Amtrak Vermonter / Montrealer

DepotScooter wrote:23 July 2016 Train 54 annulled at Claremont Junction NH due to storm issues (downed trees, power outages) after arrived almost two hours late. Passengers who did not arrange alternate transportation were bustituted north and the equipment returned to Springfield. Bustitution expected for the 24 July 2016 Train #57 St Albans to Springfield.

Nasty, nasty storms yesterday. The worst one was a monster cell with straight-line winds that followed I-89 off Lake Champlain and knocked out power to tens of thousands in VT and NH: http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Cr ... 62472.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Cornish NH (next town north of Claremont) fire crews were out until almost 11PM dealing with "wires down" problems. There were also wires down in Hartland VT (between Windsor and White River Jct) and further up in the West Hartford area.

I went from Claremont to north of Windsor that evening and didn't see any sign of wires down or emergency services vehicles evident. I figured the downed wires had to be between Windsor and WRJ since they stopped the train in Claremont.

That was one nasty storm, I was camping out in it and ended up sleeping in my sons car. I only had my motorcycle so that was not an option

Why is southbound service always late in the Pioneer Valley? The following article documents the delays and their causes:
https://trainsinthevalley.org/2016/08/2 ... ways-late/

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:All of the would-be commuter rail stations are high-level. Traps wouldn't be needed.

...Amtrak isn't going to make the Horizons available for dispersal any sooner than the next batch of commuter rail retirees: that same 2020-22 range. It's Amtrak S.O.P. to hold onto retired rolling stock for no less than 2 years (and frequently longer) after last run before making any decisions. ...Same time when over 200 Comet II's will be available from NJT, Metro North, and AMT dispersals, and another 200 Comet II lookalikes will be available from MBTA Bombardier and Metro North Shoreliner I/II dispersals. ...

And of course that doesn't solve MassDOT's bigger problem: power, power, power. The total collapse of the T's F40PH-2C fleet MTBF invalidates what they thought was going to be their in-house flex option for seeding expansion. If they go scouring for somebody else's rent-a-wrecks it's now going to be for circling the wagons around the T's fast-declining power pool. They don't have the luxury of equipping Western MA with how dire that situation has suddenly gotten. They probably are going to need to dip into the secondhand market--anybody else's non-garbage F40PH-2C's, F59PH's, GP40-2 ex-commuter variants, P40DC's if Amtrak's feeling comfortable enough about the Chargers' progress to dip into the stored units--anyway just to carve out the breathing room for shipping out those double-digit dead -2C's they're currently RFP'ing for a mini-rehab. Whether their stored MBB coaches would cost a lot or a little to structurally rehab for service starts before decade's end is now a moot point because the practical options for hauling them have evaporated. By the time they have their in-house power situation fully stabilized it'll be 2020 and waiting for the "Great Comet Purge" to flood the supply of fungible secondhand coaches.

...And they've got options for a 'gentle' introduction to quasi-commuter service sooner after the Hartford Line opens if they're willing to pay Amtrak some additional Shuttle subsidy to send those up to turn at Greenfield. The Shuttles aren't going to disappear entirely; CT/MA are willing to hold onto them as a semi-superfluous loss leader until they are go/no-go on the Inland Route...where they'd be reborn as much higher-demand NHV-BOS shuttles. It serves their needs to not totally abdicate their hold on those Amtrak equipment assignments while they're buying time, so Greenfield turns are a potential strategic placeholder for keeping an Amtrak toehold while they figure out how to proceed on the B&A. It's no great shakes, but Hartford is a hellish commute on I-91 all points south of Northampton...which is very much part of the Greater Hartford-Springfield job market. So parking the Shuttles temporarily up the Conn River in the interregnum after the Hartford Line's debut but before the Inlands, then subsidizing at the same quasi-commuter fares as today, isn't a totally worthless use of time and money. If/when the Inland happens, it'll be in that same 2022 range. The Shuttles vacate the Conn River and 'go big' on their permanent home NHV-SPR-BOS, and Pioneer Valley commuter rail replaces them on the Conn River when the equipment supply is finally available (as well as waiting until the Hartford Line schedule has filled out enough to serve up truly useful transfer options at SPR). Seems more logical to do it that way rather than rushing things with equipment they don't have and gaping holes in transfer connectivity that are going to be slow to infill.

The MBTA and Amtrak are suing each other over the NEC service, with Amtrak threatening to discontinue NEC service in MA, probably a bluff. I can't imagine Amtrak and MassDOT cooperating and suing at the same time.

ConnDOT is RFP'ing for complete overhaul of 10-20 engines. The specifications are unbelievably detailed. Looks like remanufacturing to like-new. Maybe the T should do the same, or find some locos that are the same model as Connecticuts' and go in on it with them. I'm shocked that the HSP-46's don't have the bugs worked out yet. With all the engines failing at the same time you have to wonder if there is a problem at the engine terminal. These older engines are not as powerful as the HSP-46's, but you don't need 8-car bi-levels in the Pioneer Valley, yet.

A curiosity about Vermonter reservations: I want to travel from Washington, DC, to Brattleboro for a son's wedding next month. The Guest Rewards website said there were no seats available. I thought maybe the train was sold out between Washington and New York, so I tried for a ticket from New York to Brat (as locals call it); same answer. I tried New Haven to Brat, and there were seats available, so I looked for a seat on another train from Washington to New Haven, and one of the trains with seats available was the Vermonter.

I called Guest Rewards and asked whether I had to make two reservations for different legs of the trip on the same train, but the agent was able to reserve a seat for me Washington to Brattleboro on Sep. 23.

If the Vermonter is showing as sold out when it's not really, that could depress ridership.

That's interesting. I will be traveling from NYP to White River Jct VT on Oct 1. Be aware that the segment of the trip from NH to Springfield will be via bus, due to extensive track work.
Although there is nothing stating this fact, I did receive an e-mail and confirmed by phone that this is the case. I did note that there is such an advisory for the Springfield shuttle (which of course runs over the same trackage).

CP

I have a question. Why does the vermonter not stop in Charlestown, NH? Just reading up on nerdy historical stuff & noticed the vermonter passed through there, and that other options for travel aside from private motor vehicle are somewhat limited..

New Hampshire doesn't pay a cent towards the Vermonter; Amtrak has no incentives to add a stop (especially rather near Bellows Falls) to serve a fairly small population.

As a state-supported train where a few more flag stops wouldn't kill performance, I'm surprised there aren't a few more stops. Copying from an old post of mine:

Northfield (pop. 6200, plus 3400 students at Norwich University that may be counted separately), Richmond (4100), and Milton (10,400) are all located directly on the line and within the population range of other stops on the Vermonter. While VTrans generally does do a good job plowing state highways, it still gets awfully isolated up there in winter.

TrainPhotos wrote:I have a question. Why does the vermonter not stop in Charlestown, NH?

The train does stop at Bellows Falls (7 miles south) and Claremont Junction (10 miles north). Given that the local population density is not exactly that of Manhattan, three stops within a span of 17 miles would be overkill for an intercity train like the Vermonter. Charlestown didn't even have service during the final years of B&M operation of Conn River passenger trains, which ended fifty years ago. Plus, as Mr. Ege notes above, New Hampshire doesn't contribute any cash to support the operation of the train.

TomNelligan wrote: The train does stop at Bellows Falls (7 miles south) and Claremont Junction (10 miles north). Given that the local population density is not exactly that of Manhattan, three stops within a span of 17 miles would be overkill for an intercity train like the Vermonter. Charlestown didn't even have service during the final years of B&M operation of Conn River passenger trains, which ended fifty years ago. Plus, as Mr. Ege notes above, New Hampshire doesn't contribute any cash to support the operation of the train.

The Vermonter travels 611 rail miles over 13.667 hours, stopping at 28 train stations along its route between Washington D.C. and St. Albans. After leaving its originating station, it makes 29 stops along the way. Math = 611 / 29 = 21.069. Having two stations within 17 miles is closer than the average, having three stations within 17 miles or even 21 miles will definitely be one station too many.

The EGE wrote:New Hampshire doesn't pay a cent towards the Vermonter; Amtrak has no incentives to add a stop (especially rather near Bellows Falls) to serve a fairly small population.

As a state-supported train where a few more flag stops wouldn't kill performance, I'm surprised there aren't a few more stops. Copying from an old post of mine:

Northfield (pop. 6200, plus 3400 students at Norwich University that may be counted separately), Richmond (4100), and Milton (10,400) are all located directly on the line and within the population range of other stops on the Vermonter. While VTrans generally does do a good job plowing state highways, it still gets awfully isolated up there in winter.

They're seeking this type of flag-stop trial on the Ethan Allen extension to Burlington, which is only going to officially have full stops at Middlebury and Burlington. They're seeking permission for flags to let the intermediate population centers who don't have ready station sites to "audition" for infills, providing it's ADA-kosher to have a shelter-less pavement slab at a grade crossing and staff-assisted boarding accessibility. If that works, and ends up eventually graduating places like Brandon, Vergennes, Shelburne, etc. onto the EAE as full stops it would potentially be worth templating on the other side of the state. At least if the big studied service expansion follows through at adding that shorter New Haven-Vermont slot in addition to the Montrealer and BOS-MTL. Probably don't want to overload the long-haul schedules with too many flags, but spreading the field would work for giving those tryout destinations a bite at the apple.

The Montpelier Jct. station on the Vermonter route is undergoing some ADA
upgrading, including the rest rooms and access to the station. A temporary
office type trailer station has been set up in the parking lot. AFAIK, there
is no work scheduled at this time to install a high level platform.

Not needed as long as it's a one-a-day and there's a station attendant on-duty. The stops are listed as legally all-accessible on the schedule because of the onboard and onsite staff assistance afforded by Amtrak, similar to how the Virginia Regionals are still considered fully accessible after crossing into 8-inch platform territory despite the incompatibility. Any new stations or cleanroom platform reconstructions north of the D.C./Virginia dividing line between 48-inch and 8-inch are required to do passing tracks or retractable-edge mini-highs on a freight clearance route, a la the new Conn River stops. Adding more frequencies will also legally compel them to start overchurning the local stops with retractable mini-high installs for compliance, though I don't know how many more trips that entails before it breaches any triggers. But right now they're in the same boat as the Adirondack where staff assistance achieves compliance for the single round-trip.


If anything, Castleton on the EAE's going to be the first VTrans mini-high retrofit since all other in-state stops to Burlington (Rutland's mini pre-existing) will have them and that route's got a quicker path to buffing out additional frequencies.