Altitude on the Capitol Limited Line

[Bob Dylan]

Excellent post George! My grandfather was the Section foreman for SP @ Paisano Pass in 1944 when I was born and my first home was the Railroad Section House there until my dad came home from the War!

When I had my cataract and retina surgery in 2009 the Doctor told me to stay out of Fast Elevators.(like the Willis Tower) Airplanes and Mile High Cities like Denver and Alpine (almost!) For 6 months! I had the gas bubble in my eye also!

I'd seriously ask my doctor before I took a trip like this! Loss of eyesight is a scarey thing!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

So, is a WAS-NOL-CHI trip something the OP could do considering the restrictions? That is, of course, dependent on travel time & $$ availability.

 

[George Harris]

So, is a WAS-NOL-CHI trip something the OP could do considering the restrictions? That is, of course, dependent on travel time & $$ availability.

Have no idea what the high point is between Washington and Birmingham. Probably not too high, as you are following the foothills of the Appalachians. I leave tjhe research to others. Beyond that it is about as low as you can stay between these points. From B'hanm to New Orleans is almost all downhill, and the CNO follows the Mississippi River all the way. Only in southern Illinois does it stray and get into somewhat hilly territory. The Lake Shore Limitled would probably keep you lower. Remember, Lake Michigan drains through the other lakes that form the "Lakeshore" in the LSL name, so unless it gets well above lake elevation somewhere along the way, if this train gets too high above sea level, then Chicago itself will be too high.

 

[Guest]

So what is the highest point on the amtrak system, I wonder? My guess would be the west portal of the Moffat Tunnel at about 9,200 feet, but I am not at all sure.

 

[JayPea]

At 9239 feet, the elevation at the apex in the Moffat Tunnel is indeed the highest point on Amtrak's system.

 

[James]

Thanks to all who commented. For anyone getting the gas bubble eye surgery, my doc told me that the rate of ascent is the most important component to be aware of. If driving, you may be able to stop every XXX feet and wait for a period of time and let the pressure adjust, then continue up for XXX more feet, etc. However, in a train you don't have the option of stopping and letting the pressure equalize, so even though the ultimate altitude may be lower, the ascent rate could endanger you. I have had to cancel my trip,. As jimhudson pointed out, loss of eyesight is a scary thing! I'm not taking the risk, but really do appreciate all the feedback.

 

[Ryan]

Did the doctor give you a safe rate of ascent? Knowing that, we can tell for sure if the trip would be safe or not.

 

[fairviewroad]

I'd think a train would potentially have a slower rate of ascent than a typical car. I'll grant you that a private automobile can stop

whenever it wants to (more or less). But a car can zip up a modest grade at 65+ mph on an interstate highway, whereas a train

is going to slow considerably. And FWIW, trains do stop along the way, both for stations and for operational reasons (waiting for

another train to pass, for instance). But it's true that you, the passenger, can't control when the train stops.

 

[VentureForth]

The rate of climb according to RyanS' chart is around 35 feet per minute at the 150 mile point and around 25 feet per minute at the 370 mile point.

As a point of comparison, most airliners pressurize the cabin of a plane around 500 feet per minute, and 500-1000 fpm for an unpressurized light aircraft (going up or down) is pretty typical.

BUT - You can't stop a train to equalize. I mean you could always pull the emergency cord (which I think I would do if I didn't know about it ahead of time and my eye was about to burst), but they do frown on that.

Even to fairviewroad's point - the trains stop at stations, the chart Ryan posted showed 55 MPH and 82 MPH respectively during the peak climbs that were shown on his chart. Those speeds aren't stopped.

 

[George Harris]

The maximum grade on the ex B&O is 2.2%, that is 116 feet per mile. For the line DC to Pittsburg it may even be less.. The speed through the Appalachians is not super fast. I wouls say tha t50 mph would be about the top. S, if we take 50 mph, that is a rate of climb of 97 feet per minute. If you are averaging 40 mph on the climb, which I would regard as more likely, the rate of climb would be 77 feet per minute.