I am going insane trying to find out train information on Union Pacific’s Sunset route between El Paso and Los Angelas.
Can anybody tell me where I can find a list of UP train movements on that line?
Thankyou for any information you can give me.
Thats not something railroads like to let out. Good luck.
I found stuff on NS and CSX (CSX Bullsheet) no problem but nothing on UP.
Unless you get a hold of a timetable, I have no clue where else…call the Harriman Dispatching Center I guess!!! [:D]
The best you may be able to do is to find out how many trains pass certain ponts on the Sunset Route between El Paso and Los Angeles each way each day. First of all, as pointed out in another topic about trains passing through San Marcos, TX , (I think) freight trains don’t necessarily run on a set schedule although the railroads do try to adhere to a schedule for intermodal trains, but even those can run earl or late.
The only train whose El Paso - Los Angeles schedule might be known is Amtrak’s Sunset Limited although that train can be seriously late.
UP Train suggest trying to call the Harriman Center; I doubt if you could get through, and even if you could get through to a dispatcher, as eric sp suggested, I doubt if the dispatcher would be allowed to give you that informatioin in this age of security concerns.
I have a couple of SP timetables. That is not an accurate name. Timetables have very little information as to what trains are operating. They things such as “Train KCVAA is restricted to a maximum speed of 50MPH.” It does not tell anything else about it. They also list Amtrak trains, but that is all Southern Pacific’s timetables told about trains.
Andrew,
UP does not run a scheduled railroad.
About the only thing you can count on running on a set schedule is Amtrak,(well, their supposed to) and some coal deliveries, and intermodel.
Everything else is run depending on where the train originates, and terminates, what type of train, how long, and how “hot” the cars are.
We build a SLA(South LA) train here at the PTRA daily, and it leaves no later than 9:00 pm, every day, the cars are “hot” mostly tanks, bound for the refineries outside of LA.
We also build a general freight, and it leaves when ever they get around to picking it up, which may not be for days.
It works it’s way across the system on no given schedule, the dispatchers may stab it in a sideing for a day, if its in the way of a hot train.
It dinks along, yard to yard to yard, making set outs and pick ups as needed, because nothing in it is time sensitive.
Keep in mind, tomorrow we may only have twenty general freights for them, so they dont bother to send a crew and locomotives over for only twenty, but day after tomorrow, we might have another 100 plus the 20 cars for them, that, they will send a crew after.
If, on the other hand, we have twenty cars for them, and six of the cars are “hot”, they might call over and ask us to tag it on the end of the SLA, or set it up so the SLA crew can double over to them and take them along that night.
It takes a really seasoned dispatcher to keep it all fluid.
When they get to work, their corridor manager has a turnover list of what absolutly has to go, what should go, if you can, what might go, if time permits, and what can stay put till next shift.
Ed
Right now, grain trains are given top priority over just about everything but coal and intermodel.
They are three and four deep waiting to get in here.
I think the only “practical” solution would be some mix of traincams and recording software. Don’t know offhand of any cams watching the Sunset Route, but would be surprised to find there isn’t at least one covering the track mileage you’re interested in.
What kind of information are you interested in, if not the kind of information you could derive from camera images?
I’m trying to figure out roughly how many trains go on that route a day and how many of them are intermodal.
In addition to what Ed just said - I checked the yards and surrounding “holding areas” and we were a little short on incoming and outgoing. The hurricane has disrupted some of that to the point, I can see a difference. There were still trains thru here, but I have gotten used to the normal pattern of trains and it is definitely disrupted.
Mook
Even though “Bullsheet” lists CSX “schedules,” you must understand that those are more like suggestions. Setting your watch to them will guarantee you’ll never be anyplace on time again. I’ve found that the terminal departure times are more like call times for the crews, meaning that they might leave “on time” several hours later, depending on how much work had to be done before they got underway.
It’s also my understanding that the creator of the website has retired and that the “schedules” are starting to get out of synch with reality.
TRAINS has done several stories lately (especially in “Map of the Month”) regarding traffic density. That may help your cause.
At 4:00 p.m. yesterday, at Yuma, Arizona, this line was projected to see, during the next 36 hours:
Intermodal trains: 21 westbound, 29 eastbound
Manifest freights: 9 westbound, 17 eastbound
Auto trains: 2 each, westbound and eastbound.
One “special” train westbound.
One grain train westbound.
Total, 82 freights in 36 hours, or over two an hour.
Don’t know how frequency and direction change throughout the week.
The UP is very tight about giving out any information. They like to do it only if they think there is a good business reason. If there is a good business reason the amount of infromation available to download will dim your lights.