Hoosier State Discussion (both Amtrak and Iowa Pacific)

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

Sure, they can't save or bring back the trains worth saving or bringing back but Byrd Crap lives on! So if you wanted to visit Thurmond, WV you can!

[Gilbert B Norman]

Appears a last ditch by a State Senator representing Lafayette has failed:

https://www.jconline.com/story/news/201 ... 3482102002" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Fair Use:

..LAFAYETTE, Ind. – There was no last-minute reprieve in the Indiana Senate Tuesday night to save Amtrak’s Hoosier State line, which stops four days a week in downtown Lafayette, going between Indianapolis and Chicago.

State Sen. Ron Alting, a Lafayette Republican, this week promised an amendment that would keep the passenger rail line in the next Indiana budget, as the Hoosier State got no love from Gov. Eric Holcomb or budget makers in the Indiana House and Senate in their three versions of a two-year spending plan.

Lafayette was likely the best hope to keep this loser alive. The schedule is more convenient and the endurance contest than same for Indy.

While Purdue has been on a marketing campaign to attract Illinois and other OOS students, I know first hand that students want out after last class Friday and not wait around to Saturday AM.

Oh, and Megabus is happy to have their Blue machines with the little driver advertising his $.01 fares, out in front of the Student Union at 3PM in West Lafayette.

[Tadman]

While Purdue has been on a marketing campaign to attract Illinois and other OOS students, I know first hand that students want out after last class Friday and not wait around to Saturday AM.

Oh, and Megabus is happy to have their Blue machines with the little driver advertising his $.01 fares, out in front of the Student Union at 3PM in West Lafayette.

Agreed on both points. I was once a college kid at Miami U, a few stops down the line. I was not about to wait until the next morning to catch a train when I could be skip a class or two and be home for dinner. And I'm certainly not a bus guy, but the newer super-discount buses seem to attract a fairly clean clientele and make limited stops, which makes them far more palatable. I've done the $17 Megabus to Indy, and it just wasn't that bad.

[John_Perkowski]

Who has the Adios drumhead?

[ryanov]

Looking at the airline parallel, you could also outsource locomotive overhaul the way that airlines have with aircraft and aircraft engine overhaul to third parties. Sure, the unions hate that, but there are private employers who can do things smarter and more efficient.

I hate that too, and no, it's not a given that private employers can do things smarter and more efficient (also, Delta does much of their own heavy maintenance).

[BandA]

So, hosing the Hoosier reduces Beech Grove from 7x/week service to 3x/week. It's inconvenient but Amtrak should be able to live with it. But will track maintenance change?

[Backshophoss]

CSX is the host RR,they will be happy as h*** to see the Hoosier GONE!
Figure on a longer dwell at Indy when the Cardinal runs for switching cars to/from Beech Grove shop.
CSX will never allow the Cardinal to run as 2 sections between Indy and Chicago.

[mtuandrew]

Why would CSX be jumping for joy that much if they still have 6 trains a week instead of 14? The Cardinal still messes with their 28-hour Precision Railroading cycle.

Having it gone, they’d love that. Alternately, having the state (hah) and Feds dump money into the Monon/NYC route so it’s more like a firehose than a soda straw.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Who has the Adios drumhead?

Flickr

[Gilbert B Norman]

The Cardinal still messes with their 28-hour Precision Railroading cycle.

Mr. Stephens, nowhere can I find reference to a 28 hour Precision Railroading cycle.

Yes, some industries do tinker with the natural calendar cycle. Most common is the adoption of a Fiscal Year, which Amtrak has done in order to conform with that of the Federal Government.

Others will use what is known as a 52-53 week year, where the "year" comprises twelve 30 day periods. The odd week is picked up every four years. This makes for more ready comparisons for measuring financial results.

Somewhere there is an industry, or military, that alters the 24 hour clock, but I'm not aware if that includes railroading.

[CHTT1]

I don't know about a 28-hour "day." but didn't CSX once schedule six days of trains over seven days. In other words, it took seven days to handle six days worth of work.

[Tadman]

it's not a given that private employers can do things smarter and more efficient (also, Delta does much of their own heavy maintenance).

There is clear and convincing evidence that the government is absolutely awful at doing things in comparison to private employers. Post Office? Amtrak? British Rail? British Air? Anything in venezuela?

The only time you see a government entity do things well is when they act like a private business, vis-a-vis Dutch Railways for-profit "train operating company" Abellio, or VR Finland's for-profit track maintenance arm that works under contract in other countries.

The Iowa Pacific experiment on the Hoosier taught us that a lot was possible, and might still be running if Amtrak didn't do everything they could to fight it.

[mtuandrew]

I don't know about a 28-hour "day." but didn't CSX once schedule six days of trains over seven days. In other words, it took seven days to handle six days worth of work.

That’s what I was referring to, thanks CHTT1. 28 hours x 6 = 168 hours = 24 hours x 7, so each shipping “day” in transit was 28 hours.

I read about it a while back in Trains Magazine (a year or two, maybe three? Around the onset of Precision Railroading I think) and assumed CSXT still operates on that type of schedule. Maybe they don’t anymore, or maybe it was just a suggestion that got shot down by shippers.

[justalurker66]

CSX is the host RR,they will be happy as h*** to see the Hoosier GONE!
Figure on a longer dwell at Indy when the Cardinal runs for switching cars to/from Beech Grove shop.

There is recovery/dwell time built in to the schedule at Beech Grove. There should not be an overwhelming amount of cars traveling to and from the shops.

[Backshophoss]

But you are moving more deadhead cars and power on the days the Cardinal runs,that's the drawback of no Hoosier State service.