Amtrak's hand throw woes - 07/19/06

Unread post by **~Z~** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 9:45 am

On the good 'ol morning commute to Zeeland, as I'm heading down Alpine, I hear Amtrak P371 chatting with the CSX dispatcher about getting allowed past the stop indication at Market St. They are normally supposed to get their passengers around 7:35am, and it's now 8:30am. What made them an hour late just going from Ann St to Market St..well, could be code line probs... CSX must still have their code line in tangles, because Amtrak had to had throw all switches through Wyoming Yard...sounds like anywhere between Seymour and Plaster Creek are on hand throw...was the same way yesterday as well. Took Q335/K909 almost 2 hours to hand throw one switch downtown near Oakland Ave, tieing up Grandville Ave the entire time. Anyone know what the continued problems with hand throwing switches is about between Plaster Creek and Seymour?

Heard maintainers working out near 12th Ave near Jenison. They had the road all torn up...i thought they had just redone this crossing a month or so prior.. anyway, they needed to cut the rail, taking 4 hours to do their work. Amtrak would pass by, then the cut will take place. There's a loaded stone train waiting on a recrew, and then they'll pass eastward when the rail gets put back together.

Railzfan · Unread post by **Railzfan** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:42 am

If you want a story about late Amtrak:

Well, my dad took Amtrak from Galesburg to Chicago then from Chicago to Grand Rapids. When he got to Holland they had to stop before entering every block! It took them 4 hours to go from Holland to Grand Rapids!!! About 40 miles. He was supposed to arrive in GR at 10:20 p.m., he did not arrive until 3:24 a.m.! After the power outage everything went wrong.

Unread post by **~Z~** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:49 am

When was this late Amtrak that he rode on? In just the past few days? Holland to GR by rail is about 25 miles...that's crazy that it took 4 hours from Holland to GR...

tsinoms · Unread post by **tsinoms** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:54 am

must have a guy who watches the amtrak said he styed down there till midnight and no train!!!!!

Unread post by **~Z~** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:59 am

tsinoms wrote:must have a guy who watches the amtrak said he styed down there till midnight and no train!!!!!

Only guys that I know that watch Amtrak on a regular basis are you and your brother

tsinoms · Unread post by **tsinoms** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 12:01 pm

A guy from lansing and a guy who smokes a pipe sit and watch the train.
But they waited the night of the storm to see it and nothing

amtrak1007 · Unread post by **amtrak1007** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 2:21 pm

With this event and the two times I was watching P370 (yes people actually do watch Amtrak), I continue to be amused by the actions and problems of CSX. I suppose it is just a matter of time unil the line gets a signal upgrade or gets sold....

Unread post by **~Z~** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 2:36 pm

Ah, the guy with the pipe, have seen him many times at Judd. And i'm just pokin fun about watching Amtrak.. i used to see them many times when I'd get out of work at 9pm and see them near Grandville or Jenison.

We have a lunchtime update finally! Heat wasn't too unbearable today, so I headed trackside. While eating the BK, only bit of info was that either K908, or K909 was leaving GR heading east, and had some false activation at Century Ave downtown. This was at 1:30pm.

As I was leaving, a co-worker here who's also into trains(mainly model railroading) said there is a new customer that is going in on the north side of the tracks off of Roosevelt Rd, between Centennial St and Fairview Ave. He mentioned they already have a building off of Roosevelt, but are building an additional one closer to the tracks. They are supposed to receive plastic pellets i guess. I drove by the site, but all they've done so far is clear the land...I'll definately keep an eye on this and look for new track when it shows up, if it does...

While out checking this, I hear a D803 clearing the north switch at Waverly, and were heading eastbound. I headed over to the gas plant in Zeeland, and got some coming and going photos.. trailing was a new swoosh unit, so that one had the good lighting

Four units in total, with the standard 24 axles. Let's hope for some more trains on the drive home.

tsinoms · Unread post by **tsinoms** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 3:11 pm

amtrak1007 wrote:With this event and the two times I was watching P370 (yes people actually do watch Amtrak), I continue to be amused by the actions and problems of CSX. I suppose it is just a matter of time unil the line gets a signal upgrade or gets sold....

I'd like to see that happen, Really!

SD80MAC · Unread post by **SD80MAC** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:29 pm

In regards to the signal upgrade, the Plymouth sub has been getting them for sometime. I've heard that eventually the line will be ATC.

Saw a westbound loaded coal train heading into the yard around 5:30 pm, otherwise that was all I saw today.

sd70accsxt700 · Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:49 pm

Zack I think he said the night the storm happened. If it was and the code lines (or what ever) was down, then he would have had to be talked by all the red signals (absolute) and run on restricted proced, on all the intermedeate. (for those who dont know, Absolute signals do not have a sign with a number under them, most comminly found at switches, intermedates, are the signals between the absolutes, and they have number plates) Being talked by a red at a absolute, and running by a red at a intermedate, would require restricted speed, a absolute max of 15 MPH . Now this is max, you can go slower. In fact restricted speed is "A speed that permits stopping with in half the range of vision, stopping short of a train, a car, an obstruction, a stop signal, a derail or an improperly lined switch. It must permit looking out for a broken rail, not exceeding 15 MPH. Now if it is dark, raining cats and dogs, lightning, and such you can see where the speed can deramatily slow down. Imagine, having to look out for a tree, when you are driving down the road, and dont want to hit it, if some one told you there was one ahead on the road but did not know where.

This is probilly why it took 4 hours to go 25 MPH, also dont forget he may have had to take the power off all the power switches he came to too. That would also take time for the dispatcher to read the permission, and for him to read it back, the conductor to walk out, and line it up, easly 3 to 5 minuets a switch.

And also per people in GR, the line all the way from Lake O to Porter, over the next two years are supposed to get a compleat up grade, to the Seabord signals.

sd70accsxt700 · Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:21 pm

Railzfan what night was it, the lateest train I can find this week, was P37017, showing ariving at Lamar(EEDT) at 00:43, a two hour run, from Grand Jct, to Lamar.

Railzfan · Unread post by **Railzfan** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 2:16 pm

It was on Monday night...after the storm...my dad arrived in GR around 3:30am...and he said the signal system was down and that they had to call out and get permission from the dispatcher for every block...that is what took sooooo long!

Sorry I have not responded...my power has been out since that night...so I had to use the computer at the hotel.

Unread post by **~Z~** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:24 pm

sd70accsxt700 wrote:Railzfan what night was it, the lateest train I can find this week, was P37017, showing ariving at Lamar(EEDT) at 00:43, a two hour run, from Grand Jct, to Lamar.

Plus, from Lamar, there's many many switches that would have needed to be hand thrown...going past the depot area, and they back in. What a mess.

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Amtrak's hand throw woes - 07/19/06

Amtrak's hand throw woes - 07/19/06