Boarding and alighting

[MARC Rider]

Whenever I have boarded on LD trains in Sleeper on the NEC stops, I have always found the SCA standing at the door looking around for customers headed to his/her car.

Not just the sleepers, the coach attendants are standing at the doors, too, so they can direct you to the correct car for your destination.

 

[rookzie]

Yes, the outward appearance of cars would be clues for those familiar with contemporary single-level sleeping cars on non-Canadian trains.

Thing is, the external shape of the cars ─ whether it be the curved sides of the Amfleets or the distinctive bevel and stacked windows of the Viewliners ─ should be a Total Separation of concern for ANY passenger boarding a train. In BalmyZephyr's situation, it can be and often has been stressful for passengers who are clueless to the platform position of sleeping cars, when no staff is present to observe oncoming passengers. And the fact that BalmyZephyr's gang got yelled at, as they were fumbling their way through the cars, is totally unacceptable. I would have gotten that staff badge name and filed a formal complaint.

No passenger EVER should be subjected to that kind of abject behavior. It wasn't as if the passengers did anything out of misconduct, which in turn would warrant some firm and assertive warning.

 

[Rasputin]

Interesting situation with entraining and detraining from No. 3 at Flagstaff this morning. The regular (north) station track was evidently out of service and No. 3 had to use the south track and load and unload passengers, etc. car by car using the San Francisco Street crossing.

No. 3 arrived at 8:34 a.m. and made 8 stops at the crossing as follows:

First stop to load and unload baggage.
Second stop for the lead sleeper.
Third stop for the second sleeper.
Fourth stop to unload trash from the dining car.
Fifth stop to unload what appeared to be a modest-sized piece of cardboard from the SSL.
Sixth stop for lead coach.
Seventh stop for second coach.
Eighth stop for the third coach.

The train departed at 8:56 a.m.

In the days not that long ago before there was such a thing as ballast paranoia, this would have been accomplished much quicker.

 

[joelkfla]

Interesting situation with entraining and detraining from No. 3 at Flagstaff this morning. The regular (north) station track was evidently out of service and No. 3 had to use the south track and load and unload passengers, etc. car by car using the San Francisco Street crossing.

No. 3 arrived at 8:34 a.m. and made 8 stops at the crossing as follows:

First stop to load and unload baggage.
Second stop for the lead sleeper.
Third stop for the second sleeper.
Fourth stop to unload trash from the dining car.
Fifth stop to unload what appeared to be a modest-sized piece of cardboard from the SSL.
Sixth stop for lead coach.
Seventh stop for second coach.
Eighth stop for the third coach.

The train departed at 8:56 a.m.

In the days not that long ago before there was such a thing as ballast paranoia, this would have been accomplished much quicker.

I can understand not wanting to unload passengers on ballast for safety reasons.

But conductors walk on ballast as part of their job. I don't see why an AC couldn't have unloaded the trash from the diner, and especially a single folded piece of cardboard(!) from the SSL, while the conductor was loading passengers in the 1st coach at the crossing. Or just toss the empty box out the door and let someone pick it up!

 

[Rasputin]

I can understand not wanting to unload passengers on ballast for safety reasons.

But conductors walk on ballast as part of their job. I don't see why an AC couldn't have unloaded the trash from the diner, and especially a single folded piece of cardboard(!) from the SSL, while the conductor was loading passengers in the 1st coach at the crossing. Or just toss the empty box out the door and let someone pick it up!

Yes I have seen the Southwest Chief use the south track before with only two or three stops made at the San Francisco Street crossing. As I recall, the dining car trash was carried across the ballast and left on the platform. This may have been during the pandemic when the passenger load was rather light.

 

[tomfuller]

Should the platform extend? I think Amtrak platform should have at least 1000ft, let the passengers on most of the train can get off directly in one stop, from the coach they stayed. The Connecting US should include that.

My profile picture shows the "waiting room" for my home station in Chemult Oregon. Often there are no sleeping car passengers boarding or alighting from the Coast Starlight at CMO. There are usually less than 10 people getting off or getting on northbound or southbound. There was a lot of money spent building the "waiting room" and extending the platform with lighting and heated sidewalk for winter use. The platform in the old "Amshack" days was about half the length that it is now.

 

[SomeArt]

Interesting situation with entraining and detraining from No. 3 at Flagstaff this morning. The regular (north) station track was evidently out of service and No. 3 had to use the south track and load and unload passengers, etc. car by car using the San Francisco Street crossing.

No. 3 arrived at 8:34 a.m. and made 8 stops at the crossing as follows:

First stop to load and unload baggage.
Second stop for the lead sleeper.
Third stop for the second sleeper.
Fourth stop to unload trash from the dining car.
Fifth stop to unload what appeared to be a modest-sized piece of cardboard from the SSL.
Sixth stop for lead coach.
Seventh stop for second coach.
Eighth stop for the third coach.

The train departed at 8:56 a.m.

In the days not that long ago before there was such a thing as ballast paranoia, this would have been accomplished much quicker.

If the platform has 1000ft, the train maybe depart at 8:39！

 

[Rasputin]

If the platform has 1000ft, the train maybe depart at 8:39！

I do not know the length of the platform beside the north track but it seems to be adequate. It would certainly be possible to make the entire area in the front of the station into a level platform which would allow easy use of both tracks. However, I suspect that it would involve considerable expense which may not be justifiable if the south track is only used once or twice a year.

 

[Cal]

If the platform has 1000ft, the train maybe depart at 8:39！

It wasn’t due to platform length, it was because they arrived on a track without a platform and had to use the grade crossing as a platform

 

[SomeArt]

It wasn’t due to platform length, it was because they arrived on a track without a platform and had to use the grade crossing as a platform

Is it common for Amtrak to use level crossing for stopping? Do they mull over that it may block the emergency vehicle?

 

[zephyr17]

Is it common for Amtrak to use level crossing for stopping? Do they mull over that it may block the emergency vehicle?

There are some very minor stops that are very short that the grade crossing is the stop. Lordsburg, NM comes to mind. In that case the very brief stop opening only one door probably occupies the crossing for less time than a long freight train.

The situation described in Flagstaff is different. There are two main tracks there and only one has a platform. Due to operational conditions, the train could not be routed on the track with the platform. Flagstaff is a busy stop, so there had to be multiple spots and it took a long time. Such a situation does not happen often.

 

[Rasputin]

Is it common for Amtrak to use level crossing for stopping? Do they mull over that it may block the emergency vehicle?

It is not common for Amtrak to use the San Francisco Street crossing in Flagstaff for loading and unloading but it happens perhaps once or twice a year when the north track with the platform is out of service for some reason.

However even when the Southwest Chief uses the north track with the platform, it normally blocks San Francisco Street during the stop. There are other streets which remain open for use by emergency vehicles including a highway underpass a short distance away which is not blocked by trains.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

Although I never thought my hometown (Dwight, IL) needed a new Amtrak station when the tracks were upgraded to accommodate high-speed rail, I have noticed that the platform at the new station is considerably longer than the one at the historic old station. (Plus no competing for parking spaces near the station with downtown business customers & employees, which was always an issue at the old station.)

 

[MARC Rider]

The Vermonter also blocks a grade crossing when it stops at Brattleboro, VT. I don't think that people actually board or alight on the grade crossing, as the station has a decent platform, but the train still blocks the crossing.

 

[pennyk]

The Silvers generally block a fairly busy intersection in Winter Park - sometimes for over a few minutes (if the train is early or if a passenger needs the lift). Motorists in "toney" Winter Park generally do not enjoy being delayed by "the train."

 

[Bob Dylan]

Although there is a New Platform @ the Historic Alpine,TX Statio Unstaffed), it is not long enough for the Sunset Ltd. so on the 3 days a week that #1 anx #2 Run, the Grade Crossing by the Station( the Main one in town and the Gsteway to Big Bend National Park) is blocked for 20-30 Minutes as the Sunset changes Crews and does 2 Spots, 1 for the #1/ #2 Section and 1 for the #421/#422 Thru Cars.

 

[jis]

The Silvers generally block a fairly busy intersection in Winter Park - sometimes for over a few minutes (if the train is early or if a passenger needs the lift). Motorists in "toney" Winter Park generally do not enjoy being delayed by "the train."

However, there really are several other crossing that are not blocked that are available to get around the blocked crossing.

 

[TinCan782]

Although there is a New Platform @ the Historic Alpine,TX Statio Unstaffed), it is not long enough for the Sunset Ltd. so on the 3 days a week that #1 anx #2 Run, the Grade Crossing by the Station( the Main one in town and the Gsteway to Big Bend National Park) is blocked for 20-30 Minutes as the Sunset changes Crews and does 2 Spots, 1 for the #1/ #2 Section and 1 for the #421/#422 Thru Cars.

Like this! I was in the 421 Sleeper headed back to LA.

 

[SomeArt]

The Silvers generally block a fairly busy intersection in Winter Park - sometimes for over a few minutes (if the train is early or if a passenger needs the lift). Motorists in "toney" Winter Park generally do not enjoy being delayed by "the train."

The road just bisect the station. Why don’t replace the road as flyover or tunnel?

 

[jis]

The road just bisect the station. Why don’t replace the road as flyover or tunnel?

It is unnecessary since there is an unblocked crossing less than a 1000 feet down the line. No one will put a flyover in the middle of a lovely downtown shopping center in a park-like setting with many walking paths. Indeed the right thing to do might be to simply make it a pedestrian only crossing.