Passenger Trains > Yet another mechanical failure for Roanoke train

Yet again, Amtrak 145, the NYP to RNK Sunday train, apparently had locomotive issues at or south of DC with NS AC44C6M #4260 leading P42 #92. Here's is Amtrak 145 arriving Roanoke about 1:25 late as the Blacksburg bus waits patiently. And, if I recall correctly, on 9/11, the nb Roanoke train, Amtrak 156, was also cancelled due to mechanical issues but I have no details. But perhaps Amtrak was just using the Sunday evening Amtrak to return NS4260 to Roanoke? 
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/21 03:33 by JPB.

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UPDATE at 0545 Monday 9/13/21: Roanoke dispatcher gave Amtrak 014 (NS designation for Amtrak 176) permission off the storage track up to Randolph St and the station.  Today's leader will be NS4260 so I guess P42 #92 still has mechanical issues.

At 0623, here's Amtrak 176 departing Roanoke a few minutes late as a westbound stack train passes through the interlocking at Randolph St. I'm guessing that given a freight locomotive is leading, arrival at DC may be even later?

Wouldn't N&W 611 look better leading Amtrak 176 rather than an AC44C6M?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/13/21 03:47 by JPB.

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Have you noted the Blackburg Buss ridership?

Well Amtrak "experts", this train doesn't go anywhere near Chicago so you can't blame Chicago Maintenance for this one.
What seems to be the problem here?

How do we know some machinists didn't transfer from Chicago to DC ?

I've noticed an uptick in DC related mechanical issues over the past few months, both with electric and diesel power.

However, I was assured that these failures are rare, and are not as bad as Freight Train Interference.

 

JPB Wrote:
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> > if I recall correctly, on 9/11, the nb Roanoke
> train, Amtrak 156, was also cancelled due to
> mechanical issues but I have no details.

This is correct.  Saturday's train limped in to Manassas with only an NS engine (Dash 9 iirc) on the point (no HEP) about 5:45/6:00 pm. 
Not even close to scheduled time.
No passengers on board, just the crew, made no stops.

I am on 171 of the 13th with the 4260 and Amtrak 817.  Out of Alexandria we are about 20 minutes late, we’ll see how much time we lose.

Jim

171(13) left Washington 13 minutes late, arrived Roanoke 38 minutes late, most due to the NS engine.  We did have a slow order or something south of Orange.  At Roanoke we headed straight into the the station track, they did not turn the train before arriving as happened at least once.  So maybe a delay of about 20 minutes because of the slower maximum speed on the NS engine.  I wonder if the different braking system on the NS engine had anything to do with the delay.

Jim

Jim - thanks for that update. From watching both the Hotel Roanoke and the VMoT live cams, I could see that at 2302, approximately 30 minutes after 171's arrival at Roanoke, Amtrak P42 817 and the NS AC446CM separated at the station platform with the P42 shoving consist east out to 8 1/2 St to head for the storage track. AC44C6M NS4260 sat at the west end of the station platform until about 0204 when a crew took it west to Shaffer's Crossing, after witnessing the eastward passage of the V82 local turn and a 4 motor light power set led by NYC Heritage Unit NS1066 that passed by twice as it was wyed at 8 and 1/2 St.

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I was just by (9 am) the Amtrak servicing facility in Roanoke and Amtrak 140 is sitting by itself on the track.  There were several workers on the ground looking at the front truck.  Not sure where the 140 came from.

176(16) is out and running, although 25 minutes late at Lynchburg.  Transitdocs shows 176 waiting to enter the 10 MPH connecting track in Lynchburg from the former N&W to the former Southern.

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/21 06:42 by Jimbo.