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My wife and I traveled over 7000 Amtrak miles in Dec. 2000, Harrisburg, PA to Chicago, L. A., Sacramento via Valley, Seattle, Chicago, Washington to Phila. to return home. NS ex-Conrail gave us a very smooth ride to Pittsburgh, CSX satisfactory to Chicago, BUT #3 was rough riding all the way to L.A. Two separate days, vases fell over in diner; about 20 miles east of Gallup, NM, a sauce bottle shot off a table and smashed against opposite table; it was difficult to navigate cars and I had to wait for stops to enter or leave the upper berth (incidentally, intending passengers should be warned that they need a certain amount of physical ability to get into same, as the "ladder" steps are inadequate and handholds non-existant! I had to hold onto the curtains to enter/exit the upper). We thought maybe individual cars were to blame, or high speed, but 3 or 4 cars rode equally badly. Coming back Seattle-Chicago on #8, ride was glass smooth to Fargo, ND, and passable rest of way (good on ex-MILW line which had several references in TRAINS over the years as rough-riding). Only good ride on AT&SF was when train slowed to stop and when speed was reduced in NM due to many curves. Has anyone else experienced this unsafe condition?
------------------ jebradley
Posts: 57 | From: Allentown, PA, USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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I also had a rough ride on the Chief. About 2 years ago when I was in the diner near the NM-AZ border, there was a huge jolt that seemed to shift the entire car sideways. It felt like a hard landing in an airplane. I think the cause was bad track and high speed.
Posts: 9 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Does the Chief still run 90 m.p.h. over some portions of this route? I doubt this could fully account for the rough ride, but bad track and high speed are a poor combination.
Posts: 72 | From: Tennessee | Registered: Feb 2001
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Thanks for the comments - yes, we too experienced the "terrific jolt" east of Gallup; I thought the car would overturn; that was when the sauce smashed up; took waitress and a passenger several minutes on the floor to clean up. We started noticing roughness at the overpasses leaving Chicago and it never improved, not even in the L.A. suburbs! Also cars lurched around curves, even at lower speeds; felt like bad joints in the old sectioned rail but am sure all mainlines are welded rail now. It would seem Amtrak's only alternative would be to slow trains down as freight roads won't pay for more surfacing and lining as long as they don't dump $5 million worth of their diesels in the ditch. I remember riding the Burlington's Denver Zephyr in 1966 eastbound and it too was rough riding in western Nebraska especially. A 1988 trip to the West Coast exhibited much better riding qualities (out via SP, return via San Fran. Zephyr) as did a 1994 trip to Tucson, AZ (via old MoPAC-SP). Most of the Eastern roads were good by comparison (esp. DL&W, C&O).
Posts: 57 | From: Allentown, PA, USA | Registered: Mar 2001
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The Southwest Chief is one of the few intercity trains that is allowed 90mph operation in some areas. And east of Gallup is one of these districts, in fact the Chief travels 90mph for about 65 miles east of Gallup. I bet the problem is too much speed on non welded rail track. I have experienced extra rough track also near Barstow Ca, where there are spots without continueous welded rail. The fastest and smoothest part of the entire Chief run has to be right out of Williams Junction (on #3) on the famous Crookton cutoff. This part of the line was constructed in the early 60's as a bypass of a much longer and twisty route through the northern Arizona mountains. The Crookton cutoff features extra wide super elevated curves and continueous welded rail. As a result the ride is super smooth at 90mph and I can't recall a trip where I had dificulty falling asleep on this segment of the line. It is also a struggle to wake up on #4 in the morning when you are on the smoothest part of the line.
Posts: 9 | Registered: Feb 2001
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Much of the route of the Southwest Chief is now not on the main line. When Burlington & Santa Fe merged the main line frieght route was moved from the route of the Chief. Less traffic means less maintenance & a rougher ride. Reggie
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