Passenger Trains > Very super dooper late Amtrak #5 (20)

But because the train is 15+ hours late, it should be able to make a good rare daylight for the whole state of Utah, going thru Colorado it will be dark and be a night run.

Last departed 4:08pm 15:54 late
Lincoln, NE (LNK) Central Time

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https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,5405763

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,5405595

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,5405339



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/21/22 14:55 by GenePoon.

Could this also happen to the Super Duper Chief?

Were the cars behind the locomotives Super Duper Liners?

If this happened in February, would there have been many riders interested in the outcome of the Super Duper Bowl?

I was on a seven hour late #5 in January 2019.  While that meant missing the Colorado scenery west of the Moffet Tunnel, sunrise came about an hour after Salt Lake City and I really enjoyed seeing western Utah and northern Nevada.....turns out they're quite beautiful as well!  Embrace the late....could be a new marketing tag line for Amtrak 😀

Dave

The reward of being on a 12 hour late #5; Arnolds Loop on Silver Zone Pass, Nevada.
Dick Ebright
Rochester, MN

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FANTASTIC PICTURE!

That is a superb photograph.

Tom Loftus
Omaha, NE

i loved a 12 hour late sfz , that detoured via KC across the the salt lake in the daylight and the pared tracks of nevada

All true, there are rewards as well as down-sides to extreme lateness. I was on a run of No 3 that was 11 hours late (the usual cascade of effects starting with dying engines and so on). Meaning it was after sunup when we crossed the Colorado . . . or what is left of it . . . at Needles, and had a good look at the arduous climb west of Needles, which looks to be as flat as Nebraska but eventually it becomes clear that the distant track signals that appear to be randomly located are actually on the main line, which loops all over the place to flatten the gradient.

2ebright Wrote:
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> The reward of being on a 12 hour late #5; Arnolds Loop on Silver Zone Pass, Nevada.

> Dick Ebright
> Rochester, MN

Been there, done that, though not as late....SPECTACULAR!  I took many photos, using a Pentax PZ-1...a FILM camera (that is how long ago it was). 

My wife and I took Train 5 out of CHI; it departed on time but soon one engine, coincidentally the AMTK 5, died.  The train was late at Naperville, then got stuffed into the center track while the dinky parade and a delayed Southwest Chief went around us (METRA priority over Amtrak, you know!!!).  As we sat, Mechanical from Chicago drove out and tried to fix the engine, without success.  Finally BNSF let us out but the train could only maintain 45-50 mph all the way to Galesburg (BNSF freights overtook us in the Two Main Track territory) where we sat and waited three hours because Amtrak had failed to request a relief engine from BNSF.   With the freight unit we did freight train speeds all the way to Denver where the Mechanical contractor fixed the AMTK 5 by emptying out the water/sediment bowl in the fuel line, which you'd think Chicago would have done.  The train lost no more time and we were in bright daylight around Arnold's Loop at around 1100am.  Many passengers got off at Reno to get on a Capitol Corridor connecting bus, which is much faster than the train.  We were asked what we wanted to do and stayed on, which meant getting dinner, skillfully made up from leftovers, and missing the last connecting Thruway Bus to Sonoma County.  We gained a lot of time over The Hill (the engineer, a friend of mine, had the reputation of being the fastest...he is now retired after failing a medical, due to a heart condition).  Amtrak provided a driver and a Lincoln Continental.  He was supposed to drop us at the Amtrak Thruway bus stop but figured he'd get a bigger tip if he took us to our front door.  He did...and he did!!



Edited 9 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/22 11:23 by GenePoon.

2ebright Wrote:
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> The reward of being on a 12 hour late #5; Arnolds
> Loop on Silver Zone Pass, Nevada.
> Dick Ebright
> Rochester, MN

Great shot of Pilot Peak. I always thought Pilot Peak was named because it helped pilots find the airfield at nearby Wendover - which once served as stop-over for the Enola Gay on its way to its mission. But I was wrong.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_Peak_(Nevada)

"Pilot Peak was named in 1845 for its use as an easily recognized landmark. John C. Fremont saw the peak from the east during his third expedition, mapping the Great Basin. Wondering whether his entire party could cross the desert he sent Kit Carson ahead to scout for water sources. Finding a perennial spring just east of the peak, Carson lit a large bonfire, the smoke from which signaled Fremont that the crossing was possible.

In 1846 the Donner Party also used the peak as a landmark for their crossing of the Great Salt Lake Desert, part of the Hastings Cutoff emigrant route. Running out of water, they had to temporarily abandon their wagons and oxen in order to reach the springs (now called Donner Springs) at the base of the peak. They eventually recovered most of their stock animals and wagons, and continued their journey to the California Trail and the Sierra Nevada mountains."

Lots of interesting history along the Zephyr route.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/22 13:23 by TSmith.

I was once on a 22hr late #5 which had the odd effect of getting everywhere 2hrs “early”.
SR

They threw in the towel at Sparks (Reno) which made sense as the next day’s #5 was OT and catching up quickly. Best not have 2 Zephyr trainsets in Oakland at the same time, I guess.

Posted from iPhone

AMTK#5 just passed through Arnold Loop at 15:50 Pacific time.  Apx. MP 776-775.  Indicated 14 hours 44 minutes late now out of Salt Lake.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/22 16:06 by Canyondogh.

I thought part of the reason for the delay was a bad ordered lounge in Chicago. From this beautiful photo, that's not the case. 

Train29 Wrote:
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> I thought part of the reason for the delay was a
> bad ordered lounge in Chicago. From this beautiful
> photo, that's not the case. 


It's 5(20) in the picture. 5(21) had the lounge problem.

"> I thought part of the reason for the delay was a
> bad ordered lounge in Chicago. From this beautiful
> photo, that's not the case. 

It's 5(20) in the picture. 5(21) had the lounge problem. "

Hold up on your conclusions gentlemen. My photo of #5 on Arnolds Loop was taken on April 15, 2018.

Dick Ebright
Rochester, MN

Have heard reports about a couple poor people that ended up on that day - Amtrak is giving full refunds which is at least good I guess.

Posted from iPhone

I would add that a good agent that does right by the customer in this case and refunds or makes accomodations can prevent some "never agains." That becomes the most important thing when "things happen."