Passenger Trains > Southwest Chief at Flag

Amtrak #4 on Sunday 2/23 came into Flagstaff, AZ at 05:35 on the wrong main.  Since there is no station platform on that track, it took 6 stops at the San Francisco Street road crossing to get all unloaded and loaded.  The station stop took only 20 minutes so the crew handled the chore efficiently.  
Anyone know why they couldn't use the track close to the station?

There was a disabled freight blocking Main 1.  

YardLimit Wrote:
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> There was a disabled freight blocking Main 1.  

Exactly, PSR strikes again as a 15K stalled out West of Flagstaff resulting in a Log Jam.  4 was sent to Main 2 to get around.

El_Duderino Wrote:
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> YardLimit Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There was a disabled freight blocking Main
> 1.  
>
> Exactly, PSR strikes again as a 15K stalled out
> West of Flagstaff resulting in a Log Jam.  4 was
> sent to Main 2 to get around.


That's why they have 2 main track CTC there, flexibility. Maybe they need to invest in about 500 feet of asphalt paving and make a platform for the second track.

According to my friend Jeff a sinkhole is the reason the original platform for Main 2 was taken out in the 1ST Place!

Posted from Android

Though its not common for the Chief to use the outside track & have to use the road crossing as a platform, this situation does happen from time to time whether its another train fouling the track that the Chief would normally use to access the Station or Bad Weather like a frozen switch that I experienced years ago.

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> According to my friend Jeff a sinkhole is the
> reason the original platform for Main 2 was taken
> out in the 1ST Place!
>
> Posted from Android

A sinkhole that affected the old platform but not the track?

PHall Wrote:
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> ProAmtrak Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > According to my friend Jeff a sinkhole is the
> > reason the original platform for Main 2 was
> taken
> > out in the 1ST Place!
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> A sinkhole that affected the old platform but not
> the track?

According to Jeff, yes.

portlander Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ProAmtrak Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > According to my friend Jeff a sinkhole is the
> > > reason the original platform for Main 2 was
> > taken
> > > out in the 1ST Place!
> > >
> > > Posted from Android
> >
> > A sinkhole that affected the old platform but
> not
> > the track?
>
> According to Jeff, yes.

Was the old platform made of brick pavers?

I have lots of 70's shots of the platform, and yes, it was brick - as was the rest of the platform up to tie edge before the tie rehabs were put in.

ATSF had a center platform plus a couple walkways and never appeared to be particularly bothered about stopping on the outer track except that it held traffic on the inner main.

You'll see this kind of problem all over Amtrak.    It's particularly bad at Buffalo-Depew with the longer Lake Shore Limited consists (CSX/CR/NYC).   I've seen 40-minute station stops there on two narrow crosswalks staggering over two sections of coaches, two sections of sleepers, and two baggage cars - all because the 'normal' inner main was blocked or the dispatcher was having a brain freeze.     The worst one was with a wheelchair patron where they had to get the lift over to the outside track and got it stuck in the flangeway, with a person up on it...

PHall Wrote:
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> portlander Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > PHall Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > ProAmtrak Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > According to my friend Jeff a sinkhole is
> the
> > > > reason the original platform for Main 2 was
> > > taken
> > > > out in the 1ST Place!
> > > >
> > > > Posted from Android
> > >
> > > A sinkhole that affected the old platform but
> > not
> > > the track?
> >
> > According to Jeff, yes.
>
> Was the old platform made of brick pavers?

Concrete is what I remember!

1980 shot when the entire center platform was intact, west-end siding crossover, switch still in.   Concrete edges with brick pavers in the center:

https://arizonalorne.slickpic.com/albums/Arizona-Railroad-Stations/photos/770145/

Love the Bonneville Coupe parked at the station.