Amtrak Crescent.

[battalion51]

It's only because the Silver Meteor's a better operation. :lol:

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Well at 9:51pm #19 FINALLY departed, 6 hours and 51 minutes late.

I called Amtrak, they report that it was "late from the yard" much like Alan predicted.

 

[tp49]

And based on the forecast for the rest of the week things look to get worse before they get better. Glad I don't live in NY anymore but only for that reason.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I saw what you said B51.....your are in d-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-p trouble now. (laughing faces)

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

FYI, todays #19 departed 1 hour and 34 minutes late......the trend continues!

 

[battalion51]

Better than 6:19 though.

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Very very very true.

Earlier, I was calculating some interesting facts (I enjoy trains running late, hence the signature). The last time the crescent was over 6 hours late, was back when the last hurricane/tropical storm came through, I cant quite remember the date, where the Crescent arrived into New York 16 and 1/2 hours late--Which is the latest Crescent in over 2-3 years. This latest 4-5 day stretch of Crescents has been the latest consistant stretch in over 2 1/2 years. I mean heck, we average a Crescent over 2 hours late only about once every 2 weeks, sometimes 2-3 do occur though but very rarely.

 

[AlanB]

I was in Penn today to catch #117 the 2:00 PM Metroliner to Philly, and Amtrak was still suffering from delays. I arrived at 1:30 PM for my train, and the Star had not yet left. In fact it was just pulling into the station at 1:30. Both the Lake Shore and the Crescent were already listed on the boards as delayed with no times given.

Even my train ended up covering train #133's run, since 133 was annulled due to the cold. It's the first time I've ever been on a Metroliner that stopped at Newark Airport. :blink:

 

[Amfleet]

I was in Penn today to catch #117 the 2:00 PM Metroliner to Philly, and Amtrak was still suffering from delays.  I arrived at 1:30 PM for my train, and the Star had not yet left.  In fact it was just pulling into the station at 1:30.  Both the Lake Shore and the Crescent were already listed on the boards as delayed with no times given.
Even my train ended up covering train #133's run, since 133 was annulled due to the cold.  It's the first time I've ever been on a Metroliner that stopped at Newark Airport.   :blink:

Yeah, this cold weather definately is something. School for most of Eastern Massachusetts was cancelled today just on the account it was so cold, though it was perfectly sunny when I woke up.

Getting back to Amtrak, I don't think the Amfleets hold up so well in the cold as many pipes start freezing and ice forms just about wherever there is moisture. Thus no working restrooms, un-operatable doors, and I'm sure the list continues. In Chicago, most Amfleets and Horizons are replaced by Superliners in the winter. The weather is supposed to "warm up" for the weekend, but I sure could jump on a Silver Service train to Florida anytime now (well actually 4 weeks from Sunday I will ).

 

[battalion51]

That's been a big problem. A buddy of mine said they've had two operable doors on the Vermonter past few trips, and that on Tuesday the pipes burst in the lounge, so they had to bring in stuff like coffee with no working water.

 

[Amtrak Railfan]

Is other Amtrak Trains on the Northeast Corridor have been Cancelled or haveing Delays into this bad cold Weather?

 

[AlanB]

Well the cold has certainly been hitting the long distance trains. I'm not real sure how much impact the cold has had on the NEC trains.

 

[battalion51]

I believe delays of about 30 minutes or so are occuring, not too bad compared to the airports though.

 

[AlanB]

While obviously not a valid sample, since my train was making stops that it normally would not make, we were only about 15 minutes late into Philly.

 

[tp49]

They're probably still having isssues with cars freezing at Sunnyside...what do they do to unfreeze them, do they have a de-icing type thing like at the airport or do they use torches or heat guns to unfreeze things?

I wonder if the LIRR, NJT, and MN are faring any better with the cold...although we all know that when it dips below freezing or snows more than 3 inches the LIRR leaves a lot to be desired.

Another Amtrak related question is the Harold Interlocking owned by the LIRR or Amtrak, I always get confused as to where Amtrak ownership ends and LIRR's begins.

 

[battalion51]

From looking at the NEC Employee Timetable it looks as though the interlocking is owned by Amtrak, but Alan would know best.

 

[AlanB]

They're probably still having isssues with cars freezing at Sunnyside...what do they do to unfreeze them, do they have a de-icing type thing like at the airport or do they use torches or heat guns to unfreeze things?

If possible they run the cars into the shop to thaw them, however that takes time and the shop is only just so big. So then they resort to any trick in the book. Plus they try to rotate every car that ran north on it's last run, such that it's next run is to the south.

I wonder if the LIRR, NJT, and MN are faring any better with the cold...although we all know that when it dips below freezing or snows more than 3 inches the LIRR leaves a lot to be desired.

They are not. The LIRR cancelled or combined at least 15 trains for rush hour tonight. Metro North did the same.

I haven't heard of any cancellation by NJT, but they have been running with delays. This morning was particularly bad. Between a derailment on the Main Line at Secaucus Junction, one hour delays on the M&E, plus half hour delays on the NEC.

Another Amtrak related question is the Harold Interlocking owned by the LIRR or Amtrak, I always get confused as to where Amtrak ownership ends and LIRR's begins.

I think that by and large Amtrak owns Harold, but there is some intermingling with LIRR ownership. I'm not quite sure just how it works out, but I do know that on the occasions that Amtrak has gone on strike (or at least threatened a strike), that the LIRR contingency plans do include the use of the Hunters Point station and the LIC station.

So somehow either the LIRR has some control over certain switches or Amtrak must leave key switches set so that the trains can reach Hunters Point and LIC.

 

[tp49]

IIRC the last time Amtrak threatened a strike the contingency plan had them stopping all trains at either Jamaica, or Flatbush Avenue because of something to do with Amtrak not being cooperative allowing trains into Hunterspoint Avenue. LIC might have been in the plan via the "Lower Montauk." However I can't remember totally anymore.

I believe that (from having my memory jogged a bit) that Amtrak's ownership comes in somewhere near where the old Ronzoni pasta factory was in Queens as that was approximately where the Hell Gate line met the tracks leading into Harold and where the catenary starts as well. Which leads me to ask I know they rebuilt Harold tower when the LIRR did the big Harold Interlocking project years ago but is that tower still manned and if not is it manned from PSCC.

As for the Crescent I'm sure it will be closer to on-time today thanks to the "heat wave" that's supposed to come into NY today by the way of slightly above freezing temperatures.

 

[AlanB]

While I can't say for sure, I have to believe that it is now unmaned. I never hear any transmissions from the Harold tower, but I do occasionally hear trains calling PSCC for a signal.

Q Tower, the Sunnyside Yard Tower, however is still staffed as I hear them all the time.

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Well things are not quite back to normal STILL. #19 has left between 1-2 hours late twice over the past four days.

 

[Guest_Foodman53]

Interesting subject, so now I'll put my two cents in.

 

Along it's route from Washington right through to about Birmingham, the Crescent would encounter far more hilly, if not mountainous terrain, as opposed to the Silver Service. The old Southern Railway line pretty much straddles the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, with some pretty steep grades from Greenville, SC., right on past Birmingham, as opposed to darn near a flat grade for CSX's "A" line(Meteor/Auto Train). The old "S" line through Raleigh and Columbia is somewhat more hilly than the "A" however.......but, putting 2 units on "19/20" vs 1 for "91/92/97/98" could indeed make sense, if geography is the determining factor

 

Having said all this, "back in my day"(1975-1980) on the road...we always had 2 SDP40F's on the point for the Meteor/Star/Champion...and the Floridian!!

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

I have traveled the Crescent so much but since it is dark and I am usually asleep, I guess I do not have a "feel" for how hilly it might be.

I regret never riding the Piedmont Limited (from WAS to ATL and NO, not to be confused with today's Piedmont) or any other day train on that route---Amtrak or pre-Amtrak. Would have understood it better no doubt. .

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Well while the topic is back up at the top...

The crescent is still being heavily effected by the cold weather. It has departed ontime only 2 times over the last 2 weeks. The delays have ranged from six hours, to 30 minutes.