Passenger Trains > Hoosier Hysteria [Updated]

Last night 50(30) was significantly delayed by a disabled freight just prior to Crawfordsville station. With the on-going crew manipulations brought on by Amtrak, the original outbound crew had to take a cut and not sign up until after the arrival of 50 at Indy. After that delay, and additional manipulation was required to have crew go out to Beech Grove and get 851(31) and advance it for a late departure. Before departing Indy, engine #54 would not stay running and at last report was still at it's first station. Reports on 54 have it being a repeat offender, however it may have simply ran out of fuel according other info...

Amtrak sure was lucky this time, trying to save face with INDOT. Imagine if the trains were on time, 54 would have failed out in a corn field.....

UPDATE: Just after 9:30am a diesel tech from Beech Grove has applied repairs and will ride the train to Chicago. Train should depart Indy around 10:00am running 4 hrs late. So it has fuel, just lacks being in a State of Good Repair.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/14 07:03 by EDog535.

Sounds like the title to your thread should have "Amtrak Hysteria."

Approaching Crawfordsville now at 11 AM

And the engine 54 just came out of Beech Grove mechanical facility. Doesn't speak well for them either.....

Most of the trips to Beech Grove this year have been to install ill-fated PTC equipment. They don't have the budget to do much else. I say ill-fated because the PTC systems out there so far are junk and will have to be replaced once the AAR finally gets its act together and comes up with a workable standard.

Running it like a business!

Quote: "Author: 9900: Running it like a business!"

NO! Like a business going out of business... aka Penn Central

No different than the rest of the electronic world. XP has expired. Gotta replace smartphone every year or so, computer operating systems buggy and no good for more than five years tops, TV sets constantly being "improved" and now flat screens are obsolete, must get curved ones.

Railroads aren't used to this...they generally operate with technology that lasted them 50-100 years in the past.

Open wire telegraphy or written orders handed down on the fly with hoops anyone?

P317 just out of Dyer 1311 CST. OUCH!

Is P317 the railroad's designation for Amtrak's Train 851?

Yes, until a few years ago the hoosier was 317/318. so CSX still calls it P317/P318...

Why can't we use normal language suitable for the lay person than nerdy dispatcher-speak ?

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why can't we use normal language suitable for the
> lay person than nerdy dispatcher-speak ?

Listen to the radio - the crew calls it P317 - nerdy dispatcher out....

Precisely my point. I am not in Indiana listening to my scanner.

You don't have to be in Indiana. Scanners are on the web for the whole world to listen. There are four of them with overlapping coverages that cover the Hoosier State. Just do a search, or go to one of the hosting sites.

Or you call it 851 like a normal person since it's an Amtrak train. Especially since it is only P317 on one of 6 railroads. Such kid arguments on here. All over leaked inside info posted by the usual Amtrak hate squad.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/14 13:17 by 1976.

Well, I don't know if it's "hate squad."

I'd like to ask that we all refer to Amtrak or commuter trains by their "public" numbers, not the number that the operating railroads use. For me, at least, it makes it easier to understand what I'm looking at or reading about. And I think it helps railfans who are outside of the local service area.

Well said knotch8.

knotch8 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, I don't know if it's "hate squad."
>
> I'd like to ask that we all refer to Amtrak or
> commuter trains by their "public" numbers, not the
> number that the operating railroads use. For me,
> at least, it makes it easier to understand what
> I'm looking at or reading about. And I think it
> helps railfans who are outside of the local
> service area.

Ditto. Not all of us are railfans on TO.

NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No different than the rest of the electronic
> world. XP has expired. Gotta replace smartphone
> every year or so, computer operating systems buggy
> and no good for more than five years tops, TV sets
> constantly being "improved" and now flat screens
> are obsolete, must get curved ones.
>
> Railroads aren't used to this...they generally
> operate with technology that lasted them 50-100
> years in the past.
>
> Open wire telegraphy or written orders handed down
> on the fly with hoops anyone?

And with the old ways, they ran more trains and were more fluid!