Passenger Trains > Capitol Ltd. Single-Engine Blues

Capitol Ltd., Train 29(16), didn't even make it from Washington Union
Station to Rockville, MD before its single engine died (at MP 7.1).

Remember this when it shows up late on the daily Chicago Arrivals post.
No fault of the evil freight railroads, but Amtrak self-inflicted:

* Train 29 of 11/16/2014.
* Capitol Limited
* +---------------- Station code
* | +----------- Schedule Arrival Day
* | | +-------- Schedule Arrival time
* | | | +----- Schedule Departure Day
* | | | | +-- Schedule Departure Time
* | | | | | +------------- Actual Arrival Time
* | | | | | | +------- Actual Departure Time
* | | | | | | | +- Comments
* V V V V V V V V
* WAS * * 1 405P * 405P Departed: on time.
* RKV * * 1 429P * 734P Departed: 3 hours and 5 minutes late.
HFY * * 1 516P
MRB * * 1 545P
CUM 1 714P 1 724P

We had three engines for my Alliance to Chicago ride Friday 14th.

Why three one day and just one another day?

David

Amtrak 6 was only running about an hour late when a forced detour on the BNSF Chillicothe Sub. made it three hours late into Chicago

Remember this when it shows up late on the daily Chicago Arrivals post.
No fault of evil Amtrak, but the freight railroad self-inflicted.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/14 18:05 by Ptolemy.

Ptolemy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak 6 was only running about an hour late when
> a forced detour on the BNSF Chillicothe Sub. made
> it three hours late into Chicago
>
> Remember this when it shows up late on the daily
> Chicago Arrivals post.
> No fault of evil Amtrak, but the freight railroad
> self-inflicted.


Think this was a derailment, you run that many trains you will have one.

Bob

robj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Think this was a derailment, you run that many
> trains you will have one.

=======================================================

Unlike the single-engine failure on Train 29, the detour was planned, for
replacement of a bridge on the regular route. It was advised well in advance.
Trains 3, 4, 5 and 6 detoured according to a previously-arranged plan and the
Galesburg trains were bustituted.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/16/14 19:26 by GenePoon.

The forced detour of AMTK 6 was due to a programmed bridge replacement on its regular route
and was probably mentioned previously on this board.

Of course, the stated reason that Amtrak is running the Cap as a five-car, one-unit wonder is to position equipment in Chicago to make up for tardy inbound arrivals, blamed primarily on (drumroll, please) freight interference.

Anymore Amtrak is just a dog fighting with itself over the scraps.

The good passengers don't care about any of this when planning their next trip.

Ptolemy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak 6 was only running about an hour late when
> a forced detour on the BNSF Chillicothe Sub. made
> it three hours late into Chicago
>
> Remember this when it shows up late on the daily
> Chicago Arrivals post.
> No fault of evil Amtrak, but the freight railroad
> self-inflicted.

Yes, because a much needed bridge replacement can wait for your precious Amtrak. This isn't a model train set we are talking about...

Ptolemy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak 6 was only running about an hour late when
> a forced detour on the BNSF Chillicothe Sub. made
> it three hours late into Chicago
>
> Remember this when it shows up late on the daily
> Chicago Arrivals post.
> No fault of evil Amtrak, but the freight railroad
> self-inflicted.

And what does this have to do with the Capitol Limited being dispatched with one engine?

The medium distance, once-a-day, day trains (i.e. Maple Leaf, Carolinian) are all also one engine.

Typhoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ptolemy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Amtrak 6 was only running about an hour late
> when
> > a forced detour on the BNSF Chillicothe Sub.
> made
> > it three hours late into Chicago
> >
> > Remember this when it shows up late on the
> daily
> > Chicago Arrivals post.
> > No fault of evil Amtrak, but the freight
> railroad
> > self-inflicted.
>
> And what does this have to do with the Capitol
> Limited being dispatched with one engine?

I thought the same thing.

What Amtrak may be trying to do with its locomotives for LD trains in Chicago has nothing to do with the Capitol Limited's single locomotive crapping out at 7.1miles out of its originating station.

What would concern me is the readiness of this locomotive to take the road. Naturally, I don't know which system(s) crapped out.

My extensive experience with diesel-electic power in submarines tells me that something was wrong with that locomotive's power train BEFORE it ever was dispatched for the CL job.

Whoever was responsible for detecting a potential problem -- and making it an issue -- either didn't do his job or simply ignored it.

Slapdash maintenance inevitably leads to unsatisfactory performance. A "Run 'em 'til they die" attitude combined with that sort of maintenance results in situations like this one.

IMO too much of this happens with Amtrak.

P.S. Pardon a digression about how poor attitude causes major problems. The Lac Magantic disaster in Canada was the direct result of a lackadaisical attitude on the part of just about everyone involved with that train's horrible derailment.

The engineer knew his lead locomotive was sick -- it was belching black exhaust constantly, even when idling -- when he tied down his train at Nantes, QC, 7 miles from Lac Megantic at the top of a rather steep grade.

He advised the dispatcher in Maine about the engine and was told --in essence -- to "Fuggedaboutit. It can wait 'til morning." So he did.

He left it running -- belching heavy black smoke -- to maintain brake air pressure and shut down other four trailing locomotives. He set some hand brakes but he didn't test 'e properly.

He took a cab into Lac Megantic to a local hotel for rest. The cab driver noticed the smoke and some occasional flames, but the engineer told him it was nothing to worry about.

Eventually a fire started. A passing motorist noticed it. The Nantes Fire Department was called.

Following their SOP, the FD shut down the engine to put out the fire. A railroad employee who wasn't qualified to make such decisions told the firemen that all was well, so everybody departed. The brake air pressure gradually bled off. The hand brakes were insufficient for the weight of the train. Soon gravity took over.

Shortly thereafter a 70 mph runaway train derailed in Lac Megantic with catastrophic consequences

Poor maintenance, a Mañana attitude about a very sick locomotive, the Engineer's poor judgment to keep this sick engine running to maintain air brake pressure, and his failure to set a sufficient number of hand brakes all converged to make this calamity virtually inevitable.

I was told today that #29's engine became disabled because it struck a deer and the carcass caused some damage.

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was told today that #29's engine became disabled
> because it struck a deer and the carcass caused
> some damage.

Since the delay was Amtrak's fault, we are told, Amtrak management must have placed the deer on the tracks with the intent of delaying #29.

Ptolemy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> toledopatch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was told today that #29's engine became
> disabled
> > because it struck a deer and the carcass caused
> > some damage.
>
> Since the delay was Amtrak's fault, we are told,
> Amtrak management must have placed the deer on the
> tracks with the intent of delaying #29.

No, must be CSX's fault, damn freight railroads letting deer on their tracks just to inconvenience Amtrak. It's criminal I tell you!

Cole42 Wrote:

> No, must be CSX's fault, damn freight railroads
> letting deer on their tracks just to inconvenience
> Amtrak. It's criminal I tell you!

Call the STB!

toledopatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was told today that #29's engine became disabled
> because it struck a deer and the carcass caused
> some damage.

Can this be further corroborated by someone in the know so we can determine what if anything from Poon's post can be taken seriously?

Deer strike did damage to underside of locomotive causing delay. Fact.

We didn't place the deer there and had nothing to do with single unit.

Typical gene "hit and run" without all the facts again. We hit, and didn't run. But eventually we got back moving west. But telling that part deflates the shock value of the post.

Posted from iPhone

I've had only three road failures in six years with P42s, and all were fuel-pump related. If you think me or anyone else is a fuel-pump whisperer, you are mistaken. When they go, they go, same as on your car. Sometimes shite happens.

20 years ago no one cared to blow a single-unit fail in to a dramafest because there was no interwebz to scream out on, and F40s crapped the bed far more often than a P42. Get a grip people ...