold, and engine issues... and you have horribly late trains.

The worst has been #8 that was due into Chicago at 4PM the day before Thanksgiving. It didnt get in until after NOON on Thanksgiving Day... 20 HOURS late.

I am off this coming Monday -- and am thinking about using the late EB to my advantage to do some "rare" turns in the evening. I see #7(10) is running 5 hours down right now... which means #8(11) will probably be about the same. If it keeps that pace up across the country -- I might be able to do a round-trip on Monday afternoon/night from Milwaukee to Wisconsin Dells and back to Milwaukee. :) That's something you could normally never do with the schedule. I nabbed the tickets before Amtrak realizes it and blocks ticket sales... Hehehe...
 
Add to that some snow. I noticed that Minot was looking at 4-8 inches, while in the Twin Cities the weather man is claiming we'll get 2-3 times that, in a proper blizzard. I imagine that the drifts and white-out might slow the Empire Builder down.
 
If you look at the on time performance section on Amtrak.com the performance this year hasn't been so hot. train 8 has only 49.1% for the past 12 months and 7 is 81 %.
 
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Ispolkom said:
Add to that some snow. I noticed that Minot was looking at 4-8 inches, while in the Twin Cities the weather man is claiming we'll get 2-3 times that, in a proper blizzard. I imagine that the drifts and white-out might slow the Empire Builder down.
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I see that you are getting hammered up there in the Twin Cities... and have been all winter long! Yikes!! They did just issue a Blizzard Warning for Milwaukee too now... it's only the second time since I moved here in 2003 we have been under a true "Blizzard Warning"... should be interesting tomorow and Monday!
 
jmbgeg said:
I just opted out of a SPK-SEA trip on EB 7 after 2:15 a.m. became 6:30 or 7:00. I spoke with Customer Service and heard that there was a conacopia of delay reasons. Freight trains, 2 fuel issues, ... Never heard of fuel delays. EB is a mess tonight, e.g.:

http://72.148.42.113:8080/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=7&selyear=2010&selmonth=12&selday=09

http://72.148.42.113:8080/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=8&selyear=2010&selmonth=12&selday=10

Other EB trains are very late. Very frustrating as I am trying to finish off the Take Ten promotion trips.
Click to expand...
7 arrived in SEA almost 5 hours late.

Taking 7 two times later this week.
 
rtabern said:
I see that you are getting hammered up there in the Twin Cities... and have been all winter long! Yikes!! They did just issue a Blizzard Warning for Milwaukee too now... it's only the second time since I moved here in 2003 we have been under a true "Blizzard Warning"... should be interesting tomorow and Monday!
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What was I thinking, suggesting that our little storm would upset #7? Sure, Minnesota DOT recommends no travel in the Twin Cities, I-94 in Wisconsin is "impassable," and the Minneapolis airport has been closing and opening all day. The eastbound Empire Builder is only 33 minutes late out of Red Wing.
 
Just a quick question - we are leaving Christmas evening on #7 out of MSP to WFH and coming back the 1st of Jan. If the train is indeed 5 or so hours late - does that also push the window for checked baggage back, too? (Say we could check baggage until 11 instead of the normal 10 p.m. cutoff time?)
 
Ispolkom said:
rtabern said:
I see that you are getting hammered up there in the Twin Cities... and have been all winter long! Yikes!! They did just issue a Blizzard Warning for Milwaukee too now... it's only the second time since I moved here in 2003 we have been under a true "Blizzard Warning"... should be interesting tomorow and Monday!
Click to expand...
What was I thinking, suggesting that our little storm would upset #7? Sure, Minnesota DOT recommends no travel in the Twin Cities, I-94 in Wisconsin is "impassable," and the Minneapolis airport has been closing and opening all day. The eastbound Empire Builder is only 33 minutes late out of Red Wing.
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You mean roads aren't the way to always go??? :p There is this thing called rail???

But, according to our "wonderful" :eek:hboy: Governor Elect here in Wisconsin -- ROADS are KING!!! We dont need rail at all when we have interstate highways!!

Oh wait, I'm sorry Ispolkom -- I can't make it up there to MSP because I-94 is shut down between MKE and MSP. Wish we had more train service... only 33 minutes late too... nice!!!
 
I wrote too soon. #7 lost 5 hours between Red Wing and St. Paul. I imagine that there were all sorts of switch problems from the 16-20" of snow we got.
 
I've got it figured out, and I don't even REALLY KNOW what I'm talking about. Amtrak is an arm of the "Fed'ral gummint". Which means social engineering no matter the cost and damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. Which means the Empire Builder runs on bio-diesel, which flat out doesn't work when it's cold, as in below 35 degreesF or so. I know bio-diesel, we use it on the air force base I work at, and it clogs up our trucks when it's cool enough to wear a jacket. And nobody stands up and says..."STOP THIS GREEN SILLINESS!!!"
 
Lumpy said:
I've got it figured out, and I don't even REALLY KNOW what I'm talking about. Amtrak is an arm of the "Fed'ral gummint". Which means social engineering no matter the cost and damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. Which means the Empire Builder runs on bio-diesel, which flat out doesn't work when it's cold, as in below 35 degreesF or so. I know bio-diesel, we use it on the air force base I work at, and it clogs up our trucks when it's cool enough to wear a jacket. And nobody stands up and says..."STOP THIS GREEN SILLINESS!!!"
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Um, . . . yeah. Sure.
 
Lumpy said:
I've got it figured out, and I don't even REALLY KNOW what I'm talking about. Amtrak is an arm of the "Fed'ral gummint". Which means social engineering no matter the cost and damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. Which means the Empire Builder runs on bio-diesel, which flat out doesn't work when it's cold, as in below 35 degreesF or so. I know bio-diesel, we use it on the air force base I work at, and it clogs up our trucks when it's cool enough to wear a jacket. And nobody stands up and says..."STOP THIS GREEN SILLINESS!!!"
Click to expand...
yeah...i can tell you don't really kow what you're talking about...
 
Looks like Tuesday will be the first "catch-up day" of the 2010-2011 winter season along the EB route. From an Amtrak alert:

Severe weather, including high winds and blowing and drifting snow, has caused weather related infrastructure problems, avalanche watches and warnings as well as delayed and standing freight trains resulting in canceled or delayed service on Empire Builder routes (Chicago – Portland/Seattle).
As a result, several trains are currently delayed, and the following services have been affected:

  • Empire Builder routes going west: Trains 7 and 27 originating on December 14 have been canceled. Alternate transportation between Chicago and Minneapolis and Spokane, Seattle and Portland will be provided.

  • Empire Builder routes going east: Trains 8 and 28 originating on December 14 have been canceled. Alternate transportation between Seattle, Portland and Spokane and Minneapolis and Chicago will be provided.

  • Alternate transportation is not available between Minneapolis and Spokane.
Click to expand...
 
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