Number of Train Sets Used for Each Long Distance Train?

John Laubenheimer wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 1:03 am

west point wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:12 pm When an Amtrak train takes 52 minutes to go 35 miles and is scheduled for 57 minutes there is a major problem. That is an example of the Crescent Slidell - New Orleans schedule and time to complete. Get rid of the slow sections and average speed will increase.

This stretch requires crossing Lake Ponchartrain (?) on a very suspect single track bridge (at slow speed), and a back-up move (19 only) into the New Orleans terminal.

I believe you need to take a look at the speeds on the bridge. #19 and #20 of today both clocked just about 60 MPH on the bridge. Now what the speed is across the draw bridges but otherwise 60 MPH MAX . SOU RR rebuilt the bridge back in the 1960s or 70s They made up a work train that carried ready mix trucks to the end of each work location pouring new piling and cross beams. Work train kept on siding south of Slidell.
If you were thinking of the CN bridge across the Bonnet Carrie that is another tale as the MAS is just 10 MPH and Amtrak train cannot take passengers across it when the spill way is open even just one spillway.

IS CN trying to abandon that bridge??

As I understand it CN is slowly rebuilding the bridge. However some have posted that it appears that CN is proceeding very slowly. Also any time the spillway is open there may be no way for upgrades to be continued.

The spillway is open for a few weeks every year. The bridge does seem to be going slowly, however. There are cranes over the site. I'm not familiar with the contractor, the locals are not doing the work, it went to a big railroad bridge specialist.

Tadman wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 9:24 am The spillway is open for a few weeks every year. The bridge does seem to be going slowly, however. There are cranes over the site. I'm not familiar with the contractor, the locals are not doing the work, it went to a big railroad bridge specialist.

More than a few weeks
2016 == 22 days
2018 == 22
2019 == 122 days 2 separate openings
2020 == 28 days so far

Reference -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnet_Carré_Spillway