Passenger Trains > 2020 Empire Builder beats 1956 schedule by 95 minutes

 The 24th February eastbound Empire Builder left Seattle 4 hours late due to the late arrival of the inbound stock.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,4964658

According to transit docs, it made it to Chicago in 42’55”, 2’20” inside schedule, despite an overstay of 20 minutes in Minot and dealing with the Chicago rush hour. 30” was gained to Spokane, an hour on to arrival in Minot, an hour from leaving Minot to leaving St Paul, plus a further 15” on to Chicago. All this in frezzing conditions. Lest someone shouts ‘padding’ this was also 1’35” faster than the 1956 version, which had the benefit of the 1956 CB&Q from St Paul, much superior to the 2020 Milwaukee, carded in 6’45” vs 7’55” today.Surely some compliments due to the BNSF dispatchers in Honolulu, or wherever they are?

Is a smile permissible?

Yes, but what about Grand Forks routing today vs. then ? 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/20 05:26 by joemvcnj.

The re-route of the GN from Sandpoint to west of Spokane reduced running times.
The GN made many line changes to improve efficiency through the years.
This report also shows that the BNSF is on top of their infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance.

their dispatching is amazing up there, you would think it is a double track line by the amount of trains volume up there, like streetcars

In May of 1970 I rode the Empire Builder from Spokane to Savanna, IL, returning from a conference in Salt Lake City.  How does a railfan get to and from a conference in Salt Lake City - Cities Streamliner from Savanna to Salt Lake city, fly to Spokane (my first COMMERCIAL airline flight) and Empire builder back.  BN wasjust over  two months old.  Due to a minor derailment, the Builder was three hours late leaving Spokane and fifteen minutes late into Minneapolis.  I remember timing minutes at 97 mph east of Browing on the east slope of the Rockies and a steady 85 or so behind former CB&Q E units east of Havre.  Of course the limit was 79.  And I got to ride the head end (former GN 361A) from Spokane to Troy.  Making up time was nothing new for BN and the Great Northern. 
Dick Eisfeller

To Joemvcnj:It was 45 miles less from Fargo to Minot using the New Rockford route in 1956. The schedule on the present route is only 30 minutes longer, higher average speed. The scheduled time on the GN from Fargo on to St Paul was similar to current, though I believe back then they had to back into St Paul depot after calling in Minneapolis. Nowadays, they have hand thrown switches to negotiate accessing the Minnesota Commercial. Overall, the time gain from Minot to Chicago in 1956 was offset by slower running across the northern plains from reasons I do not understand.

Klondyke Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>  The 24th February eastbound Empire Builder left
> Seattle 4 hours late due to the late arrival of
> the inbound stock.
>
> https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,
> 4964658
>
> According to transit docs, it made it to Chicago
> in 42’55”, 2’20” inside schedule, despite
> an overstay of 20 minutes in Minot and dealing
> with the Chicago rush hour. 30” was gained to
> Spokane, an hour on to arrival in Minot, an hour
> from leaving Minot to leaving St Paul, plus a
> further 15” on to Chicago. All this in frezzing
> conditions. Lest someone shouts ‘padding’ this
> was also 1’35” faster than the 1956 version,
> which had the benefit of the 1956 CB&Q from St
> Paul, much superior to the 2020 Milwaukee, carded
> in 6’45” vs 7’55” today.Surely some
> compliments due to the BNSF dispatchers in
> Honolulu, or wherever they are?
>
> Is a smile permissible?

BNSF dispatchers are in Fort Worth, Texas.

Great and encouraging story.  Shows that old urgerncy to maintain or make schedule lives on........in some places, at least.  I'm reminded of many urgent runs in past years.  Then again, in the distant past half hour or an hour would be seriously late.  

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Nice, I take it no. 8 made that connection to no. 30 in good time too!

Posted from Android

It's always fun to make up time like that.  However, the 1956 schedule probably had a little padding here and there, too.

Now, if the Builder had the pre-Amtrak GN consist, that would be amazing.

Great Northern padded the Eastbound Empire Builder around two hours which provided a more reasonable schedule for Spokane,
allowed turning the SP&S connection at Spokane saving a set of equipment, and protected the 7 hour turn around time at Seattle.
The Libby line change saved about 20 minutes.  Moving the Grand forks depot to the wye at West Grand Forks saved allot of running time on the Devils Lake line. 
The time saved taking the NP between Fargo and Minneapolis rather than the GN line via Willmar, and not stopping in Minneapolis is offset by the slow running through the Minnesota Transfer yard.
I rode a denture on the New Rockford line.  It took the the coal connector from The GN Grand Forks line to the NP west of Fargo, connecting back to the GN at Casselton. 
The coal connector was slow, the mainlines were mostly 60 mph.  This route might be an hour faster than the Devils Lake line.