Hurricane Gustav

[Guest]

For the question about where they unloaded:

One report said that they routed around the Memphis sinkhole and then backed into the Memphis station where buses picked up the pax and took them elsewhere.

Elsewhere a report said that they would be given snacks along the trip. Snacks weren't defined.

Re Alan's list of trips: There were 2 on Saturday, so there must have been 2 on Sunday.

 

[Guest]

Picture of one of FEMA Amtrak leads from N'Orleans newspaper online:

http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2008/08/nola_102.html

Evacuees inside roomette:

http://photos.nola.com/tpphotos/2008/08/nola_107.html

 

[Dutchrailnut]

Nice pictures but first one is yard switcher, not one of locomotives on FEMA trains.

 

[rtabern]

Interesting with the consists... I wonder if there was a fight among evacuees as to who got sleeping car rooms and who was in coach... or if no one really cared.

 

[Spokker]

Interesting with the consists... I wonder if there was a fight among evacuees as to who got sleeping car rooms and who was in coach... or if no one really cared.

People who would fight over that would really show their true colors.

 

[had8ley]

Nice pictures but first one is yard switcher, not one of locomotives on FEMA trains.

That is the NOUPT switcher all right. It probably drug the train in from the coach yard and left out behind it after it left. It looks like it's up near the bumper in UPT. While we're on this subject just why did Amtrak take these 500 series GE's out of road service? They arrived on the property amongst great fanfare not all that many years ago. Is there some deficiency that they all share?

 

[Guest]

Well, had8ley, it looks like you'll be at the tip of the spear very soon. You'll be in our thoughts today.

 

[Dutchrailnut]

Nice pictures but first one is yard switcher, not one of locomotives on FEMA trains.

That is the NOUPT switcher all right. It probably drug the train in from the coach yard and left out behind it after it left. It looks like it's up near the bumper in UPT. While we're on this subject just why did Amtrak take these 500 series GE's out of road service? They arrived on the property amongst great fanfare not all that many years ago. Is there some deficiency that they all share?

they ride like a lead sled, and are only 3200 hp, their not totally out of road assignments however any of these can be used to replace a ailing P42 if need be.

but their main assignments is terminal switcher.

 

[had8ley]

Nice pictures but first one is yard switcher, not one of locomotives on FEMA trains.

That is the NOUPT switcher all right. It probably drug the train in from the coach yard and left out behind it after it left. It looks like it's up near the bumper in UPT. While we're on this subject just why did Amtrak take these 500 series GE's out of road service? They arrived on the property amongst great fanfare not all that many years ago. Is there some deficiency that they all share?

they ride like a lead sled, and are only 3200 hp, their not totally out of road assignments however any of these can be used to replace a ailing P42 if need be.

but their main assignments is terminal switcher.

Thanks Dutch~ the GM in NOL made a big to do when they turned the Sunset loose with a pair when they first came out. It didn't take long to see them trailing, then gone. I noticed a slight slow down on #1 leaving El Paso going west but no lack of GE smoke.

 

[had8ley]

Well, had8ley, it looks like you'll be at the tip of the spear very soon. You'll be in our thoughts today.

Thank you sir; if it wasn't for our generator we would be dead in the water. The power went out about 2 hours ago (9 a.m.) CDT and there's no relief in sight. We are under a tornado watch as is everyone from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana. I just came in from moving a pine tree that fell on the main highway in front of our house. Sounds crazy but somebody might need to get to the hospital or be a first responder. I doubt a Hummer would have gotten over this tree.

 

[rtabern]

You're totally in our thoughts!! I hope it spares New Orleans and Baton Rouge. I used to go to college in Arkansas and New Orleans was a few hours away... we used to go a couple of times a year... such a fun city!!

I'm hoping to make it back there next March.

Keep us updated Hadley!

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Stay safe, had8ley.

OBS gone freight...

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

Interesting with the consists... I wonder if there was a fight among evacuees as to who got sleeping car rooms and who was in coach... or if no one really cared.

I bet the number of people who knew enough about trains to have a strong preference may have been small enough that it wouldn't have been much of an issue.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if people simply got assigned to a car. I think I read somewhere (maybe in the article that I posted a link to) that the authorities handling the evacuations weren't interested in letting people pick a destination that would get them to the same place the rest of their family was.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Nice pictures but first one is yard switcher, not one of locomotives on FEMA trains.

That is the NOUPT switcher all right. It probably drug the train in from the coach yard and left out behind it after it left. It looks like it's up near the bumper in UPT. While we're on this subject just why did Amtrak take these 500 series GE's out of road service? They arrived on the property amongst great fanfare not all that many years ago. Is there some deficiency that they all share?

they ride like a lead sled, and are only 3200 hp, their not totally out of road assignments however any of these can be used to replace a ailing P42 if need be.

but their main assignments is terminal switcher.

Thanks Dutch~ the GM in NOL made a big to do when they turned the Sunset loose with a pair when they first came out. It didn't take long to see them trailing, then gone. I noticed a slight slow down on #1 leaving El Paso going west but no lack of GE smoke.

I dunno, but I'd also think that with its lack of cowling, it would be more suited for switching anyway.

 

[battalion51]

A DASH-8 is better suited than a P-42 is for switching, that's for sure. The P-42's are very slow to load up, and when you're talking about just trying to pull the slack out or bunch em up it's a pain in the butt (especially in a yard like Sanford). You also have very poor visibility when you're backing up, and IIRC it's against the rules to ride the ladders on them, whereas most other engines are built for it. However, the DASH-8 is far from suitable when it comes to switching, for a number of reasons. Compared to a motor like an MP15 the sight lines are horrible (but better than the aforementioned P-42). Also, if you want A/C on these units you have to run the 480, which means you're wasting a lot of fuel since the engine runs at such a high RPM rate. The Turbocharger also makes things a bit tricky since you can lose control of the train quickly (unless you're really really good at what you're doing) when the Turbo kicks in. These motors are still also geared to run at 110 MPH, so the ratio is not even close to what a "standard" switcher gearing ratio is. As stupid as it sounds, the best switchers are the things that were built back in the 50's and 60's that are (relatively) low horsepower de-turboed engines. The advantage to having the DASH-8's scattered around the system for switching in relatively small outposts (like Hialeah, Sanford, Portland, and Seattle) is that they do have the full ability to step in for an ailing motor and get the train over the road (HEP and all). Should Amtrak order more of the like as switchers, absolutely not. But they do the job they're asked to do pretty well. Should Amtrak consider some HEP'd ES44DC's for Auto Train, I think so...

 

[jackal]

These motors are still also geared to run at 110 MPH, so the ratio is not even close to what a "standard" switcher gearing ratio is. As stupid as it sounds, the best switchers are the things that were built back in the 50's and 60's that are (relatively) low horsepower de-turboed engines.

You know, come to think of it, the best switching engines I worked on were indeed like that--GP38s built in 1968/69.

Sight lines on the MP15s were much better, but overall, I liked switching with the Geeps better. Seemed like they handled better.

Of course, the Geeps I worked on on the North End were driven by probably one of the best switching (and road-handling, for that matter) engineers on the Alaska Railroad, whereas the MPs I worked on on the South End were driven by some not-so-great ones. That probably affected my experience (not that I had terribly much of it)...

Also, freight road engines like the SD70MAC are geared for a top speed of 70mph. I would assume the road-switchers like the Geeps are geared similarly. For a "true" switcher like the MP15, is the gearing any different? Could they hit 70 if they needed?

 

[battalion51]

Most switchers are geared somewhere in the 55 MPH-75 MPH range depending on the model, needs, and FRA certifications.

 

[Shotgun7]

Not that I have a whole lot of switching experience, or even train operating experience for that matter, but the oldschool Alco S-2s are my personal favorite switching locomotives. They have a very old control stand that's extremely easy to control at low speeds and the engine is extremely responsive despite its 80 year old age. They also have a fantastic amount of visibility at all angles.

 

[battalion51]

The other thing that I forgot about was with most switchers you can have a Full Service application on and still be able to shove, making for very good easy joints. Not quite the same with a DASH-8 or P-42.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

:unsure: From the US Gov website DHS and FEMA contract: " capacity to transport 9000 evacueess withing 48 hrs, commence within 24 hrs notice. " Did they fall short of there contract by an few thousand, or is it just me thinking again? Just-Thinking-51

 

[AlanB]

:unsure: From the US Gov website DHS and FEMA contract: " capacity to transport 9000 evacueess withing 48 hrs, commence within 24 hrs notice. " Did they fall short of there contract by an few thousand, or is it just me thinking again? Just-Thinking-51

I would think not. From my earlier post:

The trains are operating on a "load and go" basis - no set schedule. Each trainset is expected to have 1000 to 1500 evacuees per load, and make 4 evacuation trips (8 total).

If we assume only 1,000 per run, that's 8,000, if we assume maximum that's 12,000. So it would seem that Amtrak was right in the ball park on this one. It's up to FEMA and the State and City to decide if they want to run all 8 runs. But Amtrak was certainly ready and in compliance with the contract.

 

[Montanan]

An update on the FEMA/Amtrak evacuation trains, again from the CNO Yahoo group:

Each of the evacuation trains (FEMA-1 and FEMA-2) will be making only a single return run from Memphis to New Orleans. Both trains will utilize a detour route via Hattiesburg, Mississippi, due to storm-caused track damage on the CN a little north of New Orleans. They'll be overnight runs -- train FEMA-2 was scheduled to leave Memphis yesterday evening, arriving in New Orleans this morning. FEMA-1 will head out of Memphis tonight.

 

[jackal]

The other thing that I forgot about was with most switchers you can have a Full Service application on and still be able to shove, making for very good easy joints. Not quite the same with a DASH-8 or P-42.

Can't do this with the bigger GEs? Is there some sort of override that cuts out the throttle when there is a full-service application?

Or is it a physical ability thing--the gearing is higher and so it just won't move a cut of cars with the brakes applied?

 

[battalion51]

It's the way that they're geared. The big thing is since the DASH-8 and P-42 are road motors designed for passenger trains, they're really built for trains that operate in graduated where you can let go of some of your air, not the case with these switchers. They're built to run in direct, where you either let go of all of your air, or you let go of none of it. When you're in a rush and you need to make a joint, you don't have time to let go of your air and go after it again.

 

[Crescent Mark]

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/20...no_evacuee.html

Residents are returning home from Memphis via Amtrak to NOLA