This morning, Sat 4/24/10, NJT cancelled #6914 which depart Dover, NJ at 8:07AM and arrives New York’s Penn Station at 9:48AM. Thus also cancelled is #6919 the 10:12AM NYP departure to Dover. Since Dover is a major yard with all those trains layed up for the weekend, why couldn’t another trainset be utilized if even only for the one round trip? I don’t understand the logistics, the equipment utilization, the thinking, the lack of attempt to provide service. Is there a real reason other equipment couldn’t be used or was somebody really asleep at the switches this morning?
Was a reason provided for the cancellation? It may not be equipment-related.
One possibility is a problem finding a replacement crew in time if a member of the regularly assigned one had to book sick at short notice. A second possibility is a minor yard derailment on a critical throat. It may only take an hour or so to get an axle rerailed, but meanwhile nothing can escape. Those are just two that immediately come to mind. As all railroaders know, even if it isn’t written out in the rule book Murphy’s Law is always in force.
I believe they called equipment problems as the reason…but yes, short an engineer or crewman could do it,too, as well as and minor derailment…though the latter is probably the least likely reason or problem…there is a back way out of the yard. No cancellations or delays listed for the 12:09 or 1:09 departures from Dover, so they have to be back “on” track so to speak.