96mph in a Superliner!

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rtabern

rtabern

Conductor
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
1,606
Location
Northwest Wisconsin
A couple of weeks ago I did a trip on #350 from Chicago to Jackson, MI... and thought I'd share the pictures:

http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/8030

The main reason for going was the substitution of Superliner equipment on the route. I guess some Michigan trains are using Superliner equipment because the winter has taken a toll on the Horizon and Amfleets.

The reason for sharing the pictures was to show that we reached 96mph in a Superliner! It's the only spot I think you can do that... The 95mph limit between Porter, IN and Kalamazoo, MI trumps the Southwest Chief by 5mph. We actually reached 96mph for a time according to my pretty reliable GPS.

Also, included are pictures of the rarely used 35000-series lower-level Superliner cafe areas actually in use!

Enjoy!

They are supposed to still have Superliners on there on Monday 3/15... planning a trip to Niles, MI and back on #350/365 to see if I can break my Superliner speed record!!!
 
rtabern said:
A couple of weeks ago I did a trip on #350 from Chicago to Jackson, MI... and thought I'd share the pictures:
http://rtabern.shutterfly.com/8030

The main reason for going was the substitution of Superliner equipment on the route. I guess some Michigan trains are using Superliner equipment because the winter has taken a toll on the Horizon and Amfleets.

The reason for sharing the pictures was to show that we reached 96mph in a Superliner! It's the only spot I think you can do that... The 95mph limit between Porter, IN and Kalamazoo, MI trumps the Southwest Chief by 5mph. We actually reached 96mph for a time according to my pretty reliable GPS.

Also, included are pictures of the rarely used 35000-series lower-level Superliner cafe areas actually in use!

Enjoy!

They are supposed to still have Superliners on there on Monday 3/15... planning a trip to Niles, MI and back on #350/365 to see if I can break my Superliner speed record!!!
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Are you trying to get the engineer and other crew members fired? I don't think exceeding the speed limit is in line with proper train handling. Reporting any violation of rules on a public forum isn't a good idea.
 
1MPH over is not going to get them fired. the speed limit in that section is 95MPH.
 
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Who said anything about violating the rules? If the speed limit for that track is 95 mph, then the engineer will not get in trouble for going 96.
 
I believe the FRA allows for 3 MPH over the speed limit for speedometer calibration. I was on the EB last summer and my seatmate had a Garmin as well. He clocked us doing 81 in a 79mph stretch. The wayside detector caught it, we both heard it and gave an enthusiastic 'thumbs up/yea!' We ended up about 12 minutes early into Chicago.
 
amtrak owns that section of track for one. the locos for the Michigan services are equipped with a form of cab signaling.
 
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Mark said:
I believe the FRA allows for 3 MPH over the speed limit for speedometer calibration. I was on the EB last summer and my seatmate had a Garmin as well. He clocked us doing 81 in a 79mph stretch. The wayside detector caught it, we both heard it and gave an enthusiastic 'thumbs up/yea!' We ended up about 12 minutes early into Chicago.
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That's also what the engines are setup for is 3 MPH over the limit, after which the computer will apply the brakes. Not in areas without cab signals, the engine must be programmed for the top speed that the train will encounter during its journey. Therefore it is technically possible for a Michigan train to do 95 in areas with a lower speed limit and the computer won't care.

The dispatcher and other's may care, but the computer won't react until you're doing 99 MPH.
 
amtrakwolverine said:
amtrak owns that section of track for one. the locos for the Michigan services are equipped with a form of cab signaling.
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Correct, about 97 miles of the run to Detroit in Michigan are on Amtrak owned class 6 track. The current speed limit is 95, but they expect to push it to 105 MPH later this year.
 
ALC_Rail_Writer said:
Not to mention it is possible for the OP's GPS to be off by a little bit.
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from porter Indiana to Kalamazoo Michigan is the longest stretch(97miles) of track owned by Amtrak OUTSIDE of the NEC. it also has concrete ties. I noticed that the signals have signs that say high speed trains.
 
amtrakwolverine said:
ALC_Rail_Writer said:
Not to mention it is possible for the OP's GPS to be off by a little bit.
Click to expand...
from porter Indiana to Kalamazoo Michigan is the longest stretch(97miles) of track owned by Amtrak OUTSIDE of the NEC. it also has concrete ties. I noticed that the signals have signs that say high speed trains.
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... That's nice. Still 1mph is well within the 3% plus/minus margin of error that most GPS systems have.
 
Ok so I am a complainer, lets get that one out of the way.. I guess I was in jobs that depended on how things looked to the public too long! But I am just always struck by how things like those boxes and coats piled up the walls in the little restaurant area just looks totally tacky.. Its one of the things that it wouldn't seem like would take all that much to solve if someone cared, but after 30 years it is pretty obvious they don't. Sort of like our only trip on the Lakeshore and we were greeted by a whole table removed and boxes stacked in its place. Who's in charge of these things?
 
Larry H. said:
Ok so I am a complainer, lets get that one out of the way.. I guess I was in jobs that depended on how things looked to the public too long! But I am just always struck by how things like those boxes and coats piled up the walls in the little restaurant area just looks totally tacky.. Its one of the things that it wouldn't seem like would take all that much to solve if someone cared, but after 30 years it is pretty obvious they don't. Sort of like our only trip on the Lakeshore and we were greeted by a whole table removed and boxes stacked in its place. Who's in charge of these things?
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I agree. Fixing things like this could make Amtrak look A LOT more respectable.
 
I recorded a top speed of 96.2mph on the SWC back in June, I believe the highest speed limit on the route is 90mph, so I don't think it is really that uncommon. My GPS seemed to be right on, most of time out in AZ - NM it was right at 90 as we paralleled the interstate.
 
dart330 said:
I recorded a top speed of 96.2mph on the SWC back in June, I believe the highest speed limit on the route is 90mph, so I don't think it is really that uncommon. My GPS seemed to be right on, most of time out in AZ - NM it was right at 90 as we paralleled the interstate.
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How would you know that your GPS was right on, without having anything else to compare it with? It is not unheard of for GPS's to be occasionally not very right on.
 
jis said:
dart330 said:
I recorded a top speed of 96.2mph on the SWC back in June, I believe the highest speed limit on the route is 90mph, so I don't think it is really that uncommon. My GPS seemed to be right on, most of time out in AZ - NM it was right at 90 as we paralleled the interstate.
Click to expand...
How would you know that your GPS was right on, without having anything else to compare it with? It is not unheard of for GPS's to be occasionally not very right on.
Click to expand...
I took the Cat Ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth and my GPS said I was underwater.
 
jis said:
dart330 said:
I recorded a top speed of 96.2mph on the SWC back in June, I believe the highest speed limit on the route is 90mph, so I don't think it is really that uncommon. My GPS seemed to be right on, most of time out in AZ - NM it was right at 90 as we paralleled the interstate.
Click to expand...
How would you know that your GPS was right on, without having anything else to compare it with? It is not unheard of for GPS's to be occasionally not very right on.
Click to expand...
I am very aware of the inaccuracies of GPS units. On this trip, I had direct line of sight to over 4 satellites with position and elevation accuracy within less than 10 feet. For the majority of the 90mph section I was referring to, the train maintained a steady pace of 89-91mph, slowing down and speeding up as we traversed various terrain. This is what I expected, they would cruise at the top allowable speed. I am not trying to claim that they actually hit 96mph, but given the accuracy and consistency of my GPS unit based on a clear sky and good line of site to more than the minimum number of needed satellites, I would very certainly say we exceeded the speed limit by more than 1mph.
 
Alright, I'll spring for it...where did the SWC do 90+? Certainly not in Kansas Dorothy.
 
Speedy said:
Alright, I'll spring for it...where did the SWC do 90+? Certainly not in Kansas Dorothy.
Click to expand...
SWC does 90 in NM and AZ

82mph.jpg


My GPS on the last time I was on the SWC.
 
ALC_Rail_Writer said:
amtrakwolverine said:
regardless if the GPS was 100% or not amtrak is permitted to run 95MPH on that stretch of track
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Yes nobody is debating that fact. There's just a mild curiosity how/if the engineer managed to exceed that speed and if he did-- how big of a deal that is.
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Whoever set the overspeed on the locomotive screwed up.....
 
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