Crescent Delays - Tuscaloosa, AL?????

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Hytec

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Does anyone have information as to why the Crescent, both 19 and 20, are being delayed almost daily by over an hour in or around Tuscaloosa, AL? I have reservations in early June with connections at NYP northbound and a grandson meeting me at SDL southbound. I can probably negotiate a Plan-B at NYP, but inconveniencing my grandson after a hard day's work is not good.

What bugs me is that I used 19/20 for business travel every other month between SDL and WAS for seven years in the 1990's. We were within 15 minutes at both ends 90% of the time, and no more than 30 minutes down at worst.
 
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I've not been keeping an eye on this specific situation but I'll suggest that trains 19 & 20 are normally scheduled to meet each other in this area. If one of them is late to begin with, the other one will be delayed as well as they are not in the right place at the right time to meet. Throw in a freight train or two and the problem magnifies.
 
Thanks. I agree that's reasonable on occasion, but not almost every day, and always at TSC. Also, I don't know of any interaction between 19 and 20 at their meets. It isn't as if one was dropping off passengers for the other to pick up like at CHI or NYP. OK, I'm probably over reacting, but my grandson is doing me a big favor, and my great-grandkids need him home on time... :)
 
Judging from the aerial imagery Of Google Earth, there appears to be four reasons for this:

• It appears that the passenger platform at Tuscaloosa can only serve one train at a time.

• Both Crescents are scheduled to arrive at Tuscaloosa within 23 minutes of each other.

• If the other passenger train happens to arrive before the first one departs, it would have to wait on either of the other two tracks adjacent to the station or one of the sidings located 2,000 feet to the South or 10 miles to the North - parked freight traffic permitting.

• Freight traffic passing through in addition to that for the fairly sizable industries located in the South part of town.
 
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The NS Meridian-Tuscaloosa-Birmingham is quite busy for what's basically a single track line. South of St Louis, NS has only three routes to get to the Mississippi. Two of them involve Meridian-Birmingham, and the Meridian Speedway has put more pressure on the AGS South district.
 
xyzzy, thanks. I guess that's a consequence of the KCS/NS upgrade to the Meridian Speedway a few years ago. Unfortunately MEI-TSC-BHM is now a choke point for all NS traffic heading to ATL, and Crescent's schedule becomes the loser on the priority list. I only can hope for the best on 6/8...that, and an understanding grandson.
 
I speculate that NS gets more revenue from the Meridian Speedway to Dallas (even if they have to split the revenue with KCS) than from interchanging at Memphis. Similarly BNSF wants to bring its traffic to Birmingham instead of interchanging at Memphis.
 
Here the problem is track space, there aren't enough tidings to allow both trains to pass in Tuscaloosa. Normal procedure involves #19 pulling into a dead end track at CP Bryant which is at the location of Bryant Denny Stadium. Once #19 is clear of the main they wait for #20 to pass then back out onto the main and proceed to the station. The 2nd option is to use the siding at CP Tuscaloosa, this usually involves a backup move also as there is usually a freight already in the siding. 3rd option is to meet at CP Coaling which is 15 mins from the station. In a pinch they've also used the yard at Tuscaloosa. All of this ddepends on which train is closest to the station and the options the dispatcher has to work with.

This is an Amtrak issue and not an NS issue. Amtrak could easily adjust the schedules so that the scheduled meet would happen on the 20 miles of double track from McCalla through Birmingham to Irondale. Most of the double track is 79 mph so it is possible to do a rolling meet at 79 mph with these trains.
 
Are you talking about the track that led to the old wye near 10th Ave and 15th Street? I know the tracks went directly behind Coleman Coliseum and the practice facility but Bryant Denny is a few blocks north of the tracks. Just trying to visualize where CP Bryant is.

I remember there were three tracks if I was walking back towards campus on 10th Ave, but two if I went back up Hackberry Lane.
 
Are you talking about the track that led to the old wye near 10th Ave and 15th Street? I know the tracks went directly behind Coleman Coliseum and the practice facility but Bryant Denny is a few blocks north of the tracks. Just trying to visualize where CP Bryant is.

I remember there were three tracks if I was walking back towards campus on 10th Ave, but two if I went back up Hackberry Lane.
CP Bryant is east of the old Wye. The Wye is still there but can only handle 1 locomotive.
 
I compared today's timetable for 19 & 20 to 1979. Back in those days the trains were timed so that meets on the double track were likely. But not only does 20 depart New Orleans later than it used to, it's also allowed a more leisurely running time between New Orleans and Tuscaloosa. You won't see meets on the double track unless 19 is quite late. In theory Amtrak could solve address the problem by pushing back the schedule of 19, but there may be reasons in and around Washington why Amtrak doesn't want to consider that.

Southern was more than willing to inconvenience 19 south of Atlanta because Southern wanted to preserve 20's on-time status on the more heavily patronized Atlanta-NY segment.
 
Sadly, looking at schedule keeping on this and many other LD routes, I sense that Amtrak's board of directors and most members of Congress want nothing more than to kill all LD trains, and all regionals that states are not willing to fund at 100%.
 
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