Passenger Trains > #51 The Cardinal has disappeared in IN

Some strong storms through IN last night, but I would be curious to find out what happened to #51 last night?    Last reported departing Connersville, IN westbound. 

Stopped at Indianapolis.
Wind damage, electrical outages, and flooding around Brookston (north of Lafayette).
Could be elsewhere at other locations as well.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/16 10:20 by NewRiverGeorge.

Thanks for the detail.  Is there any other Amtrak route that is so susceptible to the effects of a thunderstorm?  It storms often in Indiana in the summertime - and in many other states as well - but I don't hear of other Amtrak trains being truncated due to the normal thunderstorms that rake the midwest as often as it does the Cardinal/HS.  And BTW, it is the portion in northern IN that is so often the culprit of trancated Amtrak service. 

Is it because the former Monon never has been upgraded as most other mainline routes have been? 

Any track is susceptible to a strong storm, not one is immune to mother nature.


P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the detail.  Is there any other Amtrak
> route that is so susceptible to the effects of a
> thunderstorm?  It storms often in Indiana in the
> summertime - and in many other states as well -
> but I don't hear of other Amtrak trains being
> truncated due to the normal thunderstorms that
> rake the midwest as often as it does the
> Cardinal/HS.  And BTW, it is the portion in
> northern IN that is so often the culprit of
> trancated Amtrak service. 
>
> Is it because the former Monon never has been
> upgraded as most other mainline routes have
> been? 

All of Amtraks routes are susceptible to the effects of storms, I was on train 449 when 49 get delayed by a tree blown down near NYC. Trains 21/22 have been affected a few times in the recent past by flooding in Texas. Take a look back here no TO and you can find a few instances of trains being delayed by Mother Nature

​CB

P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the detail.  Is there any other Amtrak
> route that is so susceptible to the effects of a
> thunderstorm?  It storms often in Indiana in the
> summertime - and in many other states as well -
> but I don't hear of other Amtrak trains being
> truncated due to the normal thunderstorms that
> rake the midwest as often as it does the
> Cardinal/HS.  And BTW, it is the portion in
> northern IN that is so often the culprit of
> trancated Amtrak service. 
>
> Is it because the former Monon never has been
> upgraded as most other mainline routes have
> been? 

P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is there any other Amtrak  route that is so susceptible to the effects of a  thunderstorm?


Agree with others that almost all of the lines are susceptible to storms.  I would argue the BNSF sections of both the Zephyr and the Southwest chief are more susceptible in Iowa and Illinois and the Texas Eagle is certainly susceptible through Arkansas and Texas.

Everybody blames CSX all the time but the weather is the weather.

Last night a tornado went through Pontiac, IL. It was after the
last Amtrak would have gone through, barring a late trip [306(22)
departed Pontiac 1 1/2 hours prior, and before a tornado warning
was issued]. That line has seen a lot of work under the so-called
Illinois High Speed project. But would Amtrak have run that
train with a tornado in the vicinity? My guess is that it wouldn't
matter...Amtrak would have been out of the decision. Union Pacific
would not have allowed it.

On a trip I rode on the Crescent from New Orleans to Philadelphia around
2000, Amtrak was ordered by NS to operate at Restricted Speed for hours
because of tornado warnings and high water (lapping at the ends of the
ties in places). The train was ordered to stop for an hour during the
height of the weather crisis. I could not blame NS and it turned out
that a funnel cloud had actually crossed the railroad ahead of us but
wasn't touching the ground...yet. And at Birmingham, lightning from
an electrical storm in the same system struck a signal box and put
all the signals at RED. All trains: Restricted Speed, flag past each
signal.

We were seven hours late at Atlanta.  But SAFE.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/16 14:37 by GenePoon.

Through the years the Texas Eagle 21/22 has had numerous delays, reroutes (Chester sub.) and two derailments between St. Louis and Poplar Bluff, MO because of storms.

A few years ago I was on no. 22 in Illinois and the weather radio was predicting a tornado to cross the tracks ahead of us. Signals were out and we were creeping along. We pulled into the stub of the Mazonia (sp?) sub to wait for no. 21. We got to Chicago in time for no. 30. Left Chicago in the midst of a spectacular thunderstorm. Then we slowed down to 15 mph because NS's flash flood watch. I was calculating that we would reach Pittsburgh sometime in the next afternoon, but fortunately the watch was lifted and we made it to Pittsburgh in time to leave on no.42.

Posted from Android

That Perfect Storm finally took out the whole service.. Last check with have 50(23) and 51(24) in service disruption. And 317(24) suffers Initial Terminal Delay.. So for the first time under IPH, we have a P42 leading the Hoosier State in the form of E/15. Looks pretty much like a hospital train in route to CHI on the web cam.

Funny, I though the NY Mafia said they didn't want a Pumpkin in the lead on the Red Bird? So turn about is fair play??

Trains hitting downed trees is more common than most people realize.
And it does not take necessarily a storm to fell them, some just topple from old age.
The Crescent route is notorious for being lined with trees, and parts of the City of New Orleans route in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The same storm that hit Pontiac, Illinois was responsible for the Indiana damage.  But NWS says it was not a full blown tornado.  Straight line winds.
Then it went down across Ohio and Kentucky, and caused the flooding that is apparently killing todays train 51.

Wednesday's equipment, led by #15, sat in Indy yesterday, and left this morning as 317(851).  The Hoosier State equipment evidently is active in drag, the other cars from New York  are presumed to be inactive as deadhead.

Since there was no train 51 to get to Chicago yesterday, there could be no train 50 last night.

Evidently there was some thought of 50 running out of Indy last night with a bus from Chicago, but then the West Virginia situation nixed that.

There was a hospital train of junk equipment from Chicago that showed as train 50 last night, but it really wasn't.

Included was a Los Angeles switcher, #510, that apparently toasted and may be headed to the boneyard.

Now a remaining question is since there is no 51 today, will Wednesday's set run back east Saturday night?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/16 07:39 by NewRiverGeorge.

NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Since there was no train 51 to get to Chicago
> yesterday, there could be no train 50 last night.
>
> Evidently there was some thought of 50 running out
> of Indy last night with a bus from Chicago, but
> then the West Virginia situation nixed that.
>
> There was a hospital train of junk equipment from
> Chicago that showed as train 50 last night, but it
> really wasn't.

Really? Tell that to the passengers in the business class and 4 coaches with tickets for train 50.

So did they get bustituted?  Any sleeper pax expecting to connect to their car at IND?
That had to have been a nightmare.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/16 10:20 by NewRiverGeorge.