Page 3 of 21
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:35 am
by Manistique
Amtrak 354 just passed MP 22.5 on the Holly at 6:30 am, running 5.5 hours late into Pontiac.
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:04 am
by David Collins
Manistique wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:35 am
Amtrak 354 just passed MP 22.5 on the Holly at 6:30 am, running 5.5 hours late into Pontiac.
Somehow it managed to depart Pontiac running only 2 minutes late
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:11 am
by Manistique
David Collins wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:04 am
Manistique wrote: ↑Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:35 am
Amtrak 354 just passed MP 22.5 on the Holly at 6:30 am, running 5.5 hours late into Pontiac.
Somehow it managed to depart Pontiac running only 2 minutes late
I see that 351 did run this morning. I must have missed it going by the house. There must have been another trainset at Pontiac for it. And 354's trainset will probably be for 353's train later this morning. Amtrak is very confusing lately.
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:27 am
by Manistique
Amtrak 353 did run today and left Pontiac on time.
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2022 9:18 pm
by Dan Cluley
364 has a viewliner baggage car tonight.
4613, amfleet food service, 4 horizon coaches, the baggage & 4620
14 minutes late out of East Lansing
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 12:10 am
by GTW6401
354, 355, and 370 cancelled on the 2nd.
All Michigan Services are cancelled on the 3rd.
My source is Mlive newspaper.
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 1:32 pm
by Saturnalia
GTW6401 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2022 12:10 am
354, 355, and 370 cancelled on the 2nd.
All Michigan Services are cancelled on the 3rd.
My source is Mlive newspaper.
It looks like 370 will run on the 3rd, at least according to the Amtrak service advisory.
Gonna be some big driftbusting on the Michigan Line on Friday looks like. Should be fun!
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:03 pm
by Buster Manning
they won't be too big.....supposed to be an equipment move tomorrow to knock down the drifts and remove the fallen tree limbs
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:10 pm
by Saturnalia
Buster Manning wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:03 pm
they won't be too big.....supposed to be an equipment move tomorrow to knock down the drifts and remove the fallen tree limbs
Awe - that's no fun.
Of course the snow will be done by tonight - I can see perhaps cancelling 350/351, but honestly there's no reason not to run 364, 354 and 355 tomorrow. They already ran through the worst of it all day today!
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 7:23 am
by Manistique
Buster Manning wrote: ↑Wed Feb 02, 2022 8:03 pm
they won't be too big.....supposed to be an equipment move tomorrow to knock down the drifts and remove the fallen tree limbs
An Amtrak train left Pontiac around 7 am with two locomotives on the headend, a train set and a locomotive on the rear. Maybe that equipment move Buster mentioned to clear the line?
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 1:30 pm
by Buster Manning
Ding, ding, ding......we have a winner
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:03 pm
by twropr
Anyone know what happened to 353 yesterday the 2nd? Took 3 hrs to get from Niles to New Buffalo and apparently lost another 3-4 hrs beyond?
Thanks
Andy
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:37 pm
by Manistique
Buster Manning wrote: ↑Thu Feb 03, 2022 1:30 pm
Ding, ding, ding......we have a winner
Good thing you let me know you were coming!
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 1:13 pm
by David Collins
1:12 PM: me and my buddy are waiting on Pontiac for the deathstar duo, where’s the charger that’s staged here??
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:58 pm
by GTW6401
Amtrak 350 just arrived in Pontiac.
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2022 5:51 pm
by Manistique
Train 355 left Pontiac in reverse, the locomotive shoving the train south. Passed MP 22.5 at about 30 mph at 5:45 pm. I think they also did this reverse move yesterday too. I am presuming they will wye it at Milwaukee Junction and go on their way pulling the train from there.
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2022 5:59 pm
by David Collins
Manistique wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 5:51 pm
Train 355 left Pontiac in reverse, the locomotive shoving the train south. Passed MP 22.5 at about 30 mph at 5:45 pm. I think they also did this reverse move yesterday too. I am presuming they will wye it at Milwaukee Junction and go on their way pulling the train from there.
This is speculation, but the track that Amtrak turns their engines on (the lake Orion branch) is maybe out of service…?
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2022 8:20 pm
by GTW6401
I saw 350 arrive in Pontiac yesterday just before 5 and 355 showed departing 20 minutes late on the computer so the shoving south makes sense. I didn't stick around but the dispatcher lined up the usual southbound signal at MAL for 355.
It seemed that Amtrak would get stuck waiting to wye in the past if CN had a train working in Pontiac Yard. 251 was still doubling up at Auburn when 350 arrived in Pontiac yesterday, for example.
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2022 6:26 am
by Manistique
We need Buster to enlighten us on this shove move out of Pontiac but my guess is as follows:
There doesn't seem to be a spare locomotive at Pontiac station lately. I read here a few weeks ago that Amtrak is short on working locomotives due to the cold winter weather (I wonder if the Chargers don't like the cold and snow?). And I have seen Train 350 with power on both ends quite often lately so when it does this is not an issue though it seems to take both locomotives back to Chicago with it on 355. I am pretty sure the wye in Pontiac is working as the morning trains out of Pontiac seem to have been turned. And 350 has been arriving pretty late recently, often after 4 pm for some reason.
So if 350 only has one locomotive and it arrives late at Pontiac it is probably quicker to shove 355 south and wye it at Milwaukee junction than to wye it in Pontiac. Wyeing in Pontiac seems to take over an hour if the coast is clear in Pontiac Yard. And at least the train is moving and maybe left Pontiac on time, which Buster once said is the only "metric" that matters. Of course, the conductor or some crew member must ride in the rear vestibule to protect the 20 mile shove move and the speed is slow, but at least the train is moving. And they go through Milwaukee Junction anyway on their route.
So what doth thou sayeth Buster Manning?
Re: Amtrak Train Locations/Heads Up - 2022
Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2022 7:08 am
by David Collins
Manistique wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 6:26 am
We need Buster to enlighten us on this shove move out of Pontiac but my guess is as follows:
There doesn't seem to be a spare locomotive at Pontiac station lately. I read here a few weeks ago that Amtrak is short on working locomotives due to the cold winter weather (I wonder if the Chargers don't like the cold and snow?). And I have seen Train 350 with power on both ends quite often lately so when it does this is not an issue though it seems to take both locomotives back to Chicago with it on 355. I am pretty sure the wye in Pontiac is working as the morning trains out of Pontiac seem to have been turned. And 350 has been arriving pretty late recently, often after 4 pm for some reason.
So if 350 only has one locomotive and it arrives late at Pontiac it is probably quicker to shove 355 south and wye it at Milwaukee junction than to wye it in Pontiac. Wyeing in Pontiac seems to take over an hour if the coast is clear in Pontiac Yard. And at least the train is moving and maybe left Pontiac on time, which Buster once said is the only "metric" that matters. Of course, the conductor or some crew member must ride in the rear vestibule to protect the 20 mile shove move and the speed is slow, but at least the train is moving. And they go through Milwaukee Junction anyway on their route.
So what doth thou sayeth Buster Manning?
When I was in Pontiac waiting on E251 with the two deathstar units on Saturday, the protect unit wasn’t there too and I was kinda curious about that, but what I don’t understand is they should have time to turn the engines around, unless lately, in 350/355’s case, 350 has been getting in too late to turn the power.