Saw the little article wrt Amtrak’s California Zephyr and the slated detours this weekend over UP’s ex-CNW “Overland Route” mainline between Chicago and Omaha. I know there about as much a chance as a snowball in hades but there’s a big part of me that wishes that #5 and #6 would get on the UP between these two points - and stay there.
Thoughts?
SINCE we’re going with big dreams here, I’d much rather see Amtrak run a second train that could handle Chicago-Omaha (and beyond, perhaps to Denver via Cheyenne) over the Overland Route, giving daytime service to customers in Illinois and (especially) Iowa. But the UP would probably demand an arm, a leg, and a third track for such an operation.
Hmmm… I’ll have to do some investigative work Sunday and see if I can catch one of them with the camera.
I sometimes check a web site that offers near real time status reports on Amtrak trains. This summer it has been routine for the Zephyr to lose 1 to 2 hours while crossing Iowa on the Burlington’s route. A portion of that problem was caused by the closing of other routes during the Missouri River flooding, but the closures are back open and the situation has not improved. As the BNSF route misses any important population center within Iowa, I’d think Amtrak would be happy to shift permanently to the UP alternative. Of couse, as noted above, the UP tends to want an arm, leg and 2nd child as the price for use of their rails!
Carl, you’re right - no doubt UP would almost have to demand that for it to be even doable on a regular basis. FWIW (and I know I’ve brought this up before here), one opportunity that’s available - right now - is to work with CN to create a paired track arrangement between Denison and Council Bluffs; something that should have been done DECADES ago between CNW and IC/ICG.
Saturday’s No. 6 detour was delayed because of a broken rail north of Council Bluffs. A railfan on another site had pictures taken out around Missouri Valley, one of which showed an ambulance waiting and someone getting off/being removed there.
Saturday’s No. 5 detour had the UP engine’s ATC go bad coming into Boone. The cab signal dropped out (changed to a restricting aspect) took the air and wouldn’t let the engineer recover it. Went on west with an absolute block. I had kind of forgotten about No. 5, the train summary of anticipated events didn’t show 5 arriving Boone until around Sunday noon. Went thru at a more realistic 1030/11 pm time frame.
Jeff
Yes that would have made a lot of sense. However, since the Fremont cutoff is being double tracked and a second bridge constructed over the Missouri, the Missouri Valley/Council Bluffs line is not likely to carry that much traffic. Even now, it is my understanding the cutoff sees primarily one way traffic while the corresponding opposite moves are made via Council Bluffs.
Information I’m seeing on Amtrak’s website this morning strongly suggests that there won’t even BE a #6 traversing Iowa today, nor a #5 this evening. Is this accurate?
Brian,it appears that at least #6 is detouring today. There was a crew called out of Fremont this morning for it.
Jeff
There has been a rumor going around that the UP is interested in buying the CN’s ex IC yard at Council Bluffs and the line to Arion. The old IC yard is right next to the old CNW yard. Although there is an interchange track (not used) the yards would be combined and used to originate and terminate the manifests out of Proviso and Boone and maybe the one for South St. Paul. The manifests would use the exIC to/from Arion. A few weeks ago it seemed to be a hot topic, but has cooled recently.
My understanding is that the UP has been switching the 4 or 5 active customers the CN still has over on the Omaha side of the river. The CN is still shut down with some flood damage needing repairs.
The short way via Blair is primarily westward. The eastward hot Z trains usually use it. Depending on westward traffic sometimes other trains do too. They’ve even sent 135 car coal trains eastward over it. Westward trains
Can you narrow it down any further? The wife doesn’t want me sitting trackside all afternoon (only one vehicle here).