Passenger Trains > AMTRAK at its best as I head home

As posted below, I began the day out of Boston on a train that made it to the end of the platform before returning to Boston South Station to electrically isolate a car with electrical-related smoke problems. Down 30 minutes, the real-time scheduling of the NEC plus the loss of that car and some limited platform stops kept us down about that same amount of time.

But, I easily made my connection to 97, the Silver Meteor, New York Penn to Miami. I was met trainside by first and last name by my attendant, Reggie. Good start! Later I see the Amtrak 40 year pin. That included his years with Seaboard Coast Line after Amtrak started but while the railroad still hired the crews. This is a man of style, love of his work, and respect for the traveling public. He makes special (local car only) PA announcements to welcome on board small children. He is smiley, not dour. (and since he is out of Miami, this is his going-home, tired from the trip up, style.)

The Dining Car Steward came by with reservations, copies of the menu (why, what a good idea), and suggestions about tomorrow's food timing since we do no get dinner into Miami (despite a 6:55pm arrival . . . not a problem for me since I usually dine at 8pm, but many southern Floridians seem to eat about 4:30pm . . . that's another story). He also was quite informative about specials.

So, it feels like we are actually traveling "First Class." Appreciated, informed, welcomed. Did I mention the dark chocolates waiting in my room? The beverage center fully set up before we boarded? The rooms not yet occupied having their hallway curtains closed to protect the room set-up so when people board all appears set just for them? Yessir!

For mysterious reasons (that is, unexplained, on a 3 track main with nothing passing around us) we are now crawling along (20 mph) on 110 mph track north of Aberdeen, Maryland, but being treated so well, who worries about speed??? -- It would be nice to be told, however, what is happening but that is the operating crews responsibility, not the on-board staff --

OK - we are still stopped north of Aberdeen, Maryland, and no trainwide announcement has been made. By going and checking, apparently it has to do with "bridge work" -- which probably means that the bridge at Havre de Grace/Perryville is single-tracked. But now two northbounds have gone up by us, and we are not moving . . . there must be other trains ahead of us. So instead of weaving, they are fleeting us (delay large groups of us instead of slightly delaying all). We just starting moving again (20+ minutes) and we shall see.

<begin rant>

I know AMTRAK reads TO, so here is a suggestion: pre-emptive information. Leaving Wilmington, crews are ordered to inform all passengers that "because of weekend repairs to old bridge structures between here and Baltimore, we will be stopped for a period of time to allow for passage of northbound trains . . . while we know it is frustrating to be stopped, these repairs will facilitate better travel in the future."

But, a third northbound just came by and now we are moving . . . and there were no workers on the bridge. So, what's the truth? That's the most infuriating part of AMTRAK travel (OK, I am being well-treated, breathe deeply): the lack of accurate information. Someone, somewhere, made a decision that three other trains were more important than we were -- just say that!

<end rant>



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/12 15:28 by RevRandy.

RevRandy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK - we are still stopped north of Aberdeen,
> Maryland, and no trainwide announcement has been
> made. By going and checking, apparently it has to
> do with "bridge work" -- which probably means that
> the bridge at Havre de Grace/Perryville is
> single-tracked. But now two northbounds have gone
> up by us, and we are not moving . . . there must
> be other trains ahead of us. So instead of
> weaving, they are fleeting us (delay large groups
> of us instead of slightly delaying all). We just
> starting moving again (20+ minutes) and we shall
> see.
>

depending on what kind of work is being done the track on the bridge could be out of service for the whole weekend
>
>
> I know AMTRAK reads TO, so here is a suggestion:
> pre-emptive information. Leaving Wilmington,
> crews are ordered to inform all passengers that
> "because of weekend repairs to old bridge
> structures between here and Baltimore, we will be
> stopped for a period of time to allow for passage
> of northbound trains . . . while we know it is
> frustrating to be stopped, these repairs will
> facilitate better travel in the future."
>
> But, a third northbound just came by and now we
> are moving . . . and there were no workers on the
> bridge. So, what's the truth? That's the most
> infuriating part of AMTRAK travel (OK, I am being
> well-treated, breathe deeply): the lack of
> accurate information. Someone, somewhere, made a
> decision that three other trains were more
> important than we were -- just say that!
>
>

<warning -- rant to follow>

UP and CSX are often attacked for its treatment of AMTRAK trains on its tracks. Well, I wonder about what AMTRAK does to its own trains. We presented ourselves on-time to the section of track south of Wilmington, DE. Nonetheless, we lost nearly 40 minutes while 4 northbounds were despatched against us. We had dwell time in Baltimore long enough I could have gone out for dinner. Now we are short of BWI station, on the middle track (so we are not dealing with MARC locals, unless the local track is out of service, but no one is saying anything), and we are stopped (again with no explanation) and the HEP went out for several minutes. We are clearly either a) not being given any priority in despatching, or b) have an engine problem which is not being shared with any of us.

So, the effect of all of this is we will be given over to CSX very late out of DC, and they have no obligation to treat us well because of this. How late will we end up, all because AMTRAK did not treat AMTRAK well?

<end of current rant>

PS: continuation of rant - it now appears that our problems since the despatching debacle are all related to our motor (engine), which apparently has big issues. If and when we get to DC, the promise of multiple diesel units is anticipated with hope. We have now stopped twice more, loss of HEP, loss of traction motors, etc. No explanation given. HEP goes in and out. Can we coast into Union Station from south of New Carollton?

But the on-board staff continue to be great - car attendant filling me with info, dining car steward understanding that when I made my reservation I meant "leaving DC" not a specific time (and appreciating I was not expecting him to have a meal cooked on an intermittent grill).

We shall persevere. We shall take delight in small things. All comes (including Miami) to those who wait.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/12 16:49 by RevRandy.

currently showing 40 late on the expected time into Washington Union Station

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> currently showing 40 late on the expected time
> into Washington Union Station


well, it's 7:52, and we are still out of town, enjoying another stop and loss of HEP, so being 40 minutes late for a 7:00pm arrival seems a tad unrealistic.

STATE OF GOOD REPAIR

Also, STATE OF IRONIC THREAD TITLE.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/12 17:07 by GenePoon.

Well, I hope the 'Boys' back in the Nutmeg State aren't too noisy later on and that you'll be able to have a quiet night's sleep on the ACL...

I've travelled countless miles on Amtrak, and before that, ATSF, C&O, C&NW, MILW, and WAB. Suffice it to say the days of 'first class' are long gone.

Back in the pre-Amtrak days, announcements regarding delays were spotty at best. Oftentimes, the conductor perhaps had a 'standard response' type of announcement about just about any delay...they're doing trackwork. It kept the passengers happy. But then, a 10 minute, or even hour-long delay was not "the end of the world" like most people think it is today.

These days, reason for delays announcements on Amtrak are pretty much non-existent. Why get upset about something you have no control over? Whether it's track work, lousy dispatching, or Hurricane Irene, people will feel like they are being cheated/gypped because they lost 10 minutes here or an hour there, on a 20+ hour run.

On the other hand, this past summer, aboard the Empire Builder, between the lounge car attendant, dining car LSA, and the assistant conductor, I don't think there were more than 15 minutes pass where some kind of announcement was not made between 6am and midnight! And the "first class" sleeping car attendant in NONE of the sleepers had the sense to turn off the trainline announcements. First class? Yea...Right!

Hey...now that summer construction has started, how much would you or anyone else howl/scream/cry/stamp their feet/post flaming messages/write scalding letters about losing an hour or so dodging orange barrels on the Interstate? And that was just in the first state they drove through...or the GW bridge in NYC?? You want to lose time, drive THAT one!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/12 19:05 by BRAtkinson.

Irony intended -- I have just experienced excellent service in the diner (lamb shank dinner was awesome) and car attendant is amazing. BUT, what a difference an operating motor and good dispatching can do.

And "the boys" are getting soused as we speak, but they will be the other side of the diner from me(thank goodness for first class).

Ah, memories of the Nutmeg State as the only food service car between Chicago and New York (a bedroom, buffet, lounge car from the New Haven). those were the (pre-Amtrak) days!

Even though you can't do anything about it, I usually like to know what's going on. I carry a scanner when I ride. I got stuck at Colton (I think) for 2 hours. No announcements, just sitting there. Lots of unhappy people. Heard on the radio that they had a mess due to a derailment the night before and there was also a train trying to make it up a hill and didn't. The dispatcher was going to send another engine to help but that but the engineer decided to break the train in half and move it up the hill in two parts and put it back together after getting both parts over the crest. Two hours and no announcement is a long wait.

On the other hand we had some short (10 minutes or less) delays on train 7/27 and the kept us informed. Same thing on train 6 on that same trip.

Things could be worse. My daughter got stuck in traffic for 5 hours because of a fatal accident. Police were giving people tickets if they crossed the median. She had to find a cup to take care of business and nothing to eat or drink. People these days pitch a fit if they miss an elevator and have to wait 40 seconds for the next one.

There is no excuse for not keeping passengers informed. None. The smart ones quickly figure out that it is infinitely more pleasant for all concerned to make the effort to pick up the PA and make a short announcement for any delay over a couple of minutes. You know, the old "we're all in this together" type of thing. That is, as opposed to the "circle the wagons, it's us against them" siege mentality, or ignorance of the most basic principles of courtesy, or worst of all, the utter disregard and disrespect for those whose safety and well being are entrusted to your care.

On the other hand, you've got to remember that your passengers are a captive audience, and walk the line between being informative and being a nuisance. They didn't pay to be entertained by your sparkling patter.

" If you think this job is easy you're probably not doing it very well. "

RPM
ATK CONDR RET

Not that this helps your situation, but just to let you know what happened. Bush River Bridge was opened for a boat. There was a problem with the getting the catenary power off and back on again. In order for the bridge to open the power has to be taken off the wire. The power was restored on track 2 (NB) first and then track three with all in service at 6pm. Trains 87 and 163 were ahead of you in front of the bridge. That's why you saw the Northbounds go by before you went south. There was no single tracking and the Dispatchers did not hold one train in favor of any others. The Coast Guard requires that we open the bridge even though it was only for one boat vs. six trains. Had there not been an issue with the catenary power you probably would have stopped for a minute or two if at all.

After leaving Baltimore motor 901 (yours) had a traction motor go to ground which required the #1 traction motor to be cut out and the propulsion system recycled. On the run to DC the propulsion system then got buggy and forced a stop and reboot three more times for faults on traction motors 1 and 2 (beware of machines that think too much). 97 wound up stabbing 167 for about 15 mins in the process.

Bullringer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is no excuse for not keeping passengers
> informed. None. The smart ones quickly figure out
> that it is infinitely more pleasant for all
> concerned to make the effort to pick up the PA and
> make a short announcement for any delay over a
> couple of minutes. You know, the old "we're all in
> this together" type of thing. That is, as opposed
> to the "circle the wagons, it's us against them"
> siege mentality, or ignorance of the most basic
> principles of courtesy, or worst of all, the utter
> disregard and disrespect for those whose safety
> and well being are entrusted to your care.
>
> On the other hand, you've got to remember that
> your passengers are a captive audience, and walk
> the line between being informative and being a
> nuisance. They didn't pay to be entertained by
> your sparkling patter.
>
> " If you think this job is easy you're probably
> not doing it very well. "
>
> RPM
> ATK CONDR RET

Yes.

On the NEC, the 7-8-9 dispatch desks (north of Philly, south of NY Penn) do a pretty good job of informing engineers of what's going on, and sometimes offer time estimates. As somebody who often has my scanner earplug in, the failure usually happens with no communication from the conductor to the passengers.

Your explanation makes sense ("folks they're trying to get the bridge closed") as it's tough to gauge what people need for something over which they have no control.