Changing locomotives in Washington?

[TheCrescent]

There seems to be some kind of issue this evening with changes from electric to diesel locomotives on southbound trains at Washington Union Staton.

I’ve been sitting on my train in the station for over 2 hours and 15 minutes, and it took an hour and 40 minutes for the electric locomotive to get disconnected.

Another train on a track next to mine sat in the station for 45 minutes.

I’ve sat through numerous electric-to-diesel changes (including in New Haven in the 1990s) and this is the first time when something seems to have gone wrong.

Doesn’t Amtrak have diesel locomotives ready well in advance? Or does Amtrak have tight timing between when they arrive on one train and are shifted to another train? And if one diesel is broken down, does that mess up things; are there few spares?

Thanks.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

There seems to be some kind of issue this evening with changes from electric to diesel locomotives on southbound trains at Washington Union Staton.

I’ve been sitting on my train in the station for over 2 hours and 15 minutes, and it took an hour and 40 minutes for the electric locomotive to get disconnected.

Another train on a track next to mine sat in the station for 45 minutes.

I’ve sat through numerous electric-to-diesel changes (including in New Haven in the 1990s) and this is the first time when something seems to have gone wrong.

Doesn’t Amtrak have diesel locomotives ready well in advance? Or does Amtrak have tight timing between when they arrive on one train and are shifted to another train? And if one diesel is broken down, does that mess up things; are there few spares?

Thanks.

They had a shortage of working diesels the last couple of days. Yesterday they had to make last minute moves of 2 diesels from Philly to Washington. There were a lot of late trains yesterday in both directions.
No, they can’t quick turn diesels. The diesels have to go to the pit to refuel.

 

[TheCrescent]

They had a shortage on of working diesels the last couple of days. Yesterday they had to make last minute moves of 2 diesels from Philly to Washington. There were a lot of late trains yesterday in both directions.
No, they can’t quick turn diesels. The diesels have to go to the pit to refuel.

Thanks, that’s very helpful.

I saw a few trains heading north on the NEC between Washington and Philadelphia, with diesels. That explains that too then.

Thanks again!

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Got to have a working locomotive that fuel up and ready to work.

No brain eating ameboa needed.

 

[Acela150]

They had a shortage on of working diesels the last couple of days. Yesterday they had to make last minute moves of 2 diesels from Philly to Washington. There were a lot of late trains yesterday in both directions.
No, they can’t quick turn diesels. The diesels have to go to the pit to refuel.

Yesterday they had to swap out power for 89 and 185 in Philly. I’ve heard a couple of reasons on why it occurred. Both make sense.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Yesterday they had to swap out power for 89 and 185 in Philly. I’ve heard a couple of reasons on why it occurred. Both make sense.

Actually, 89 was pulled by a Sprinter and the diesel was 2nd due to it not having ACSES (or whatever the letters are). 185 had only a diesel. And I missed both of them. Grrr

 

[Acela150]

KActually, 89 was pulled by a Sprinter and the diesel was 2nd due to it not having ACSES (or whatever the letters are). 185 had only a diesel. And I missed both of them. Grrr

You got it right.