Strange experience on 49 departing NYP 7/27

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Joined
Aug 27, 2002
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Location
Chicago
We departed on time and pulled forward for about a minute and then stopped abruptly. The train then backed up and stopped. After a few minutes we departed. We left 11 minutes late. I am curious as to why this happened?
 
We departed on time and pulled forward for about a minute and then stopped abruptly. The train then backed up and stopped. After a few minutes we departed. We left 11 minutes late. I am curious as to why this happened?
Plant wasn't properly lined for the Empire Connection? Had to back up so dispatcher could reline a switch?

Would have been a good time to have a scanner😉
 
Plant wasn't properly lined for the Empire Connection? Had to back up so dispatcher could reline a switch?

Would have been a good time to have a scanner😉
Backing up for switch certainly sounds about correct if after backing up you went forward almost immediately. Any one have an idea how quickly it takes for various route changes?
 
Backing up for switch certainly sounds about correct if after backing up you went forward almost immediately. Any one have an idea how quickly it takes for various route changes?
Time to raise the dispatcher, which may not be immediate. Dispatcher has to check for conflicting movements and how it will affect other trains before relining, especially at the exceptionally busy Penn Station throat. Once the dispatcher puts the route in, the switch(es) physically moving takes little time. The majority of time would be spent communicating and checking. "A few minutes" sounds about right.
 
I had a scanner and I turned it on immediately after we stopped. There was multiple conversations going on. I knew to listen for 49. Eventually I heard that 49 “had the signal” or something similar. It was hard to tell what was being said. It makes sense that the switches needed to be lined for the empire connector.

Imho they did a good job catching whatever happened and got us moving asap. It was a good run to Chicago. We were 7 minutes late. At one point in Indiana we were 29 minutes late.
 


Eventually I heard that 49 “had the signal” or something similar.
Tends to bolster the theory of the route not initially having been lined properly. You may have missed the initial dispatcher call because your scanner was off, or it just got lost in the cacophony.

Probably the engineer caught it as soon as he saw the signal indication on the switch controlling a route to the Empire Connection. Couldn't quite stop in time because the preceding signal would not have indicated that a stop was coming up at the next one.

Yet another good argument for route qualification. If the engineer only followed signal indication you might have been in Newark before he caught on.😁
 
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