Passenger Trains > Trouble on the Main Line of Mid America ?

Amtrak Twitter shows No. 58 awaiting a recrew
at Dyersburg 7+hours late and No. 59 holding at Memphis
due to signal issues. Storms overnight????



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/21 06:23 by Englewood.

It's painful -- just to hear about all these awful "Customer Experiences".

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's painful -- just to hear about all these awful
> "Customer Experiences".

In the old days when I was just a lad, way before the interweb,
hard copy newspapers were delivered to almost every household.

A popular section of the newspaper, read by almost all, was the comics.
Some people turned to the comic section before reading anything else.

Another popular section of the paper were the obituaries.  A
popular name for the obituary section was the "Irish Comics". No 
slight is meant towards the Irish, I am sure that in other parts of
town they were known as the English, Polish, German, etc. comics.
I was told the name came from the habit of older ladies to open the 
newspaper to the obituary column before looking at anything else.

One of the first things I go to in the morning is the Amtrak Twitter site.
The other day I was musing to myself that Amtrak Twitter is my interweb
age version of the "Irish Comics". 

Doesn't it document the slow, painful, death of the American Passenger Train??
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/21 08:22 by Englewood.

Keep in mind there is a major tropical storm in the area. 

Prior to Amtrak, I rode a NY-CHI train that was 24 hours late. Another CHI-NY run without any food service available. Another Colorado Springs - Salt Lake City trip that was over 8 hours late account of shorting signals from wet snow on the ore-laden ballast. Dare I go on .... SP cars with live and lively roaches; horsehair mattresses in sleepers that poked alll night; coaches with no working lights or AC.  Yes, Amtrak has its problems but most of the time they are keeping long distance passeger trains alive more than what was true 50 years ago.
 

Yeah, I’m guess the Tropical Storm is to blame for these, surprised the Crescent made it through that all night, only to get hosed by a disabled freight train.

Nick

Posted from iPhone

Major signal issues at CN Jct in MEM requiring a detour via the Hollywood District and a shove move on the Memphis district to get to Central Station. 58 then sustained residual delays from two recrews and heavy freight traffic on the Fulton district.

Posted from iPhone

Thank you for the good info.

2904 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Major signal issues at CN Jct in MEM requiring a
> detour via the Hollywood District and a shove move
> on the Memphis district to get to Central Station.
> 58 then sustained residual delays from two
> recrews and heavy freight traffic on the Fulton
> district.
>
> Posted from iPhone

10% chance of rain in Memphis, rain is way East of area.

You are welcome. Why the interlocker couldn’t be keyed... I do not know. It is complex with the UP & BNSF mains crossing the single track Memphis sub, as well as cross overs and connections between them all. The BN requests a signal but it is still automatic. Not sure what caused it to be so frazzled. Technology isn’t always great.

Posted from iPhone

For some reason, they never had signal issues with the four-way stop sign that guarded CN Jct. once upon a time, not so awful long ago.

I understand why they put signals in, though.  How much savings in fuel and such for each train that doesn't have to stop?

Mary McPherson
Dongola, IL
Diverging Clear Productions

It works great for the BNSF and UP all the time. Just not for 58/59 and the CN local. The law of averages says it will not change, haha.

Posted from iPhone

It sounds like one of those modern interlockings
that no one has complete control of.  A DS puts in a 
signal request and if no other road has a conflicting
move the signal clears. Is that how it works ?

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's painful -- just to hear about all these awful
> "Customer Experiences".

Oh just shut up Ronald, you got your butt kicked twice already with Amtrak 91 and a few weeks ago Amtrak no. 8, when you gonna take the time to look at the cause instead of jumping to conclusions!

Posted from Android

Yes, severe weather south of Memphis.  59(18) with AMTK 127 encountered signals out due to weather-related commercial power failure and was delayed 2 1/2 hours for this alone.

58(18) with AMTK 40 got it worse, same problems: signals, weather; plus held for rested crew.  7 h4 44 min late into Chicago.




 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/21 00:32 by GenePoon.

These delays had zero to do with weather, you are getting bad info, bro.

59 flagged signals that had issues, only causing 20 min of delay, arriving early into MEM. The delay for 59 was waiting for a pilot crew to shove north and take the circular route around the city.

58 was delayed from the initial signal issues at CN Jct... which the weather conditions were clear... and then encounter residual delays from freight traffic, fueling at Fulton, and two crew changes. Zero to do with waiting on a rested crew. Thanks for playing!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/21 01:41 by 2904.