FWIW, the Super C was covered in the Classic Trains Fast Trains Special Edition No. 7 (2009), pp. 28-35. There is also a WikiPedia article on the train. Service lasted eight years, but it never caught on big with shippers, who were unwilling to pay the surcharge for the quicker delivery. The route taken was the southern TRANSCON, and it was the only train permitted to travel up to 90 mph over its entire route wherever possible. Normal maximum was 79 mph. The FP45s and GE U28CGs were specially modified to accommodate that increased higher speed.
Intermittent Inductive Automatic Train Stop equipment consisted of an inductor “shoe” mounted outside the RH running rail and a two-coil electromagnet receiver mounted on the truck of the locomotive. There was no physical contact.
Regardless., the shoes fell off regularly. Usually around crossings and big curves.
Can’t speak about all ATS inductors down south, but a good number are missing between Simpson/ Earl and Trinidad.
What was the expert consensus on what was making them come off? General decay of the insulated attachment points? Spring sag bringing the truck frame down just enough that the effective inductor air gap goes to zero?
Educated guesses backed by ‘forensic evidence’ welcome…
So, if the shoes are missing, it seems that the ATS is no longer in effect for about 33 miles. But, with the maximum TT speed of 79-60 (75-60 at mp 618.5), ATS is not required.
A note I failed to note yesterday concerning TT direction, connected with the Boise City Sub: “Rule 5.11: Between La Junta and Animas Jct. only, timetable directions are different from geographic directions. Southbound trains travel northeast and Northbound trains travel southwest.” Perhaps this note is necessary so conductors who have not served as fireman will not be confused to as which direction they are going?
ATS still seems to be working just fine, probably because it is maintained, on the ex-CNW UP west line.
There is no ATS on the West Line, only ATC, a different system. UP (formerly C&NW) has ATS only on the Northwest Line (Harvard Sub.) and North Line (Kenosha Sub.).
True. My error, but externally the systems look similar.
"Automatic Train Control (ATC) is used between Chicago Passenger Terminal (CPT) and Council Bluffs. It was installed around 1926, and consists of a two-aspect color indication in the locomotive cab (green or “clear” and red-over-yellow or “restrictive”). Except at interlockings and their approaches, there are no wayside signals along this route [not true today]. ATC also enforces speed control, such that if a locomotive engineer fails to control the speed of the train according to cab signal indications, the ATC will make a penalty brake application and stop the train. The signal current passing through the rails when a clear block exists ahead of a train is detected by pick-up coils located underneath the front pilot, behind the plow or breastplate. "
“Automatic Train Stop (ATS) is used between CPT and both Harvard and Kenosha, Wis. (on the Northwest and North suburban lines, respectively). ATS does not feature any cab signal indicator, with engineers relying on wayside signals. ATS also uses electrical inductors, one located to the right of the track at each signal location and another mounted to the right-front axle journal box on equipped locomotives. When the locomotive inductor passes over the trackside inductor, power is passed magnetically to the locomotive inductor if the signal indication is clear. If the signal is other-than clear, no power passes to the locomotive inductor, and the engineer must acknowledge the signal or a penalty stop will be made. ATS does not enforce any speed limits.” [from UtahRails.net]
No idea - the ATSF mechanical folks were clearly frustrated with Amtrak mechanical issues. As for the shoes, they were hardly pristine after leaving their mounts on a perfectly good piece of railroad. La Junta, Newton and AQ would turn the power if the second and occasional third units had working shoes. BossHen often wanted to know why I was spending my weekend looking for lost equipment on the adjoining roadmaster’s turf[^o)]
ATS shoe is on outside of truck frame mounted to journal. Cab signal receiver bars (antennae) are mounted over the rails behind the end sheet. Cab signal is continuous. ATS is intermittant.
Doubt anyone can find a timetable allowing it more than 79.
My recollection of the Trains coverage of the Super C was that the train made time without using streamliner speeds by avoiding streamliner stops.
- Erik
I read that as well, that West of Kansas City almost all the way to CA most everything was either a flagstop or skipped. I believe they stopped at the larger cities like Albequerque though.
crew-change/refuelling points only
I beg to differ. Not just in New Mexico and the BNSF Needles Sub, but also in Northern Missouri, Amtrak 3&4 can go 90. Intermodal, Autoracks, TOFC and some X trains go a max of 79 out there I believe. I’ve been within 15ft of a Z train blasting by a platform at 70-79. Hoooooly crap. Really Scary. ATSF went a whole lot faster back in the day. I remember hearing about speeds around 100mph, then brought it down to 90 because the maintenance costs were just too much to keep up with. Some people have got to have some timetables.
Or one of Donald Steffee’s annual speed surveys in Trains, or even a World Almanac from 50 years ago, which always listed the fastest U.S. runs, point to point. (Sorry, I chucked all of mine.)
Everybody is down to 79MPH since ATS came out (Passenger & Freight)…and rarely were freight trains allowed above 60 anymore. The difference was in design speed where passenger trains were allowed the 3 inch (and at one point 3.50 inch) unbalance in the speed calculations. Freight trains were stuck with the 1.75 inch unbalance.
The limits of 90 MPH running between Ellinor and La Junta on the La Junta Sub has been shrinking rapidly. There is no more 90 MPH Running between Syracuse and La Junta, it’s all 79 MPH with freight dropped to 55. About 55 miles of that 102 miles used to be 90 per. Not anymore. Basically, there is no longer any 90MPH track left in CO (The ATS inductors between La Junta and Trinidad were supposed to be removed, but it appears some of the inductors are still out there where EMD and GE occasionally test under absolute block protection…There’s nothing out there except the Army tank range at Simpson/Pinion Canyon.)
Until the tonnage on that line comes up (most of it siphoned off by the ex-BN/CB&Q lines to the north), there’s no need to maintain to a higher standard.