How do engineers make up for lost time with out going over the speed limit set on a specific of track? Can they even do such a thing?
Depends what you mean by “make up lost time”. Of course strictly speaking it’s true time that’s been lost is irretrievable, but railroaders just mean it’s possible to be delayed en route but still arrive at the end of the run on schedule-- since the schedule usually allows for some delay. In other words, if the train isn’t delayed at all and it runs at the speed limit the whole way it will arrive early.
It used to be able to be done (I’ve been on two passenger trains that successfully made up over an hour within 300 miles), but nowadays, with closer scrutiny by both management and the Government, forget about exceeding any speed limits. Since there is no tolerance for such excesses, the tolerance is now built into the schedules.
As it usually was in the past as well.
I agree. Our review of 40s and 50s era passenger-train schedules, to help us construct HSR passenger-schedules on the same routes, shows that railways then were making very similar decisions about schedule float as we do today. Similar both in “how much” and “where to put it.”
RWM
When the carriers design schedules both passenger and freight (yes - many freight trains are schedule and the carriers customers may be due rebates on their freight rates when the schedules for their shipments are not kept)…while actual running time is taken into consideration…the schedule is NEVER designed on only actual running time…it you are looking for 100% On Time FAILURE, set the schedule at actual running time.
One thing you may notice in schedules…the first half of the trip will generally be very close to actual running and scheduled dwell times…the last half of the schedule will generally have ‘fat’ built into it…the fat is to permit the train to gain back any time lost and hopefully have a early or On Time arrival at destination.
Back in the early 60’s I road the IC between Chicago and Champaign almost every week. My favorite train was the City of New Orleans, but depending on class schedules and such, I frequently caught the Seminole or Creole. I remember a memorable trip on IC # 1, the City of NO. It was a holiday weekend, probably Thanksgiving, and the train was very long. I didn’t count cars, but the IC numbered the cars consecutively, and the obs was # 26, so do the math. I believe the speed limit for the 126 mile run was maxed at 85, but this run was special. Because of the crowd boarding, we were 20-30 minutes late leaving Chicago. Those E units were in run 8 after leaving 63rd St and before long we were making a mile every 32 seconds, well over 100 MPH, pushing 110. We ran like that for 20+ miles, then had to brake for a broad curve out of Kankakee. Made up time? Ya, we did. Don’t remember how much tho. We still arrived Champagne late, but it was only 15+ minutes or so, If I remember correctly. South of Champagne the district was posted at 100 MPH. It’s 79 now.
Lately I rode AMTK’s Coast Starlight from LA to San Jose, and were down about a half hour pulling out of the last stop before San Jose. We ran at the posted limit and arrived 20 minutes early, making up almost an hour without doing anything. I like IC # 1 better, thanks.
I recall a story in Trains about a crack NYC train. As it prepared to depart north for Albany from the NYC area (probably Harmon), the engineer’s orders were “do not arrive in Albany before XX:XX” or something to that effect.
Great!! Your description of the IC trains back in the 60’s brought back some memories for me as well. The fast runs (student specials at T-giving, that ran non-stop Champaign to Homewood) and the slow, delayed trains like the Sunday evening southbound #3 (Lousiane) stuck in Paxton for several hours while one freight after another went by.