Passenger Trains > 7.5 hours late Auto Train

Southbound Amtrak #53 Auto Train running 7.5 hours late, yesterday at Hilliard, Florida.

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Thanks for sharing the video.

Looks like Amtrak is scaling up for "the season". Always great to see this train.

Posted from Android

nice video.  i  would think that train would be a fun challenge to run..........

66

Great video - However, it brings up a question, at least for me it does. Here we have 2 locomotives pulling 18 Superliners and 29 auto carriers at track speed with apparent ease yet around the rest of the Amtrak system they seem to need to add another locomotive when there are a few private coaches added. Are locomotives added/removed based on the local terrain? There seems to be a power requirement puzzle here. An example I can think of is the SW Chief - if they add 2-3 private coaches, they add a locomotive. Auto Train - 2 locos and 47 cars -- SW Chief - 3 locos and 12-14 cars.

gttruex Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great video - However, it brings up a question, at
> least for me it does. Here we have 2 locomotives
> pulling 18 Superliners and 29 auto carriers at
> track speed with apparent ease yet around the rest
> of the Amtrak system they seem to need to add
> another locomotive when there are a few private
> coaches added. Are locomotives added/removed based
> on the local terrain? There seems to be a power
> requirement puzzle here. An example I can think of
> is the SW Chief - if they add 2-3 private coaches,
> they add a locomotive. Auto Train - 2 locos and 47
> cars -- SW Chief - 3 locos and 12-14 cars.

SW Chief faces grade of over 3% in two places while the Autotrain rarely exceeds 1%. It does make a difference.

Auto-Train runs on relatively flat and straight track... peaking at about 250 feet MSL in North Carolina and Virginia. Yes there are grades coming out of river valleys, but they don't last long. The Silver Meteor runs the same route about one hour faster despite making 12 scheduled stops between the same mileposts, and it cannot leave intermediate stations early. Auto-Train has only one stop, in Florence for servicing, and it's free to run early.  

How does max speed compare between the two trains?

Posted from Android

90 for the chief 70 for a/t

Yes 90 in a few spots, but the vast majority is 79, just like the rest of the country.... NEC and Michigan not included..

Auto Train is restricted to 70MPH due to the autoracks.

For the Silver Meteor it's mostly 79 south of Richmond, aside from cities, river bridges, interlockings, and turnouts. Used to be 90 as far south as Jesup or Jacksonville, but SCL saw Amtrak coming and didn't want to get stuck maintaining ATS. Out it came in December 1970. Actually, for a few years in the 1950s under Champ Davis the limit was 100.

But on the other hand Santa Fe kept their ATS and got rid of ATC on the Chillicothie Sub!

Thanks. I knew the Auto-Train was restricted to a relatively lower speed.

Posted from Android

So this is a rather interesting train consist if I did the count right and looking at the Superliner Cars....... I find this rather interesting, as Amtrak corp had wanted to add more sleeper inventory and reduce cars servicing the coach passengers, per say. That's what some reading between the lines would lead one to believe. Anderson wanted to have the flexibility to "add sleeper" to the consist. 

But here's what I took in from the consist. Please feel free to check me or supply a different allocation of cars if it make sense. 

1 – Diner (really a Cross Country Café for Coach Passengers - no lower level windows) - in operation or dead-heading?
1 – Diner (really a Cross Country Café for Coach Passengers - no lower level windows)
1 – Coach Lounge (Lower Level Windows but upper level window arrangement appears to be special Auto Train oriented lounge cars)
8 – Coaches (judging largely from lower level window arrangement - seems like a high count of coaches)
1 - Diner – for Sleeping Car Passengers
1 – Sleeper Lounge (Lower Level Windows but upper level window arrangement appears to be special Auto Train oriented lounge cars)
4 – Sleepers - THIS SEEMS VERY LIGHT ON SLEEPERS CONSIDERING!!!!
1 - Transition Sleeper (as seem by upper level window arrangement)

Does this consist make sense? Is this a normal auto train consist now that Anderson & Company have done various changes? More coaches than usual? Is there usually TWO diners (Cross Country Cafe Cars) for coach passengers? Deluxe Sleeper? I didn't think the "Coach Lounge" would be part of the new consist moving forward after Oct 1st. How many cars can the Auto Train have? Perhaps Amtrak is truly matching supply to demand and this particular consist there was far less sleeper passengers needing space. I wouldn't think there would be a need for a Superliner Sightseer Lounge car anymore but seen mixed reports of one being held in reserve for a potential "lounge" car as needed. Amtrak should have shipped that Sightseer Lounge West to be part of the upcoming Ski Train!

Anyone have any insight on what is a normal "in service" Auto Train consist?
 

Awesome ! Thank you for sharing !!! :):):)