US Open Golf (Shinnecock Hills) 2018 Service

[Morisot]

Have a great time! Looks like the weather is supposed to be nice. ……..Maybe I'll see you next year at the PGA at Bethpage Black in May.

[johndill]

Babylon lot is full. Railroad is desperately short of coaches. Port Jeff and Oyster Bay lines have been cut to the bone with cancellations of some trains and all other trains short cars. Golf trains are skipping stops due to overcrowding. Simply not enough rolling stock was purchased to replace the old cars. Bad all summer, worse than bad on Thursdays and Fridays, disastrous on the Friday before 3 day weekends and simply unbearable with a golf tournament. Spoke to Phil Eng about this chronic issue at one on the meet and greets. Nice guy, is aware of the shortfall, but there is no real plan to fix this. They will try harder to get some MARC cars next year but nothing in the Capital Plan for new cars

[ConstanceR46]

This is a bit off-topic, but i wonder if they'll retain the best DEs and C3s when the possible Multilevel/SC(D?)44 order comes in as a protect fleet after the past few years of coach shortages

[johndill]

This is a bit off-topic, but i wonder if they'll retain the best DEs and C3s when the possible Multilevel/SC(D?)44 order comes in as a protect fleet after the past few years of coach shortages

First I'm hearing about that. Is anything funded or is there any plan to fund? Any numbers being discussed? I suspect union rules make it expense to keep lots of different types of equipment in service but unless my math is wrong they have over 5,000 FEWER diesel sets then they did 25 years ago. They need about 50 new cars to really support current diesel service on Montauk, Port Jeff and Oyster Bay and allow for extra summer service on the east end. Special events would put a strain on that number. If they really want to grow east end service ( and I suspect they really would add to the economy) , they need to take a sober look at their rolling stock numbers. The current engines and coaches are OK, they could use a little sprucing up (speakers don't work, missing and broken seats, bathrooms) but I ride them every day and I think they are pretty good. It's really the numbers. 3 car rush hour trains in the summer are just not working

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone:

The US Open Golf Tournament was no doubt going to stretch the LIRR C3 fleet out to its limits now
taking note to the crowding problems that the Montauk Branch has experienced in the past week.

The only way of having enough equipment short of anything possible leased from outside was to
take cars and locomotives from other trains on all three diesel routes.

The DE/DM30s and C3 cars are now 20 years old as of this year. To outright replace the C3 cars
the LIRR is going to need around 150 multilevel cars along with the proposed new three agency
dual mode locomotives to at least replace the DM30s. Converting the older DM30s into straight
diesels could be a future option to retain them for service.

As I am posting this reply on Sunday afternoon June 17th perhaps the biggest ridership period
is still to come in the hours ahead with the ending of the US Open Golf Tournament along with
Sunday evening return riders traveling westbound towards New York. One of the best examples
may be the Cannonball #8717 stopping at Shinnecock Hills at 7:20pm operating nonstop from
Westhampton to Jamaica - and is the only scheduled dual mode train through to Penn Station.

The MTA posted that #8706 (leaves Jamaica 10:10am) was 51 minutes late east.

#8703 (leaves Montauk at 11:28am) was running 18 minutes late west.
#8705 1:33 pm Montauk-Jamaica - Cancelled due to late arriving equipment.
#8707 Southampton-Jamaica will add a Shinnecock Hills stop at 3:26pm.

From reviewing yesterday's Open play hopefully a winner is determined and that a full playoff
round on Monday will not have to be scheduled. Bad weather causing suspensions or delays in
play has not been any factor in this year's golf tournament.

MACTRAXX

[johndill]

150 bi-level cars simply won't do it. They have a 134 now (seats at most 140 each) and the fleet has been inadequate for 20 years resulting in short trains and regular cancellations on the Port Jeff and Oyster bay lines in the summer. The current fleet replaced 223 single level coaches that seat 108. So a net loss of 5,000 seats with demand for service growing. It was a ridiculousness decision and we suffer for it each and every summer. 3 day summer weekends push the railroad past it's limit. To think they could possibly handle a golf tournament was sheer folly. They either have to buy a minimum of 200 bi-levels or keep much of he old fleet in service and buy as many now cars as needed to meet demand. Single track areas are tough but the real culprit remains lack of rolling stock.

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone:

The US Open Golf Tournament 2018 is now history - Brooks Koepka is the winner by one stroke.
Brooks Koepka was the defending 2017 US Open champion winning his second consecutive Open.

The LIRR is running an extra train leaving SH around 7:10 pm stopping at Speonk, Mastic-Shirley,
Patchogue, Sayville, Bay Shore, Babylon and Jamaica. The next scheduled train is the Cannonball
(SH at 7:20 pm) stopping at Hampton Bays and Westhampton before running express to Jamaica
and Penn Station. SH Trains remaining are #8719 at 8:16;#9709 at 8:55 and #8721 at 9:25 pm.

Train #8715 (5:21 from Montauk; Shinnecock Hills 6:11 pm) is reported to be 17 minutes late.
#8717 (6:32 from Montauk - the Sunday Cannonball) has been reported to be 16 minutes late.

The LIRR is going to have a busy night ahead getting equipment back into place in time for AM
Peak service on Monday 6/18. This likely means deadhead moves to Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay
and back east to Patchogue and Speonk along with regular scheduled trains.

MACTRAXX

[ConstanceR46]

John, no offense, but your math is off. There were, at most, 27 GP38s and 22 MP15ACs, and most of the E15s did freight duty too, nowhere near enough to power 5000 diesel sets.

[JamesRR]

My parents went out Friday morning and had no problems getting out there. Returning Friday night was a different story. They caught the 5:30 out of the Shinnecock Station and had to stop at every siding to let the eastbound trains pass. Took them nearly 4 hours to finally get back to Penn - over two hours just to get to Babylon.

As others have said, just too much volume.

[johndill]

"Diesel-hauled trains through the late 1990s were operated using 1950s-era P72/PT75 series coaches built by Pullman-Standard. About 28 EMD GP38-2 and 23 MP15AC diesel-electric locomotives pulled about 223 passenger cars, mostly former electric multiple units.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Isla ... ling_stock

I recall the LIRR having lots more cars running often on lots more lines. When it snowed the old cars diesel engines were workhorses running when pure electrics would not. As for my math. 223 cars at 108 seats each is 24,084 seats. current fleet is 134 C3's at a max 140 seats (most are less) for a total of 18,760 possible seats. 24,084 seats in the old fleet minus 18,760 seats in the new fleet is a net loss off 5,324 seats on the Port Jeff, Oyster Bay and Montauk lines. Tom Prendergast tried to do things on the cheap and we are still paying the price 20 years later. I wish it were otherwise but I've been rising way too long and they never cancelled Port Jeff and Oyster Bay trains in the summer when the old fleet was in place. Lowering the cowlings at Jamaica so you could only accommodate the height of the C3 cars and nothing higher further compounded the problem as you could never buy or rent higher bi-level coaches that were higher than a C3.

[johndill]

John, no offense, but your math is off. There were, at most, 27 GP38s and 22 MP15ACs, and most of the E15s did freight duty too, nowhere near enough to power 5000 diesel sets.

Ah..bad spelling on my part. Diesel SEATS...not Diesel SETS. 5,000 more seats for the port Jeff and Oyster bay lines would go a long way in the summer

[ConstanceR46]

oh, oops. i wondered how we'd even store that many engines