Winter Planning for Empire Builder Trips

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#7(9) left Chicago 7:18 late. #3 and #5 did little better. Still not back to normal in the Chicago yards, or else they were held for some very late eastern arrivals.
 
I've occasionally wished for a day train between St. Paul and Minot, like the Great Northern once had. This isn't what I had in mind.
 
I see even today's #7 is now going to depart AT LEAST 1 hour and 45 minutes behind schedule (as we know yesterday's went out over 7 hours behind). #3 and #5 are also, scheduled to leave at least 90 minutes late as well. Here we are 5 days after the "Big Chill" (and temps in Chicago actually above normal!!) and the trains are still not even leaving the CHI hub on time. Rats.......Hopefully the slower weekend pace will allow Amtrak to fully catch up!!
 
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They had the same yesterday, and kept on getting pushed out as the evening went on..

My trip is in a few weeks, and ended up taking the next day off just in case the non stop delay from CHI cont then in Feb, and no way I am arrving home a few hours before work.
 
Monday 1/13: More than a week after the cold weather Amtrak still cannot get the trains out of the yard on time. Today's Empire Builder left over an hour late, again.
 
Sad to say, I've bailed out on the EB trip I'd booked for mid-February. Will now head back east from Portland, OR, on the Coast Starlight to Zephyr to Cap Ltd ,....

If it were just myself, I'd have taken my chances. But I'll be traveling with my father, who's elderly and not able to sleep sitting up in coach if the EB is cancelled or misses its Chicago connection and Amtrak's only available option is to book us on overnight train(s) in coach.

Hope things get better for the EB--but that's a hope not well grounded in reality, alas.
 
I have no trust in the EB anymore. I want to do a round trip as well to Portland from Holland, Michigan this summer sometime with my mother and sister, but am looking to do the Pere Marquette to Chicago, the California Zephyr to the coast and the Coast Starlight up to the north (and in the reverse order for the trip back). In better times, I'd do a PM/EB combo and may do that sometime if the EB's time problems ever get solved.
 
I am booked on the EB in August, but luckily I am only going from LaCrosse to Glacier and return. As this is a vacation, with a rental car and six days at Glacier I think I can handle the delays. Mel Brooke's once told us it is good to be king, I am just happy to be roaming around on the steel rail. One of pappy's rules was never be in a rush on vacation,,,,,,
 
andersone said:
I am booked on the EB in August, but luckily I am only going from LaCrosse to Glacier and return. As this is a vacation, with a rental car and six days at Glacier I think I can handle the delays. Mel Brooke's once told us it is good to be king, I am just happy to be roaming around on the steel rail. One of pappy's rules was never be in a rush on vacation,,,,,,
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Enjoy the trip! I've been out there 3 times, and LOVE Glacier.. Are you getting off at Glacier or Whitefish?
 
Anyone know what happened to #7 in ND this AM. It was actually running pretty good until the dreaded "Service Disruption" notice was posted by Amtrak--rats.......
 
It is strange. According to the Amtrak Track a train map they are both still moving, but Amtrak's system has put them both in a Service Disruption status. Something must be going on with BNSF perhaps? I will try to ask my local BNSF contacts, but usually they are very good about giving me heads up when problems do arise.

Bummer. I am going to be on the EB in a few days and I specifically built in a night in CHI because of this mess. I hope 24 hours is sufficient time!

:-(
 
TraneMan said:
andersone said:
I am booked on the EB in August, but luckily I am only going from LaCrosse to Glacier and return. As this is a vacation, with a rental car and six days at Glacier I think I can handle the delays. Mel Brooke's once told us it is good to be king, I am just happy to be roaming around on the steel rail. One of pappy's rules was never be in a rush on vacation,,,,,,
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Enjoy the trip! I've been out there 3 times, and LOVE Glacier.. Are you getting off at Glacier or Whitefish?
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actually getting off in East Glacier and re-boarding in West. Will rent a car for six glorious days in the most beautiful place in America (my sainted mother always contended Lake Louise and I dare not contravene her thoughts, at least in text, for fear of incurring her wrath from beyond) Haven't been there since I was a teen, next year Yellowstone, trying to relive my past now that I am over 60 and survived radical head and neck cancer surgery twice. Life is precious, as are the people and places in it.
 
I heard there were 70mph winds in North Dakota last night. Maybe that's got something to do with it.
 
I just looked at the wealth observations in ND now, windy (currently 30+ mph) and cold (0 to 10 degrees), but nothing that isn't even approaching what occurred 10 days ago, and quite frankly, not too far from "normal". And absolutely NO weather issues here in MT to cause #8 to go into Service Disruption--it's mild, calm and dry. Arrrgh.
 
Update: My BNSF guy says a freight derailed about 90 miles West of Minot late last night. And he believes it is in an area of single track, which means a likely 4-6 hour delay (or more), while BNSF gets equipment to the scene to put the derailed cars back on the tracks. He had no other info at this time.

The Builders just can't get a break can they!

:-(
 
Not sure. I asked my BNSF guy that very question. He said the derailment actually occurred around 6:30 AM today and winds in the area were between 30-40 mph, which normally is not a concern, but a "rogue" gust could have contributed to this derailment. In a quick follow up he said this issue "may take a while to untangle". That does not sound encouraging.

:-(

PS-BNSF has already put out a bulletin to its freight customers to expect 36-48 hour delays in receiving their goods as a result of this mess, so my guess is this will not be cleared up for a while. Another reason for double tracking this route!
 
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montana mike said:
Not sure. I asked my BNSF guy that very question. He said the derailment actually occurred around 6:30 AM today and winds in the area were between 30-40 mph, which normally is not a concern, but a "rogue" gust could have contributed to this derailment. In a quick follow up he said this issue "may take a while to untangle". That does not sound encouraging.

:-(

PS-BNSF has already put out a bulletin to its freight customers to expect 36-48 hour delays in receiving their goods as a result of this mess, so my guess is this will not be cleared up for a while. Another reason for double tracking this route!
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wow, wonder what will happen to today's 7 out of chi? that was to have been "our train" out of spk on saturday morning. since havre and minot are service stops, i suppose, they could turn the trains there and bus bridge between
 
My BNSF guy says he didn't think the weather was a direct factor, while it is cold there (actually just low teens at the accident site at the time of the accident), and it was windy (NW at 25-35 mph+), neither of these two factors should have been the main cause of this derailment. Hopefully BNSF will be able to step up to the plate and work some miracles on putting things back together--never a dull moment on the Hi-Line!!! Amazing. If I was BNSF senior management I would be all over this line like a fly on you know what. This is their $$$ line and things get screwed up royally on a regular basis.

Oh well.........
 
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