Passenger Trains > Don't Try Riding This Train Today

Cascades 507 comes rolling off the Point Defiance Bypass and prepares to rejoining the Seattle Subdivision on its southbound journey at Nisqually Junction last night.

But don't try riding this train today. Amtrak this morning sent out an alert that buses will substitute for Cascades 504 and 507 today because of the ubiquitous "ongoing equipment issues."

---

A bit scary for trying to find reliable transportation...........

walstib Wrote:
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> But don't try riding this train today. Amtrak this
> morning sent out an alert that buses will
> substitute for Cascades 504 and 507 today because
> of the ubiquitous "ongoing equipment issues."

One of Amtrak's complaints about Talgo was that Talgo over-maintained the equipment. Talgo's gone. Nothing is over-maintained.

TAW

Talgo is gone? So that means Amtrak maintains the remaining 2 sets? I have noticed on Amtrak Cascades there is no longer the Talgo technician sitting in the cafe.

I don't like those old Horizon cars. When I was on 505 last week the AC was out on two of the three coaches on a 100-degree day. Thankfully ridership wasn't too heavy and we were mostly able to fit in the cool car.

Oregonpaul Wrote:
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> Talgo is gone? So that means Amtrak maintains the
> remaining 2 sets? I have noticed on Amtrak
> Cascades there is no longer the Talgo technician
> sitting in the cafe.

Talgo has a kind of skeleton presence for the remaining sets. I am assuming that those are still maintained to their standards. They're pretty picky about that.

TAW

Oh interesting, thanks.
I remember the air conditioning was out in a horizon car when I took 505 back in June. And we are stuck with them until 2024, or possibly longer if they come with the bugs the other venture sets have.

It's not Amtrak if the car you are seated in doesn't have a dozen rattling panels, some of which are falling down with loose screws. The air conditioning should be leaking condensation on the seats, the seats should be filthy with stains and loose cushions. The carpet should be filthy with stains also.

The lighting fixtures should have dozens of dead flies/assorted filth darkening them. The end doors should also be broken and loosely sliding open on curves. Also, there should be water/mold stains running down the bulkhead walls near the bathrooms. The PA should be squealing or to quiet. The air conditioning weak and the heat poor. Am I forgetting anything?


> One of Amtrak's complaints about Talgo was that
> Talgo over-maintained the equipment. Talgo's gone.
> Nothing is over-maintained.
>
> TAW

Posted from Android

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> It's not Amtrak if the car you are seated in
> doesn't have a dozen rattling panels, some of
> which are falling down with loose screws. The air
> conditioning should be leaking condensation on the
> seats, the seats should be filthy with stains and
> loose cushions. The carpet should be filthy with
> stains also.
>
> The lighting fixtures should have dozens of dead
> flies/assorted filth darkening them. The end doors
> should also be broken and loosely sliding open on
> curves. Also, there should be water/mold stains
> running down the bulkhead walls near the
> bathrooms. The PA should be squealing or to quiet.
> The air conditioning weak and the heat poor. Am I
> forgetting anything?
>

Duct tape.

TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> walstib Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > But don't try riding this train today. Amtrak
> this
> > morning sent out an alert that buses will
> > substitute for Cascades 504 and 507 today
> because
> > of the ubiquitous "ongoing equipment issues."
>
> One of Amtrak's complaints about Talgo was that
> Talgo over-maintained the equipment. Talgo's gone.
> Nothing is over-maintained.
>
> TAW

Yeah and that's gonna cost them just like what CSX claimed on Conrail's Water Level Route when they took over, man every week when they tracks went to their standards they always had at least 1 train going on the ground? Talgo with Conrail knew how to take care of stuff! Sad Amtrak in general don't!

I forget the exact number, but I recall reading that Talgo had a 97 or 98% availability. That service level was / is factored into the cost of the equipment.

Totally worth it, in my opinion.

Talgo techs used to fix all manner of minor annoyances during a trip ... from light bulbs on up.

Our bad-order rate out here in Seattle must have gone up a lot lately.  We should have plenty of Horizon and Talgo cars and various locomotives to cover the mere three Cascades round trips still running,  Talgos, by the way, are covering only the 503-508 round trip now.

NPRocky Wrote:
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> Our bad-order rate out here in Seattle must have
> gone up a lot lately.  We should have plenty of
> Horizon and Talgo cars and various locomotives to
> cover the mere three Cascades round trips still
> running,  Talgos, by the way, are covering only
> the 503-508 round trip now.

Oregon owns those sets. That's why they are still in service.

TAW

With the downturn in commuter traffic from Covid, could any reliable, if not very comfortable equipment, be leased from Sounder or WCE ? 

I believe Sounder is still running the usual seven 7-car trainsets on its Lakewood to Seattle line.  I'm having trouble understanding that given the continued sharp dropoff in ridership there, down something like 60% last time I heard, and that was after the gas price increases.  It did cut two trainsets, one with two cars and one with three, from its Everett line when it cut daily round trips from four to two.  

They must have cars available if they would like some cash in their pockets from a lease. 
Could they still use the Horizon dinette in such a consist ?  

walstib Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cascades 507 comes rolling off the Point Defiance
> Bypass and prepares to rejoining the Seattle
> Subdivision on its southbound journey at Nisqually
> Junction last night.
>
> But don't try riding this train today. Amtrak this
> morning sent out an alert that buses will
> substitute for Cascades 504 and 507 today because
> of the ubiquitous "ongoing equipment issues."

Acdtually, this is misinformation.  Both 504 and 507 ran on Monday the 8th.  Amtdrak's message said they were operating "supplemental" express buses between Portland and Seattle.  This was because of air conditdioning issues with both trainsets.  On Monday the temperature in Portland hit 100 degrees.

I believe they could, but I've never seen Amtrak and Sounder equipment combined.  I could be wrong on this.  We need a Seattle Amtrak mechanical person.  They maintain Sounder cars too.

Interesting. So they said if you want to ride the train, you can. But it will be hot as hell so you can take the bus also.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/10/22 12:20 by Oregonpaul.