Amtrak Capitol Limited Thread

[ThirdRail7]

Starting in early June, the connection between the Capitol Limited (30) and the Silver Star (91) will be officially restored.

[jobtraklite]

Speaking of 30 connecting to the Star, does anyone know if and when the Pinkerton Horn daylighting will end; and will the schedule go back to departing Chicago 1/2 hour later?

[ThirdRail7]

I believe it was supposed to wrap up in July. However, the restoration of the connection makes me wonder if it will finish early.

[jobtraklite]

I was thinking just the opposite. If it reverts back to the prior schedule and departs 1/2 hour later, presumably arriving in DC 1/2 hour later, it would make the connection less certain.

My interest is in a better arrival time in PGH. 5:05 AM isn't all that great; but 4:35 is even worse.

[ThirdRail7]

I was thinking that when the work is done, congestion will be reduced. Therefore, a late departure time may yield the same arrival time. However, the schedule appears to remain the same. Perhaps less congestion only means increased reliability of the train.

[jobtraklite]

I was under the impression that the purpose of the daylighting project was to eliminate the Pinkerton Horn Tunnel height restriction so as to allow double stack trains, not for example to add sidings or triple track that would relieve congestion. If that's the case then, all things being equal, e.g., no reduction in coal trains, you would expect more congestion.

But I don't see how the "temporary" schedule would help unless CSX plans to run these extra trains through the area at precisely the time of day that construction was going on. As far as I know, the temporary schedule departed CHI a half hour earlier to get through the construction area before work started; and that it also arrived in DC a half hour earlier. That is no padding that could be used for congestion was added.

[David Benton]

Presumably a fixed number of trains need to pass through the construction site per day. If, during construction, the tunnel is not passable for 8 hours, then the same number of trains need to pass through in 16 hours, rather than 24.
Hence, once construction is finished there will be less congestion.

[jobtraklite]

Right. But I meant to compare the situation before construction started with after it was completed. And I was hypothesizing that the daylighting might lead to additional trains.

So my guess is that reinstating the connection with the Star indicates that the schedule won't be moved back to what it was prior to construction.

[lstone19]

I started a new topic before I saw this one but had an email from Amtrak this morning with a schedule change for our trip on 30 in October. Departing CHI and arriving WAS 30 minutes later.
Looking around amtrak.com, it's effective 7/15 with more than 30 minute later times from South Bend (35 minutes) to Alliance (58 minutes) but then reduction in the Alliance to Pittsburgh padding so all times Pittsburgh and east are 30 later than they are today.

[jobtraklite]

This must have just happened. Before making an earlier post, I checked Amtrak.com for a September departure; and it was still 4:35 into PGH. I'm happy to have been proved wrong when I guessed that the schedule won't be moved back. I'm planning a PGH to CUM bike ride in September; and 4:35 AM was just too early to get pushed out of bed.

Now if the later arrival in DC doesn't foul up a connection I like to make to the Star next winter!

[rodmanb294]

I rode the Capitol Limited from WAS to CHI on May 28th and then transfered to the #5 the following were the notes I took regarding the consist of both trains..
(trip was fantastic !) Had roomette #2 in car 2900 just forward of the diner on the Capitol...

5/28/2013
Capital Limited

Washington to Chicago

P42 185
P42 145
Amfleet Coach ?
Amfleet Coach 43378
Amfleet Coach 82553
Amfleet Coach 82553
Amfleet Cafe 43378
Baggage 1733
SuperLiner II Transition Sleeper 39026
SuperLine I Sleeper 32054
SuperLiner II Sleeper 32079
SuperLiner II Diner 38049
SuperLiner II Lounge 33038
SuperLiner I Coach 34044
SuperLiner I Coach 31027
SuperLiner I Coach 34079


Note: Conductor reported that the Amfleets were going on #5 to Emeryville
(but they were’nt switched to the #5 in Chicago that same day_ if what he said was true)


5/29/2013

California Zephyr

Chicago Emeryville

P42 94
P42 114
Baggage 1712
SuperLiner II Transition Sleeper 39011
SuperLiner I Coach 35009
SuperLiner I Coach 34073
SuperLiner I Coach 34028
SuperLiner II Lounge 33029
SuperLiner II Diner 38042
SuperLiner I Coach 32000
SuperLiner I Coach 32062
SuperLiner II Coach 32073 CALIFORNIA

Will be posting videos on You tube soon...

[Suburban Station]

My interest is in a better arrival time in PGH. 5:05 AM isn't all that great; but 4:35 is even worse.

yes, it's not like there's a 7 as the first digit but it's certainly better. departure time out of pittsburgh appears to be 5:20 am

[ThirdRail7]

FYI:

Amtrak tests bicycle roll-on service on Capitol Limited route between Pittsburgh and D.C.

Please allow a brief fair use quote:

http://www.post-gazette.com/region/2013 ... 1310150187" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Linda McKenna Boxx said she has been trying for more than a decade to get Amtrak to improve accommodations for bicycles on its Pittsburgh-to-Washington, D.C., trains, which closely follow the trails that connect the two cities.

On Tuesday, that goal moved a step closer to reality, when Amtrak allowed 20 bicyclists to take their two-wheelers onto the Capitol Limited train in Pittsburgh in a one-day trial of roll-on service.

"It went lickety-split. I don't think we cost Amtrak a second in dwell time," said Ms. Boxx, president of the Allegheny Trail Alliance.

It might be a while before the railroad makes the service permanent. Spokesman Craig Schulz said feedback will be gathered from bicyclists, the train crew and operations personnel. Then, Amtrak will need to identify funding to retrofit baggage cars with bike racks, he said.

"We know there's a demand for this," he said. "The cycling community is very eager to see this. It's something we absolutely want to do."

Amtrak placed a baggage car with racks for six bicycles on the Capitol Limited for the experiment. Six cyclists got on in Pittsburgh and off in Connellsville, where six others with bikes, including Ms. Boxx, boarded. Four bicyclists replaced them in Cumberland, Md., and four others rode the leg from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., to the nation's capital.

The riders rolled their bicycles into the baggage car, lifted them onto hooks and secured them with a spring-loaded latch.

[Suburban Station]

maybe they can test better departure times out of pittsburgh, particularly eastbound

[jobtraklite]

FYI:

Amtrak tests bicycle roll-on service on Capitol Limited route between Pittsburgh and D.C.

What is the world coming to? First baggage service when an agent is not on duty (Mt. Pleasant, Ft. Madison, Topeka, Newton) and now roll on roll off bike service on a long distance train.

Several of the volunteers posted their experiences.

http://type2-clydesdale.blogspot.com/20 ... -bike.html

http://pghtrailtales.blogspot.com/2013/ ... -roro.html

http://bus15237.blogspot.com/2013/10/te ... rvice.html

In general it sounds like the test went well and Amtrak gained a few friends.

The train ride itself was very enjoyable. A relatively quiet, smooth, quick ride. They had breakfast service available and several in our group took advantage of it.

I liked the way Ms. Boxx picked up the jargon "I don't think we cost Amtrak a second in dwell time". I am curious about the statement "Amtrak will need to identify funding to retrofit baggage cars with bike racks". In previous responses to the Allegheny Trail Alliance's begging for RORO service, Amtrak said to be patient and wait for the new generation (viewlineer II) of baggage cars with their built in bike racks to arrive. Has the VLII delivery slipped so much that they would retrofit "baggage cars"?

Something a volunteer said leads to another question no one seems to have answered. The Amtrak rep along for the ride stated that a total of 8 cars would be need retrofitting at $8,000 per car. I thought the CL required 3 sets, plus a spare maybe. But why 8?

Also, I realize that Amtrak has to buy bike racks from a subsidiary of the DoD toilet seat supplier, but my thought was that the Allegheny Trail Alliance could fund bike racks from petty cash and install them themselves over a week end. And in fact one of the volunteers mentioned to the Amtrak rep that they might be able to help and then exchanged business cards.

Although the quoted Gazette article and volunteer blogs refer to them baggage cars, photos taken by the volunteers clearly show them to be coach-baggage cars (I'll cut the media and volunteers some slack here).





Another rhetorical question. Why are racks needed? All it really takes is a railing along side the car to which you lock or bungee the bike. That's exactly how Austrian Federal RR Intercity trains do it in their baggage cars. And I'm talking limited stop express trains, not quasi-expresses or regionals (locals). Strangely enough the latter do have racks.