More wolverines for thanksgiving

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Ypsi
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More wolverines for thanksgiving

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CHICAGO — Amtrak will operate two additional round trips from Chicago to Michigan during the normally sold-out Thanksgiving travel period. The carrier routinely augments holiday service on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C., on the Amtrak Cascades route between Portland, Ore., and Seattle, and in California. Additional coaches are also deployed as available to most regularly scheduled trains, including the three Wolverine round trips to Pontiac, Mich., but this is the first time more Michigan departures have been added.

One round trip, Nos. 356 and 359, will make a same-day turn at Ann Arbor on Wednesday, Nov. 21, and the following Friday through Sunday. No. 356 will leave Chicago at 9:20 a.m., 2 hours after the departure of morning train No. 350 to Detroit and Pontiac, and return from Ann Arbor at 4:05 p.m., more than 3 hours prior to afternoon train No. 355’s westbound stop.

A shorter round trip, Nos. 358 and 357, leaves Chicago at 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, remains overnight on Amtrak-owned trackage in front of the station at Kalamazoo, Mich., and returns to Chicago at 6:15 a.m. the following morning, Thursday through Monday. Amtrak tested this schedule over Labor Day weekend in 2010. The four additional trains can be operated with only one additional set of equipment, though the consist will be exchanged with other Midwest operations to allow for maintenance in Chicago.

The holiday service expansion in Michigan can serve as a prototype for expanded frequencies on this corridor, a national network route where only agreements with Norfolk Southern and Canadian National, not states, are needed. Those host railroads approved the temporary service expansion because normally heavy freight traffic would be reduced on a holiday weekend. It is also in a region that has sufficient operating and onboard crews available to staff the additional trains, which will all offer business class and café car amenities.

Full schedules and fares, which vary by departure, are now available at www.amtrak.com.
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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I wish there were more PMs for Thanksgiving.
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

Unread post by GP30M4216 »

Here's the official Amtrak press release. 356 and 359 will be daylight runs going into the sun so there's good possibility for some photos to be had. Nice to see some trains will be stopping at Dowagiac and Michigan City, smaller stations on the line. These additional choices will be a benefit for passengers and will give plenty more travel options. The turn job to AA, must have to go to Willow Run to switch ends.

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/279/931/Amt ... 2-094a.pdf

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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GP30M4216 wrote: The turn job to AA, must have to go to Willow Run to switch ends.
Either willow run or hold them at the station, it will be running after 350, so it will meet 353 in route. There are no trains between 350 and 352 on a normal day (38e/39e generally at night, but on Sunday they could run in the day). one reason to run to willow run might be to wye the train if they only have one engine available.
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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It would be neat to witness Amtrak wying a train at the former Triple Crown facility at Willow Run. I'm suprised there is enough trackage left in there to wye an Amtrak train let-alone the 1-2 locomotives NS wyed when 263/264 was operating to and from Willow Run.
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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Chrisracer8903 wrote:It would be neat to witness Amtrak wying a train at the former Triple Crown facility at Willow Run. I'm suprised there is enough trackage left in there to wye an Amtrak train let-alone the 1-2 locomotives NS wyed when 263/264 was operating to and from Willow Run.
They would probably just wye the engine, I think that the wye is only good for 1 to 2 units but I could be wrong.

Since it would be a deadhead, they don't beef to worry about keeping the cars lit.
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:
Chrisracer8903 wrote:It would be neat to witness Amtrak wying a train at the former Triple Crown facility at Willow Run. I'm suprised there is enough trackage left in there to wye an Amtrak train let-alone the 1-2 locomotives NS wyed when 263/264 was operating to and from Willow Run.
They would probably just wye the engine, I think that the wye is only good for 1 to 2 units but I could be wrong.

Since it would be a deadhead, they don't beef to worry about keeping the cars lit.
I am going to say right now, that there is NO WAY to turn a complete 1 locomotive and 5+ car set at Willow Run. You can barely get 2 six axles on that little wye and make the clearance. And it will prolly be push/pull which explains the word of maybe some more ITCS equipped locomotives in the Michigan Services fleet. To me, this is VERY welcome news and hope that Amtrak sees this as a way to add more capacity to the Michigan Services all year around. Maybe the next re-instatement will be a checked baggage car!

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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Blahhh. it's just amtrak. Don't mess your pants.

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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Why would they wye it? Wolverines run with a push-pull setup.

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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PerRock wrote:Why would they wye it? Wolverines run with a push-pull setup.

peter
The article says they will be running with one train set that will be exchanged with other mid west train sets, and since Amtrak is busy during thanks giving and uses every engine they can it is possible that they could end up with only one engine.... It is possible, but more likely then not they will have a push pull set.

If its push pull it can sit in AA if not they can wye the p42 at willow run simple as that.
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

Unread post by tadman »

Is it just me, or does it look like that picture on the Detroit-Chicago timetable is of Central Park (in NYC)?

And any word if we're getting Ocean View for the holiday? It's in Chicago right now.

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

Unread post by twropr »

Understand there is one trainset that will be used for the extra trains. The equipment will lay over in AA station and simply reverse directions (porpoise at each end of train).

Andy

BTW Has anyone seen an Amfleet with an IL decal on any of the MI trains?

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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tadman wrote:Is it just me, or does it look like that picture on the Detroit-Chicago timetable is of Central Park (in NYC)?

And any word if we're getting Ocean View for the holiday? It's in Chicago right now.
This summer I heard the rumor that it would be on the wolverines for the holiday... But I have not heard from a direct source. I hope it is though
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

Unread post by nssd70m-2 »

There's a possibility of them using a P32 since the trains would be between AA and Pontiac.

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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nssd70m-2 wrote:There's a possibility of them using a P32 since the trains would be between AA and Pontiac.
:? Based on the timetable posted by MQT, every train will go over the ITCS
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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YpsiAmtrakBoy wrote:
nssd70m-2 wrote:There's a possibility of them using a P32 since the trains would be between AA and Pontiac.
:? Based on the timetable posted by MQT, every train will go over the ITCS
Yep, all trains over ITCS, so based on that car being limited to 90 or 100 mph, you guys are out of luck. Maybe we'll get to see it on the PM?
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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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I heard different. I guess we'll see when this happens.

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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Ocean View will prolly not be on the Michigan Line as I understand, that unless it had some major upgrades it can't do 110 mph.

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Re: More wolverines for thanksgiving

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nssd70m-2 wrote:I heard different. I guess we'll see when this happens.
We don't have to, we already have an official timetable, since AA is the busiest spot that's on the line that is most likely why they terminate there...
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