Why is the 49 (Lake Shore Limited) running late 8/13?

[railpost]

The Lake Shore is running over 2 hours late into Chicago. I have some friends who boarded it in Schenectady last night and it was on time there. The train came into Chicago over 2 hours late yesterday August 12th as well.

When I checked the last 2 weeks time keeping it seemed that on many days the train ran an hour or more late and for everyday it would run early I found that it would run late at least twice as often.

Does anyone know what are the reasons for the nearly habitual delays and time loss.

I know that the trains don't always run on time however running an hour or more late seems to be a regular occurence on the Lake Shore.

 

[Ocala Mike]

They don't call it the "Late Shore Limited" for nothing. There is another thread on here someplace about Amtrak Flagships, and I would submit (if it hasn't already been submitted), that the LSL is the perfect "anti" Flagship.

 

[kbmiflyer]

From my experiences with #49, it tends to leave Albany & Schenectady on time, and then lose about 90 minutees to 2 hours on the way through Syracuse and Buffalo. Sometimes, it can make the time up overnight and get back into Chicago close to on time, but the last couple of days it has just stayed 2 hours late.

You can use this link (dixieland software) the check the timeliness. Just change the month or day to get different arrivals times.

http://74.242.202.252/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=49&selmonth=08&selyear=2013&selday=12

That being said, I have no idea WHY it runs late, just WHERE it tends to run late.

 

[jis]

However, it is recommended that you use the URL:

http://www.dixielandsoftware.net/cgi-bin/gettrain.pl?seltrain=49&selmonth=08&selday=12&selyear=2013

 

[John Bobinyec]

However, it is recommended that you use the URL:
http://www.dixielandsoftware.net/cgi-bin/gettrain.pl?seltrain=49&selmonth=08&selday=12&selyear=2013

That's almost right. It's www.dixielandsoftware.com. ".net" will work most of the time, but ".com" always works.

Another way is to go to the archives: http://www.dixielandsoftware.com/Amtrak/status/StatusPages/

jb

 

[jis]

However, it is recommended that you use the URL:

http://www.dixielandsoftware.net/cgi-bin/gettrain.pl?seltrain=49&selmonth=08&selday=12&selyear=2013

That's almost right. It's www.dixielandsoftware.com. ".net" will work most of the time, but ".com" always works.
Another way is to go to the archives: http://www.dixielandsoftware.com/Amtrak/status/StatusPages/

jb

Ah! Didn't realize that! That's what happens when one arrives at conclusions by reverse computing.
Thanks for the correction.

 

[MikefromCrete]

The problem is overcrowding on the Norfolk Southern entering Chicago. Between NS' multiple freights and many Amtrak trains, there's always a reason for some kind of delay west of Porter, Ind.

 

[afigg]

The problem is overcrowding on the Norfolk Southern entering Chicago. Between NS' multiple freights and many Amtrak trains, there's always a reason for some kind of delay west of Porter, Ind.

The archives at Amtrak Status Maps for #49 for the trips in August so far show the train is consistently losing time between Schenectady and Buffalo. The pattern is that the LSL then usually makes up some time west of Buffalo. Don't know how much of the delay is due to long station stops to unload and load passengers or just congested CSX tracks.

 

[Nathanael]

The problem is overcrowding on the Norfolk Southern entering Chicago. Between NS' multiple freights and many Amtrak trains, there's always a reason for some kind of delay west of Porter, Ind.

The archives at Amtrak Status Maps for #49 for the trips in August so far show the train is consistently losing time between Schenectady and Buffalo. The pattern is that the LSL then usually makes up some time west of Buffalo. Don't know how much of the delay is due to long station stops to unload and load passengers or just congested CSX tracks.

From my experience, the train takes 5 minutes longer than scheduled at each of Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, due to high passenger loads; sometimes a little more. (The same may also be happening at Utica or Rome; I don't know.) Bad dispatching and/or bad maintenance from CSX then loses a minimum of 30 minutes, usually more. There's an agonizingly slow section right here:

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Howland+Island+Wildlife+Management+Area,+Conquest,+NY&hl=en&ll=43.056201,-76.714474&spn=0.002487,0.002106&sll=42.746632,-75.770041&sspn=10.235462,8.624268&oq=howland&hq=Howland+Island+Wildlife+Management+Area,+Conquest,+NY&t=h&z=19

There's also often time lost between Buffalo and Erie.

Lots of time is usually regained between Cleveland and South Bend before losing more time at the very end, on the speed-limited trackage next to the Chicago Skyway and waiting to cross Englewood Crossing. That last obstacle is supposed to be fixed by the "Englewood Flyover" currently under construction.

 

[SeeBuyFly]

2 hrs late does not justify the OP's reaction. This isn't Europe or Japan. On a long distance Amtrak train, a 2-hr delay is within the window of effectively on-time arrival.

 

[afigg]

From my experience, the train takes 5 minutes longer than scheduled at each of Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, due to high passenger loads; sometimes a little more. (The same may also be happening at Utica or Rome; I don't know.) Bad dispatching and/or bad maintenance from CSX then loses a minimum of 30 minutes, usually more. There's an agonizingly slow section right here:

...

There's also often time lost between Buffalo and Erie.

Lots of time is usually regained between Cleveland and South Bend before losing more time at the very end, on the speed-limited trackage next to the Chicago Skyway and waiting to cross Englewood Crossing. That last obstacle is supposed to be fixed by the "Englewood Flyover" currently under construction.

Rochester is getting a new station with a ~850' long high level platform which should help cut station dwell times in 2015 or 2016. I guess the LSL will have to double stop, but the high level platform will get people on and off the train more quickly. Schenectady will also be getting a high level platform, but don't know how long it will be. jis may know if there are nearer term plans to upgrade other stations along the western Empire corridor to long high level platforms.
There were HSIPR grants for track improvements including a 3rd higher speed track segment for the western Empire corridor, but as I understand those collapsed due to CSX not able to agree on terms with the FRA.

There is a $71 million HSIPR grant to Indiana for a series of track improvement projects for the LSL, CL, Michigan service route through IN. The last news I saw was that construction work might begin in May, but I can't find any recent updates on the project status.

 

[the_traveler]

For the past many days to a week or more,that area has been having heavy rain. So part of the problem could be weather related.

 

[Acela150]

There were some severe storms around the Northeast last night. Hit the Philly area around 6am IINM.

 

[railpost]

Thanks for the replies. I was curious as even though I am a long time train enthusiast these friends of mine who were on the Lake Shore and were taking only their second long distance train trip as a family. Last year when they were coming back to Chicago on the Empire Builder the builder was running so late that they were transferred to buses in St. Paul for their trip back.

I am a long time "former New York Central" fan and am quite aware of the historic significance of the route of the Lake Shore Limited and I just wonder how did the New York Central do it with many more long distance trains on the same route as the Lake Shore? I started collecting timetables and railroad literature in the early 1960's and while it is true that by then the New York Central had already cut and reduced some it's trains they still had quite a few trains that were still running and one of my earliest memories was arriving with my late father into Syracuse in 1959 to visit some of my fathers cousins and we had arrived at the downtown station ,before the Dewitt station was built and the expressway was (mistakenly) opened which had forced them to reroute the New York Central's passenger trains out of downtown Syracuse.

The next time that I had visited Syracuse (in 1967) was I terribly surprised to get off at a new train station that was in effect out of town and before I had left Syracuse a few days latter we had drove past the former train station and it had been converted into a (of all things) a Greyhound bus station.

So I see that there is another "new train station" now on the north side of town.

 

[Ocala Mike]

New York Central owned the tracks and the trains. Comparing passenger rail even in the "bad old days" of the early 60's to today's situation where the operator of the trains is treated like your visiting in-laws who have overstayed their welcome is what they call a false comparison. Anyway, welcome to the forum, and be aware that you are not the only one on here who "remembers what it was."