Uniq. Eqpmt Sightings: Private Varnish (PV's), Charters, etc

According to Mr Webb he should be in Albany Monday. I assume we will cut his cars from 48 and get them set up in the storage yard.

So are any private railcars on today's Crescent or not? NEC is about an hour from my house and I'm debating making the drive to see.

Tadman wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 7:33 pm Amtrak 507 is on the far track at NOUPT with NP dome, Pacific Union and Babbling Brook. All Webb cars. No idea where they're going although money has it headed for NYP tomorrow.

If it is, then does the dome get taken off at DC or does it go to NYP?

Pensyfan19 wrote:

Tadman wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2020 7:33 pm Amtrak 507 is on the far track at NOUPT with NP dome, Pacific Union and Babbling Brook. All Webb cars. No idea where they're going although money has it headed for NYP tomorrow.

If it is, then does the dome get taken off at DC or does it go to NYP?

Any dome operating on train 20 must be removed at WAS. No dome cars certified to operate on Amtrak can enter NYP from either direction.

The 3 cars are moving NOL - CHI - ALB on trains 58 and 48.

That's got me thinking. What's the loading gauge for the Empire Connection. i.e. not that there's much reason for it, but since the tunnel for the Empire Connection was built much more recently, is it any taller than the North River/East River tubes?

Obviously, the catenary IN the station is also a limit, but curious if taller cars could be brought in/out via the Empire Connection.

If the car meets Amtrak's standards shpuld be OK in NY Penn and the empire connection (PC-1 standards)

So I was right they were headed for New York, just not the city, and not on the Crescent. They left on the City and are then out of Chicago on Lakeshore to Albany.

PACIFIC HOME was parked at WAS, on May 29, as the lease of the car to FRA/Ensco has concluded. The car will travel from WAS to NYP on May 30, probably on train 20 or 92.

Backshophoss wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 9:51 pm If the car meets Amtrak's standards shpuld be OK in NY Penn and the empire connection (PC-1 standards)

There is more to this than a car meeting the current annual inspection (Amtrak PC-1) criteria.

Amtrak has four clearance profiles; A, B, C and D. A is the most restrictive. A car must meet Amtrak's A clearance to operate into and out of Penn Station NY by any route (East River tunnels, Hudson River tunnels, Empire Connection tunnel). The clearance diagram is complex, but some key measurements are ...

The maximum allowable height is 14' 8" above the rail, not to exceed 2' 6" from the centerline of the car. The maximum allowable height diminishes as you move further away from the centerline of the car.

The maximum allowable width is 10' 6" (specifically, 5' 3" out from centerline of car, between a height of 4' 4" and 8' 0" above the rail.

The dimensions below the floor of the car are also critical, to avoid contact with infrastructure.

Given all of that, I believe the more modern Empire Connection tunnel appears to have a less restrictive clearance than the East and Hudson River tunnels.

In that case, could it be possible for the Gateway Project to construct tunnels which could be large enough for private cars or maybe even superliners to fit into? I also have the same question regarding the Baltimore Tunnels since those are being rebuilt, and Gateway basically involves starting tunnel construction from scratch.

jhdeasy wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:01 pm

Backshophoss wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 9:51 pm If the car meets Amtrak's standards shpuld be OK in NY Penn and the empire connection (PC-1 standards)

There is more to this than a car meeting the current annual inspection (Amtrak PC-1) criteria.

Amtrak has four clearance profiles; A, B, C and D. A is the most restrictive. A car must meet Amtrak's A clearance to operate into and out of Penn Station NY by any route (East River tunnels, Hudson River tunnels, Empire Connection tunnel). The clearance diagram is complex, but some key measurements are ...

The maximum allowable height is 14' 8" above the rail, not to exceed 2' 6" from the centerline of the car. The maximum allowable height diminishes as you move further away from the centerline of the car.

The maximum allowable width is 10' 6" (specifically, 5' 3" out from centerline of car, between a height of 4' 4" and 8' 0" above the rail.

The dimensions below the floor of the car are also critical, to avoid contact with infrastructure.

Given all of that, I believe the more modern Empire Connection tunnel appears to have a less restrictive clearance than the East and Hudson River tunnels.

The degree of how restrictive "A" clearance is was illustrated a few years ago when Amtrak borrowed Via's ex-CP Budd equipment for the Adirondack and it wasn't cleared for NYP. Just being single-level heritage equipment isn't good enough.

At the present time proposed Baltimore tunnel will be freight plate "H". That is no problem for any car clearances. However there is some pushback from interested politicians to build smaller tunnel bores. Now NYP Gateway is not planned for those clearances

The biggest hang up for most pvt cars is where the underframe equipment is mounted,TOO close to the outside edge,you bang into and short out the 3rd rail and the car.
there has to be a "set back" standard for underframe equipment to safely clear the 3rd rail
Believe GCT was a bit more problematic due to the short stub 3rd rail used on the puzzle switches.

AMTK 10001 "BEECH GROVE" was in Philly yesterday in a two car consist. I can't see the whole of Race St Yard but I don't think it's here anymore. Anyone got a clue?

Nice to hear it's back in service,Mr Anderson had "mothballed" Beech Grove at Bear.
American View (Theater car)is normally coupled to Beech Grove.