5 & 6 Rare Mileage?

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From Amtrak's website:

Due to track work being performed by BNSF Railway, Trains 5 and 6 will operate non-stop on a detour route between Omaha and Chicago on February 24 and 25, and will not stop at the following stations:
Naperville, Princeton, Galesburg, Burlington, Mount Pleasant, Ottumwa, Osceola and Creston
Anybody know the detour routing?
 
It will use the UP line from Chicago via Wheaton, DeKalb, Rochelle, Clinton, IA, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Council Bluff and connect with BNSF at Omaha.

It has been used before when derailments or floods on the BNSF Iowa main have disrupted service.

Normally a UP pilot engine and crew are attached in Chicago and continues to Omaha. Liability of this route is heavy UP freight traffic that will

cause #5&6 to sit and wait for UP freights to clear. So delays may be possible.
 
It will use the UP line from Chicago via Wheaton, DeKalb, Rochelle, Clinton, IA, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Council Bluff and connect with BNSF at Omaha.

It has been used before when derailments or floods on the BNSF Iowa main have disrupted service.

Normally a UP pilot engine and crew are attached in Chicago and continues to Omaha. Liability of this route is heavy UP freight traffic that will

cause #5&6 to sit and wait for UP freights to clear. So delays may be possible.
I wonder where the work is being performed. I can see some other detour possibilities on the map that wouldn't necessitate such a lengthy reroute, although, the one used is "the easy way", as it as mentioned has been used before, and is a fairly simple one on a well used and maintained mainline.
 
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I wonder where the work is being performed. I can see some other detour possibilities on the map that wouldn't necessitate such a lengthy reroute, although, the one used is "the easy way", as it as mentioned has been used before, and is a fairly simple one on a well used and maintained mainline.
Three times late last year the Zephyr was detoured since BNSF was replacing the Mississippi River bridge at Burlington, Iowa. I'm guessing that project isn't done yet. Other reasons the Zephyr had to take this detour weren't given this much forewarning.
 
It looks to me that the BNSF could have ran the train from Galesburg to Burlington via Ft. Madison using the route of the Chief, and then a short freight only segment that at one time hosted the 'Zephyr Rocket' between St. Louis and Minneapolis....although I have no idea how suitable that line and its connections at each end would be suitable today....
 
I just crossed that bridge last night on my way from GBB to DEN on the CZ5. They have new concrete piers up for the replacement truss spans.
 
It looks to me that the BNSF could have ran the train from Galesburg to Burlington via Ft. Madison using the route of the Chief, and then a short freight only segment that at one time hosted the 'Zephyr Rocket' between St. Louis and Minneapolis....although I have no idea how suitable that line and its connections at each end would be suitable today....
From google maps, it seems that the connections in Fort Madison and Burlington are in use. I don't know about the speed of the line although. The connection in Burlington is right by the bridge so it might be closed because of the construction.
 
It will use the UP line from Chicago via Wheaton, DeKalb, Rochelle, Clinton, IA, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Council Bluff and connect with BNSF at Omaha.

It has been used before when derailments or floods on the BNSF Iowa main have disrupted service.

Normally a UP pilot engine and crew are attached in Chicago and continues to Omaha. Liability of this route is heavy UP freight traffic that will

cause #5&6 to sit and wait for UP freights to clear. So delays may be possible.

The train would be delayed, but the non-stop routing should make up the lost time.
 
It will use the UP line from Chicago via Wheaton, DeKalb, Rochelle, Clinton, IA, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Council Bluff and connect with BNSF at Omaha.

It has been used before when derailments or floods on the BNSF Iowa main have disrupted service.

Normally a UP pilot engine and crew are attached in Chicago and continues to Omaha. Liability of this route is heavy UP freight traffic that will

cause #5&6 to sit and wait for UP freights to clear. So delays may be possible.

The train would be delayed, but the non-stop routing should make up the lost time.
No passenger stops perhaps, but the last time I rode that detour, way back in the eighties when it was still C&NW, they stopped at Boone and Clinton, IIRC to change pilot crews.
 
It looks to me that the BNSF could have ran the train from Galesburg to Burlington via Ft. Madison using the route of the Chief, and then a short freight only segment that at one time hosted the 'Zephyr Rocket' between St. Louis and Minneapolis....although I have no idea how suitable that line and its connections at each end would be suitable today....
The ''Zephyr Rocket'' line between Ft.Madison and Burlington is still in use be BNSF coal trains and a local. That section is a ''dark'' line with no signals. I believe the speed limit is 40 mph. It is only 18 miles from Ft. Mad. to Burl. In my opinion, the problem with the line that goes from the old chief line in Ft. Mad. to the line that goes to Burl. is a large horseshoe configuration. I am not sure that Superliner cars could make the turn. It would be a chance for some rare mileage though!

I saw an eastbound 6 on this line 10-15 years ago.I think it went to Quincy, then up to Chicago. By the present schedule it was at least 9 or so hours late!

GregL
 
Greg, where does it connect with the current Zephyr line outside Burlington? On Google Maps all I've found is the very large maze of ammunition plant tracks.
 
Greg, where does it connect with the current Zephyr line outside Burlington? On Google Maps all I've found is the very large maze of ammunition plant tracks.
It connects with the Zephyr line on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River bridge. The tracks come in to Burlington right along the river at the base of the bluff. It connects before the Burlington train station.

GregL
 
It will use the UP line from Chicago via Wheaton, DeKalb, Rochelle, Clinton, IA, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Council Bluff and connect with BNSF at Omaha.

It has been used before when derailments or floods on the BNSF Iowa main have disrupted service.

Normally a UP pilot engine and crew are attached in Chicago and continues to Omaha. Liability of this route is heavy UP freight traffic that will

cause #5&6 to sit and wait for UP freights to clear. So delays may be possible.
The train would be delayed, but the non-stop routing should make up the lost time.
No passenger stops perhaps, but the last time I rode that detour, way back in the eighties when it was still C&NW, they stopped at Boone and Clinton, IIRC to change pilot crews.
I just rode the CZ on this detour last fall, and we were indeed late despite running non-stop save for a crew change. And the crew warned people before we ever even left Chicago's Union Station that we would run late due to the detour. They also made a big deal out of the fact that there would be no smoke stops and that anyone who couldn't wait that long should go into the station and obtain a refund, no questions asked.
 
It looks to me that the BNSF could have ran the train from Galesburg to Burlington via Ft. Madison using the route of the Chief, and then a short freight only segment that at one time hosted the 'Zephyr Rocket' between St. Louis and Minneapolis....although I have no idea how suitable that line and its connections at each end would be suitable today....
The ''Zephyr Rocket'' line between Ft.Madison and Burlington is still in use be BNSF coal trains and a local. That section is a ''dark'' line with no signals. I believe the speed limit is 40 mph. It is only 18 miles from Ft. Mad. to Burl. In my opinion, the problem with the line that goes from the old chief line in Ft. Mad. to the line that goes to Burl. is a large horseshoe configuration. I am not sure that Superliner cars could make the turn. It would be a chance for some rare mileage though!

I saw an eastbound 6 on this line 10-15 years ago.I think it went to Quincy, then up to Chicago. By the present schedule it was at least 9 or so hours late!

GregL
I was on an eastbound No. 4, (can't remember if it was then SW Limited or SW Chief) in the '80's, but we had to detour from Kansas City all the way to Galesburg. We used the BN including some N&W (Wabash) trackage rights, over freight only territory, until we crossed the river at Quincy. At Galesburg, we went back onto ATSF rails for the last lap to Chicago.

And yes, we lost a couple of hours, though not too bad considering.....
 
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From google maps, it seems that the connections in Fort Madison and Burlington are in use. I don't know about the speed of the line although. The connection in Burlington is right by the bridge so it might be closed because of the construction.
The satellite image from July shoes a washed-out bridge between Fort Madison and Wever. Have they repaired it?
 
It looks to me that the BNSF could have ran the train from Galesburg to Burlington via Ft. Madison using the route of the Chief, and then a short freight only segment that at one time hosted the 'Zephyr Rocket' between St. Louis and Minneapolis....although I have no idea how suitable that line and its connections at each end would be suitable today....
The ''Zephyr Rocket'' line between Ft.Madison and Burlington is still in use be BNSF coal trains and a local. That section is a ''dark'' line with no signals. I believe the speed limit is 40 mph. It is only 18 miles from Ft. Mad. to Burl. In my opinion, the problem with the line that goes from the old chief line in Ft. Mad. to the line that goes to Burl. is a large horseshoe configuration. I am not sure that Superliner cars could make the turn. It would be a chance for some rare mileage though!

I saw an eastbound 6 on this line 10-15 years ago.I think it went to Quincy, then up to Chicago. By the present schedule it was at least 9 or so hours late!

GregL

You said that Superliners can't make the turn, but then you say that you saw the CZ on that line. Is that not proof that a Superliner can indeed make the turn? Am I missing something?
 
It looks to me that the BNSF could have ran the train from Galesburg to Burlington via Ft. Madison using the route of the Chief, and then a short freight only segment that at one time hosted the 'Zephyr Rocket' between St. Louis and Minneapolis....although I have no idea how suitable that line and its connections at each end would be suitable today....
The ''Zephyr Rocket'' line between Ft.Madison and Burlington is still in use be BNSF coal trains and a local. That section is a ''dark'' line with no signals. I believe the speed limit is 40 mph. It is only 18 miles from Ft. Mad. to Burl. In my opinion, the problem with the line that goes from the old chief line in Ft. Mad. to the line that goes to Burl. is a large horseshoe configuration. I am not sure that Superliner cars could make the turn. It would be a chance for some rare mileage though!

I saw an eastbound 6 on this line 10-15 years ago.I think it went to Quincy, then up to Chicago. By the present schedule it was at least 9 or so hours late!

GregL

You said that Superliners can't make the turn, but then you say that you saw the CZ on that line. Is that not proof that a Superliner can indeed make the turn? Am I missing something?
Sorry for the confusion. The sharp turn I was refering to, was the 180 degree curve from the old Santa Fe line to the old BN line. I drove by that area yesterday, and I believe they took that section of track out.

When I saw number 6 going from Burlington to Quincy, that was entirely on the BN line(called K line). I was thinking about when I saw no. 6 go to Quincy, and it was in the mid to late 80's. My time frame was a little off!

I hope that clears things up a little. Any questions, reply or PM me.

GregL
 
From google maps, it seems that the connections in Fort Madison and Burlington are in use. I don't know about the speed of the line although. The connection in Burlington is right by the bridge so it might be closed because of the construction.
The satellite image from July shoes a washed-out bridge between Fort Madison and Wever. Have they repaired it?
I was not aware of a bridge being out in this section.

GregL
 
Nice! Thanks for posting! The UP engine was added in Omaha? That will slow things down.
Yes, the UP engine would have been added in Omaha. Based on how long it took for the train to get to Ames, I don't think it was the only one slowing things down.
 
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