Passenger Trains > Need status on 8(26). Seems to be stuck at Edmonds.

Anyone have any idea why #8 and #516 are sitting at Edmonds?  Both have been sitting there for awhile and the maps show them at 0.0 MPH.  I have friends that are supposed to board #8 tomorrow at one of the stations around Glacier Park.   Looks like it would be 2 hours late it if got moving right now.  Could it be fires, trespasser hit, derailment, or maybe a breakdown.  I doubt it's an Amtrak breakdown since two trains are sitting there.

Thanks in advance.

John
 

UNCONFIRMED...secondhand report says 8 was east of Wenatchee just after 900pm, according to a BNSF source.

Amtrak knows nothing other than they expect it on time into Spokane...which the above, if
true, would tend to verify.

516 is running close to on-time.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/15 22:24 by GenePoon.

Just verified with an Amtrak contact that the train is running on time, or at least, close.  The trackers show it os still stuck at Edmonds.  Train 516 was there for a long time and then all of a sudden it was past Everett.  Kind of rough if someone is checking the web for status and going by that to catch the train.

John
 

Looking at the time the location was tagged, I'd say the GPS is borked on whatever piece of equipment is on.

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GPS borked...and that the agent in Everett no longer has OSing the train as among his duties.

Tracking of the train is done by BNSF, too; but that information is not linked to Amtrak
Track-A-Train or Train Status systems, though it IS provided to Amtrak for internal use,
and the call center agents can access it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/15 23:30 by GenePoon.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/15 00:13 by GenePoon.

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Once 8(26) added the engine from 28(26) in Spokane, the tracking resumed.  Either that or the Track-A-Train panel in Delaware got changed out.  :-)

Genepoon, I think you nailed it.  

I went to bed just before it arrived at Spokane, not expecting anything to change.  I didn't think about anything changing when it met with #28.  When I was watching last night, both #8 and #516 were sitting at Edmonds so it sort of make you think that they are holding the trains there due to some problem between there and the next station.  All of a sudden, #516 jumped way ahead but #8 continued to show at 0.0 MPH and sat at Edmunds.  

I called a nearby station and talked with the agent that I knew.  It's not something I do everyday but I had friends that were on their first Amtrak trip and were expecting to catch the train this morning.  I wanted to help make the trip a pleasant experience.  When I saw no movement, I sent them a txtmsg.  After several hours I made the call to find out that it was infact moving and on time, or at least close to on time, I sent them an update.

I appreciate my friends on Trainorders that looked into whatever resources they had.  Trainorders is a great resource for those of us that don't have access to some of the information that is available to others.  Thanks to all of you.

I'll be talking to my friends in a week or two after they return home.  I'll be interested in finding out what their experience was like.  My friend is a ham and has the radios to listen to the railroad.  I sent him a list of frequencies and told him some of the things to listen for or things to expect.  Also told him that if there was a problem, having the radio was the best way to find out what was going on.  If I get some decent info from him I'll post something from the viewpoint of a "non-railfan passenger."

John
 

7 &8 are not having a great summer, but seems to be the best it has been since 2010, the last good year.
2011 was the Minot floods, service suspensions, and it went down hill ever since with oil traffic congestion compounded by repeated derailments, grade crossing wrecks,  and lousy track east of Havre.