Fire impacts Coast Starlight (6/29/21)
- Thread starter coalman
- Start date
Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:
- Status
Danib62
Service Attendant
So much for my honeymoon 
Well, at least they're in there evaluating it. That's the first step.
Wonder if UP will detour trains over the Inside Gateway or just run everything through Odgen?
My guess is Ogden.
Wonder if UP will detour trains over the Inside Gateway or just run everything through Odgen?
My guess is Ogden.
Some fire fighters reported that it was mostly the ties that burned. I wonder if it's possible that the bridge itself is structurally sound despite the terrible looking photos?
Hot fires aren't good for steel.
where are the photos of bridge?
Previous page, response #17
I just got back to Portland. I was on this train. A customer service rep spoke with each of us on the train. He said BN had 2 fire trains there. They were working on Southside but could not get to Northside of the bridge is what he heard on their morning briefing before coming to meet our train. We were told last night on our train that Burlington Northern shut down the tracks.
Um, the fire was on the Union Pacific (ex-SP) portion of the Coast Starlight, route. The train only runs on BNSF between Seattle and Portland.
Sounds like something got lost in translation. Burlington Northern (which no longer exists, having merged with the Santa Fe in 1996 to form BNSF) would not have been involved except maybe to lend equipment and/or workers to UP if UP asked.
With that aside, what was the customer service representative offering for reaccommodation/compensation?
Sounds like something got lost in translation. Burlington Northern (which no longer exists, having merged with the Santa Fe in 1996 to form BNSF) would not have been involved except maybe to lend equipment and/or workers to UP if UP asked.
With that aside, what was the customer service representative offering for reaccommodation/compensation?
Last edited:
danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
I just Google Earthed this and it would appear that the trestle in question is after the split with the branch that goes over Siskiyou Summit, but there's probably fire damage there too. It would be something though if they ran passengers that way for the first time in decades, maybe since pre-WWII.
danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
Maybe not if they have to do major repairs to that trestle and can't use the alternate route either.
Seriously doubt they'd detour over CORP's Siskiyou Line. Much of it is 10 mph. It would take a very long time.
SP ran local passenger trains over the line until the late 1950s. There were two, one ran from Black Butte junction to Medford, the other Eugene-Medford. One was named Rogue River, forget the name of the other one.
Sometime in the 1990s I think ODOT ran a demonstration train from Eugene as far as Roseburg, maybe even to Medford. It didn't go over Siskiyou Summit, though.
Last edited:
danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
I've seen time tables from earlier when they ran alternate routes Ptld to SF, thru Ashland was 2 hours slower than thru K Falls, even though it's shorter, IIRC.
Hows the scenery on the route?
In better times.
thanks for the accurate information. He was working on trip continuation. They were paying for overnight hotel stays and Uber. I don't know what they were doing for connecting transportation like flights. They said customer service would contact us in a couple of days about trip compensation for what we paid.
The Cascade Line ("Natron Cutoff") was opened in the 1920s because it was faster and far better engineered than the 1870s Siskiyou Line even if it was a bit longer.
The Siskiyou line would be a lot slower now, because a lot of what had been 25/30 mph line is now 10 mph.
Finally, Siskiyou Tunnel has really restricted clearance. Am not at all sure it would clear Superliners.
danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
We hit someone racing the train for the crossing on the Cascades a few years ago and I missed my connection to VIA in Vancouver even though I told them about it and they could've gotten my there in time so I had a hotel stay and flew to SK the next day at my own expense. They did jack for me. Thought I had trip insurance but couldn't find it. Just ate hundreds extra.
danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
I got to my brother's wedding in SK (sooner, 'cause I flew) and I wasn't in front of the train, so it worked out. And I got to ride VIA back to Van.
Stay safe!
- Status
