NEC "East End" Stations

Mansfield IS in the 150 zone here are the speed between Sharon and Attleboro:

between MP 194.5 (West of Attleboro station) and MP 205 (East of Mansfield) the speed is 150 mph for Acela Express' and 80 for T's

between MP 205 and "Transfer" (west of Readville station) the speed is 130 mph

Amtrak Regionals blow past numerous low-level commuter station platforms in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and even some in New Jersey -- all at 100-125 mph. Nobody seems to think twice about that either. After all, that's what the yellow stripe and its associated message painted on the platform are for!

MBTA F40PH-2C 1050 wrote:Kingston is within a 150 mph zone, the station is at MP 158.1 and the 150 zone is :

MP 154.3--MP 171

The other 150 zone in RI is MP 174.5--MP 180.5 (Cranston area)

Huh? I thought the two zones were MP 162-170 and MP 195-205. That would definitely put Kingston outside of 150 mph zones. You are implying that they have increased the amount of track with 150 mph track speed from 8 miles in RI to 23 miles in RI? I find that hard to believe. Could you give a source?

"Regionals blow past numerous low-level commuter station platforms in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and even some in New Jersey -- all at 100-125 mph."

At all stations between NY and Philadelphia, the limit is 110 or less on the tracks next to the platform. Dunno about further south.

The 150 MPH zone extends from MP 154.3 to 171.7 and then again from
MP 174.5 to 180.5. There are a few areas in the above zones where the
speed is less than 150 MPH for one reason or another.
As I said previously, this is from the timetable, I do not have any B/O's
to go by for any possible changes or temporary speed restrictions.
Who would ever think years ago that a portion of the "bankrupt and run-
down New Haven Railroad today has the highest speed of any railroad in
North America.
YES, I said the New Haven Railroad.
Noel Weaver

"this is from the timetable"

The April 2003 timetable? Or a later general order?

And what happened to the MP 195 to 205?

The information I just put up here is from the current Amtrak Timetable.
I did not mention the other area of 150 MPH which extends from MP 194.5
to MP 205.
If you had read my previous post a few back, you would have seen that I
put it on here already.
Noel Weaver

I've gotta say, looking at this photo of Mansfield, those tracks don't look like they're up to 150 mph standards!

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=81973

Well, I have witnessed it a 150MPH, both riding the Acela Express a couple times, and being track-side when they pass by.

There were other pedestrian-only overpasses along the NEC also, including the original Route 128 station, the South Attleborough Station, and at Pawtucket-Central Falls waaaayyyyyy back in the good old days.

"The information I just put up here is from the current Amtrak Timetable."

Is the current timetable still #8, from 10/02 or possibly 4/03? I don't have it here, but I think #8 originally showed 150 mph zones extending between even mileposts, probably 162-170 and 195-205. (Same as #7, wasn't it?) So if it has been extended, which general order extended it? Are they still using order #805?

Here are some video clips I took with my digital camera at Princeton Junction...low quality, I know, but you can see what an Acela looks and sounds like at 135 mph!

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2946380093

I have here the Amtrak NEC Operating Rule and Instructions book. And it was last updated, April 26 2004

The speed zones above are correct about the 150 zones in Mass. and RI, and the tracks in Mansfield are able to reach speeds of 150

Alrighty then, thanks for the clarification about the Mansfield area......

as long as we are all on the same page, its good