What am I missing - Train 21?

[DryCreek]

Just out of boredom today, I thought that I'd check and see how the Texas Eagles were running (as far as on-time performance). Well, I saw both Train 22's, but no soutbound Train 21/421 today. I was looking on the Amtrak site using their "Track a Train" feature. Seems pretty odd to me that I couldn't find a southbound during the two or three times I checked today. I thought it was a daily train, and one could usually see three TE's onthe line at any one time - either two southbound and one northbound, and vice-versa depending on time. And, it being a Tuesday, they should have had a connection with the SL in San Antonio tonight at around 10 p.m., shouldn't they? That would mean that they would be in McGregor by now-ish.

Unless I'm reading the schedule all wrong. And I was. It looks like the 421 is what is showing on their train tracker as westbound Train 1 as it would have left SAS this Tuesday morning - and I just don't see a daily 21. Any idea as to why? I don't see anything on their webpage about it.

 

[offroad437]

Forgot to setup the gps in the engine???

 

[CCC1007]

Check Amtrak status maps

 

[DryCreek]

Check Amtrak status maps

This one:

http://dixielandsoftware.net/cgi-bin/getmap.pl?mapname=West

doesn't show it there either. I would have thought that there should a Train 21 nearing Austin by now.

And, this link:

http://trainweb.com/accounts/railstatus/

Doesn't show it either.

Alien abduction?

 

[Triley]

I can not tell you why it's not functioning correctly, but I see that 21(9) is currently about an hour and forty minutes late. It should be arriving in to Taylor, TX at approximately 7:15pm CDT.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

It could be the GPS is either not turned on or is not working. I was on a train where the "new" engine (switch at WAS) did not have it's GPS on when we left WAS. A friend was tracking me and texted me asking was I still in WAS. I let the conductor know the GPS was not working. Soon after my friend was able to track me....or was he stalking me? h34r:

 

[DryCreek]

I can not tell you why it's not functioning correctly, but I see that 21(9) is currently about an hour and forty minutes late. It should be arriving in to Taylor, TX at approximately 7:15pm CDT.

Well, that should be it then. May I ask where you are seeing it? I am assuming that you must have another way of tracking trains other than the official Amtrak application or the other websites that I have checked.

Also, I see that you refer to it as 21(9) - is that in reference to its departure date from CHI? That would make sense to me.

ETA - just went back to the Amtrak "Track a Train" application. I clicked on the dot representing Taylor. When you bring up the station information it shows that train 22 was late, but shows a scheduled on-time arrival - but for 21(10). No mention of 21(9) having been there or being scheduled to arrive. Strange, to say the least. But, it does show to have departed one minute late. Pulling up SAS shows 21(9) and 21(10) both the be on time. I give up - must be a ghost train!

 

[DryCreek]

It could be the GPS is either not turned on or is not working. I was on a train where the "new" engine (switch at WAS) did not have it's GPS on when we left WAS. A friend was tracking me and texted me asking was I still in WAS. I let the conductor know the GPS was not working. Soon after my friend was able to track me....or was he stalking me? h34r:

That is probably the case here. I would have suspected that some dispatcher somewhere would have noticed that by now.

Or, maybe not.

 

[Triley]

I can not tell you why it's not functioning correctly, but I see that 21(9) is currently about an hour and forty minutes late. It should be arriving in to Taylor, TX at approximately 7:15pm CDT.

Well, that should be it then. May I ask where you are seeing it? I am assuming that you must have another way of tracking trains other than the official Amtrak application or the other websites that I have checked.

Also, I see that you refer to it as 21(9) - is that in reference to its departure date from CHI? That would make sense to me.

Being an employee I can access the employee intranet, and I can track it on there. And yup, that would be right, 21(9) refers to train 21 with an initial departure date of the 9th. Makes it a lot easier to figure out which train we're all talking about!

 

[DryCreek]

I can not tell you why it's not functioning correctly, but I see that 21(9) is currently about an hour and forty minutes late. It should be arriving in to Taylor, TX at approximately 7:15pm CDT.

Well, that should be it then. May I ask where you are seeing it? I am assuming that you must have another way of tracking trains other than the official Amtrak application or the other websites that I have checked.

Also, I see that you refer to it as 21(9) - is that in reference to its departure date from CHI? That would make sense to me.

Being an employee I can access the employee intranet, and I can track it on there. And yup, that would be right, 21(9) refers to train 21 with an initial departure date of the 9th. Makes it a lot easier to figure out which train we're all talking about!

Thanks! I was hoping of some mysterious new promotion where they have a "phantom train" scheduled - sorta like "Fright Nights" at Universal Studios Orlando. Or maybe some reenactments from the Orient Express series.

 

[John Bobinyec]

Evidently, Amtrak stopped keeping times on that train, in its reservations system. When Amtrak Status Maps notices that, it will move the train off the map to the archives, after several hours of inactivity. I just put the train back on the map. It's in Texas near the end of its trip.

jb