Like the old days at New Haven

[MARC Rider]

The Acela I'm riding got into New Haven 15 minutes early. So they held the train until scheduled departure. It was like the old days, for those who remember, before New Haven to Boston was electrified, and you had to wait while they swapped locomotives. They even held the doors open and let us walk out on the platform for fresh air. No swappung of Acela power cars, though.

Now we're on our way creeping through Metro North territory on our "high speed train." Wonder if we'll get to New York on schedule.

 

[bratkinson]

I've ridden #2172 into New Haven enough times that they usually arrive early and have to 'wait time' until departing. But a couple months ago, #2172 was stuck behind a Metro North train making all stops after being 30 minutes behind schedule at NYP. Fortunately, they held #412 to Springfield for the guaranteed connection passengers like me.

Back in the before-Acela days at New Haven, I remember well the power swap. Most of the time, from stop at the platform to departure was about 14 minutes when the train didn't have to be split or assembled. They always had the new locomotive(s) waiting in a nearby pocket track when we arrived. If only Amtrak would have shipped some of those workers to ALB and WAS...

 

[MARC Rider]

Just passed New Rochelle. Took us an hour from New Haven.

 

[MARC Rider]

Arriving at NYP at 4:45. Thus, a 3:40 run from BOS. Guess we'll leave on the advertised at 5 pm.

 

[railiner]

I've ridden #2172 into New Haven enough times that they usually arrive early and have to 'wait time' until departing. But a couple months ago, #2172 was stuck behind a Metro North train making all stops after being 30 minutes behind schedule at NYP. Fortunately, they held #412 to Springfield for the guaranteed connection passengers like me.

Back in the before-Acela days at New Haven, I remember well the power swap. Most of the time, from stop at the platform to departure was about 14 minutes when the train didn't have to be split or assembled. They always had the new locomotive(s) waiting in a nearby pocket track when we arrived. If only Amtrak would have shipped some of those workers to ALB and WAS...

IIRC, the old timetables carded the stop
at NHV for only 7 minutes.
I’ve been advised in another thread that many more safety rules and steps required in power swaps now make that feat impossible to duplicate.

 

[Acela150]

I've ridden #2172 into New Haven enough times that they usually arrive early and have to 'wait time' until departing. But a couple months ago, #2172 was stuck behind a Metro North train making all stops after being 30 minutes behind schedule at NYP. Fortunately, they held #412 to Springfield for the guaranteed connection passengers like me.

Back in the before-Acela days at New Haven, I remember well the power swap. Most of the time, from stop at the platform to departure was about 14 minutes when the train didn't have to be split or assembled. They always had the new locomotive(s) waiting in a nearby pocket track when we arrived. If only Amtrak would have shipped some of those workers to ALB and WAS...

The Springfield trains will wait up to an hour for the connection to be made from NYP.

At ALB and WAS the track layout doesn't make it possible to have a locomotive on a pocket track waiting for the swap. NHV it's extremely easy to do that.

 

[Rasputin]

At ALB and WAS the track layout doesn't make it possible to have a locomotive on a pocket track waiting for the swap. NHV it's extremely easy to do that.

Are you perhaps suggesting that the colossal multi-million dollar yard reconstruction project at Albany, decades in the making and one of the greatest engineering feats of this century so far, was not done correctly?

 

[bratkinson]

Actually, there IS a pocket track in ALB to the east of the station. It can be seen from the platform. Have I ever seen a loco waiting there to take #48 to NYP after the front end leaves for BOS? Not even once. Most likely excuse is it's only accessible to the two tracks closest to the station. I don't recall seeing a pocket track anywhere else at ALB. They probably had to save some money when reconfiguring the whole shooting match several years ago.

 

[twropr]

When I worked at LAB, the control station on the Hudson River Bridge at Albany, all of the switches at Albany-Rensselaer station were electrically controlled. When an engine change occurred, there was a delay of approx. 3 min. between each move because of a timer that prevented throwing a switch immediately following the prior move. On a southbound train usually the outbound engine would be ahead of the train that it would pull, on TK 2 for a NY-bound train. After the electrician unhooked the HEP cables and brake lines and a trainman pulled the pin the inbound engine would head south to clear the switch at CP 142, which would usually be lined for TK 1. Once he was clear, we waited for the circuit to time out so we could reverse the switch. Once TK 2 was straight lined, the outbound engine would tie onto the train and the electrician would make the connections. The engineer would pump up the brakes and make a brake test. Meanwhile an electrician would inspect all the electrical connections and then enter the locomotive and turn on the HEP switch; when it worked another electrician often announced over the radio "fire in the hole." The station master would then ascertain that all the blue flags had been removed, all passengers aboard, and radio the engine crew the OK to leave. The dwell time was generally around 15 min.; however, I have seen it done in as little as 10 min. on a short train.
Back when the FL9s were being used between A-R and NY, one of my favorite sights was the brief plume of white smoke that would erupt from the alternator's exhaust stack when the HEP was turned on.
In summary, the length of time it takes to operate the switches and to hook up/inspect the electrical cables are the major factors that determine how long an engine change takes on a US passenger train. For reasons unknown, the procedure takes a lot longer in Harrisburg (on the rare occasions when it occurs on the PENNSYLVANIAN), Philadelphia and Washington than it does at A-R.
Andy

 

[Maglev]

I rode the Acela once, in 2006 in first class from Boston to Washington. Before New Haven, they made an announcement that at New Haven, everyone with luggage would need to get off the train with it and wait on the platform. I was the only person who got off with my luggage.

 

[AG1]

I rode the Acela once, in 2006 in first class from Boston to Washington. Before New Haven, they made an announcement that at New Haven, everyone with luggage would need to get off the train with it and wait on the platform. I was the only person who got off with my luggage.

Very strange, then what happened ?

 

[Thirdrail7]

Arriving at NYP at 4:45. Thus, a 3:40 run from BOS. Guess we'll leave on the advertised at 5 pm.

So much for the 3:00 BOS-NYP that was supposed to occur with the Acela.

 

[Maglev]

Very strange, then what happened ?

I got back on and continued to Washington.

 

[como]

The Acela I'm riding got into New Haven 15 minutes early. So they held the train until scheduled departure. It was like the old days, for those who remember, before New Haven to Boston was electrified, and you had to wait while they swapped locomotives. They even held the doors open and let us walk out on the platform for fresh air. No swappung of Acela power cars, though.

Now we're on our way creeping through Metro North territory on our "high speed train." Wonder if we'll get to New York on schedule.

I hope they didn't go completely old school by flooding the station and moving the waiting room into tunnel under the platforms!

 

[MARC Rider]

So much for the 3:00 BOS-NYP that was supposed to occur with the Acela.

If they could get Metro-North to speed things up and get consistent 70 mph running between New Haven and New Rochelle, I'll bet you could cut a half hour on the BOS-NYP run. I've been riding the route once or twice a year every year since 2004, and it seems that there's always been track work that has removed one or more tracks from service. I don't know what they're doing, but it seems likes fixing the tracks is taking more time than it took to build the railroad in the first place!

 

[railiner]

I don't know what they're doing, but it seems likes fixing the tracks is taking more time than it took to build the railroad in the first place!

Isn’t that usually the case when repairing old infrastructure of all types?

They once laid 10 miles of track on the building of the Central Pacific, in one day.

It took less than two years to erect the Empire State Bldg...

 

[Acela150]

Keep in mind that the New Haven Line is one of the busiest Commuter Railroads in the country! There is always something going on maintenance wise. Always. When one project wraps up, another commences. Part of running a railroad.

 

[Pere Flyer]

Keep in mind that the New Haven Line is one of the busiest Commuter Railroads in the country! There is always something going on maintenance wise. Always. When one project wraps up, another commences. Part of running a railroad.

And all those heavy EMU’s put some wear on the tracks

 

[west point]

Add to that for next 20 years + is that the many bridges needing replacing will cause choke points of 2 - 10 miles of just 3 and sometimes just 2 useable tracks.