Sunset East Schedule

[zoltan]

I almost feel bad bringing the Sunset East topic up; there are enough people to do that for me. But nevertheless, as I'm considering various passenger rail options for the south-west corner if the United States, I wonder if anyone has schedule information for the old New Orleans to Orlando route, or even the station to station journey times involved. Your help would be very much appreciated.

 

[MrFSS]

I almost feel bad bringing the Sunset East topic up; there are enough people to do that for me. But nevertheless, as I'm considering various passenger rail options for the south-west corner if the United States, I wonder if anyone has schedule information for the old New Orleans to Orlando route, or even the station to station journey times involved. Your help would be very much appreciated.

Try this one. Click on the picture for full size. May 1994.

 

[zoltan]

Try this one. Click on the picture for full size. May 1994.

Thank you very much indeed; that's extremely helpful.

 

[had8ley]

Just one note to add. The UP bought the SP in the middle 90's and had a horrible service melt down. The Sunset (#2) suffered horrendous delays and more often than not arrived into New Orleans at daylight or much later. This led to bustitutions form New Orleans to Miami which really turned away pax~ especially in the sleepers. Fortunately, the UP is completing major double tracking out west and #2 has actually pulled into New Orleans early a few times recently.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Just one note to add. The UP bought the SP in the middle 90's and had a horrible service melt down. The Sunset (#2) suffered horrendous delays and more often than not arrived into New Orleans at daylight or much later. This led to bustitutions form New Orleans to Miami which really turned away pax~ especially in the sleepers. Fortunately, the UP is completing major double tracking out west and #2 has actually pulled into New Orleans early a few times recently.

It ran close to schedule on my trip to and from the Fan Gathering in October in LA.

 

[zoltan]

One thing I notice on the schedule East of New Orleans is quite how painfully slow, looking at the mileage compared to the journey times, the journey to Jacksonville was. It seems to me that if any possible future restoration of the route were to finally happen, its success would be undermined quite how slow some sections are.

 

[had8ley]

One thing I notice on the schedule East of New Orleans is quite how painfully slow, looking at the mileage compared to the journey times, the journey to Jacksonville was. It seems to me that if any possible future restoration of the route were to finally happen, its success would be undermined quite how slow some sections are.

Maybe George Harris could help us out here. I believe part of the track was unsignalled and thus restricted to a maximum of 49 mph. Also, the sub-soil through Florida gives the train cars a rocking effect giving credence to the fact that even if they signalled the track that they might not let Amtrak run at 79 mph.

 

[battalion51]

The Tallahassee Sub is the Subdivision of two different animals. From the start of the sub at Baldwin to GF&A (on the west side of Tallahassee at SP803 where the Bainbridge Sub splits off) the MSP is generally 79 MPH, with a few curve speeds in there. This part of the sub is on CTC. From GF&A to Chattahoochee it's DTC Blocks with a MSP of 49. Once you enter the P&A sub at Chattahoochee the MSP goes back up to 59, still on DTC.

 

[George Harris]

No signals between Flomaton, Alabama, where the Florida Panhandle line leaves the Mobile to Montgomery main, to just short of Tallahassee. Never has been any. In days of the L&N-SAL Gulf Wind, the speed limit on this portion was 55 mph, not 59. There is also the additional length over the highway distance of about 40 miles between Mobile and Pensacola, as the railroad comes into Pensacola from the north, not the west.

New Orleans to Jacksonville elapsed times in the schedule were close to the best ever for this line. I think before the train died, it had been slowed down from this schedule.

Pre CSX conglomeration, this line was fairly lightly trafficed. I think in the 70's no more than one or two freights a day between Flomaton and Tallahassee.

There is now enough traffic on this line to justify signals. In fact, I think that there are CTC "islands" at some of the long sidings. There is also now so much traffic on the line along the Gulf between New Orleans and Mobile, and on east that sections of second main would seem to be a good idea.

For more information than you probably want, go to www.southernhsr.org In particular, there is a 2005 run along the coast that describes every bridge and siding between Mobile and New Orleans. www.southernhsr.org/PDFs/HighSpdRailInspTrip05.pdf