WINTER DELAYS?

[caravanman]

Hi Folks, its been a while since I visited the site, I have enjoyed several Amtrak trips since Easter 2004, and want to take another round trip in Jan 2005. I am asking your help to find out about delays. I am aware that there are often delays due to freight trains etc , but do trains regularly get cancelled in winter? I want to travel fromNew York to New Orleans, up to Chicago, Chicago to San Francisco, up to Seattle and back to New York via Chicago again. I want to book reasonably tight "connections" but am unsure how the winter weather affects schedules..any help appreciated!

Ed.

ps I WILL write up my trips soon..HONEST !

 

[Guest]

I once had a trip out of Chicago on the Cardinal two days before Christmas cancelled completely because of frozen equipment.

 

[jccollins]

...but do trains regularly get cancelled in winter?

No, very rarely are trains cancelled due to bad weather, at least outside the northeast corridor. I'm not all that familiar with the northeast corridor operations so I really can't comment on those. Our longhaul trains are some of the most all-weather modes of transportation and are quite useful during bad storms. I have taken the California Zephyr between the SF Bay Area and Reno a number of times during periods when the interstate over the mountains was closed and the Reno airport was shut down due to poor weather conditions. On most of those trips the train was not affected by the weather at all and we usually arrived right on time.

 

[saxman]

I remember last the Lake Shore Limited was heavily effected by snow and winter weather. That area got quite a bit of snow, and equipment was always frozen. Once it arrived in Chicago late, they would have to thaw out the equipment, and turn it back around. Often times it would leave Chicago late. But I do not know if this happens most winters, or just last winter. Seems like like that area gets lots of snow anyway.

Everyonce in a while the Empire Builder might get blocked by and avalanche in Montana. Not sure how often it happens, but I don't think its too common. The same may be true for the Zephyr too. I'm not sure. You will however get some spectacular winter views along the route.

If you book tight connections, I would just be aware you might be delayed once or more. But they should put you in a hotel if you do, to catch the next train out. Hey I don't mind spending an extra day in Chicago or San Fransisco to sight see.

Maybe someone has some more insight about NE snow delays.

Chris

 

[jccollins]

The same may be true for the Zephyr too. I'm not sure.

Well, we did have the dining room's water supply freeze up near Elko, Nevada on one of my recent trips...

 

[cbender]

Well, we did have the dining room's water supply freeze up near Elko, Nevada on one of my recent trips...

I know nothing about train car design, but I'm curious why the car wouldn't be designed to prevent the tank from freezing. I'd think a circulating pump and a heated loop would be sufficient unless the outside temperature got really cold.

I know people here on Long Island who have problems with the pipes in their houses freezing during winter. To get around the problem, on really cold days they just set a faucet to drip slowly. The flow through the pipes is sufficient to keep them from freezing, even without an extra heat source.

Chad

 

[caravanman]

Hi Folks,

Many thanks for your thoughts so far. As I am visiting America specificaly to ride the trains, I would prefer to book the most reliable routes, but it seems that the ones I am interested in most are the most "winter weather" prone...Empire Builder, California Zephyr, and the Coast Starlight.

What REALY happens when a train is cancelled? Do Amtrak have any GENUINE obligations to customers beyond a refund? I am guessing that putting everyone onto the following days train won't work as that train will already have its bookings.

I am also considering opting for a real winter train ride in Canada, from Winnipeg up to Churchill and back, do any of you have any thoughts about whether Canadian rail are more reliable in the snow, on the basis that they may be more used to it?.

Best wishes from not so sunny Nottingham, U.K.

Ed B)

 

[Amtrak Watcher]

As someone who travels almost constantly all over North America by bus, train, car, and air; I have some insight into winter conditions on Amtrak.

I've experienced far fewer winter weather cancellations with Amtrak than with the airlines, the buses, and my car. Amtrak seems to be able to move their trains when just about everything else is halted. This said, I would estimate about 1-in-20 (5%) of my winter-time trips on Amtrak have suffered some kind of significant consequence of the weather. These have been mostly frozen switches in the tracks in the mid-west and the western part of the country. Second in frequency comes signaling failures caused by electrical wires that have collapsed under the weight of ice. Both these things cause the train to stop for hours at a time. The longest such stop was on the Texas Eagle two winters ago; the Eagle waited in a small town in Missouri for 16 hours before continuing on its way. A distant third is frozen equipment in the manner described by others above. I recall the showers and the washrooms freezing up in one of the sleepers on the Southwest Chief several winters ago. I seem to recall problem being fixed during a normal stop Kansas City.

 

[jccollins]

I would prefer to book the most reliable routes...

Then you should highly consider booking on the Southwest Chief. This is one of Amtrak's most reliable and on time longhaul trains.

The Empire Builder does quite well, too, although it travels through much colder regions.

 

[Guest]

What REALY happens when a train is cancelled? Do Amtrak have any GENUINE obligations to customers beyond a refund?

In my case of the cancelled Cardinal (December 2000) , most people were put on buses in Chicago and sent down the road. I was going to Virginia, a couple of stops shy of Washington, DC. I had a ticket for a standard bedroom. I told the customer service folks, in no uncertain terms, that I was not going to ride all that way on a bus. I was firm but I did not rant and rave and scream and complain like many others did. I know the Amtrak folks appreciated my civil behavior and I honestly believe because of this I was treated better. I was put up in the Chicago Hilton and Towers overnight, got enough money for a couple of meals and a cab ride to O'Hare, and a plane ticket to what was my actual destination. I mssed the train ride I was looking forward to but I actually arrived at my final destination about an hour earlier than I would have if the Cardinal had run that night.

 

[GG-1]

I want to travel fromNew York to New Orleans, up to Chicago, Chicago to San Francisco, up to Seattle and back to New York via Chicago again. I want to book reasonably tight "connections" but

Aloha

I a curious as to the meaning of reasonably tight. You are goint thru some fun cities and a day in each would be nice. Secondly I wonder if a different route might make the trip smoother.

 

[caravanman]

Thanks again for the info...I guess I am trying to travel as far as possible in the time available to me, I have traveled by Amtrak for the first time this year. I enjoyed a trip on the C. Zephyr from Chicago to S. Francisco and then back to Chicago on the Texas Eagle. My second trip was with my son, 11, Lake shore ltd from New York and then Zephyr again...sadly diverted by rail track work from the best views, and a third trip in the fall with son and step daughter from San Francisco and LA to Orlando on the Sunset ltd...that arrived over 12 hours late!

So I want to fill in gaps with the Crescent and the Empire to see the whole place.

(I anticipate spending a day or two in New Orleans!)

The City of New Orleans arrives in Chicago about 9am, and I wonder about booking an afternoon train out on the same day 2pm?

I also wonder about booking the coast starlight from emeryville on the same evening that the zephyr arrives from chicago?

All the trips I have had on Amtrak have been late, 4 hours & 6 hours, on the Zephyr, 6 hours on the Eagle, and 12 hours on the Sunset...all in good weather, which is why I wanted second opinions on the winter running.

Best wishes, Ed.

B)

 

[Trogdor]

Delays are more often due to freight congestion than due to weather.

A connection from the City of New Orleans to a western LD train (such as the Zephyr) should be no problem. The City is pretty reliable, on-time wise, and lately, even when the train is late, it's not by more than an hour or two.

The Zephyr can be hit-or-miss. It's had some very bad luck these last couple of weeks, but some of that was due to equipment problems, freight train congestion, possibly even a freight train derailment mixed in there somewhere. Stuff like this you can't predict.

In the case of making the connection from the Zephyr to the Starlight, keep in mind that the trains run on the same track between Emeryville and Sacramento, in opposite directions. So, if you're running late, and won't be able to make the connection in EMY, hop off in Sacramento and that gives you a bit more time to make the connection. I would still book the connection for Emeryville, assuming you want to maximize your on-train time. Also, if you're not booking all of this in one itinerary and you are traveling by sleeper, be sure to have the reservation agent (by phone) make a notation on your itineraries that you are connecting from the Zephyr to the Starlight. That way, they'll know to look for you in Sacramento if you don't board in Emeryville (they can resell space if a passenger doesn't show, and the Starlight tends to be popular enough that sleepers could be sold out). If you're traveling in coach, it's no big deal.