Cancelations / mid-Atlantic storm

[Guest]

I am scheduled to take the auto train next week. Will the problems be solved by then or should I make alternate plans.

If the train is cancelled do I get my money back right away or do they give you a credit to be used for future trips.

Thanks

 

[Ryan]

Early in the week? Maybe?

Late in the week? You should be OK.

If it is cancelled, you get your money back.

Edit:

Anyone doubting the epic nature of these storms:

...PRELIMINARY ALL-TIME SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORDS SET AT THE THREE MAJOR CLIMATE SITES IN THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON AREA...
AS OF 2 PM TODAY...WITH THE 9.8 INCH TWO-DAY SNOWFALL TOTAL MEASURED AT RONALD REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT...THE SEASONAL SNOWFALL TOTAL IN WASHINGTON DC STANDS AT 54.9 INCHES. THIS WOULD BREAK THE PREVIOUS ALL-TIME SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD FOR WASHINGTON DC OF 54.4 INCHES SET IN THE WINTER OF 1898-99. OFFICIAL SNOWFALL RECORDS FOR WASHINGTON DC DATE BACK 126 YEARS TO 1884.

AS OF 1 PM TODAY...WITH THE 11.9 INCH TWO-DAY SNOWFALL TOTAL MEASURED AT BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL THURGOOD MARSHALL AIRPORT...THE SEASONAL SNOWFALL TOTAL IN BALTIMORE STANDS AT 72.3 INCHES. THIS WOULD BREAK THE PREVIOUS ALL-TIME SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD FOR BALTIMORE OF 62.5 INCHES SET IN THE WINTER OF 1995-96. OFFICIAL SNOWFALL RECORDS FOR BALTIMORE DATE BACK 118 YEARS TO 1893.

FINALLY...AS OF YESTERDAY...THIS YEARS SEASONAL SNOWFALL TOTAL AT DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT STOOD AT 63.5 INCHES. THIS WOULD BREAK THE PREVIOUS SEASONAL SNOWFALL RECORD OF 61.9 INCHES SET IN 1995-96. AS OF 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON...THE TWO-DAY SNOWFALL TOTAL AT DULLES IS 8.5 INCHES...WHICH WOULD MAKE THIS YEARS SEASONAL SNOWFALL TOTAL 72.0 INCHES. OFFICIAL SNOWFALL RECORDS FOR DULLES DATE BACK 48 YEARS TO 1962.

THESE PRELIMINARY STORM TOTALS ARE AS OF THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON 10 FEB 2010...AND WILL BE UPDATED AFTER THE CURRENT SNOW HAS ENDED.

AS WITH ANY MAJOR CLIMATE RECORD ACHIEVEMENT...THESE PRELIMINARY RECORDS WILL BE QUALITY CONTROLLED BY NOAA`S NATIONAL CLIMATIC DATA

CENTER OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

For DC, you have to remember too that the 1898/99 record was recorded at a downtown location that gets FAR more snow than the airport right on the river (DC's current recording station), so the snowfall totals are that much more epic.

 

[Amtrak839]

Update of life on the RF&P, slightly late, believe these are from yesterday:

CSX BD Dispatcher Transcripts:

"You don’t want to know how bad it is…I can get you to Ravensworth [a few miles south of Franconia] but probably not beyond…Those four trains they are fleeting north from Richmond you can probably get on one of them, I wouldn’t venture to say which…"

"I’ve got one track from ? to Ravensworth…trains parked on the other track, with switches frozen…an 8,000 foot train just went into emergency at Fredericksburg, they’re walking the train with 2 feet of snow…I’m sorry to disappoint you."

And a general report:

Amtrak offered CSX a back-to-back rescue engine and crew last night to go out of DC and down onto the RF&P to rescue stranded crews. The only mistake is that Amtrak didn't put a coach in between the two engines. At the highest point, there were 17 CSX employees jammed in the two cabs. They spent almost 7 hours rescuing stranded crews on the RF&P, some who had been with their trains over 36 hours.

These were passed on to me by a friend, not sure what his source was, but he has proven to be a very reliable source of information.

 

[Idon'tFly]

Here is the news update from CSX.com. Still looks bad for my trip on Sunday.

CSX Service Bulletin: Feb. 10 Winter Weather Update

Released: Feb 10, 2010

CSX train and yard operations throughout the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are still affected by the severe winter weather experienced over the last several days and the new weather system moving through the Northeast now. Record snowfalls and near white-out conditions are affecting many locations around our network, especially in the Northeast. CSX crews are working to restore and maintain service in our yards, terminals and along the line of road when it is safe and feasible. Customers are advised to expect continued delays over the next 48 to 72 hours until this weather system passes and our field operations can be safely resumed.

The derailment near Cumberland, Md has been cleared. However, due to the congestion and weather delays in the area, service delays should be expected for the next few days.

CSX is doing everything possible to restore normalized service around our network. Our crews, working under difficult circumstances, are doing an amazing job of keeping our network running without compromising safety. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we all recover from these record-breaking storms.

 

[Scared Southern Traveler]

Can anyone here take an educated guess as to whether the Auto Train will run from Lorton to Sanford on Sunday, 2/14?

 

[Amtrak839]

Can anyone here take an educated guess as to whether the Auto Train will run from Lorton to Sanford on Sunday, 2/14?

I think it probably will. The problems stopping the Auto Train right now are between Lorton and Richmond. That's a major passenger and freight route, so CSX should be working quickly to get those tracks cleared.

 

[henryj]

It just keeps going on. More of the same. Still no service to Florida.

Amtrak Continues to Offer Acela Express/Regional Service on the Northeast Corridor February 11

February 10, 2010

8:00 pm ET

Washington - Despite continued severe winter weather in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the Northeast Corridor remains open and Amtrak will operate Acela Express and Northeast Regional service between Boston, New York and Washington on Thursday, February 11 to correspond with passenger demand.

The recent wave of severe weather has also resulted in downed trees and power lines on portions of CSX freight railroad tracks south of Washington, requiring continued service cancelations in Virginia, and the Carolinas.

The following service adjustments have been made for Thursday, February 11:

Acela Express

- Trains 2103, 2107, 2151, 2155, 2117, 2121, 2165, 2167, 2119, 2171, 2173, 2193, 2109, 2153, 2190, 2150, 2100, 2154, 2104, 2160, 2110, 2166, 2170, 2122, 2124 and 2126 are canceled

- Trains 2168 and 2172 are canceled Boston to New York, but will operate New York to Washington Northeast Regionals

- Trains 151, 181, 125, 85, 127, 193, 187, 110, 130, 86, 84, 186, 196, 188, 183, 129 and 141 are all canceled

- Train 173 canceled Boston to New York, but will operate New York to Washington

- Trains 67, 95, 67, 94 and 66 are all canceled south of Washington

- Train 93 canceled Boston to New York, but will operate New York to Washington, will not travel south of Washington

- Train 190 canceled Washington to New York, but will operate New York to Boston

All Northeast Regional service south of Washington to Richmond and Newport News is canceled.

Northeast Regional train 176 will operate Lynchburg to Washington and onto Boston and train 171 will operate through to Lynchburg. Keystone Service

- Will operate Trains 641, 655, 644 and 656 only. Empire Service: Limited service is available between Niagara Falls, Albany and New York. The following services are canceled in their entirety with no alternate transportation:

Capitol Limited: Trains 29 and 30 (Washington, D.C. – Chicago); Auto Train: Trains 52 and 53 (Lorton, Va. – Sanford, Fla.); Palmetto: Trains 89 and 90 (New York – Savannah). The following are offering service along a portion of their normal routes:

Silver Service: Trains 97 and 98 will operate between Miami and Savannah only. Trains 91 and 92 will operate between Miami and Raleigh only. Carolinian: Trains 79 and 80 will operate between Raleigh and Charlotte only. Cardinal Service: Trains 50 and 51 will operate between Huntington, WV, and Chicago only. All other Amtrak services, including the Piedmont, trains 73 and 74 (Raleigh – Charlotte) and the Crescent, trains 19 and 20 (New York – New Orleans) are expected to operate normally.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

 

[haolerider]

It just keeps going on. More of the same. Still no service to Florida.
Amtrak Continues to Offer Acela Express/Regional Service on the Northeast Corridor February 11

February 10, 2010

8:00 pm ET

Washington - Despite continued severe winter weather in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, the Northeast Corridor remains open and Amtrak will operate Acela Express and Northeast Regional service between Boston, New York and Washington on Thursday, February 11 to correspond with passenger demand.

The recent wave of severe weather has also resulted in downed trees and power lines on portions of CSX freight railroad tracks south of Washington, requiring continued service cancelations in Virginia, and the Carolinas.

The following service adjustments have been made for Thursday, February 11:

Acela Express

- Trains 2103, 2107, 2151, 2155, 2117, 2121, 2165, 2167, 2119, 2171, 2173, 2193, 2109, 2153, 2190, 2150, 2100, 2154, 2104, 2160, 2110, 2166, 2170, 2122, 2124 and 2126 are canceled

- Trains 2168 and 2172 are canceled Boston to New York, but will operate New York to Washington Northeast Regionals

- Trains 151, 181, 125, 85, 127, 193, 187, 110, 130, 86, 84, 186, 196, 188, 183, 129 and 141 are all canceled

- Train 173 canceled Boston to New York, but will operate New York to Washington

- Trains 67, 95, 67, 94 and 66 are all canceled south of Washington

- Train 93 canceled Boston to New York, but will operate New York to Washington, will not travel south of Washington

- Train 190 canceled Washington to New York, but will operate New York to Boston

All Northeast Regional service south of Washington to Richmond and Newport News is canceled.

Northeast Regional train 176 will operate Lynchburg to Washington and onto Boston and train 171 will operate through to Lynchburg. Keystone Service

- Will operate Trains 641, 655, 644 and 656 only. Empire Service: Limited service is available between Niagara Falls, Albany and New York. The following services are canceled in their entirety with no alternate transportation:

Capitol Limited: Trains 29 and 30 (Washington, D.C. – Chicago); Auto Train: Trains 52 and 53 (Lorton, Va. – Sanford, Fla.); Palmetto: Trains 89 and 90 (New York – Savannah). The following are offering service along a portion of their normal routes:

Silver Service: Trains 97 and 98 will operate between Miami and Savannah only. Trains 91 and 92 will operate between Miami and Raleigh only. Carolinian: Trains 79 and 80 will operate between Raleigh and Charlotte only. Cardinal Service: Trains 50 and 51 will operate between Huntington, WV, and Chicago only. All other Amtrak services, including the Piedmont, trains 73 and 74 (Raleigh – Charlotte) and the Crescent, trains 19 and 20 (New York – New Orleans) are expected to operate normally.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

You think they don't want to get service restored to FL??

 

[acelafan]

It just keeps going on. More of the same. Still no service to Florida.

And it will continue until CSX and the other East Coast RRs can get everything cleaned up after the blizzard(s). I am sure they are all working hard to clear the tracks. It's not too fun working outside with the temperature around 30 and the winds gusting to 40MPH as it is right now in DC.

It goes without saying that Amtrak wants to get the trains rolling as soon as they can.

 

[jis]

It just keeps going on. More of the same. Still no service to Florida.

And it will continue until CSX and the other East Coast RRs can get everything cleaned up after the blizzard(s). I am sure they are all working hard to clear the tracks. It's not too fun working outside with the temperature around 30 and the winds gusting to 40MPH as it is right now in DC.

It goes without saying that Amtrak wants to get the trains rolling as soon as they can.

I was reading on another board that couple of days back Amtrak sent out 2 P42s from Alexandria to rescue CSX crews from stalled trains. Jokingly the poster said that the mistake that they made was to not include a coach between the two P42s. At the end of it all apparently a total of 17 crew members, some of whom had been stuck on their engines for over 36 hours were crammed into the two available cabs and brought back to Alexandria. Things have been really really bad for whatever reason on the RF&P.

 

[Idon'tFly]

Most Northeast Corridor and Service South of Washington Resumes February 12

February 11, 2010

5:30 pm ET

Washington - Most service in the Northeast Corridor resumes Friday, February 12. Amtrak will operate Acela Express and Northeast Regional service between Boston, New York and Washington.

Service south of Washington through Virginia and in the Carolinas also resumes.

Service adjustments for Friday, February 12

All Acela Express trains will operate normally. Northeast Regionals

- Trains 111 and 78 are canceled.

- Train 83 will operate from Boston to Richmond only.

- Train 85 will operate from Washington to Richmond only.

- Trains 86, 84 and 94 are canceled south of Washington. All Keystone trains will operate normally. All Empire Service train will operate normally. Silver Service trains 92, 97 and 98 (Miami to New York) will operate normally. Carolinian trains 79 and 80 will operate normally between New York and Charlotte. Capitol Limited train 30 will operate normally between Chicago and New York. The following services are canceled in their entirety with no alternate transportation:

Capitol Limited: Train 29 (Washington, D.C. – Chicago); Auto Train: Trains 52 and 53 (Lorton, Va. – Sanford, Fla.); Palmetto: Trains 89 and 90 (New York – Savannah). Full service on these trains is expected to resume Saturday, February 13. The following are offering service along a portion of their normal routes:

Silver Service: Train 91 will operate between Raleigh and Miami only. Cardinal Service: Trains 50 and 51 will operate between Huntington, WV, and Chicago only. Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com for schedule information and train status updates.

YEAH!! My train Silver Service is expected to run normally again...Now I can stop research blogs all day, so I can pack!!

Thank you all for your help and information!! I appreciate it!!

Happy Travels!!

 

[Guest]

I hope Amtrak stays true to its word and that only the Cardinal remains suspended tommorow...

Looks like a day for equipment positioning!

 

[jis]

A footnote to these harrowing times due to snow....

There are reports from Amtrak Engineers who run both Acelas and Regionals on the NEC posted on railroad.net and misc.transport.rail.americas newsgroup on Usenet stating the following:

1. All Acela sets that operated during the snow event, did so with only the front motor running. The rear motor was completely powered down.

2. There were several instances where an Acela set was substituted for a Regional consist to run a Regional schedule. This naturally created a few issues about platforming and boarding at places like KIN. But somehow they apparently managed.

I have no idea why substitution was carried out as in 2, but would guess that it might have had something to do with consists out of position.

There is anecdotal evidence supporting Alan's conjecture that many of the cancellations were more because there was hardly any ridership, rather than because there was any train equipment problems on the NEC. Track availability was another matter though. There was significant capacity reduction because not all tracks were cleared all the time. For a period Prince to Bacon was single tracked, and then signal power failed thus requiring Form D operation of everything between Wilmington and Baltimore, which naturally was no fun. Certain interlocking were nailed straight and not used during the peak of the storm. However, unlike in the past, Swift interlocking operated flawlessly through the storm and thus there were very few diversions of Midtown Directs to Hoboken. Those new electric switch heaters apparently performed well even in the face of 2" to 3" per hour snowfall rates and blowing snow.

Incidentally, it was also mentioned that the massive tree cutting operation that Amtrak undertook in the fall last year may have saved the day on the NEC, since there were no tree incidents of much consequence on the NEC this time.

As for the Auto Train reports are that it will start operating on its regular schedule from 2/15. Haven't seen anything specific yet on the Cardinal, but my guess is starting mid week. AFAICT everything else is operating normally today in, to and from the Northeast.

 

[wayman]

Certain interlocking were nailed straight and not used during the peak of the storm.

Just curious, do they do this physically at the track with spikes (as in the olden days) to make damn sure the rails themselves don't move due to water/ice/expansion/whatever issues?

Or do they just do this at the control tower with a physical lock on the switch levers/cranks/buttons?

Or is the control tower so remote that there are no levers, just software, so they do this with a software lock-out, and just assume everything will work properly at the physical switchpoint itself which is miles away and not subject to visual confirmation or inspection?

I would think the biggest concern during a storm is "train running through creates enough heat to melt snow temporarily, water seeps down between the rails at the switch, then re-freezes to ice which means it expands and pushes the switch points apart a bit, possibly enough to pose a big problem for the next train". And a software lock, or even a lever lock, may not be enough to counter the effects of Mother Nature....

 

[jis]

Certain interlocking were nailed straight and not used during the peak of the storm.

Just curious, do they do this physically at the track with spikes (as in the olden days) to make damn sure the rails themselves don't move due to water/ice/expansion/whatever issues?

Or do they just do this at the control tower with a physical lock on the switch levers/cranks/buttons?

Or is the control tower so remote that there are no levers, just software, so they do this with a software lock-out, and just assume everything will work properly at the physical switchpoint itself which is miles away and not subject to visual confirmation or inspection?

I don't know for sure. But my guess is that since all of NEC barring a few exceptions in NJ is now CTC controlled through a few CETC centers, the "nailing" happens through locking the switches through the control system to make sure that they are not moved. Also it would be kind of hard to nail anything through concrete ties I would imagine, at least for those switches that sit on concrete ties.

I also believe that all mainline switches on the NEC are now equipped with electric heaters of some sort, so the straightlining is to simply reduce the chances of switches requiring maintenance in difficult conditions, I'd imagine. I suspect that the electric heaters are operated even when the switches are not used.

I have not heard about water seeping down, freezing and expanding as an issue, but then again that is neither here, nor there, since I have no way of making sure that I have heard everything on the subject

Again these are all my best guesses. I will ask my CETC operator friend the next time I run into him.

 

[jis]

BTW brace yourselves. From www.wunderground.com:

Washington DC Monday afternoon through Tuesday early morning 70% likelihood of snow, amounts too early to project. Blustery

Richmond VA Monday afternoon through Tuesday early morning 50-60% likelihood of snow amount too early to project. Blustery

Baltimore MA Monday afternoon through Tuesday early morning 60-70% likelihood of snow amount too early to project. Blustery

Philadelphia PA Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon 60% likelihood of snow amount too early to project. Blustery

New York NY Monday night through Tuesday afternoon 60% likelihood of snow amount too early to project. Blustery

Hope it is all just a few inches. Otherwise at least south of Philly we are screwed. I don't expect any problems in the NY/NJ area, which handled the big one last week with style (except for the yoyos in Camden who plowed their street and put all the snow on the RiverLINE tracks :angry: ), and all roads and railroads are completely clear and operational. New York City actually had school closure only one day, the day of the actual snowstorm.