Passenger Trains > Empire Builder 28 (01)

The Portland section of the Empire Builder is late today.

"Delay Notification: As of 6:30 PM PT Empire Builder Train
_ 28 is delayed departing Portland (PDX) due to the late arrival
_ of the trainset and a late release from the maintenance
_ facility.

My question is that Amtrak 27 arrived early in to Portland today. Why would Amtrak post the reason for a late departure as a late arrival? I get that it is probably due to the "late release from the maintence facility" rather than a late arrival of the trainset.

Amwrek is its own little entity.

What maintenance facility are they speaking of? 27 crosses the bridge, gets wyed, and returns to PDX to prepare for 28's departure. Is there a UP facility in the Steel Bridge area? 

HighballSoCal Wrote:
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> What maintenance facility are they speaking of? 27
> crosses the bridge, gets wyed, and returns to PDX
> to prepare for 28's departure. Is there a UP
> facility in the Steel Bridge area? 

Exactly. Only UP facility in the Steel Bridge area is Albina Yard, and Amtrak equipment doesn't go there. But we've had quite a few "municipal holds" lately so the AI probably decided to use a different excuse.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/25 20:40 by SensiblySarcastic.

All servicing is done in the station. When the train comes into the station the engine is fueled, engine inspected, cars inspected, watered, and wast tank empty. Then around the Y to wait for departure time.
No spare equipment in Portland.
Dennis

Posted from iPhone

That's the problem.  As I keep saying, the current fast equipment turnaround in Seattle and Portland isn't practical (it had problems back in the railroad days too).  A sixth trainset is needed in the Empire Builder rotation, but thanks largely to the Horizon crisis that obviously isn't possible right now. And even if there were enough cars and engines, I frankly doubt if Amtrak corporate cares about frequent hours-late eastbound Empire Builder departures from Seattle and Portland. At least Portland has a shorter, simpler train to deal with than Seattle does.  I suspect that's why today's Portland Builder got into and out of Portland better thanf today's Builder into and out of Seattle.

Number 27 was 3.5 hours late through Ritzville this morning. There's no way it arrived Portland early, or anywhere near on time.

walstib Wrote:
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> Number 27 was 3.5 hours late through Ritzville
> this morning. There's no way it arrived Portland
> early, or anywhere near on time.

Correct - this Empire Builder train set that arrived in Seattle/Portland (7/27) had issues at Tomah, WI and then getting west through Minnesota with "mechanical assessments" along the way. It was late coming into both Seattle and Portland. There was no way it could have ever had an on-time departure and turnaround to head back east

What you all fail to realize is that sometimes #27 actualy backs into PDX, from Vancouver, to eliminate the wye move. Up to Vancouver Center, make a reverse move to make th station stop on the BNSF Seattle Sub, then continue going backwards to Portland Unio Station on the BNSF Fallbridge Sub They still arrive on time, if on time, with time padding. If late, saves them an hour from dealing with the UP and the Steel Bridge wye move. 

Drew Mitchem
Centralia, WA

amtrak34east Wrote:
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> What you all fail to realize is that sometimes #27
> actualy backs into PDX, from Vancouver, to
> eliminate the wye move. Up to Vancouver Center,
> make a reverse move to make th station stop on the
> BNSF Seattle Sub, then continue going backwards to
> Portland Unio Station on the BNSF Fallbridge Sub
> They still arrive on time, if on time, with time
> padding. If late, saves them an hour from dealing
> with the UP and the Steel Bridge wye move. 

It takes an "hour" to do the UP and Steel Bridge wye move." Holy cow! Along with this and cutting out cars - I wish some of these folks would take lessons from the Strasburg RR crews......Harkens back to pre-Amtrak standard operations.....I am constantly amazed at how long "some" Amtrak moves and adjustments take. I get there are more rules and "connections to make" - but good grief! An HOUR to do the wye movement! VIA Rail Canada backed up the Chaleur at Gaspe for about a mile, did a wye and had it back in the station in less than 30 minutes, and the train was turned in nearly an hour......or less.......loss of intellectual knowledge at Amtrak??? A backup maneuver from Vancouver, WA to Portland, OR would be a bit more time consuming I would think, but OK!

What's getting lost in this thread is that we have this new, ongoing issue with silly and sometimes left-field euphemisms showing up in these updates. 

> due to the late arrival of the trainset and a late release from the maintenance facility.

Why reference a non-existing maintenance facility rather than simply say something like..."due to the late arrival of the inbound trainset and subsequent Train 28 preparations" >> I think it's the same intern, er social media coordinator, that has been writing about locomotive adjustments lately. They just need to be spun up on the vernacular of railroading and Amtrak operations.

Paging Marc Magliari...your protege awaits, man!

What time did 28 leave anyway!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> What time did 28 leave anyway!

6:28 p.m. - 1 hr 43 min late.  Inbound was 3 hr 35 min late at 2:52 p.m.

 

illini73 Wrote:
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> ProAmtrak Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What time did 28 leave anyway!
>
> 6:28 p.m. - 1 hr 43 min late.  Inbound was 3 hr
> 35 min late at 2:52 p.m.
>
>  

That was a good turn-around even considering there's not that much to do for a "turn-around" compared to other endpoint LD "turn-around" duties.