Passenger Trains > 41 rolling south, still in NC

The Floridian is beyond hopeless.  I have never seen such a forlorn train.  Honestly, I don't get it.  On paper, this should work.  But in practice, it has been an unmitigated disaster. 

Today's train is over 10 hours late, and arrives in Savannah at around 3 pm.  My serious question is this:  The Savannah station sees all of its action from 645 pm to 730 am, and its hours are aligned accordingly.  So it a train arrives at 3 pm, who is there to meet it?  There is checked baggage, so someone has to come in.  

Late trains not only drive away passengers, but also drive up costs.

It is getting worse.  Now over 12 hours late.

Chessie1963

I don't get it either.  I just keep thinking---thank God this isn't happening
to me--or anyone in my family.

With every ticket issued, Amtrak should issue a warning saying: "Travel at your own risk!"

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/26 07:37 by ronald321.

It will be interesting to see if they decide to bypass Lakeland/Tampa again by bus to save time. She also ran the other day without a cafe car, luckily with a diner. Miami ETA is 04:27 based on being over 10:18 late, but betting that estimate wil fall further behind...  

Due into Southern Pines at 9:28, arrived 9:54.  Too bad schedule is PM and actual was AM. Here's the train at 10:00 in Aberdeen.  Had hoped to get down there in time to set up on other side but it was not to be so settle for this from truck.  Notice today's version has an extra baggage car up front and a 5th coach.  If the 5th coach was supposed to be deadhead, looks like they allowed passenger to spread out into it as there where people in all 5 coaches.  

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This general railroad unreliability is why Amtrak is now to the point of needing to have extra sets of equipment at many of its major outlying terminals (I'd say those with less than 12-hour turnarounds at least). Amtrak can't even think about doing that, though, until Airos start going into service, freeing up equipment of various types for long-hauls. In other words, there should be no equipment retirements allowed for a while. By the way, the westbound Empire Builder was 3:48 late out of Spokane this morning thanks to earlier electrical problems, so 8 will be late out of Seattle again today. That has to be happening an average of a couple of times a week now. The good news is that today's 7 apparently still has that new Cascades Airo set on it, headed for Seattle. Earlier reports that the Airo had to be dropped in Milwaukee were apparently incorrect.

This train had MULTIPLE mechanical assessments with the locomotives according to the delay alerts. I have to question if the P42s are properly being serviced and maintained in wake of the Siemens locomotives being delivered. They got their own set of issues and problems. 

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This train had MULTIPLE mechanical assessments
> with the locomotives according to the delay
> alerts. I have to question if the P42s are
> properly being serviced and maintained in wake of
> the Siemens locomotives being delivered. They got
> their own set of issues and problems. 

Train had one of each in the video. Which of the two or both of the two caused problems ?

Maybe Beech Grove should spend more time on maintenance in general than their cosmetic Phase-VII silliness. Sounds like Penn Central "paint it green (or black) - don't fix it". 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/26 09:40 by joemvcnj.

And the one a day after this one is now on the B&O 3 hours late out of Chicago. 

Pure an simple late trains get later,if they cant get a train out of it's initial terminal on time thats what you get. I haven't and will not suggest traveling by Amtrak such a mess unless your training for the tv show Survivor.

Posted from Android

#41 (20) hit a car south of Deerfield Beach (22) (Oakland Park) with a delay of 2 hours. Amtrak Alert's said
"stopped due to a disabled vehicle blocking the tracks."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW5EAGGZH4Q

Train 41(21) was 2+ late out of Chicago due to door system malfunction.  Then returned to Chicago so mechanical could "do thorough inspection of locomotives and make equipment adjustment as need". Left Chicago second time over 5 hours late. Uneventful trip to DC, only loose another half hour or so.  Then sat in DC for 2+ hours, departing 8:14 late.  Lost another 2 hours between Petersburg and Rocky Mount.  Departed Raleigh and then Cary 10:26 late.  Lost another 2 hours before getting to Southern Pines, 12:26 late.  Only explanation at 10:33 was a catch-all excuse of weather-related slow orders, heavy congestion, and mechanical assessment.  Somehow lost another 30 minutes between Hamlet and Camden SC on track only they use, and has subsequently lost another half hour. 

While no excuse is given for the loss of 2 hours between Cary and Southern Pines, it looks to be meet related with 40(22).  40(22) arrived Hamlet 4 minutes late but left an hour late - no idea why.  Based on times I can see and local knowledge of line, it looks like CSX's plan was to let R439 out right behind 40 and pass 40 and 41 in Moncure, giving R439 enough time to clear up in the quarry in Lemon Springs (where he was headed) before 41 went south.  But 40 unexplained delay in Hamlet threw a monkey wrench into that, resulting in 41 cooling its heals in Moncure waiting on 40, and stuffing R439 into the hole at Hoffman to wait on 41. 

For funsies, here's a shot of R439 in the hole at Hoffman with the NYC heritage unit trailing.  1853 has been stuck on one of the R439/B439/B427 sets for over a month now. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/26 13:36 by scraphauler.

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jeff56 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> #41 (20) hit a car south of Deerfield Beach (22)
> (Oakland Park) with a delay of 2 hours. Amtrak
> Alert's said
> "stopped due to a disabled vehicle blocking the
> tracks."
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW5EAGGZH4Q

Glad nobody on the train, or the motorist were hurt.

I'm familiar with this intersection, and it isn't pretty. Two main roads and the CSX intersect in a tight space. The railroad is at an angle to Prospect, so an eastbound driver on Prospect would have very limited sight lines for a northbound train. My GUESS is the motorist stopped on the crossing, spilling back from the traffic light at PowerLine road, and the car wouldn't start.  Amtrak and Tri-Rail do up to 79 in this space, I don't know what the CSX speed limit is.

scraphauler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Train 41(21) was 2+ late out of Chicago due to
> door system malfunction.  Then returned to
> Chicago so mechanical could "do thorough
> inspection of locomotives and make equipment
> adjustment as need". Left Chicago second time over
> 5 hours late. Uneventful trip to DC, only loose
> another half hour or so.  Then sat in DC for 2+
> hours, departing 8:14 late.  Lost another 2 hours
> between Petersburg and Rocky Mount.  Departed
> Raleigh and then Cary 10:26 late.  Lost another 2
> hours before getting to Southern Pines, 12:26
> late.  Only explanation at 10:33 was a catch-all
> excuse of weather-related slow orders, heavy
> congestion, and mechanical assessment.  Somehow
> lost another 30 minutes between Hamlet and Camden
> SC on track only they use, and has subsequently
> lost another half hour. 
>
> While no excuse is given for the loss of 2 hours
> between Cary and Southern Pines, it looks to be
> meet related with 40(22).  40(22) arrived Hamlet
> 4 minutes late but left an hour late - no idea
> why.  Based on times I can see and local
> knowledge of line, it looks like CSX's plan was to
> let R439 out right behind 40 and pass 40 and 41 in
> Moncure, giving R439 enough time to clear up in
> the quarry in Lemon Springs (where he was headed)
> before 41 went south.  But 40 unexplained delay
> in Hamlet threw a monkey wrench into that,
> resulting in 41 cooling its heals in Moncure
> waiting on 40, and stuffing R439 into the hole at
> Hoffman to wait on 41. 
>
> For funsies, here's a shot of R439 in the hole at
> Hoffman with the NYC heritage unit trailing.
>  1853 has been stuck on one of the R439/B439/B427
> sets for over a month now. 

Could 40(22) delay be crew related if they had to taxi a T&E crew down from Raleigh?

Posted from Android

20yearrrman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Pure an simple late trains get later,if they cant
> get a train out of it's initial terminal on time
> thats what you get. I haven't and will not
> suggest traveling by Amtrak such a mess unless
> your training for the tv show Survivor.
>
> Posted from Android

Sadly, you are 100% correct. Amtrak long distance has gotten so bad that when anybody asks me about it I just tell them don’t. I even tell people don’t take the Cardinal between Indianapolis and Chicago. Five hours to go 200 miles and then it’s frequently late or canceled. Forget it. I’m a train buff and I get at least one big ride a year on Amtrak credit card points. If I had to pay for this crap service, I would not even be going. It’s a complete shit show. Once in a while, you get lucky and have a good trip and a good crew but the odds just are not in your favor. The place where I cheerfully spend my own money is in Canada, where the Canadian and the Rocky Mountaineer offer service that’s worth the price. Amtrak is a total letdown compared to those two operations.

Posted from iPhone

15 hr 43 min late out of Jacksonville.

Unless you are a masochist or celebrate extra time on the train at no extra fare, I say, "FLY."

Close to 18 hours late out of Tampa @ 6:31 am. Are people still aboard?

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 15 hr 43 min late out of Jacksonville.
>
> Unless you are a masochist or celebrate extra time
> on the train at no extra fare, I say, "FLY."

Or just take 97/98. My friend should be on today's 98 after originally being scheduled on 40. He had picked 41/40 without much thought, but after 41 was quite late he swapped to 98, even if 40 *should* be on generally ok on the Silver Star part of the trip . Well, 18 hour late 41 is definitly going to impact today's 40.

Unsurprisingly, 40 (24) annulled.

Jim

Erie-Lackawanna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unsurprisingly, 40 (24) annulled.
>
> Jim

Not surprising - how many train sets does 40/41 operate with?   As of 10AM, FIVE sets are on the road
40(22) 44 minutes late approaching Chicago
40(23) 2:18 late approaching Cary NC.  (on time out of Miami, ;0:45 late out of Tampa, 2:21 late out of Jacksonville, reason showing as heat related slow orders)
41(21) 18:03 late out of Sebring FL  (5+ of that was late out of Chicago and went to crap fro there)
41(22) 3:19 late at Jacksonville (2+ of that was late out of Chicago)
42 (23) 1:21 late at Connellsville PA (on time out of Chicago - delay is all in Cleveland due to drawbridge malfunction) 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/26 07:10 by scraphauler.