Passenger Trains > Coast Starlight reported stuck, State of Good Repair

Amtrak train from Los Angeles stalled in Oregon mountains
Los Angeles Times
December 23, 2012
3:42 pm

> An Amtrak train carrying passengers from Los Angeles to Seattle was
> stalled by mechanical problems in a mountainous area of southern
> Oregon on Sunday, officials said.
>
> The Amtrak Coast Starlight train No. 14, which departed from Los
> Angeles on Saturday and was slated to arrive in Seattle on Sunday
> night, has been stopped just north of Chemult, Ore., since about
> 11:30 a.m. because of mechanical issues, Amtrak spokeswoman Christina
> Leeds said. She said about 358 passengers were on board.
>
> Leeds said it was not yet clear what the issues were or when the
> train was expected to be rolling again. She said the train did have
> power and that Amtrak was working to fix the problem.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/amtrak-train-stalled-oregon.html

UPDATE: 14(22) shows as departing Eugene at 230P, 1 hour and 46 minutes late.
But it has disappeared since then. I wonder if that "departure" was a hastily-called
bus.

It would be nice if you never used the phrase "State of Good Repair" again. You made your point long ago, and it has become obsessive.

UP frt got a drawbar rhis morning on the hill. That is the issue. So much snow up there making it hard to get to.

Posted from Android

it delayed the train 3hrs

So despite the fondest hopes of one of our TO members, it had nothing to do with Amtrak?

It is back moving, past Lookout, OR at 7:09pm.

Looks like the trace is working again also:

Eugene, OR
Estimated Arrival Time: 7 hours and 27 minutes late (8:11pm)

--Robert



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/12 19:53 by cabcar.

This is one of the few times I wouldn't mind being "stuck" on the train. As long as the HEP is working and there's plenty of food and fuel, it might be neat to sit there in white-out conditions on Christmas weekend. Have a few cocktails, play some games or watch a movie on the iPad---might be kinda fun.

When the Union Pacific train was stuck on Donner back in the 1950s, many of the passengers had a great time. Food and supplies were dropped to them. The train had plenty of fuel.

Some folks probably smelled a little ripe, but they made out better than the Donner party, which had camped nearby in earlier times.

Listening to the Eugene RRScanner Feed this morning and I heard a touchy conversation between a hogger and the Dispatcher. Seems they had pulled a drawbar, then set out the car, rules said they had to walk the train since it had been sitting for 4 hours. There was so much snow nobody could walk train, not sure of the location but it's likely they could not walk the train during a fine summer afternoon either due to the numerous tunnels, bridges and general rough terrain alongside the tracks up there.

Hearing the logic of the hogger I immediatly thought of one of the TO contributors who haunts that District. Curious how it worked out.

Just heard 14 at MP 647.

#14 went by Springfield OR at 8:20pm. Running at 11 mph.
Todd Montgomery
Springfield OR

they could not do a roll by? due to the location

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> they could not do a roll by? due to the location


Cars that were left behind while that are "off air" for more than 4 hours require a Class 1 brake test.

is that the same rule that banned block swaPING IN REMOTE LOCATIONS?

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When the Union Pacific train was stuck on Donner
> back in the 1950s, many of the passengers had a
> great time. Food and supplies were dropped to
> them. The train had plenty of fuel.
>
> Some folks probably smelled a little ripe, but
> they made out better than the Donner party, which
> had camped nearby in earlier times.

Actually, Lackawanna484, it was most emphatically
NOT fun at all on the snowbound "City of San Francisco"
(1952). They almost ran out of food, were freezing
in the train (they had to wrap curtains around their legs
in an effort to prevent frostbite), and some folks nearly
died from carbon monoxide poisoning because the car they
were in had its vents blocked by snow. The toilets had
stopped working. Not fun at all. for more info, please
read pages 67-91 of "Snowbound Streamliner" (2000), by
Robert Church. No, no one died -- but many could have
if they had not been rescued when they were.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/12 23:04 by Margaret_SP_fan.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/amtrak-train-seattle.html

"The train resumed its trip about 3:30 p.m. and was expected to pick up a new locomotive, Leeds said."

That seems to imply the problem was with Amtrak equipment....

#14 just leaving Irving, OR..the siding that comes out of Eugene yard.
10:32pm
Todd Montgomery
Eugene OR

I don't know the details on Amtrak's side of things, but the text could imply an additional engine. I did hear the UPRR drawbar discussion so I would tend to think it was one sided mechanical issues.

Jaanfo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/amtr
> ak-train-seattle.html
>
> "The train resumed its trip about 3:30 p.m. and
> was expected to pick up a new locomotive, Leeds
> said."
>
> That seems to imply the problem was with Amtrak
> equipment....

TCnR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Listening to the Eugene RRScanner Feed this
> morning and I heard a touchy conversation between
> a hogger and the Dispatcher. Seems they had pulled
> a drawbar, then set out the car, rules said they
> had to walk the train since it had been sitting
> for 4 hours. There was so much snow nobody could
> walk train, not sure of the location but it's
> likely they could not walk the train during a fine
> summer afternoon either due to the numerous
> tunnels, bridges and general rough terrain
> alongside the tracks up there.
>
> Hearing the logic of the hogger I immediatly
> thought of one of the TO contributors who haunts
> that District. Curious how it worked out.
>
> Just heard 14 at MP 647.

Just another good reason to bring back the caboose w/ rear brakeman.

coach Wrote:
> Just another good reason to bring back the caboose
> w/ rear brakeman.


The rear brakeman may be handy for helping to walk the set of the brakes from the end of the train in nice weather. However, if the rear cars were disconnected from the locomotives (which sounds like the case here), the only way that caboose would help is if it had an air-compressor and a feed to the brake pipe. No air in the brake pipe for four hours or more triggers the class 1 (initial terminal) brake test whether or not there is a caboose containing a warm body on the rear ;).

Mike B
FLG, AZ