Rumors about Amtrak move to the MIC at Miami International Airport

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The SCA I talked to (not Kumar) said there are a couple of chefs based in Washington just for special moves. Probably Amtrak's best chefs, IMO.
This needs to stop. It might be a reasonable luxury if Amtrak were supplying food service to all its trains...


I'll repeat that everything I've heard indicates that Gardner is actually a railfan. Just seems like he doesn't know anything about what other customers want, or how to poll them, or about supply and demand, or about economies of scale, or about accounting, or about how to cooperate with other agencies, or [OK I'll stop now]
 
This needs to stop. It might be a reasonable luxury if Amtrak were supplying food service to all its trains...


I'll repeat that everything I've heard indicates that Gardner is actually a railfan. Just seems like he doesn't know anything about what other customers want, or how to poll them, or about supply and demand, or about economies of scale, or about accounting, or about how to cooperate with other agencies, or [OK I'll stop now]
Mr. Peter came to visit him sooner than expected leading to a case of premature percussive sublimation? :D (Read the Peter Principle and you will know what that means)
 
This needs to stop. It might be a reasonable luxury if Amtrak were supplying food service to all its trains...


I'll repeat that everything I've heard indicates that Gardner is actually a railfan. Just seems like he doesn't know anything about what other customers want, or how to poll them, or about supply and demand, or about economies of scale, or about accounting, or about how to cooperate with other agencies, or [OK I'll stop now]
Yea--and John Mica told me personally in the late 1980's that "he" was a railfan (this was before he was elected to the House of Representatives from my district in Florida) and you see where that got us all!
 
Not sure why you think credit is due for a CEO waving.
I don’t know - Not being smug or superior and ignoring the railfan (as some big shot executives would?) not saying it as an excuse to any other issues many of us have with him or that it means that he’s a great CEO - merely giving him credit for being down to earth enough to wave to a rail fan - nothing more nothing less.
 
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I may have missed this earlier, but if they do move, will they then back the trains to/from the Hialeah yard for servicing and layover?
 
I may have missed this earlier, but if they do move, will they then back the trains to/from the Hialeah yard for servicing and layover?
Presumably. South end of the MIC is at NW 21st Street, south end of the Hialeah yard (where it looks like there's a crossover to the Tri-Rail tracks) is just south of NW 92nd Terrace, those streets are on the 10/mi Miami grid, so about 7 miles.

It's substantially longer than backing from the wye they use into Tampa. I assume they can't do what I do when I play Derail Valley and just take the remote on top of the back of the train and hang out, and they probably also aren't set up for an engine on each end like Brightline.

When I took the Silver Star out of the existing Amshack back in May they only pulled the train to the station right at boarding time (an hour late, heh).
 
I may have missed this earlier, but if they do move, will they then back the trains to/from the Hialeah yard for servicing and layover?
Yes. The only place to turn the trains is the loop track around the existing station.
 
Up here in Seattle I’m pretty sure the CS has an extended back up move to get to the wye as well. But they usually grab a Switcher from the yard to hook on the back to help with that. Perhaps that’s the plan for Miami then?
 
Up here in Seattle I’m pretty sure the CS has an extended back up move to get to the wye as well. But they usually grab a Switcher from the yard to hook on the back to help with that. Perhaps that’s the plan for Miami then?
It's about 2 miles from King Street Station to the Coach Wye, which is pretty behind the Costco just past the Spokane Street Viaduct. Somewhat less from Amtrak's yard at Holgate Street.
 
I may have missed this earlier, but if they do move, will they then back the trains to/from the Hialeah yard for servicing and layover?
Either that or they could hook up an engine at the other end and drag the whole thing from/to the yard. The shunting engine need not be fully hooked up with HEP and all. It just needs to have air connected for braking of course. This is standard practice in India for delivering consists to terminal stations from yards which may be many Km away. The road locomotive will need to be staffed during the shunting move to fulfill the requirement of the HEP delivery unit being monitored by a human.

Since this will require additional staff, Amtrak possibly will opt not to do it and just carry out a long backup move.
 
Either that or they could hook up an engine at the other end and drag the whole thing from/to the yard. The shunting engine need not be fully hooked up with HEP and all. It just needs to have air connected for braking of course. This is standard practice in India for delivering consists to terminal stations from yards which may be many Km away. The road locomotive will need to be staffed during the shunting move to fulfill the requirement of the HEP delivery unit being monitored by a human.

Since this will require additional staff, Amtrak possibly will opt not to do it and just carry out a long backup move.
Wouldn’t the road crew most likely report and sign off at the yard, and be aboard for the yard move to/from the station?
 
Wouldn’t the road crew most likely report and sign off at the yard, and be aboard for the yard move to/from the station?
Yes. But if a shunter was used that would require a separate crew unless they want it to deliver the HEP too. And in any case they will need additional personnel to do the coupling/uncoupling at MIC.
 
Not sure what they do at Seattle. I know at LA, the road crew takes the train to and from 8th St Yard, and wyes either going in or out of Union Station using the natural wye at Mission Tower (CP San Diego Jct and CP Chavez).

Have to laugh at "shunter" Most of us would call it a "switcher" or "switch engine"
Shows my British Colony background which sometimes shows through, as also it does in spellings of things. Never quite Americanized fully since it seemed somewhat pointless to worry too much about it :D . Switcher is an unknown term in India. But hey I do use "consist" instead of "rake" ;)
 
Shows my British Colony background which sometimes shows through, as also it does in spellings of things. Never quite Americanized fully since it seemed somewhat pointless to worry too much about it :D . Switcher is an unknown term in India. But hey I do use "consist" instead of "rake" ;)
Brings to mind the famous quote attributed to Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw and Churchill about two Countries Seperated by a Common Language!😄
 
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