EB #7 running late 3.5 hours

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No real RR Job
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Rare ole EB #7 the usual punctual ON TIME departure from Chicago

Was late (3.5 hours Late) leaving Chicago - reason unknown at this time

And EB #8 also as usual running over 2 hours late

What a way to run a railroad On-Time.


UPON FURTHER REVIEW
It appears that EB #8 from this morning was late due to:

Amtrak's Empire Builder delayed in Red Wing due to 'abnormal package' (msn.com)

Thus the train was late arriving Chicago and late getting serviced for the EB #7 today !

The Paul Harvey - The Rest of the Story !

REVISED - - -
There is more to this - - -
EB #8 today was not used to make EB #7 today - rather the Chicago station had to
ferret out a spare train consist to make up #7 and await #8 to replace the spare set.

The interesting saga of the EB trains !
 
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Equipment is falling apart...almost like all of it should've been replaced years ago. There needs to be a continuous fleet replacement and expansion program.
 
Can only guess how the consists of the EB CS CZ SL and others are turned and cleaned at the origin station for the next days trips.
Obviously the eastern trains - Lake Shore - Cardinal - Capitol - etc. are not interchangeable with the western trains or are the NOLA and TE.
There is a routine consist to have the crew putting folks in the right cars with the accommodations they were booked sold.
Substitutions tend to cause confusion and delays.

With that noted -
The accident at Joplin MT threw a wrench in equipment consist (the SSL and the 3 cars of the Spokane segment)
The Amazon delivery truck in Wisconsin - minor setback trains #7 and #8 delayed
And now this Police activity at Red Wing MN train #8 being over 12 hours late - train #7 (impacted the same day)
something else triggered the scheduling of equipment - - -

Let go of my Legos my train needs to leave on time - what my consist is on a cargo ship anchored off of Long Beach !

Ideally it appears that train #8 arrives Chicago around 3-4pm and goes to the yard for turn around servicing and making
up train #7 the following day leaving Chicago at 2:15pm
Train 8 is late and does not get serviced timely results in 7 the next day being late -
-OR- a substitution of the same consist is made to keep things on time.
But where does that substitution come from a spare consist ?
I doubt that - perhaps the equipment is robbed from Peter to make Pauls consist on time.
So Amtrak is betting that the very late #8 will be able to make up something else timely
The accident at Joplin really put a dent (bad pun) in the available equipment to give relief to the equipment constraints.

The Beech Grove fixem-up is really going to be in overtime hours

Money from the recent past Federal Bills can't come soon enough

I have questions but I am not the old Radio Shack outfit with answers !

Maybe Seaboard92 has some Chicago experience - - -

On one of my trips to Chicago would like to tour the yards to see how snafu is mustered -
There is only so much that can be seen from the Roosevelt Road yard overpass about 6 blocks south of Union Station !
 
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