Passenger Trains > Daylight Empire Builder tonight/tomorrow

Train #7 is currently 14 hours late running into Seattle and the plan is to turn it for train #8, the eastbound Builder, currently looking at a 2:30am departure from Seattle. The normal departure time is 4:40pm so it will be about 9 hours late out of the gate. So it should be running in daylight by the time it gets east of Wenatchee and into Spokane. I would guess anywhere it normally comes through at night it will be coming through during the day all the way to Chicago. May be an interesting sight to see.

I hope a railfan will take advantage of that and film the daylight views.

I really don’t understand why they wouldn’t have turned at Spokane. Buses won’t run due to snow maybe?

Buses are not running because of the snow. I’m sitting in a locked King Street Station with about 15 others looking now at a 2:08 am arrival of #7 and a 4:30-5:00 departure of #8. Yawn!!

Posted from iPhone

I suppose the same thing is going on in Portland for 27 and 28.

Posted from Android

Clearly Amtrak should have provided hotels for sleeping car passengers in Seattle. VIA does this on a regular basis in Toronto when No. 2 gets in too late to turn on time. They don 't leave at some weird hour of the morning. They hotel everyone and depart at 9:30. 

With busses from Seattle to Spokane out of the question is there an extra Cascades set the could make the run?

Would probably require an ok from the state of WA (I think they own the trainsets?) But it would be handy to have that option in a situation like this.

Posted from Android

The same in Portland. I was supposed to board 28 there but the sleeper was dropped off in Whitefish with mechanical issues so they sent the few sleeping car passengers up to Seattle last night on #508 to catch #8’s sleeper and we are finally moving 14 hours late to start our trip to Chicago.

Posted from iPhone

It is now 7:30 am PST on Feb 10th.

The AMTRAK service map does NOT show an active #8 train in the west
Did AMTRAK cancel the long delayed departure?

 

All I see are 3 hour late 7 & 27 crossing Washington State. 

#8 just departed Everett, Washington

Posted from iPhone

#8 passed through Skykomish at 8:53 PST

The 15-16 hr late #8/28 is an invisible train today, not showing up on Dixieland or the ASM status maps.  Either Amtrak isn't reporting station times/GPS or the display algorithms are goofed up by the next-day departure.

#8 is showing an estimated arrival in Spokane at 2:49 pm PST (14 hours 9 minutes late), and departure at 3:19 pm.

#28 is showing estimated arrival at 2:32 pm.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/19 12:56 by czephyr17.

DesertWind Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Buses are not running because of the snow. I’m
> sitting in a locked King Street Station with about
> 15 others looking now at a 2:08 am arrival of #7
> and a 4:30-5:00 departure of #8. Yawn!!

Well now, we don't run Bus Bridges here due to snow and safety, which is precisely what they would like to do the SW Chief every day, and on roads they do not get treated for 12 hours per day to begin with. 

MNNRfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> With busses from Seattle to Spokane out of the
> question is there an extra Cascades set the could
> make the run?
>
> Would probably require an ok from the state of WA
> (I think they own the trainsets?) But it would be
> handy to have that option in a situation like
> this.
>
> Posted from Android

All,

WSDOT had many, many, many roads closed for safety reasons around Eastern and SE Washington state yesterday due to the winds drifting the snow that was either on the ground or falling into blizzard like conditions.  I knew from first hand experience on the drifting snow as I was out on a railroad late friday evening and early saturday morning along US highway 2.

If you were in the Spokane area yesterday, you either road #7 or #27 or you went to the Spokane airport to leave the area..


SP8100

Number 8 through the Snohomish Valley this AM....

B

---

czephyr17 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> #8 is showing an estimated arrival in Spokane at
> 2:49 pm PST (14 hours 9 minutes late), and
> departure at 3:19 pm.
>
> #28 is showing estimated arrival at 2:32 pm.


As I type this, Amtrak train #28 made it to Spokane 3 minutes their HOS.

Amtrak #8 is about 5 minutes away from Spokane.


SP8100

Posted from Android

Wow! So they had to run the train through - #7/27 at least. Surprised Amtrak didn't try to cancel #8/#28 running back West, but as indicated, appears it and air travel may be the only form of transportation moving.

WSDOT had "talked" about running a daylight state "corridor" train between Seattle and Spokane - depart Seattle early morning, arriving Spokane in the afternoon. Similiar schedule westbound with departure out of Spokane in early morning hours. But unfortunately it's been just that - "talk" - and been a while since hearing anything on an update. It would help for situations like this though - potential relief for a late #7/27 into Spokane. 

Hopefully the trainset gets back to Chicago so it can be turned to head back out, otherwise, Amtrak gets to play a game of "rob Peter to pay Paul" with the long distance equipment - typically the Capitol Limited trainset comes in to play. I guess it would be pretty neat (for seasoned route riders) to see the route normally traversed at night, in daylight. As much as I am grateful that the Empire Builder is running, still reminded as to how scenic the "southern route across Montana" was compared to the Hi-Line.....
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  SP8100 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All,
>
> WSDOT had many, many, many roads closed for safety
> reasons around Eastern and SE Washington state
> yesterday due to the winds drifting the snow that
> was either on the ground or falling into blizzard
> like conditions.  I knew from first hand
> experience on the drifting snow as I was out on a
> railroad late friday evening and early saturday
> morning along US highway 2.
>
> If you were in the Spokane area yesterday, you
> either road #7 or #27 or you went to the Spokane
> airport to leave the area..
>
>
> SP8100

Right now it is scheduled to arrive Chicago 3:04 AM Tuesday so that allows 11 hours to get it ready for the 2:15 PM Departure Tuesday afternood.  My understanding is that they do have extra Superliners in Chicago to put together a train set if needed.