Auto train delayed again (both?) - what's their excuse/reason this time?

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BLNT

Service Attendant
Joined
Nov 5, 2019
Messages
147
Looks like both 52 and 53 are running about 5 hours behind, at least the way I read their status.
 
I hope they catch up by Wednesday. I leave on Thursday from Lorton.


Yikes - now one is showing as almost EIGHT hours late.

Ours will be a quick up/back next week. Heading north on Wednesday, and back south on Saturday.

Hope they don't get so far behind that they end up cancelling a run (like they did on Christmas Eve)!!
 
Hope they don't get so far behind that they end up cancelling a run (like they did on Christmas Eve)!!
I was on (or wasn't LOL) that Xmas Eve non-train.
53 from LOR is only leaving 1.5 hrs late today. 52 from SFA is leaving 4.5 hrs late today...expected in to LOR 4 hrs late tomorrow. We'll see when it leaves LOR tomorrow...I'll be on it for this months trip.
 
53 from SFA has left 1 hour and 50 minutes late according to Amtrak's twitter account. That is not too much time to make up.

So, this page has bad data? (I really don't know!)

SFA

1 hour 50 sounds better than that info !
 
The Silvers from yesterday are/were also running late. The severe weather that hit Florida, Georgia and the Carolina's caused quite a bit of wind and rain related damage. Flooding and loss of power just being a couple of the problems.

The storm has passed.
 
For those who do not live in Virginia and south. The main forest product both urban and in the boonies are pine trees. The trees have been selected to grow straight up and shed lower limbs. They make good power poles, lumber, and peeler logs (plywood ). However they have a nasty habit of growing toward any vacant spot especially toward the sun.

Therefore they tend to lean over houses, highways and RR ROWs. A medium wind or ice and snow causes them to lean over and break about 15 - 20 feet. So you have trees on houses, roads, breaking power and telephone line and falling all over RR tracks.

With the present PSR you have CSX and NS not spending the money to trim back these trees. It is not inexpensive. The Ga DOT has been clearing back pines from our local interstate and has cleared back just about 6 miles since November. That is with a crew of about 20 - 25 persons.
 
Remember, after that fiasco on the Susquehanna River Bridge, CSX initiated wind restrictions. I don't have my references nearby but I believe if the wind reaches 60mph, all trains must stop. It may actually be 50mph. At any rate, I believe the threshold for reduced speed is 30mph winds and that is what you saw up and down the A line yesterdays. The trains were restricted to 40mph for large swaths of the route until noon and 1:30pm.

Additionally, 53(6) actually hit a tree and one of the inbound cars needed replacement at SFA.
 
That explains the email I just got: 53 leaving LOR at 9:00 TONITE !!!!

52(7) is coming up to FBG, so I'm hoping for an arrival close to 5p. This is achievable since the VREs aren't operating today. Hopefully, they can turn and burn by 10:30 pm. The good thing is this next leg is the Saturday into Sunday trip, and traffic on CSX is typically lower.

At any rate, I wonder if the food truck(s) will still be around the coach passengers. o_O
 
Another passenger train was running yesterday and also fell into the delays as well. The CSX Office car train was also out and about. It ended up about five hours off its original schedule as well
 
Going OT here... but I'm wondering, if our young adult son was booked in coach, and we're in a bedroom - could he visit us (sit in our room) prior to having the beds made?
 
So, does dinner become lunch the next day?
Yes...minus the salad. A very nice snack today at 4:00. Domino's pizza and salad at 6ish. Still looking at 9:00 departure. But hey...we weren't canceled!
 

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Yes. The best way to handle would be if one of you escorted him back to the room.

Thanks. Is there some point at which someone asks as to if you're in a sleeper car or not, or for your boarding pass/ID? I just wonder how they monitor people going back/forth?
 
Thanks. Is there some point at which someone asks as to if you're in a sleeper car or not, or for your boarding pass/ID? I just wonder how they monitor people going back/forth?
The food service cars in the center of the train work as a sort of buffer, with signs posted "sleeping car passengers only beyond this point"... Dining car personnel may ask if you are in a sleeper...
 
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