Passenger Trains > Beech Grove Bound 12/2/25 - A Swing And A Miss

I have no words really.... looked like a 500, P42 and a buffer car? 56 was pulled off the hodgepodge Hiawatha to run the Cardinal with a normal consist. 

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Thanks Seth , at least we had a good view of a clean " Cardinal " .

Is Amtrak selling roomettes in the baggage dorm car??

I never watch that camera for the very reason illustrated in this video.  Whoever controls it sometimes is kinda clueless.  Nearly every time I have tried to watch the Cardinal there I get a great view of the signals.  Frustrating, to say the least.

Chessie1963 Wrote:
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> I never watch that camera for the very reason
> illustrated in this video.  Whoever controls it
> sometimes is kinda clueless.  Nearly every time I
> have tried to watch the Cardinal there I get a
> great view of the signals.  Frustrating, to say
> the least.

It appears the cam is set on an automated rotation.  Amherst, Barstow, Cumberland, Fort Worth, Laramie, Revelstoke, Santa Fe Jct., Springfield, Texarkana, Tucson, and Waycross are afflicted with this.  Perhaps the intent was to try and satisfying those that were frequently asking to see this direction or that.  Maybe at the request of the camera funder, to show off their steam engine or get a better view of signals, and with the thought that most of these have a second camera that doesn't move, so it doesn't hurt for the other to be creative.  The second cameras are on the paid side but it is only $5 a month to access all of them.  

I think it works ok at Barstow, Cumberland, Fort Worth, and Revelstoke.  I get the logic for Laramie, Springfield, and Waycross.  For others it seems unneccessary and blurs many trains or limits the view at times to just the tops of cars, or missing trains as it pans out of sight.  For example I don't understand doing this at Texarkana, where the other directional running line is cut away from each time, but could always be kept in view if they didn't rotate so far to the left. The left cutaway segment is simply duplicating the fixed cameras view, so it is a needless ruin of a cam.  Same for Santa Fe Junction, it makes it impossible to do a 24 hour count on trains coming off of the UP lower level of the bridge.  (Though the worst is when a regular modpans to the left and parks it for up to an hour, waiting for an Amtrak that can be seen in the same view on the other cam.)   Amherst has signals to the east, but what's the point of doing the same to the west?  Needless further blurring for seemingly no reason.

Some of these use the logic of if Solomon literally cut the baby in half, resulting in no one happy, killing it, and just giving unsatifactory pieces to all sides.  I think Virtual Railfan does a really good job, but there are a few swings and misses.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/25 14:52 by baretables.

Thanks for the explanation on the camera , baretables . 

I appreciate it as well, but why the heck does it rotate to the signals?  That makes no sense to me.

Chessie1963 Wrote:
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> I appreciate it as well, but why the heck does it
> rotate to the signals?  That makes no sense to
> me.

Easy target to focus on.

CP8888 Wrote:
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> Is Amtrak selling roomettes in the baggage dorm
> car??

YES! All roomettes are utilized in the Viewliner Bagg/Dorm - for either crew assignment or revenue for sale to passengers. At least some extra capacity here for the Cardinal, but remember, the Viewliner II Sleeper has two less roomettes (as compared to Viewliner I sleepers - bathrooms taking up one roomette footprint and the blanking out of another roomette to store linens), so the Viewliner Bagg-Dorm comes in handy. 

Chessie1963 Wrote:
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> I appreciate it as well, but why the heck does it
> rotate to the signals?  That makes no sense to
> me.

Nothing is stopping you from contacting the owners/operators of the camera and asking them directly.