Amtrak reports that today’s Cardinal arrived in Chicago 28 minutes early. How is that possible? Wouldn’t it have to wait at Dyer, Indiana until it is scheduled to depart and if so, how in the world can it roll into Chicago Union Station that early? Just curious
Not if reservations are required and no one is scheduled to board.
There may be that much slack in the schedule between Dyer and CUS. Check the running time between CUS and Dyer on the outbound side and you get an idea of something close to the time needed to make the run without delay. Otherwise, it is a miracle.
Amtrak usually pads its schedule between the next to last stop and the last stop, usually around 30 minutes in the east, and up to an hour and a half out west…
This topic sent me running for my latest Amtrak schedule. Sure enough the difference in The Dyer - Chicago running times between the inbound and the outbound Cardinals/Hoosier States is 25 minutes. So the Cardinal must have been on time in Dyer, IN, and it seems as if it got a straight shot getting into Chicago.
Closer to home. The Eastbound Capitol Limited requires 59 minutes to travel from Rockville, MD to Washington Union Station, but the Westbound Capitol Limited only requires 24 minutes to travel between the same two stations. However, there may not be as much schedule padding as the difference in travel times suggest if the Capitol has to go around the wye North of Washington Union Station and then back into Union Station.
The B&O trains from the West to Jersey City, or later to Baltimore, also backed into Union Station with longer running times from Silver Spring to Washington than from Washington to Silver Spring (the B&O’s long distance trains didn’t stop in Rockville in those days). The point is almost all railroads prior to Amtrak taking over the intercity passenger service had a time recovery allowance in their schedules, but in most cases it was only a few minutes.
Rudy
Rudy
I had spotted that padding sometime back and before Bob Johnston had said much about the subject in his Trains articles. I think I was looking at some schedule that had an hour for an 18 mile run on the last segment to the final destination. My reaction was “What??”
Actually, the last time I took the Capitol west, the consist ran backwards. They had not turned the train at Washington at least that day. I had gotten to WUS with a good amount of time to spare and first saw the train while getting a nickel tour of the train shed. The person showing me around would have known, but I didn’t ask if that was SOP. There were no express boxes for that trip, but I remember we did make a second stop at Toledo to get something off the Heritage Bagage Car.
I am hoping that my on my trip out Wednesday, the train will be in the standard configuration and that there will be no junk on the end. That way I figure I can get to the back of the last coach and look out the rear window. That is the next best thing to a round end observation/parlor car, (which, of course no longer exist on Amtrak), which is the next best thing to an open platform “office”, which is the next best thing to a ride on the point. I figure to have to settle for the least best thing.
Jay
…I ride my bicycle and walk now where the Cardinal used to ride…Ex. CSX, Muncie, In.
Tharmeni: Even the blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then! Just kidding. How are things in sunny Florida?
I do my shopping where the Cardinal used to run thru… Cheviot Yard
I left Cincinnati a long time ago and wonder when CSX abandoned the Cheviot Hill line and took down the trestles? Used to be quite a siight seeing trains going up that way.
Dale
Hey, Murphy Siding:
I’m in Baltimore on business tonight, and I’m taking Acela to NYP first thing in the morning. But I am told that it is hot and damp in dear ol’ Florida. I am back there on Sunday.
On final thought and it is sparked by Daveklepper’s post: If the Cardinal has no boarding passengers in Dyer, and no one leaving the train, does it even stop? Just curious - perhaps someone in that area can fill me in.
Tharmeni: I believe you are the envy of many of sitting in front of a computer tonight. Try to not let anything crack on that Acela.[:)]
Is it possible for Amtrak to not be late? Out here in Nebraska the trains are routinely 1-2 hrs late. Once i saw the eastbound Cal Zypher (sceduled arrival time in omaha between 5-6 AM) between Omaha and Lincoln at 10.
Sorry for the multiple replys. My little son just likes to press buttons when I am. Dale you asked when they pulled up the tracks? The last train that ran thru was around fall of 1978. That is when they started tearing up the trustle in the soon to be expanded Queensgate Yard. As for the the track and trusles, they where removed around 1984. I remember hearing of a maintenance truck falling off one of the trusles on Ceviot Hill. The tracks at Cheviot Yard where mostly taken up then also. I remember seeing some activity around there. as far as the tracks being removed from Fernald to Cheviot Yard I’d say somwhere around the mid 80’s. They were still doing some on line shipping on that sagment. I even remember some talk of giving the line to the city of Cincinnati for light rail. I to had lots of fun watching trains all along the line, mostly on the east side of Cheviot Yard. My cousin, according to my wife, is the one who got me hooked on trains at a young age. He was an engineer for C&O. Worked out of Cheviot Yard to Peru. He let me take cab rides to deliver to local industry. What fun for an 8 year old boy! Anyway I hope this info helps. Keep the memories, sometimes thats all we have left.
lots of fun watching trains all along the line, mostly on the east side of Cheviot Yard. My cousin, according to my wife, is the one who got me hooked on trains at a young age. He was an engineer for C&O. Worked out of Cheviot Yard to Peru. He let me take cab rides to deliver to local industry. What fun for an 8 year old boy! Anyway I hope this info helps. Keep the memories, sometimes thats all we have left.
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Thanks for the information, left Cincinnati in 1962 and actually never saw anything but C & O freight go up/down.
Did enjoy getting ice cream at United Dairy Farmers across the street from the yard. I suppose you know they also had multiple tracks down near the end of the Western Hills Viaduct. It was where Harrison Avenue and another street split. It was called Brighton Yard but it was really just two or three extra tracks. Never remember seeing much activity there as it was not very accessable to highway traffic.
Dale
Thanks for the information, left Cincinnati in 1962 and actually never saw anything but C & O freight go up/down.
Did enjoy getting ice cream at United Dairy Farmers across the street from the yard. I suppose you know they also had multiple tracks down near the end of the Western Hills Viaduct. It was where Harrison Avenue and another street split. It was called Brighton Yard but it was really just two or three extra tracks. Never remember seeing much activity there as it was not very accessable to highway traffic.
Dale
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Yes, I’ve heard of Brighten Yard, saw it in books that I have but I think by the time I started really watching the trains, I was 12. (1975), it was gone I’ve heard. I thought it was used as a yard for the removal of Bald Knob. Which they used for the fill for Union Terminal. I know there was a runaway track for the hill but thats about it. Don’t know for sure when it was pulled up. There are some books with some real good photography and info on the C&O of Indiana. I just wish I could find some video or DVD on it. Oh, by the way just like the C&O that United Dairy Farmers is gone.
Yes, I’ve heard of Brighten Yard, saw it in books that I have but I think by the time I started really watching the trains, I was 12. (1975), it was gone I’ve heard. I thought it was used as a yard for the removal of Bald Knob. Which they used for the fill for Union Terminal. I know there was a runaway track for the hill but thats about it. Don’t know for sure when it was pulled up. There are some books with some real good photography and info on the C&O of Indiana. I just wish I could find some video or DVD on it. Oh, by the way just like the C&O that United Dairy Farmers is gone.
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That would make sense, I went there many times when I lived on State Avenue but don’t recall much stuff being in the yard.
Saw your other post on the B&O Cincinnati-St Louis line and I don’t have any current information but can do a “down memory lane” sentence on it. Man