Passenger Trains > Southbound Coast Starlight into LAUPT tonight early?

I've got to pick someone up from the station and so far it's still running 11 minutes early according to Amtrak Julie. Is she BSing me? I thought this train was always super late, especially this time of year.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/12 10:53 by DRGW5502.

Relax..There's plenty of time and miles left to keep the tradition alive. Julie is forever the optomist.

That's more like it! I guess if it gets to Santa Barbara, that's close enough for a guesstimate.

Hoggerdude Wrote:
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> Relax..There's plenty of time and miles left to
> keep the tradition alive. Julie is forever the
> optomist.

I was once very embarrassed by the padding on the schedule of the Starlight on arrival at LAUPT. I was SP Division Engineer at Los Angeles and was to meet my boss on his arrival from Oakland. I checked with the dispatcher during the day and was comforted to know he was on time all the way. I looked at the timetable and read (IIRC) 630PM arrival. So I killed time around the office until just enough time to get to the platform to meet him. What I found was a very irate Chief Engineer-Maintenance walking quite alone around the waiting room wondering what kind of fool had managed to get promoted to Division Engineer. "Don't you know ANYTHING about passenger train schedules?" (Not until that moment, truth to tell.)
That is not the easy way to learn about schedule padding.
Look at the running time from LA to Van Nuys going north, then subtract that time from the southbound time at Van Nuys to get a better estimate if Julie still reports on time coming down the coast. I have arrived on recent Starlights many minutes ahead of schedule, remember there is almost no freight interference on the coast line.

railstiesballast Wrote:
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>> Look at the running time from LA to Van Nuys going
> north, then subtract that time from the southbound
> time at Van Nuys to get a better estimate if Julie
> still reports on time coming down the coast. I
> have arrived on recent Starlights many minutes
> ahead of schedule, remember there is almost no
> freight interference on the coast line.

For the last several years #11 has been arriving early into Salinas by as much as 25 minutes thanks to that padding between San Jose and Salinas. However for the last few months they have been flagging the xings between Castroville and Salinas for unclear reasons----maybe to prevent all the demolition derby harvest season accidents when the ag people and truckers try to beat the train?? :-)
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

On Nov 07 I was 37 minutes early into LAX.
SBA * * 2 602P * 613P Departed: 11 minutes late.
* OXN * * 2 705P * 658P Departed: 7 minutes early.
* SIM * * 2 748P * 728P Departed: 20 minutes early.
* VNC * * 2 822P * 756P Departed: 26 minutes early.
* BUR * * 2 831P * 803P Departed: 28 minutes early.
* LAX 2 900P * * 823P * Arrived: 37 minutes early.
Dennis

> For the last several years #11 has been arriving
> early into Salinas by as much as 25 minutes thanks
> to that padding between San Jose and Salinas.
> However for the last few months they have been
> flagging the xings between Castroville and Salinas
> for unclear reasons----maybe to prevent all the
> demolition derby harvest season accidents when the
> ag people and truckers try to beat the train?? :-)
>
> C.


Very clear reasons actually. The Union Pacific is afraid of rusty rail conditions inhibiting the crossings approach circuits. Since its just us and a local or two out of Watsonville polishing the rails thru there they don't really feel the need to do anything more than put the 6.32.2(1) on the crossings; especially with the aforementioned padding.

Keep in mind that the last few stops on a lot of our long hauls are "D" stops. The train only stops if it has passengers to discharge, and if it does stop, may leave after doing its station work instead of waiting for schedule time. Check in with dixielandsoftware.com every so often. They will keep you up to date on the trains status.

5524

Oh thanks 5524, this helps a lot!

- 5502

5524 Wrote:
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> > For the last several years #11 has been
> arriving
> > early into Salinas by as much as 25 minutes
> thanks
> > to that padding between San Jose and Salinas.
> > However for the last few months they have been
> > flagging the xings between Castroville and
> Salinas
> > for unclear reasons----maybe to prevent all the
> > demolition derby harvest season accidents when
> the
> > ag people and truckers try to beat the train??
> :-)
> >
> > C.
>
>
> Very clear reasons actually. The Union Pacific is
> afraid of rusty rail conditions inhibiting the
> crossings approach circuits. Since its just us and
> a local or two out of Watsonville polishing the
> rails thru there they don't really feel the need
> to do anything more than put the 6.32.2(1) on the
> crossings; especially with the aforementioned
> padding.
>
> Keep in mind that the last few stops on a lot of
> our long hauls are "D" stops. The train only stops
> if it has passengers to discharge, and if it does
> stop, may leave after doing its station work
> instead of waiting for schedule time. Check in
> with dixielandsoftware.com every so often. They
> will keep you up to date on the trains status.
>
> 5524

If the padding was removed what is the running time for the train. Is there perhaps more than an hour of padding?

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

webmaster Wrote:
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> If the padding was removed what is the running
> time for the train. Is there perhaps more than an
> hour of padding?

In the trains entire schedule yes there is way more than an hour of padding. I not sure of run time south or north of my portion but the train can usually dwell in KFS southbound for a good 20 mins, with another 15 min dwell at DUN, 10 min or so dwell at RDD, and I usually have to kill time getting into CIC or else we will be blocking crossings for more than 10 mins. And that's not to mention the hour plus the train can, and has, sat at the SAC depot. SAC to SJC the times are a little tighter, but I've still managed to make SJC 10 mins early.

PLENTY OF PAD!

5524 Wrote:
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> webmaster Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > If the padding was removed what is the running
> > time for the train. Is there perhaps more than
> an
> > hour of padding?
>
> In the trains entire schedule yes there is way
> more than an hour of padding. I not sure of run
> time south or north of my portion but the train
> can usually dwell in KFS southbound for a good 20
> mins, with another 15 min dwell at DUN, 10 min or
,
Sometimes these station codes are as hard to figure out as the old telegraph calls were.

Cliff
> so dwell at RDD, and I usually have to kill time
> getting into CIC or else we will be blocking
> crossings for more than 10 mins. And that's not to
> mention the hour plus the train can, and has, sat
> at the SAC depot. SAC to SJC the times are a
> little tighter, but I've still managed to make SJC
> 10 mins early.
>
> PLENTY OF PAD!

I was referring to South of Oakland, but I suppose if the entire route is taken into account it would be a lot more.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

webmaster Wrote:
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> If the padding was removed what is the running
> time for the train. Is there perhaps more than an
> hour of padding?


I'm too lazy to do the googling but I think #11 is scheduled to leave SJC about 10:08 and get into SNS at 11:48-----------hour and 40 minutes. Based on the last couple of years when it tends to show up around 11:30 - 35, I'd say there is about 20- 25 minutes worth of padding in there.
C

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

webmaster Wrote:
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> If the padding was removed what is the running
> time for the train. Is there perhaps more than an
> hour of padding?

For the entire run from LAX to SEA it is probably a little over three hours pad. I've found that much in looking at the schedule. You can't tell for sure by looking at the schedule because it may actually take longer to go from, say, DUN to KFS than the reverse even without a pad. In the northwest I can see #14 getting into PDX at 3:10 sometimes and that is 30 min. early. #14 can make SEA sometimes 55 min early. Then some of a station stop time can be a pad. Like PDX has a schedule station stop time of 40 min. If they are late they can get it out a lot faster than that.

I've watched a couple fun things going into LAX on the Chief. Years ago there was this old guy that was really upset and saying bad things because we were always 10 to 15 minutes late at every stop. "Trains didn't run that way in the old days....." Then the pad took over after the last stop out of LAX and we got in maybe 15 minutes early. Then he was really upset. "What are we doing here now? We aren't supposed to be here until...." Another time we pulled out of Fullerton right on time. This lady got out her cell phone and called somebody to pick her up. "We will be there right on time." We were about 50 minutes early and she is walking around in the station with a bewildered look on her face waiting for her ride.

jb

EDIT: I started following this thread about the time #14 (NB Coast Starlight) left Salem (SLM). It departed 1 hour and 22 minutes down. It got into Seattle (SEA) 10 minutes early. So, to me, it would seem that there is at least 1 hour and 32 minutes pad between Salem and Seattle.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/12 20:45 by jdb.

> Sometimes these station codes are as hard to
> figure out as the old telegraph calls were.
>
> Cliff


My apologies...
KFS-Klamath Falls, ORE
DUN-Dunsmuir, CAL
RDD-Redding, CAL
CIC-Chico, CAL
SAC-Duuuuuh!
SJC-San Jose, CAL

DRGW5502 Wrote:
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> Oh thanks 5524, this helps a lot!
>
> - 5502
Check in
> > with dixielandsoftware.com every so often. They
> > will keep you up to date on the trains status.
> >
> > 5524


The free Amtrak app for the iPhone also seems to be quite accurate and a quick way to get the current on-time status of any train on Amtrak -- except those with the dreaded "service disruption" due to rerouting or annulment.

I recall a trip last year where we left LAX around 2 1/2 hours late. We had virtually no train interference, no slow orders and made every stop as quickly as could be done. After a 10-15 minute stop in Portland, we departed on time and arrived Seattle around 8 pm, 45 minutes early. That amounts to almost 3 1/2 hours padding/dwell time northbound.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/12 18:09 by thetuck.

MyfordBrowning Wrote:
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> Sometimes these station codes are as hard to
> figure out as the old telegraph calls were.


Don't forget that Amtrak.com lets you look up station information by code.

If you go here: http://www.amtrak.com/find-train-bus-stations and type the code you're unsure of into the appropriate box, it'll return with the full station name and details.

I've used it quite a few times myself! :-)

Seems to currently be only 12 mins late.

City codes are also in the station listing in the national timetable.

Remender that the pad in most cases required by the host railroad,so that they can get
there bonus pay.