Passenger Trains > Poor Red Bird

Poor Red Bird (Cardinal)

50(18) with AMTK 87 delayed over three hours east of White Sulphur Springs...
broken down engine.  Got moving, broke down again at Culpeper; now six hours
late and at zero mph.

51(19) with AMTK 163 delayed three hours near Charlottesville...broken down
engine.  Four hours late at Hinton, now past Prince.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/19 21:04 by GenePoon.

Gene, I dare you to say it.......

DDSP at work again ( late/dirty trains=less riders=easy train offs). Elegant, simple and effective.

   RR

Taking a page from SP’s anti-passenger strategy of the 1960’s.

John Webb
Trinidad, CA

On Train 50(18) the bum unit was the AMTK 87. Train was rescued by CSX 6537 at Clifton Forge but it still had sporadic to no HEP in the sweltering heat, so the AMTK 837 and 73 were sent light from Washington and added at Culpeper. All four diesels went to WAS and the power change, about ten hours late the rest of the way to New York, more or less, who cares at that point?

51(19) 3 1/2 hrs late at Indy, but at least there were no more disabling problems.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/19 09:36 by GenePoon.

I saw this same movie in the 60’s.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On Train 50(18) the bum unit was the AMTK 87.
> Train was rescued by CSX 6537 at Clifton Forge but
> it still had sporadic to no HEP in the sweltering
> heat, so the AMTK 837 and 73 were sent light from
> Washington and added at Culpeper. All four
> diesels went to WAS and the power change, about
> ten hours late the rest of the way to New York,
> more or less, who cares at that point?
>
> 51(19) 3 1/2 hrs late at Indy, but at least there
> were no more disabling problems.

Would love to know the added direct costs of these fiascos, and that wouldn’t even include all the vouchers they they throw at angry passengers, lost revenue from cancellations, and people that just won’t ever ride again. Seems it might be cheaper to properly maintain the locomotives.

Posted from iPhone

But locomotive maintenance may come out of a different "pocket" than dealing with disgusted passengers.