Passenger Trains > Amtrak readies for mid-east coast storm

https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=AM_Alert_C&pagename=am/AM_Alert_C/Alerts_Popup&cid=1251646627012

1 foot of snow in NC is a big deal. This should free up enough power to ensure that whats left running, can run with an extra locomotive. 

It's because Amtrak KNOWS CSX can not run trains in even 3 inches of snow on the North End Sub.  A foot of snow will likely almost shut it down.  They have one switch heater (Amtrak connection track to NS) on the North End, trains will stack up on the RF&P trying to get into Acca yard, questionable dispatching decisions through frozen switches and can hopefully find somebody to go out and try to clean switches on the entire subdivision.(which will likely fall to the Amtrak crews)  Note that #80 is scheduled between Charlotte and Raleigh even though Raleigh could get a foot of snow.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/17 16:29 by darkcloud.

mpatrickstone Wrote:
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> 1 foot of snow in NC is a big deal. This should
> free up enough power to ensure that whats left
> running, can run with an extra locomotive. 

It isn't a big deal for a train.  This is pathetic.

abyler Wrote:
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> mpatrickstone Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 1 foot of snow in NC is a big deal. This should free up enough power to ensure that whats left running, can run with an extra locomotive. 
>
> It isn't a big deal for a train.  This is pathetic.

Have you ever had to dig out the switch points and rods that are buried under a foot of snow?

And then they are filled back in by every passing train!

Brian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/06/17 04:57 by choodude.

choodude Wrote:
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> abyler Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > mpatrickstone Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > 1 foot of snow in NC is a big deal. This
> should free up enough power to ensure that whats
> left running, can run with an extra
> locomotive. 
> >
> > It isn't a big deal for a train.  This
> is pathetic.
>
> Have you ever had to dig out the switch points and
> rods that are buried under a foot of snow?
>
> And then they are filled back in by every passing
> train!

Yes and also switch heaters. Smudge pots work too. Please don't tell me they can't figure this out.

Posted from iPhone

Does CSX regard the timeliness of its freight business so unimportant that they do not bother with switch heaters, and simply say most of it can wait until tomorrow ?

Why invest in switch heaters for one or two storms a year? It's going to snow then be all gone by next week. May not get another snow storm this year.

Posted from iPhone

choodude Wrote:
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>
> Have you ever had to dig out the switch points and rods that are buried under a foot of snow?
>
> And then they are filled back in by every passing train!
>
> Brian

No, but I WATCHED someone do that in the Chicago terminal when it was below freezing and the wond was blowing, and came away with a new appreciation of just what a miserable job that is!

abyler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> choodude Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > abyler Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > mpatrickstone Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > 1 foot of snow in NC is a big deal. This
> > should free up enough power to ensure that
> whats
> > left running, can run with an extra
> > locomotive. 
> > >
> > > It isn't a big deal for a train.  This
> > is pathetic.
> >
> > Have you ever had to dig out the switch points
> and
> > rods that are buried under a foot of snow?
> >
> > And then they are filled back in by every
> passing
> > train!
>
> Yes and also switch heaters. Smudge pots work
> too. Please don't tell me they can't figure this
> out.
>

In 1967, Chicago had a big snowstorm - about two feet of it in one day. I've described some of what was done in the towers, but how about the yards? The road foreman put two units back to back, hooked up a back up hose to the leading air hose in the direction tey were moving, and blew out the switches with 110 lb. trainline pressure. The gandys rode on the second unit and did some hand work as needed.

TAW

Thomas Taber describes the Lackawanna putting a 2-8-2 in front of an MU set, and running it all night during ice storms.  Getting a hot surge of exhaust loosened the ice on the overhead wires, and the extended pans on the MU set scraped off what was left.

They also had a steam line on the front end of the locomotive to loosen up any frozen switch points.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Thomas Taber describes the Lackawanna putting a
> 2-8-2 in front of an MU set, and running it all
> night during ice storms.  Getting a hot surge of
> exhaust loosened the ice on the overhead wires,
> and the extended pans on the MU set scraped off
> what was left.
>
> They also had a steam line on the front end of the
> locomotive to loosen up any frozen switch points.

Amazing what we used to be able to do before the experts pronounced that it couldn't be done, isn't it?

TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thomas Taber describes the Lackawanna putting a
> > 2-8-2 in front of an MU set, and running it all
> > night during ice storms.  Getting a hot surge
> of
> > exhaust loosened the ice on the overhead wires,
> > and the extended pans on the MU set scraped off
> > what was left.
> >
> > They also had a steam line on the front end of
> the
> > locomotive to loosen up any frozen switch
> points.
>
> Amazing what we used to be able to do before the
> experts pronounced that it couldn't be done, isn't
> it?
>
> TAW

Yes.

Even in monumental snow storms, more than a few minutes delay was unusual. Platforms were shoveled, parking lots were cleared, etc.

Pathetic is right. CSX's dispatchers sitting on their butts in Jax have no clue how to deal with snow of any depth except to shut down in fear; look at their miserable winter perfomances across the ex-NYC in NY state.  If the MOW folks there were allowed track time and equipment to do their jobs as they were trained under Conrail and NYC management, the trains would roll! As for North Carolina, don't Amtrak's locos have the same plow-pilots as in Montana, Colorado, etc.!?

Isn't the Water Level Route dispatched out of Selkirk NY?  Also the River Line, Boston Line, etc

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TAW Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Thomas Taber describes the Lackawanna putting
> a
> > > 2-8-2 in front of an MU set, and running it
> all
> > > night during ice storms.  Getting a hot
> surge
> > of
> > > exhaust loosened the ice on the overhead
> wires,
> > > and the extended pans on the MU set scraped
> off
> > > what was left.
> > >
> > > They also had a steam line on the front end
> of
> > the
> > > locomotive to loosen up any frozen switch
> > points.
> >
> > Amazing what we used to be able to do before
> the
> > experts pronounced that it couldn't be done,
> isn't
> > it?
> >
> > TAW
>
> Yes.
>
> Even in monumental snow storms, more than a few
> minutes delay was unusual. Platforms were
> shoveled, parking lots were cleared, etc.

Look at my story about Chicago and No 6 (the Real Capitol Limited) coming apart at Rockwell Street: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18,4179030,4179030#msg-4179030 We had No 6 on the move in about an hour. What would happen now?

You're right; delays of more than a few minutes were unusual except for extreme cases. Yeah, it took lots of folks, but there seems to be an unlimited budget to get contractors to open the line after a wreck, but no interest in keeping the line open in snow, and certainly no imagination about what they do.

TAW

Does NS have switch heaters through the same areas of Virginia and North Carolina?

Thank you in advance.

CSXT_8437 Wrote:
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> Does NS have switch heaters through the same areas
> of Virginia and North Carolina?
>
> Thank you in advance.

As part of the upgrade of NS Norfolk District to run Amtrak to and from Norfolk, the double crossovers installed between Petersburg to the Amtrak station in Norfolk received switch heaters.  i believed NS has started to add them from the west end of to Roanoke.  A few spots on CSX could use them, maybe at the Appomattox River and at Stony Creek would help in running trains.

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In 1967, Chicago had a big snowstorm - about two
> feet of it in one day. I've described some of what
> was done in the towers, but how about the yards?
> The road foreman put two units back to back,
> hooked up a back up hose to the leading air hose
> in the direction tey were moving, and blew out the
> switches with 110 lb. trainline pressure. The
> gandys rode on the second unit and did some hand
> work as needed.
>
> TAW

I well remember that storm. Arrived on the Century at La Salle st. All of about 30 minutes late on its 16 hour schedule.No taxis or Parmalees running. 
Had to hoof it through the snow to Union Station with suitcase. 
Morning Hiawatha departed right on time.