What Happened to the Zephyr?

[ThayerATM]

I've been tracking the on-time performance of Trains 48, 49, 5, and 6 since February. There've been some glitches, but most of them were explainable due to snow, and bridges being hit by barges. <_<

Times are still unavailable for The Zephyr (#5) departing CHI westward on Monday [5/26/08], and the Zephyr (#6) departing SAC eastward on the same day.

What kind of "service disruption" could keep the info unavaiable from two such distant stations?

 

[ThayerATM]

I've been tracking the on-time performance of Trains 48, 49, 5, and 6 since February. There've been some glitches, but most of them were explainable due to snow, and bridges being hit by barges. <_<
Times are still unavailable for The Zephyr (#5) departing CHI westward on Monday [5/26/08], and the Zephyr (#6) departing SAC eastward on the same day.

What kind of "service disruption" could keep the info unavaiable from two such distant stations?

Gosh, I just noticed that I just got promoted to "Service Attendant" from "Train Attendant." I guess that all I've got to do is keep posting and the promotions come at regular intervals. I don't even have to be right. All I've got to do is talk.

That might say something about corporate America too.

 

[Rail Freak]

I've been tracking the on-time performance of Trains 48, 49, 5, and 6 since February. There've been some glitches, but most of them were explainable due to snow, and bridges being hit by barges. <_<
Times are still unavailable for The Zephyr (#5) departing CHI westward on Monday [5/26/08], and the Zephyr (#6) departing SAC eastward on the same day.

What kind of "service disruption" could keep the info unavaiable from two such distant stations?

Might be the tunnel work

 

[ThayerATM]

I've been tracking the on-time performance of Trains 48, 49, 5, and 6 since February. There've been some glitches, but most of them were explainable due to snow, and bridges being hit by barges. <_<
Times are still unavailable for The Zephyr (#5) departing CHI westward on Monday [5/26/08], and the Zephyr (#6) departing SAC eastward on the same day.

What kind of "service disruption" could keep the info unavaiable from two such distant stations?

Might be the tunnel work

That makes sense, but wouldn't tunnel work just take the Zephyr through the Wyoming bypass. I would think that those trains would still depart SAC and CHI around normal times.

How old is "Julie?" Could she be suffering from some sort of dementia? <_<

 

[Rafi]

UP is conducting track work between SLC and DEN this week and in early June as well, necessitating the detour through Wyoming. Unfortunately, since the train won't be making stops between SLC and DEN, the train status tool sees this as a service disruption and as a result, it just gives up on tracking the rest of the trip, unfortunately.

-Rafi

 

[ThayerATM]

UP is conducting track work between SLC and DEN this week and in early June as well, necessitating the detour through Wyoming. Unfortunately, since the train won't be making stops between SLC and DEN, the train status tool sees this as a service disruption and as a result, it just gives up on tracking the rest of the trip, unfortunately.
-Rafi

Rafi,

I'm going to jot that down as the suggestion that makes the most sense.

However --- couldn't Amtrak make some sort of feeble attempt to report the arrival/departure times for SAC and CHI, AFTER the fact; or is everything so computerized that it would take humans too long to get the results up on the Amtrak URL so that the tracker could read them? I think there's only a three day window for the observer to get the numbers.

 

[jackal]

My guess is that it's all database-driven and therefore almost impossible for a human override.

Also, because the Wyoming bypass is significantly faster, the trains will most likely arrive early into DEN eastbound and SLC westbound and should therefore depart on-time.

Perhaps the status tool will correctly report times for station stops after DEN eastbound and SLC westbound once the train is reported as being there...

 

[p&sr]

Perhaps the status tool will correctly report times for station stops after DEN eastbound and SLC westbound once the train is reported as being there...

Sorry, no such luck. Train 5 ought to be near Reno by now, but both the on-line status and the telephone status refuse to give any information. The telephone did offer to connect me to a live agent, who presumably would know the real story.

 

[PRR 60]

If a scheduled station stop is missed, the on-line status system reverts to the Service Disruption message for the entire run, all stops (including stops already made and reported). In the case of the Zephyr, trains scheduled to be routed via Wyoming will listed in the Amtrak CRS with the Moffat stops deleted. In this case, no scheduled stops for that train will be skipped and the status reports will accurate. However, when the Zephyr is detoured at the last minute, as was the case with the westbound trip of May 26, then the missed Moffat line stops will cause the Service Disruption message to appear for that train and all on-line access for status of that train is lost.

 

[p&sr]

However, when the Zephyr is detoured at the last minute, as was the case with the westbound trip of May 26...

This was a Scheduled detour. The train was scheduled to pass through both Denver and Salt Lake City on Tuesday 5-27, which was already posted as a day on which the Detour would be in effect.

 

[ThayerATM]

However, when the Zephyr is detoured at the last minute, as was the case with the westbound trip of May 26...

This was a Scheduled detour. The train was scheduled to pass through both Denver and Salt Lake City on Tuesday 5-27, which was already posted as a day on which the Detour would be in effect.

And the averate Joe is supposed to be able to predict all this stuff, even if the schedule is printed 25 minutes before departure? <_<

Where do I find these schedules --- Say maybe 24-48 hours ahead of time?

I don't mind THE TRAIN being detoured through Wyoming. I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE BUSED. :angry:

 

[PRR 60]

However, when the Zephyr is detoured at the last minute, as was the case with the westbound trip of May 26...

This was a Scheduled detour. The train was scheduled to pass through both Denver and Salt Lake City on Tuesday 5-27, which was already posted as a day on which the Detour would be in effect.

Then something unusual is happening this year. Last year when the scheduled Wyoming detour was in effect, the Zephyr status was available on-line for all the detoured trains. So given that this is a scheduled detour (and it is), and given that the Moffat stops are deleted from the CRS (Arrow) for those trains (and they are), then I haven't a clue why the Disruption message is there Maybe something else is going on other than the detour?

 

[ThayerATM]

Perhaps the status tool will correctly report times for station stops after DEN eastbound and SLC westbound once the train is reported as being there...

Sorry, no such luck. Train 5 ought to be near Reno by now, but both the on-line status and the telephone status refuse to give any information. The telephone did offer to connect me to a live agent, who presumably would know the real story.

Same results I had. The wait for an "agent" was over 20 minutes. I elected to not wait on the phone. :angry:

 

[p&sr]

Where do I find these schedules --- Say maybe 24-48 hours ahead of time?
I don't mind THE TRAIN being detoured through Wyoming. I JUST DON'T WANT TO BE BUSED. :angry:

You have to use the Amtrak website, just as if you were setting up the reservations for the first time.

Myself, I'll be using the Capitol Corridor in California on a couple of occasions next month. Reservations were made last February. On May 8, Amtrak advised me by e-mail about a schedule change on that run. But today on-line I discover that a whole different temporary schedule is going into effect, involving a Bus Bridge between two stops. Most inconvenient!

Since the schedule change is because of track construction, and the Bus Bridge is because of the same construction, you'd think that they would have KNOWN ABOUT THE BUS BRIDGE as soon as they knew about the schedule change! But no, they had to keep it all a deep dark secret until today. So now I get to decide how to re-arrange my plans accordingly.

I'll also be on board the CZ for one of the By-Pass Days. They informed me about this on May 17 by e-mail. But by late April, the By-Pass was already shown (but not announced or acknowledged) on the Amtrak Reservations website. Evidently it just takes a long time for them to catch up with themselves.

 

[ThayerATM]

However, when the Zephyr is detoured at the last minute, as was the case with the westbound trip of May 26...

This was a Scheduled detour. The train was scheduled to pass through both Denver and Salt Lake City on Tuesday 5-27, which was already posted as a day on which the Detour would be in effect.

Then something unusual is happening this year. Last year when the scheduled Wyoming detour was in effect, the Zephyr status was available on-line for all the detoured trains. So given that this is a scheduled detour (and it is), and given that the Moffat stops are deleted from the CRS (Arrow) for those trains (and they are), then I haven't a clue why the Disruption message is there Maybe something else is going on other than the detour?

You "engineers" are scaring me. I'm only a "Service Attendant," and you're supposed to be explaining the complexities of train travel TO me.

On another topic --- how come nobody ever explained to me that the diesel engines in a locomotive were there just to generate electricity for the whole train, and to drive the wheels of the locomotive? That blew my mind.

Am I to just give up on the experts?

 

[GG-1]

How old is "Julie?" Could she be suffering from some sort of dementia? <_<

Are you suggesting her "bits" are dropping? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Aloha

 

[ThayerATM]

How old is "Julie?" Could she be suffering from some sort of dementia? <_<

Are you suggesting her "bits" are dropping? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Aloha

That post made my wife laugh heartily.

As I roll along, the data that I picked up last night suggests that something "else" is going on rather than just the Wyoming detour for the Zephyr. This might take a few more days to figure out. Last nights data filled in just fine for all trains.

The Moffat tunnel work is certainly going to send the Zephyr up through Wyoming. Logic would dictate that the work on those tracks isn't going to take place sporadically, but will close the tunnel, keep it closed, and open it again after all the work is done.

The data coming in for yesterday (5/28) is missing for the CHI arrival of the Zephyr that was supposed to depart SAC (# 6) on the 26th, as is the data for the arrival of #5 in SAC for the train that departed CHI on the 26th. I know I'm not saying that well, but...

Can I safely assume that some Amtrak train (Zephyr # 5) will depart westbound from CHI daily, around 2:00 PM, and arrive in SAC around 4:11 PM a couple of days later? Also, can I safely assume that some Amtrak train (Zephyr # 6) will depart eastbound from SAC daily, around 10:09 AM, and arrive in CHI about 3:50 PM a couple of days later?

Never mind non-tullel additional extenuating circumstances. :lol:

 

[p&sr]

Can I safely assume that some Amtrak train (Zephyr # 5) will depart westbound from CHI daily, around 2:00 PM, and arrive in SAC around 4:11 PM a couple of days later? Also, can I safely assume that some Amtrak train (Zephyr # 6) will depart eastbound from SAC daily, around 10:09 AM, and arrive in CHI about 3:50 PM a couple of days later?

Yes, indeed. The Trains are departing regularly, each way each day. We assume they are also arriving, or their mysterious vanishing would have been publicly noted by now.

(When using the Amtrak Reservation Website to check for the latest possible schedule changes, be sure to watch for the "Service Alerts" on the page where you would select your specific trains. )

You can also check for Arrivals of Train 5 & Train 6 in DEN and SLC. These arrivals (at least the first of them for each train) should show normally... until the following stop is "missed" (because of the detour) which may then trip up the Train-Status Database.

 

[RailBirder]

Track work is being done at Bond, west of the tunnel. May 28 was suppose to be the last day for 5 and 6 to detour through Wyoming this time. More work is scheduled/5 and 6 will detour Jun 7-14.

 

[p&sr]

More work is scheduled/5 and 6 will detour Jun 7-14.

I believe that is June 8-15, for the actual dates passing through Denver and SLC.

(June 7-14 would be the starting dates for those Trains, in Illinois or California.)

 

[RailBirder]

More work is scheduled/5 and 6 will detour Jun 7-14.

I believe that is June 8-15, for the actual dates passing through Denver and SLC.

(June 7-14 would be the starting dates for those Trains, in Illinois or California.)

Actually the work in Colorado is scheduled for Jun 7-14, and those are the dates I was told 5 & 6 would re-route. Of course, track work is subject to change, depending on how it goes once they get started.

 

[Rafi]

More work is scheduled/5 and 6 will detour Jun 7-14.

I believe that is June 8-15, for the actual dates passing through Denver and SLC.

(June 7-14 would be the starting dates for those Trains, in Illinois or California.)

Actually the work in Colorado is scheduled for Jun 7-14, and those are the dates I was told 5 & 6 would re-route. Of course, track work is subject to change, depending on how it goes once they get started.

Well, I can confirm that my reservation, which initially was supposed to put me into Grand Junction on June 15 heading east, ended up being changed to reflect a detour to Denver on that day. The 16th, however, the train is schedule to be back on the normal route heading both ways. As a result, I was able to get Amtrak to put me on the train heading from DEN-GJT on the 16th at no additional charge (I'm responsible for accommodations in Denver, however).

-Rafi

 

[ThayerATM]

How old is "Julie?" Could she be suffering from some sort of dementia? <_<

Are you suggesting her "bits" are dropping? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Aloha

I think that Julie might have gotten herself on some HRT. :lol:

Tonight, all of the "service disruption" spaces for this past week were filled in with real numbers. My data is complete through Thursday night, and I normally track it the day after the event.

 

[Mark M]

I was on the east bound Zephry on the morning of July 28, 2008 when we were told by the conductor that we all had to detrain in Omaha NE and take a bus to Chicago because the previous night a freight train had been hit by a tornado and the tracks were taken out as well. The westbound travelers were taken off in Ottumwa. IA and bussed to Omaha to take the train we had been traveling east on, which was to be re-routed west.

When we got home we looked up online any information about either a tornado or a train derailment in Iowa on the 27th or 28th.

Anyone know what happened?