Reading stuff like the above post just makes me admire that much more the old time railroaders who, despite the weather, kept the trains running in similar conditions.
Balt has explained well over the years why 't’aint so any more, but in my mind’s eye I see half-frozen track men keeping the switches clear, engine crews roasting their faces while freezing their behinds, and if I think back to about 1890 when my town was an Erie Railroad town, I see recent immigrants bundled up as best they could, riding the tops of freight cars in this same weather, walking back and forth between the swaying, turning cars and twisting a near-frozen brake wheel with an ax handle.
Railroaders of any year have my respect, and especially in this weather.
It is disappointing that Amtrak has to cancel so many trains. However, Amtrak is probably smart with these cancellations. Jeff’s problems with his freight shows just what one line’s problems were among others. IMO the freight RR problems are caused by their cost cutting and PSR. Too long trains have only made problems worse. A CP train sliding backwards down a hill with insufficient power. What has happened to all the snow fighting equipment that the freights had? Did accountants push to remove the equipment from rosters as the equipment was not needed for several years? UP thankfully did not for Donner.
Now we have a not too heavy snowfall but very strong winds. So, the snow drifts into cuts and against stopped rail cars. Super long trains have problems pumping up the brake lines.
Where are all the wedge plows needed to clear drifts? Non operative some in museums?
Yeah, all this constant full court press for the last ounce of efficiency and saving the future. Saw a report about the cold wave in Chicago turning Tesla charging stations into “graveyards” of Teslas that won’t charge. A guy in Barrington said he spent 3 hours yesterday and 3 hours today trying to get his Tesla to charge without success.
Railroads response to severe Winter weather has always consisted of one element that no longer exists on 21st Century railroads - MANPOWER in mass quantities.
MofW personnel with all the tools of the trade - Jet engine and men with brooms and everything in between. Manpower that 21st Century railroads no longer possess. Carriers don’t want year round employees that the ‘bean counters’ feature will only be ‘needed’ for a short period of time during the entirety of the year.
Carriers don’t want year round employees that the ‘bean counters’ feature will only be ‘needed’ for a short period of time during the entirety of the year.
/quote]
So how can UP justify the furlough of all the M of W personnel? Comes to bite them in the behind.
Bean counters can ‘prove’ anything they want out of any set of numbers.
Remember - to climb in management, all you have to do is get promoted to a new position BEFORE your bad decisions collapse on the head of your replacement.
Harris claiming thast Acela-1s cannot handle cold weather their reason for the mass cancellations Friday 19th. Have to wonder if lack of parts contributes to not operating in cold weather. Time for Congress to make Amtrak transparent on all items it presently hides. T
IMO there is no reason for most of Amtrak’s secerecy except to hide its mis steps. Of course Congress being disfunctual does not help.
Does anyone have an update on the current state of the Avelia Liberty debacle? Did they at least get the design certified?
So much for the excuse that the Builder is a severe-weather lifeline for all those little communities along its route. Acela service suspension is just foregone revenue for not that much actual time saving, and the capacity reduction is probably accommodated with regional and local (unless those too start seeing weather-excused cancellations). But suspending Builder service is something more…
This might be recorded in history as a tough winter all around. I know being originally born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. I am naturally curious and always look at media photos and news items to see how our neighbors just South of the Wisconsin border are faring in the heavy snow.[}:)][:D]
Granted it is expensive to maintain a large staff for relatively brief periods of inclement weather. Especially when that staff is not adequate for clement weather.
All of these immigrants flooding the border should be offered a shovel and sent to areas where maintenance is required. Welcome to North America.
The Amtrak dilemma is indicative of the cancel culture pervading the country - that of canceling anything inconvenient. Cancelled mail delivery, extended school vacations and other services just seem to stop. What would happen if something really profound and protracted occurred?
On top of snow a landslide closes the PDX <> SEA for 48 hours. Starlight O & D at PDX. No Cascades trains either. Now, it is not indicated if rain or snow / ice build up caused landslide?
“Keeping Up Appearances”, lol. With all the Amtrak cancellations of the Hiawatha and Lincoln service trains, it makes one wonder what business Amtrak is in?
Actually, he did. In his haste to make his “political” point, he did a bad quote so that it looks like I’m the one that wrote it. I’m deeply offended. Like MidlandMike said, a million plus deaths is not frivolous.
