Passenger Trains > Amtrak Train 5 adds 142 Protection Unit at Denver

Just in from an Amtrak train 5 passenger - An engine is broken-!  Train 5, the California Zephyr, getting the protection unit from the Denver Amtrak lead track.  Unit 142 added at 9:55 AM, 18 April 2024.

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I guess a curiosity, where does Amtrak maintain protection units, at least Western.

Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/24 09:27 by robj.

robj Wrote:
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> I guess a curiosity, where does Amtrak maintain
> protection units, at least Western.
>
> Bob

Protection unit at Denver? Where and when did that come from? Not aware of this new program! Amtrak "used to have" protection units in Albuquerque, San Antonio, New Orleans, Denver, and Spokane. But that all dwindled out.........

It is a rarity , passengers got Lucky, hopefully a regular thing we will be seeing more of, with new units arriving.

It would be a great idea to have P42 protection units across the system as the Chargers arrive and are deployed.

I hope they have a better utilization than the Viewliner IIs.

But why does it always take Amtrak two hours or more to make any additions, subtractions, or any change to equipment??

I repeat:  In 1974, the Broadway Ltd. in Harrisburg changed engines, and added four cars to the rear of the train in 17 minutes every day.  

Have people lost their brains?  Untrained personnel?  Not enough personnel?  

The procedures are more governed for bringing the hep down when adding or subtracting  before dealing with jumper cables.     Number one reason fewer folks,   Used to be switcher crews, but most are gone, except in major Amtrak yards



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/24 08:47 by dan.

New Orleans is a terminal for three Amtrak routes and has an engine service facility, so there are spare engines there should they be needed.  The other locations mentioned above are all mid-route locations. San Antonio would be hybrid, I guess, with both a through route and a terminating route, although cars continue from the Texas Eagle to and from the Sunset Limited.  San Antonio also used to have a spare sleeper and coach. Are they still there?

bobs Wrote:
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 San Antonio also used
> to have a spare sleeper and coach. Are they still
> there?

No, they are used in regular rotation for the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle choreography. No "spares" like what there used to be pre-2015 at least. The current choreography is actually quite interesting at San Antonio and doesn't make a lot of sense from a revenue/capacity standpoint.  

MEKoch Wrote:
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> But why does it always take Amtrak two hours or
> more to make any additions, subtractions, or any
> change to equipment??
>
> I repeat:  In 1974, the Broadway Ltd. in
> Harrisburg changed engines, and added four cars to
> the rear of the train in 17 minutes every

Many more rules and safety procedures now than in 1974, 3 step, 3 way communication, no getting on or off moving equipment, test the handbrake, HEP power down as mentioned above; the constant preaching about safety over all else has drastically slowed things down.  And, the RRs collectively have taken away any incentive for crews to work quickly, so they don't, in most circumstances.

Andy

The engine change in Albany, Philadelphia, and Washington DC on a regular basis can be as fast as 15 minutes. The "one-offs" are a completely different story, which IS very time consuming. 

jp1822 Wrote:
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> The engine change in Albany, Philadelphia, and
> Washington DC on a regular basis can be as fast as
> 15 minutes. The "one-offs" are a completely
> different story, which IS very time consuming. 

That's because the engine changes in Albany, Philadelphia and Washington DC are daily scheduled events, no approvals needed.
The one-offs require approvals from everybody before they can happen.

PHall Wrote:
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> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The engine change in Albany, Philadelphia, and
> > Washington DC on a regular basis can be as fast
> as
> > 15 minutes. The "one-offs" are a completely
> > different story, which IS very time
> consuming. 
>
> That's because the engine changes in Albany,
> Philadelphia and Washington DC are daily scheduled
> events, no approvals needed.
> The one-offs require approvals from everybody
> before they can happen.

Isn't that what I just said? Thanks for the repeat information. 

I saw this train set yesterday running through Iowa as Amtrak #6(20).  I was told it dropped an engine in Denver the night before, so it was back down to two units.  AMTK 142 was not looking as good as it was in your photo.

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