Passenger Trains > An Amtrak Sandwich

I went out to Olmsted Falls, Ohio, on Saturday morning to catch the late eastbound Lake Shore Limited. When I left home at 7:20 a.m., Amtrak Julie estimated that No. 48 would arrive in Elyria at 8:28 a.m.

When I got to Olmsted Falls (a western suburb of Cleveland), it didn't take long to figure out that Norfolk Southern was a parking lot in Cleveland. The only things moving for a while were a couple of westbound stack trains. That did not bode well for Amtrak 48, particularly when I heard the Toledo East Dispatcher tell someone that nothing was moving east on her district, which goes to the west edge of the Berea interlocking (CP 194 on the NS Chicago Line).

Trains were parked all over the place. The 16N was parked on Track No. 2 at the west end of CP 194. Two eastbounds were parked on the Berea siding. Trains were also parked west of the Falls on Track No. 2 and near CP Max.

The Toledo East dispatcher indicated that lack of crews and lack of cabs was contributing to the congestion. Someone said that Amtrak No. 30 (eastbound Capitol Limited) ferried three NS crews eastward due to lack of cabs.

Eastbound traffic through Olmsted Falls finally began moving shortly after 9:30 a.m.. But with the 16N parked ahead it was still a single track railroad. The eastbounds were taking Track No. 2 to CP 197 and crossing over to Track No. 1.

Somewhere in this congestion No. 48 got caught. It left Sandusky at 8:40 a.m. (4 hours, 28 minutes late). When No. 48 left its next station (Elyria) at 10:36 a.m., it was 5 hours, 48 minutes down.

(Photo 1): No. 48 is sandwiched between two other eastbound trains at the Mapleway Drive crossing. The 20T is on the left and a parked grain train is on the right in the Berea siding.

(Photo 2): The going away shot of No. 48.

No. 48 had to stop at the west end of the CP 194 interlocking because the stack train seen in Photo 1 was crossing over from No. 2 to No. 1. By then the 16N had moved on. This begs the question of why No. 48 was put on Track 1 when it would be following the stack train out of CP 194. Why not must let it follow the stack train on Track No. 2? Or why not hold the stack track at CP 194 and have it follow Amtrak? There is probably a reason for why what was done was done but I won't speculate on what that is.

No. 48 arrived at the Cleveland Amtrak station one minute after high noon and departed 6 hours, 25 minutes late. It continued to lose time on CSX, leaving Rochester, N.Y., 7 hours, 29 minutes late. It picked up some time east of there, arriving at Penn Station in New York at 1:05 a.m., 6 hours, 42 minutes late.

For the record No. 48 left Chicago 1 hour, 28 minutes late, and was 3 hours, 26 minutes late leaving South Bend, Ind.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/14 09:10 by SDP40F600.

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Evidently the NS and the Pen Central have more in common than black engines.

They should try the ride sharing apps. Anybody with a smartfone and a credit card can play!

how come ns does not us the old nkp to ci with all this congestion????