P090-10

P090-10 suffered HEP failure at West Palm Beach yesterday, resulting in the train being held at the station from 1803 till 2313, where it departed 6+ hours late. The Miami crew went on the law at Sebring, where the Lakeland crew (me) was deadheaded to. We took over the train from there to Jacksonville. Times from Sebring to Jacksonville:

SBG 0052 0059
WTH 0139 0140
LAK 0157 0207
DDE 0233 0235
WWD 0313 0314
OCA 0344 0346
WDO 0432 0434
JAX 0550

Engine numbers were 17 lead 96 trail
We had 7 cars, including a deadhead crew dorm behind the power.
I finally completed all my paperwork at 0640. I deadheaded home on P091-10.

guess you bypassed tampa

I was in auburndale on saturday and they were still working on the wye, they finished fixing it yet?

Six hours at West Palm, disgusting for sure. Could they not get help up
from Hialeah in less time than that?
Any idea what the cause of the HEP failure was?
In my days on the railroad, we would improvise to get the train moving
over the road again if we could. I have to wonder if the crew could have
done anything at all to at least get the train moving again to a point where
good repairs could have been made?
Another train load of un-happy passengers, does not help job security.
Noel Weaver

Yeah, thats right guys. I'm afraid that such delays to Florida and back from New York are quite common, especially on the CSXT owned territory. However, when I went down to Florida from Boston last October, I was lucky (only delay being entrapped at Richmond VA station on train 91 for 3 hours due to a derailed 50-car piggyback freight train) because everything else was fine especially on the way back, only the aforementiond Derailment of the Freight Train.

I hope the host railroad gets their act togethr so that Amtrak can increse their on-time performance between Florida and NYP.

Well, I don't know what caused the HEP failure. As for help from Hialeah, I'm not sure as I am only the Lakeland crew. At the time I passed Auburndale, they were still working on the wye. I guess they will try to finish working on it that night. Alot of passengers did not show up at the stations due to the lateness. The passengers from Tampa were bussed to Lakeland and paxs to Tampa. FYI P090 still handles roadrailers from Jacksonville to Philly.

I hope the host railroad gets their act together

If they don't, the Carlyle Group will be happy to do it for them.

Robert Paniagua wrote:I hope the host railroad gets their act togethr so that Amtrak can increse their on-time performance between Florida and NYP.

It would be nice for the host railroads to get their collective acts together so that trains can run on time. However, the train in question was delayed not by any host railroad, but by a HEP failure.

Robert Paniagua wrote:I hope the host railroad gets their act togethr so that Amtrak can increse their on-time performance between Florida and NYP.

yes, it is CSX's fault that AMTRAK couldnt get a replacement engine to replace AMTRAK's broken one....

totally CSX's fault

Does Amtrak have a Florida operating crew base in Lakeland, Hialeah and Jacksonville. Obviously, Jacksonville is the major hub. How many engineers and conductors live in Hialeah/Miami and Lakeland?

Are there safety reasons why a train without hep cant just carry on ? Presumably there are battery powered emergceny lights to provide basic safety . Perhaps toilets etc need electrically pumped water .
It seems to me that having a train blocking a line for 6 hours would be a nusiance to all round . Why not just carry on and arrange a maintenance person enroute ?

yes, it is CSX's fault that AMTRAK couldnt get a replacement engine to replace AMTRAK's broken one....

totally CSX's fault

Yeah, that's right, Nip. CSXT could have and SHOULD have given up one or two of their engines right away to the rescue to get that Amtrak train going on its way up.

CSXT ought to be embarrased of themselves treating amtrak like a "bastard child"

frieght locos wouldnt have hep .

Oh, I though freight engines DID have HEP, Mr. Solar .

Maybe other freight model engines may have HEP, I'm not too sure though.

Yes, operating crews are based out of Jacksonville and Miami. Lakeland is an away terminal. Jacksonville based crew operates from Jacksonville to Lakeland on P089, lays over and operates P090 back to Jacksonville the same evening. The Miami crew operates P090 from miami to Lakeland, lays over and operates P089 the next morning.

David,

Safety I will defer on to train service employees who post here.

Comfort, absolutely.

Without the HEP, the fans don't run, and there is no air circulation at all.

In the summertime, that is an invitation to a heat injury (although being stuck in the hole in a hot train is an equal invitation). One heat injury = one lawsuit for gross negligence. Regrettably, we Americans are that litigious.

John