Northeast storm and Amtrak operations (was: Nor'easter)

Jtgshu wrote:Maxx - you're right, the Assunpink Creek is a big problem - I haven't heard anything from any NJT crews (ive been off the past few days) about how things are in Trenton, but I do know that the employee parking lot for NJT and Amtrak employees (the Pit) was flooded pretty bad - I heard that on the radio this afternoon from a DJ who boards in Trenton (Blane Ensley - from the Rocky Allen Showgram on 95.5 WPLJ in NYC) that the water was to the windows of a BMW parked in the lot.

Once the water gets above the rails, NORAC rule 117 kicks in:

117. Operating Through Water with Roller Bearing Journals
Engines and cars equipped with roller bearing journals must not be operated through water, except in emergency when authorized by the Dispatcher. In such a case, the movement must not exceed 2 MPH, and water depth as measured from the top of the rail must not exceed the following:
1. Diesel Engines, and Electric Engines Class E-60: 3 inches.
2. Electric Engines Class AEM-7, ALP-46 and ALP-44: 6 inches.
3. Other Electric Engines and MU Cars: 2 inches.
4. Rail Diesel Cars; Cars Other than MU's: 7 inches.

As a side note, NJT's Arrow 3 MU's are allowed to go through water 3 inches above the railhead.

but basically when the water gets above the rails, bad things happen and that is the place that they are watching really closely. Although not so much of a problem for Amtrak, but if it happens over night and the RR gets shut down NJT riders will be really screwed as hundreds of cars would be trapped in Morrisville Yard.

The marks ive noticed on the walls in the cut were from Floyd in 99 and a storm in 1977 i think it was. Those marks were several FEET above the railhead. If the Assunpink gets that high, things are gonna be ugly for a while!!!

How do you tell if the water is precisely an x number of inches above the railhead? Does someone go out and measure?

Mudlake beat Jim by a few min, I see.

Yes, we waited for our gate, too.

I'm actually at Palmas Del Mar now, and dealing with some controls for a company that needed a hired gun - the guy who wrote the software is MIA again, and they needed this thing going.

I saw the terminus, but have not been on, Tren Urbano. It does have elevated sections to it, too, apparently. Looks like any other generic subway. AFAIK, that's the only rail here.

So, has NJ drained out yet? It's all anyone's been asking us about.

The Downeaster Cancelled its remaining departures for today (686/687) including the Bustitution trips out of North Station...Regular service is going to resume tomorrow (with delays due to power/signal outages)

Sure, you could go out and measure it, but in reality, if you have a traction motor failure and break down after going through water, it must have been too deep and you were in violation of NORAC Rule 117.

Its a nice way of putting the responsibility on the engineer and crew.

MACTRAXX wrote:the 1975 flood at TRE-I remembered the water was literally at the platform level there. If anyone has photos of that '75 flood I-among others-would like to see them or be directed to them.

PennCentral printed a report in the style of the PRR reports about the 1937 and 1913 Ohio floods and the 1889 one in Johnstown, Pa., but the Trustees didn't have any money to make extra copies for libraries and universities, as far as I know. This based on a 1976 speech by Gary Pfeifer, a PC vice-President.