Palmetto Detour

[rspenmoll]

I noticed that for the next few weeks, on monday, the northbound Palmetto is detouring between SAV and SSN. Does anyone know what the detour route is?

 

[John Bobinyec]

I noticed that for the next few weeks, on monday, the northbound Palmetto is detouring between SAV and SSN. Does anyone know what the detour route is?

The train is making a stop in Raleigh, so it should be following the route of the Silver Star.

jb

 

[afigg]

I noticed that for the next few weeks, on monday, the northbound Palmetto is detouring between SAV and SSN. Does anyone know what the detour route is?

If the Palmetto is taking a detour between Savannah and Selma NC with a 2 hour earlier departure, it is presumably taking the Silver Star route through Columbia SC and Raleigh NC. I see from the service alert that #89 is canceled Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and #90 is canceled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays for the entire month of March. Palmetto will be a 4 day week train for March.

 

[xyzzy]

In the past the NB Palmetto has detoured Dillon-Hamlet-Raleigh-Selma to avoid track work between Dillon and Selma. Given the routing via Columbia, I assume that this time the track work is between Savannah and Dillon.

 

[battalion51]

Since 90 isn't making any station stops at Yemassee, Charleston, Kingstree, Florence, or Dillon it would seem it is following the full route of the Star. This makes sense as there are Amtrak crews qualified to operate that territory, whereas there aren't Amtrak crews qualified from Dillon to Hamlet.

 

[xyzzy]

When I rode 90 Dillon-Hamlet, CSX added a pilot at Dillon. That said, I'm not 100% certain that no Amtrak engineer who runs 90 is qualified Dillon-Hamlet. Doesn't this depend on how long the Amtrak engineer has been with Amtrak and whether he/she was qualified Dillon-Hamlet as a CSX engineer before moving to Amtrak?

Dillon-Hamlet is a frequent freight run on CSX, so in general there's no shortage of qualified CSX engineers as pilots. In any event, it's better than being beaten to do death on the rough track in northern SC (the route of the Star).

 

[John Bobinyec]

When I rode 90 Dillon-Hamlet, CSX added a pilot at Dillon. That said, I'm not 100% certain that no Amtrak engineer who runs 90 is qualified Dillon-Hamlet. Doesn't this depend on how long the Amtrak engineer has been with Amtrak and whether he/she was qualified Dillon-Hamlet as a CSX engineer before moving to Amtrak?

Part of being qualified is being "current". If a conductor or engineer hasn't made a trip over a particular route in 30 days (I believe), then they are no longer qualified. When that happens they need to be reexamined on the physical characteristics of the line again - and pass - in order to become qualified again.

jb - former Conrail Rules Examiner

 

[CREW-DORM#2524]

It's a year. A few E's and C's in Florence and Raleigh are qualified on the Andrews Sub between Dillon and Hamlet.