Circus Train

The train ran very smoothly last night. The crew did a good job (as usual!!!)
Ray

LC - The said engineer I heard packed enough food for a hike to Mt. Everest. While not an old timer I was told handled the task very well. Usually a certain RFE likes to run these special trains but I heard they let G.L. run the entire thing. Nice feather to put in your hat of the accomplishment.

Amtrak7 wrote:Seems like the circus train delayed 2000?

The circus train moving through Jamaica seemed to have caused a 15-20 minute delay to train 2000, which then in turn passed that delay on to 2800 and 900. I think 2000's passengers were 25 minutes late when it was all said and done.

The circus train brought the LIRR more money than Train 2000 will in twenty years. Ditto for 2800 and 900. Bravo to the Trans Dept!

LIRR42 - I just want to make you are aware since it's all about the numbers and fine details with you. The railroad got lucky with the engineer of the circus train move. The circus has provided a respectable infusion to the local economy. Originally, they were going to have 2 trains head back west, which would mean expending more resources on man power. A whole crew was saved having one engineer run the 60 car train.

You should be proud the railroad executed the move safely and efficiently.

Mod note: Go out and chase trains rather than arguing over them online.

Might just be the last LIRR engineer to pull elephants.

Just recently read Ringing Bros. will do away with the elephants in the circus by 2018 if I remember correctly.

an this is the last circus train at nassau for at least 4 years, cuz they are starting work at the nassau coliseum. so this is probably the last engineer to drive a train with elephants on long island. was there conductors on that train or just engineers and a road foremen? I dont know if the conductor goes all the way with the circus train.

Slippy wrote:LIRR42 - I just want to make you are aware since it's all about the numbers and fine details with you. The railroad got lucky with the engineer of the circus train move. The circus has provided a respectable infusion to the local economy. Originally, they were going to have 2 trains head back west, which would mean expending more resources on man power. A whole crew was saved having one engineer run the 60 car train.

You should be proud the railroad executed the move safely and efficiently.

Again, I still find it hard to believe that it would be completely impossible to move the circus train safely and efficiently, and get those passengers get to their destinations on-time.

At any rate, those three trains being late is not the end of the world, especially when the sheer volume of trains operated over the course of a month is considered. But it does serve as a good example to a growing problem on the LIRR... In December 2014 there were at least 1,911 trains that were late, cancelled, or partially cancelled. In that month, there were 30 significant incidents (larger events resulting in 10 or more late, cancelled, or partially cancelled trains) which included things from trespasser strikes to slow loading to heavy loading to signal problems to "inappropriate actions of a console operator". The total number of delayed trains due to all of these significant incidents was 710 trains.

That means that the balance, 1,208 trains, or 63% of all delays, were delayed or cancelled due to minor, smaller-scale things, just like this. You may not think three trains being late is significant, but three trains late here, three trains late there adds up very, very quickly. And then it's a surprise when the OTP comes out to a figure in the low 90's. It's slightly more understandable when you can look out the window and it's snowing, but when it's 50 degrees and sunny outside and you're train's crawling along slowly for no real reason (or, it's 12:30am and you're sitting outside of Jamaica for 15 minutes watching the stars twinkle), it's hard to see how commuters don't become frustrated.

It's not all about the statistics, but they matter. A lot. The MTA's own customer satisfaction surveys have shown that reliability is a key driver of satisfaction. Very few people enjoy getting to work late, or getting home to their families late. Combine more delays, higher fares, less communication, more issues, a railroad that misleads or flat out lies to passengers, a nontrivial number of employees that are unpleasant or discourteous and you get the impression--at least from this side of the TVM--that the railroad's respect for its passengers, their money, and their time, is going right down the toilet. There's a lot of room for improvement, but when merely discussing late trains generates responses like the ones above, one wonders weather or not there's actually a light at the end of this tunnel...

For at least the next 4 years,the Garden/Mitchell secondary will rust,unless some of the materials needed for
the Coliseum reno are brought in by rail,and/or any construction waste from there is put on rail.

lirr42, your statistics are comprehensive, but irrelevant to the circus train move. That train did not pass through Queens Interlocking until about midnight-hardly rush hour with the domino effect you described. The location of that train, the Hempstead Branch, is not equipped infrastructure wise, for long train sets common to the circus train. The Road Foreman, handling the project made a VERY SMART decision combining the train from two 30 unit sets, to one 60 unit set. Doing so allowed for minimal disruption in Jamaica and an easy and smooth hand off to Amtrak in Harold-another very busy location subject to the domino effect.

But it is important when operating a train in a location not equipped for trainsets longer than the common commuter train, to keep the train moving. A moving train can be out of the way much sooner than one that is stopped and then has to accelerate and clear the bottleneck area. But because there are people like yourself, with statistics, graphs and charts attacking the railroad daily about delays, they have handed off proper railroad operation to politics and trying to look good. You can flag my post to the moderator, but you have your opinion and I have mine.

Datenail, 42 is one of these uptight people who splits milliseconds & thinks that it really matters. Pay him no mind. Not sure if he's an employee or not. While we're on that subject Are you a current or former employee?

Datenail wrote:lirr42, your statistics are comprehensive, but irrelevant to the circus train move. That train did not pass through Queens Interlocking until about midnight-hardly rush hour with the domino effect you described.

I didn't describe a domino effect...all I said was it delayed one train, which then passed its delay onto its two connections. I did say that it is easy to trivialize small numbers of delays like this and dismiss them as not worth caring about. 63% of all of the LIRR's delays in December (1,208 trains) were either standalone delays or delays caused by minor things like this (<10 trains delayed). Three trains here, two trains there, another three trains later on adds up. These standalone delays also tend to be easier to prevent in the first place (you're not waiting for the police to finish up at a trespasser strike) (the three trains in question earlier this week weren't exactly delayed due to forces majeure).

It's not so much the three delays I'm concerned with, but the responses that followed.

Well said, Date. I am glad they let someone with experience and passion for the craft they represent handle such a move that may never happen again for a long time. I was told the RFE who wanted to run was in the chase engine.


@LIRR42 - seriously, have you considered participating on the LIRR Commuter Council? They would welcome you with open arms with your plentiful analysis and statistics even if it may be skewed at times. Take it from someone who works here: having a handful of tardy OFF PEAK late night trains is reasonable risk they have no problem taking with a situation like this that happens once a year. It is a benchmark how well all departments can work together to execute a task like this. From planning, dispatching, management to the front line employees. The Cannonball is another marque train the railroad will make special accommodations to similar to the Circus Train.