Noticed/Questioned Major Delays, Annulments, Reroutes

Was driving through Atlanta late morning yesterday, and saw the Crescent on the stub siding (that used to lead to Atlantic Station industrial). Does anyone have any background?

Also, a few weeks back, I also noted the Southern business car on this siding for a few days (got a few shots, but nowhere to post a link and don't know how to do it here). Any background on that?

I recall a previous report that there was to be scheduled track maintenance between Atlanta and NO and that 19-20 would be annulled "for the duration".

The website shows the next trip West/South of Atlanta will be 19 (28) departing Feb 29.

While "once upon a time" roads would schedule maintenance around passenger train requirements of service, and at worst reroute (own road) or detour (foreign road) them, such is evidently no longer the case.

I wonder how much notice was provided for passengers who had booked south of there?

In this instance, Mr. X-press, I think plenty. I learned of such reviewing this and other forums several months ago.

Thanks. It's a shame they won't do re-routes anymore, certainly I think Atlanta affords plenty of opportunities, and riders get a shot at rare mileage. I'm sure the economics of running over a rival railroad (how many "I" carriers have "A" and "B" parallel routes anymore?) are prohibitive. Can you imagine what CSX would charge? I know legacy railroads are required to carry Amtrak as part of their divestiture of passenger railroads, but in this case, it would be new routing.

Sarge wrote:Was driving through Atlanta late morning yesterday, and saw the Crescent on the stub siding (that used to lead to Atlantic Station industrial). Does anyone have any background?

Also, a few weeks back, I also noted the Southern business car on this siding for a few days (got a few shots, but nowhere to post a link and don't know how to do it here). Any background on that?

When was that? I went down at the start of the month and there was a private car on the end of our train. Didn't notice which one it was.

They would need a crew from the host railroad in order to detour, right? The Amtrak crews wouldn't be qualified on the new route.

One of the re-routes would be trying to head west at Meridian to Jackson and join the City of New Orleans route (for Crescent trains travelling South etc.), but I am not sure if this re-route would be before or after the "track work" project or not. This would be the shortest re-route and would also place the Crescent on another Amtrak operated route.

Feel free to use this thread to ask a question about a train, a date, and a delay. Hopefully, someone else on our board can give you an answer.

Posting a question or a response will automatically bump the thread to the top.

This topic is subject to being pruned over time as needed, as questions are asked and answered.

Thanks to all.

Does anyone know why #303 and #21 (westbound Texas Eagle) each lost 5' 25" yesterday (8/5) between CHI and STL?

This is second-hand information: Contributing factors were engine trouble - on which train(s), I do not know - and an alleged rules violation by #21, which delayed the train to the point that #305 got ahead of it, but was ultimately determined to be false.

Wednesday, August 6th, train 98 left Miami one hour and six minutes late. Same train was one hour and twenty nine
minutes late at Kissimmee.
Noel Weaver

shlustig wrote:Does anyone know why #303 and #21 (westbound Texas Eagle) each lost 5' 25" yesterday (8/5) between CHI and STL?

21 (5) had Locomotive problems (HEP Related) south of Joliet and they were severe enough to require 306 to bring the protect engine out of St Louis and set out for 21 to Pick up. 21 was further delayed setting out the Bad unit at St Louis and also by signal failures between South Joliet and Pontiac.

I was on #448(3) and it arrives into boston 1/2 hour EARLY I was taking this train from CHI and was very pleased.

Once a major delay... corrected:
The major delays to the Vermonter are (hopefully) behind us, as the train is now running 10-15 minutes (or less) behind schedule. Slow orders on the New England Central have been to blame for the train's dismal performance. According to station time records, the present 8:30-8:45pm arrival times for the NB train are the best in 19 months! Great to see the train's on time performance improving, with the escalating ridership of this train.