Jeff Smith wrote:The old joke: ask an accountant what 1 = 1 equals. The accountant will anser "What do you want it to equal?"It's not just a joke. Years ago a friend told me he was working in a dispatcher's office when the dispatcher called a tower to get the OS for a particular train. The operator asked, "What time do you need it to be?"
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All Things Empire Builder
- Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman
Rockingham Racer wrote:Anthing new on the Culbertson, MT proposed stop?23 months later....yes.
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-a ... 0676e.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
GREAT FALLS — Efforts to resume Amtrak service to Culbertson are getting closer to reality, and all that is needed is a depot, according to city Mayor Gordon Oelkers.There's no funding for a depot yet, though.
Oelkers said Amtrak and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad have endorsed the idea of adding a stop in Culbertson along the Empire Builder train route but there's been no decision when the service would start.
Sounds like a possible TIGER grant request.
gokeefe
Sidney Herald report on the new stop proposed for Culbertson.
Culbertson Mayor Gordon Oelkers said they are working with legislators to secure funding for an unmanned station that would be maintained and cleaned by the city. The station would cost about $3.5 million.How long has it been since Culbertson had rail passenger service?
“The platform is what costs all the money,” Oelkers said. “There’d be a ground source heat pump for heated sidewalks, too. There are a lot of rules and regulations with these.”
A breakdown of the costs shows an estimated $2.244 million for an 850 foot by 12 foot platform, and $376,000 for an engineering and architectural design. Other costs would go for a building, parking lot and flagging costs.
Funding could come through the 2014 Highway bill, labeled FAST for Fixing America’s Surface Transportation. The bill included some funding for development of new stations, as well as language requiring Amtrak to evaluate additional stops that would have a positive financial impact, including a stop in Culbertson.
A feasibility study has shown a station in Culbertson would attract about 7,000 additional riders from north and south, Oelkers said. These could include Regina passengers headed for a ski trip or to Chicago.
gokeefe
I had started a new topic last week (having forgotten about this one) about my trip on 8 of 4/2 but there were no replies.
One question I was really wondering about what is normal for the power. We had a single unit SEA-SPK which suffered an HEP failure four hours out of SEA. I had thought both CHI units went to SEA with a seperate unit working SPK-PDX and turning each night at SPK. Is splitting the power at SPK (one to SEA and one to PDX) normal? Or was having a single unit out of SEA an exception. We had two units out of SPK. I thought I had heard someone say something about 7 dropping off a unit at SPK for us but was not able to confirm it (and slept through most of the SPK stop until waking up just before departure and seeing 7 across the platform from us).
As for the HEP failure, we did have HEP if the locomotive was put in stand-by (no traction power) so we limped to SPK with extended stops at Wenatchee and Ephrata so power could be provided for bathroom breaks as well as a planned (I slept through it) stop halfway between Ephrata and SPK.
One question I was really wondering about what is normal for the power. We had a single unit SEA-SPK which suffered an HEP failure four hours out of SEA. I had thought both CHI units went to SEA with a seperate unit working SPK-PDX and turning each night at SPK. Is splitting the power at SPK (one to SEA and one to PDX) normal? Or was having a single unit out of SEA an exception. We had two units out of SPK. I thought I had heard someone say something about 7 dropping off a unit at SPK for us but was not able to confirm it (and slept through most of the SPK stop until waking up just before departure and seeing 7 across the platform from us).
As for the HEP failure, we did have HEP if the locomotive was put in stand-by (no traction power) so we limped to SPK with extended stops at Wenatchee and Ephrata so power could be provided for bathroom breaks as well as a planned (I slept through it) stop halfway between Ephrata and SPK.
Larry
Reno, NV (yes, I've moved)
ex-N&W Sandusky, Ohio
Reno, NV (yes, I've moved)
ex-N&W Sandusky, Ohio
Amtrak adds van service to the Mayo Clinic.
Amtrak has contracted a passenger van service to make regular trips between the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul.
Go Carefree Shuttle will make up to two round-trips daily between Rochester and Amtrak’s Empire Builder train service at the Union Depot in St. Paul, as well as another Amtrak station in La Crosse, Wis.
Balerion wrote:Amtrak adds van service to the Mayo Clinic.Huh. There was already van service from (K)MSP International to the Mayo Clinic and the assorted Rochester hospitals, as well as from (I believe) La Crosse. The different part must be just the Union Depot connection.
Amtrak has contracted a passenger van service to make regular trips between the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and the Union Depot in downtown St. Paul.
Go Carefree Shuttle will make up to two round-trips daily between Rochester and Amtrak’s Empire Builder train service at the Union Depot in St. Paul, as well as another Amtrak station in La Crosse, Wis.
Good option for patients coming in on the train who are avoiding bad weather delays associated with traveling in that part of the country.
Interesting to notice that these efforts are essentially making the Empire Builder into a peer option with air for travel in that area.
That's comparably to what has happenned on the NEC. Hard to imagine anyone telling you "we don't pickup people from the Amtrak station" in New York City, Newark or Baltimore.
Those kinds of differences still exist with various Amtrak services on the Atlantic Coast south of Washington DC. Some stations in North Carolina come to mind in terms of rental car availability, especially when considering late arrival or departure times.
Interesting to notice that these efforts are essentially making the Empire Builder into a peer option with air for travel in that area.
That's comparably to what has happenned on the NEC. Hard to imagine anyone telling you "we don't pickup people from the Amtrak station" in New York City, Newark or Baltimore.
Those kinds of differences still exist with various Amtrak services on the Atlantic Coast south of Washington DC. Some stations in North Carolina come to mind in terms of rental car availability, especially when considering late arrival or departure times.
gokeefe
Not quite Empire Builder, but really not worthy of its own thread. Some dreamy talk of restoring Amtrak service to Yakima and the Tri-Cities area of Washington.
As I recall, WSDOT is interested in running a Seattle-Yakima-Spokane route using the Cascades brand...
New Westminster to Amtrak 516, whats up with the extra 4 axles, over?
IIRC, BNSF will not accommodate any more passenger trains on the GN route due to capacity constraints at Cascade Tunnel (related to the time required to vent the tunnel). Assuming that's still true, any additional Seattle-Spokane service would have to be routed over Stampede Pass, but as the story indicates, that would take a lot of work. I believe Stampede Pass is a dark line. With the PTC era approaching, upgrading the line will require major $$.
All told, proposed passenger service over the NP notwithstanding, BN ("The Merger That Worked") chose not to whack that line was wise on their part. SCL think, especially if an SAL line, stayed at 500 Water.
Yes, post-PANAMAX is to make every West Coast into a backwater, well that's what they say. But what if the story turns out different? What if the new canal sets the tolls prohibitively high, what if it is mired in corruption (Senor, want to get your vessel through? There's a Swiss Bank account that needs a little "replenishment"), what of the maritime companies decide they like those monsters like Maersk has ordered?
Maintaining that line, even if presently dark and if it were to handle any volume of traffic, freight or passenger, would need to be PTC compliant, it's there and apparently not about to get "the treatment" afforded my MILW (I do respect your contrary views, Mr. Meyer).
Yes, post-PANAMAX is to make every West Coast into a backwater, well that's what they say. But what if the story turns out different? What if the new canal sets the tolls prohibitively high, what if it is mired in corruption (Senor, want to get your vessel through? There's a Swiss Bank account that needs a little "replenishment"), what of the maritime companies decide they like those monsters like Maersk has ordered?
Maintaining that line, even if presently dark and if it were to handle any volume of traffic, freight or passenger, would need to be PTC compliant, it's there and apparently not about to get "the treatment" afforded my MILW (I do respect your contrary views, Mr. Meyer).
The panama canal is still the long way round , for goods from Northern Asia to the Midwest.
anything time sensitive will still go via Northern West coast ports.
anything time sensitive will still go via Northern West coast ports.
Moderator worldwide railfan , Rail travel & trip reports
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.
The only train trips I regret are the ones I didn't take.
AgentSkelly wrote:As I recall, WSDOT is interested in running a Seattle-Yakima-Spokane route using the Cascades brand...And that would mean Talgos? So there's a potential use for WI Gov. Scott Walker's excess and surplus Talgos right there.
After doing more than a Billion of upgrades on the Seattle-Portland stem, the WSDOT and ORDOT may want to catch a breath before plunging ahead with more big projects.
But I doubt the public will let them waste time. My fearless forecast is that with 2 added frequencies Seattle-Portland, and 1 or 2 added runs northwards Seattle-Vancouver and 1 or 2 southwards Portland-Eugene, the trains will soon be full. A clamor will go up for more trains! More trains!
Woody wrote:Interesting point. Might want to raise it in the Talgo thread.AgentSkelly wrote:As I recall, WSDOT is interested in running a Seattle-Yakima-Spokane route using the Cascades brand...And that would mean Talgos? So there's a potential use for WI Gov. Scott Walker's excess and surplus Talgos right there.
gokeefe