Passenger Trains > Amtrak P052 Auto Train, Rare Daylight Appearance in Selma, NC

This morning was a crisp, sunny 38 degrees as Amtrak P052, the northbound Auto Train, strolled through Selma, NC at 8:20 a.m., about 5 hours tardy. P42DC’s 815 and 830 led 15 Superliners and 21 auto carriers.  The Auto Train is plying the CSX South End Subdivision (the “A-Line”), former mainline of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.  At the station are the double diamonds with the North Carolina Railroad/Norfolk Southern H-Line, running from Morehead City and Goldsboro to the east to Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte to the west.  The connection track to the right is used daily by Amtrak’s Silver Star, 91 and 92, and Carolinian, 79 and 80.  

Enjoy!

Jay Best
Raleigh, NC

 

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I like the setting on this. Thanks for sharing.

what is that caboose off to the right?

Nice video on Amtrak 52, what caused the delay!

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Pattenburg Wrote:
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> what is that caboose off to the right?

A little poking around reveals that it is former RF&P #907 and photos of it in original paint can be found easily.
Here's a link to a better shot of it currently :

http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc35842.php

I believe #52 was on the siding.  Was there a freight on the other track?
To answer ProRail's question, #53 that left Lorton on the 6th suffered an 8 1/4 delay due to the weather.  It was this same trainset the represented the train on the video.  Since neither Sanford nor Lorton have enough spare equipment to build an "on time" Auto Train, when a train arrives significantly late it leaves almost as late.  It will take several more trips until this equipment set returns to on time operation.
Andy

Yeah and it takes a few days to get back on schedule, actually 5 hours late isn't that bad considering what happened on 53, I bet 53 tomorrow won't be as late leaving Lorton!

Correct, P052 is operating on track one, a six mile long signaled siding, meeting F713, the Milan Yard (Fayetteville) to Selma local freight turn.  Track one used to be the southbound main in double track ABS days prior to 1960.  Track two, the current mainline, was formerly the northbound main.  

Note: the 800 series locos are P40's, not P42's.  52/53 are the only trains regularly running them; there are 6 assigned to the route. The engineers prefer them because the non-electronic graduated release feature makes for smoother train handling, given the number of cars in the consist. And the weather delays last week were horrendous, up to 8 hours. I came north on the 52(08) that was nearest to being on time, leaving Sanford down 1:30, arriving Lorton down only 0:30. Very lucky!
 

JayBest, nice video of a heck of a passenger train.  Thx for not panning until the last car.  The best way to watch a train is the head-on view from about a 30-35 dgree angle.  (I wish the Virtual Railfan people would learn that.....)

Wow!! Being out west I didn't realize how big this Amtrak train is. Fifteen passenger cars and another 21 auto cars for a total of 36! I have never seen an Amtrak train of such size anywhere else.

Cumbresfan Wrote:
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> Wow!! Being out west I didn't realize how big this
> Amtrak train is. Fifteen passenger cars and
> another 21 auto cars for a total of 36! I have
> never seen an Amtrak train of such size anywhere
> else.

The Auto-Train has been said to run to 50 cars plus locomotives in high travel season.

It continues to baffle me as to why Amtrak seems compelled to put a Superliner Sightseer Lounge on the Auto Train, as opposed to a Superliner Cross Country Cafe Cafe Car. The Sightseer Lounge Cars have a greater value on trains that offer nice scenery during daylight hours. This train doesn't