Passenger Trains > Chief Route

Wellll.. has trackwork begun Garden City to Lamar? CHIEF losing time there every day. Or is it slow orders? Look forward to bouncing over this section in April!! Thanks.

cutboy2 Wrote:
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> Wellll.. has trackwork begun Garden City to
> Lamar? CHIEF losing time there every day. Or is
> it slow orders? Look forward to bouncing over
> this section in April!! Thanks.

There shouldn't be any bouncing at 25 mph. Maybe some 10 mph slows are needed out there.

Bob

About the best they can do is Lamar to Garden City @ 2 and 1/2 hours-losing a total of 53 minutes. Sometimes signals are also a problem. There is a little recovery time at Dodge City and also between Newton and Topeka. Plus, if the fuel stop at Argentine is done quickly and the passengers are handled quickly at Kansas City, they can get back on schedule. However, if the train is more than 30 minutes late at Lamar, it can fall down to 2 hours late very quickly. Mostly, that is because of poor meets West of Hutchinson with train #3. AFAIK, no trackwork has been started. I think we should all be nervous as to the raiding of the KDOT budget by Governor Brownback to balance the state budget. There is a real risk of losing the $2 million state share of the TIGER grant. My question is, why wasn't this trackwork done last Fall?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/15 22:55 by mp51w.

Uh! Hello, McFly -No Tracks Needed!

is the route between la junta and newton ctc or abs/twc?

thanks for any info........

66

It appears that the issue with the Chief is going down to the wire. My question is that if the states and Amtrak are unable to keep the train on its current route, does Amtrak have any sort of contingency plan? I know the Transcon has been discussed but there is a price tag attached to that. Is Amtrak willing to let this train and markets go away or is some other option being looked at (other than the Texas Eagle/Sunset route via San Antonio)? If the Chief does go away this will probably be the biggest hit to Amtrak's LD route since Amtrak was formed with the possible exception of the Broadway Limited.

fulham Wrote:
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> It appears that the issue with the Chief is going
> down to the wire. My question is that if the
> states and Amtrak are unable to keep the train on
> its current route, does Amtrak have any sort of
> contingency plan? I know the Transcon has been
> discussed but there is a price tag attached to
> that. Is Amtrak willing to let this train and
> markets go away or is some other option being
> looked at (other than the Texas Eagle/Sunset route
> via San Antonio)? If the Chief does go away this
> will probably be the biggest hit to Amtrak's LD
> route since Amtrak was formed with the possible
> exception of the Broadway Limited.


Those are good questions, but I think all you're going to get here is speculation.

fulham Wrote:
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> markets go away or is some other option being
> looked at (other than the Texas Eagle/Sunset route
> via San Antonio)? If the Chief does go away this
> will probably be the biggest hit to Amtrak's LD
> route since Amtrak was formed with the possible
> exception of the Broadway Limited.

Texas Eagle/Sunset is three nights, isn't it? Not much of a alternative in my book.

"About the best they can do is Lamar to Garden City @ 3 and 1/2 hours." It wasn't all that many years ago that I timed a Garden City to Lamar run at 1 hour 8 minutes start to stop. How things have fallen. Sad.

tcarl Wrote:
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> "About the best they can do is Lamar to Garden
> City @ 3 and 1/2 hours." It wasn't all that
> many years ago that I timed a Garden City to Lamar
> run at 1 hour 8 minutes start to stop. How things
> have fallen. Sad.


Yeah, 90+mph, then 79mph, then 60mph, now 30mph, indeed sad!

goneon66 Wrote:
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> is the route between la junta and newton ctc or
> abs/twc?
>
> thanks for any info........
>
> 66

ABS from Las Animas Jct. CO all the way east to CP 2206,which is a few miles west of Newton KS.

sums007 Wrote:
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> goneon66 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > is the route between la junta and newton ctc or
> > abs/twc?
> >
> > thanks for any info........
> >
> > 66
>
> ABS from Las Animas Jct. CO all the way east to CP
> 2206,which is a few miles west of Newton KS.

wow, I thought there was more ctc. thanks for the info........

66

I think the current running time LMR-GCK as announced above does not take into account the time zone change !!

fulham Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It appears that the issue with the Chief is going
> down to the wire. My question is that if the
> states and Amtrak are unable to keep the train on
> its current route, does Amtrak have any sort of
> contingency plan? I know the Transcon has been
> discussed but there is a price tag attached to
> that. Is Amtrak willing to let this train and
> markets go away or is some other option being
> looked at (other than the Texas Eagle/Sunset route
> via San Antonio)? If the Chief does go away this
> will probably be the biggest hit to Amtrak's LD
> route since Amtrak was formed with the possible
> exception of the Broadway Limited.

I'd have to check current law, but in 1987 when Guilford let the Montrealer route fall apart, Amtrak condemned it by eminent domain and seized the route, handing it over to the Central Vermont. I suppose Amtrak could always do that here.

The ATSF from Chicago to LA should be at the heart of a robust multi-prong, multi-train long distance network connecting Chicago, Texas, Denver, and northern and southern California. The track from Newton into New Mexico should be brought back up to 100 mph to make use of the ATS system and the full capabilities of Amtrak's equipment.

I'd have a schedule of trains Chicago-LA/Oakland, Chicago/Denver-LA, Chicago/Denver-Texas, with a single train from Denver carrying both the Texas and LA legs and splitting at La Junta. I'd also run an auto-ferry service on one of the trains from Chicago to Flagstaff.

Amtrak has to WANT to do something like this and it could. It has no problem find all sorts of money every year for the things it WANTS to do.

>
> ABS from Las Animas Jct. CO all the way east to CP
> 2206,which is a few miles west of Newton KS.


Actually, just west of Hutchinson, KS.

tcarl Wrote:
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> "About the best they can do is Lamar to Garden
> City @ 3 and 1/2 hours." It wasn't all that
> many years ago that I timed a Garden City to Lamar
> run at 1 hour 8 minutes start to stop. How things
> have fallen. Sad.

I got you beat, buddy! At least two runs on No 4 at 1:06.

Damn those 80 and 85mph curves!

Bob

The_Chief_Way Wrote:
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> I think the current running time LMR-GCK as
> announced above does not take into account the
> time zone change !!

I think you are right but we need to set "stretch goals" for this train.

Bob

Some tie work has been done and CWR is laid out is places. However, even if BNSF fixes the track, Amtrak will continue to run at 30 mph so the anti #3 and #4 folks have something to cry about. :)

< I'd have to check current law, but in 1987 when Guilford let the Montrealer route fall apart, Amtrak condemned it by eminent domain and seized the route, handing it over to the Central Vermont. I suppose Amtrak could always do that here. >

That was when the 25 year contracts from 1971 were in effect.
I don't think Amtrak has those powers anymore.

dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
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> Some tie work has been done and CWR is laid out is
> places. However, even if BNSF fixes the track,
> Amtrak will continue to run at 30 mph so the anti
> #3 and #4 folks have something to cry about. :)

For the record, 3&4 is my favorite train and that is why I am so vocal on this topic. I'll be very honest about my motivations. I want Amtrak (Mr Boardman) to come out and just be honest with us on whether they are going to kill or truncate this route. It doesn't look like any other scenario is going to happen and not even my moving to Washington or Colorado would make me any less pessimistic. Bottom line: Amtrak needs to stop screwing around waiting on these recalcitrant, flaky states to cough up the funds, show some leadership, and with 12 months to go, announce a comprehensive plan for this train. !!!!

Bob