Passenger Trains > Platoon of Patrons board Amtrak 30 at Elkhart 3/1/21

Amtrak's Capitol Ltd arrived Elkhart about 90 minutes late Monday night 3/1/21 with half a dozen or so passengers getting off followed by 25 give or take passengers getting on. Biggest crowd I've seen at Elkhart lately getting on or off Amtrak #30. 

FWIW, amply powered Amtrak #48 arrived about 30 minutes off the advertised, about 90 minutes after #30, with 10 patrons detraining and no one boarding.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/21 02:53 by JPB.

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Despite all the problems with Amtrak, many, many late trains and locomotive failures, there are still a number of people who desire to ride passenger trains and there are many more who would ride if Amtrak was operated properly.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Despite all the problems with Amtrak, many, many
> late trains and locomotive failures, there are
> still a number of people who desire to ride
> passenger trains and there are many more who would
> ride if Amtrak was operated properly.
> John in White Marsh, Maryland

IF. The biggest word in Modern Railroading in the USA.

Posted from iPhone

Of all 15 trains, this consist reduction is the most pathetic of all for this time of year.  

It looks like a lot of time consuming walking for the boarding 
pasengers.  Is the place where waiting pasengers gather not 
close to where the train stops?

I can't quite make out the garb of the passengers, but my guess is that many are Amish. They still like train travel and I suspect that given its geographical location, Elkhart sees a lot of Amish passengers. 

If you read the last PTJ (2021:1), they had a feature article on traveling from Chicago to Altoona for the railfan venues there. There was a photo of Amish on page 4. Not explicitly mentioned, but quite apparent, while all had masks on, 3 out of 4 of them in the coaches had the masks positioned with their noses out, rendering them useless. Exhaling from nostrils spreads viral load, and much more viral load is present there with the new, mutated variants making it more contagious.

Evidently the mask mandate is not being enforced, whatever the excuse. I am not planning on riding either of those trains, but would not under those circumstances.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/21 06:35 by joemvcnj.

Yes, the Amish and seniors of all stripes represent the two largest blocks of LDT faithfuls.  At a good number of stations in remote areas the Amish make up 80-90% of the patronage. 

    Let's hope the new stimulus bill contains the needed language to mandate the return of the tri-weekly LDT's to daily service in order for Amtrak to qualify for the funds. Otherwise, if the money is just given with either weak or non existent language requiring resumption of daily service by a date certain, they'll find a host of excuses ( class 1 won't allow it, not enough reliable locos to pull the trains, ridership MUCH too weak ....will greatly increase our operating deficit, etc., etc., etc. ). 

    Hope springs eternal.   Ross Rowland 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/21 06:38 by co614.

$820 million is for the NEC + $680 million for the national network -  "prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus"

Only $166 million of the $1.5 billion is needed for July 1 service levels - everywhere, daily service on LD trains being only part of that.

It is a shame that language is specifically needed in the bill's language to tell them to do that explicitly. 
https://news.yahoo.com/tester-bill-aims-restore-daily-140100569.html

There is a waiting room at Elkhart. Ground level, under the camera.  People often drift out to the platform a few minutes before train time.

Maybe this group was waiting in a nice, warm heated bus nearby...

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is a waiting room at Elkhart. Ground level,
> under the camera.  People often drift out to the
> platform a few minutes before train time.
>
> Maybe this group was waiting in a nice, warm
> heated bus nearby.

Thanks.  I wonder why the engine stops in front of the waiting room
instead of pulling the train up to be in front of the waiting room?

With everything reserved, the train crew should know prior to arrival which car
 to spot in front of the waiting room. 

It is hard to figure out from the Amtrak website whether there is an agent there.
The website mostly tells you what is not there.  Is there an agent of anyone to
provide directions to passengers?

No agent at Elkhart for the past 20 years or so.

Truth  be told from my experience witnessing countless station stops it seems that the Amtrak's SOP is to make every stop as inefficient as possible. From making people show their tickets on the platform ( vs. getting them aboard and doing the ticket lift upon departure as was done for decades), to never assigning a platform location for coach/sleeper etc., and especially where there is an agent directing waiting people to the approximate boarding area for their class of ticket etc. 

    Can't tell you how many times I've been aboard 49/48 running late when we'd take 7-10 minutes dwell time at secondary stops where we'd discharge 3-5 people, load 4-5 people and take 10 minutes to do it vs. the 3 it should take. Multiply that 7 minute difference times 7 stops and you've eaten nearly an hour. Freight trains and Amtrak's terrible loading/unloading culture together insure forever poor on time performance. 

    Just think how things would change over night if the T&E crews pay was 10% dependent upon operating on schedule. In other words if there were NO OTHER interferences on a given trip the T&E crew would earn a 10% bonus if they stayed on schedule or suffer a 10% hit if they didn't. You'd be amazed at how quickly checking tickets prior to boarding would disappear !!!  

    Sad but true. Ross Rowland 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/21 09:50 by co614.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Of all 15 trains, this consist reduction is the
> most pathetic of all for this time of year. 

Was one of the first passengers to have taken the tri-weekly Capitol Limited eastbound and it was a disaster of boarding. People were booked in rooms that didn't exist (cause there was supposed to be a second sleeper and daily operation). They needed two handicap rooms to accommodate passengers, but only ONE was available, since there was only ONE sleeper. No Trans-Dorm Sleeper even. ALL bedrooms and roomettes were 100% full from Chicago to Pittsburgh. And there were people scheduled to get on down the line with sleeper accommodations, but they all got diverted to coach, which was definitely over the 50% capacity.

Current consist looks like a stub train (the Baby Builder with the CCC Car subbing for a Sightseer Lounge Car!). Stub train should be operating Washington DC to Pittsburgh, and then joined with the main train coming from NYP to Chicago by way of Pittsburgh. Again, the wrong train was discontinued in 2005. 

As I have also stated..... Amtrak really needs to look at the operation and scheduling of the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore from Chicago to Cleveland. More often than not these trains are following each others' rear-end markers westbound Cleveland to Chicago. If easier to combine them at Toledo - combine them at Toledo. 

 

The eastbound locomotive may be stopped in a position that doesn't trigger the crossing gates just ahead.  On a westbound arrival, the engine is way down the platform, and the last car at about the platform fence

jp1822 Wrote:

> As I have also stated..... Amtrak really needs to
> look at the operation and scheduling of the
> Capitol Limited and Lake Shore from Chicago to
> Cleveland. More often than not these trains are
> following each others' rear-end markers westbound
> Cleveland to Chicago. If easier to combine them at
> Toledo - combine them at Toledo. 

No, someone needs to look at the clowns that run Amtrak.  

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The eastbound locomotive may be stopped in a
> position that doesn't trigger the crossing gates
> just ahead. 

That shouldn't matter, as modern crossing protection is such that once the train is stopped clear of the street crossing, the gates then go up & flashing lights turn off. Once ready to depart, the train must "creep forward" until the crossing gates "reset", and once fully down, the train can accelerate.

On a westbound arrival, the engine
> is way down the platform, and the last car at
> about the platform fence

When last I watched the webcam, the trains did pull up closer to the grade crossing, particularly 48/448 w/ 2 units and a longer train. 
OTOH, Emeryville is so abysmally laid out that the units must stop in front of the station on the only track w/ a platform long enough for a pre covid Starlight SB.  . 

Thanks to each of you, I will watch more closely.

Posted from Android

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It is a shame that language is specifically needed
> in the bill's language to tell them to do that
> explicitly. 
> https://news.yahoo.com/tester-bill-aims-restore-da
> ily-140100569.html

While this isn't the first time language requiring specific operations has been included with Amtrak funding (the Autumn Express comes to mind), it is unrealistic to expect Congresspersons and Senators and their staffs to be knowledgeable about rail operations.  If Amtrak management  (Anderson agenda/Flynn/Gardner/Coscia) does not attempt to operate a viable nationwide rail passenger system they should be replaced with management that will.   BSB