My frustration with Mr Zephyr was considering the moment that our manager was ill enough to leave the field and head to Mayo Clinic-Arizona. Had our manager been well, I'd have been asking which AA Team did Mr Zephyr wish to talk about, the Royals or the T-Bones.
The issue of increased time from Independence back into KC is the issue of joining the inbound traffic queue to Neff Yard and then negotiating from the UP tracks to the KCT tracks for the run into Union Station.
Additionally, the run from KC to Independence is "rather full" of coal trains ... if you expect timeliness, well, better you than me.
Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
| IP: Logged |
posted
PullmanCo, your "frustration" is a good example of how the very same remark can cause totally different reactions at different times and in different contexts. Bad timing on my part.
Speaking of the minor leagues, I wish I would have caught you at a better time. I would liked to have bantered a little T-Bone with you. I did catch an American Association game in St. Joseph (the Blacksnakes). I'm to the point where I enjoy minor league games as much or more than "The Bigs."
Now about that increased travel time from Independence to KC (vs. vice versa). Mean to tell me it isn't a west wind thing in your area?
I checked out the east end of the Kansas City to St. Louis run. Found the same phenomena. Kirwood to St. Loo takes 42 minutes, and vice versa takes 29 minutes. Is there a strong east wind that blows continuously in eastern Missouri?
I spot-checked one more. CZ Naperville to Chicago takes 1 hr 33 minutes. CZ from Chicago whizzes into Naperville in 34 minutes. Again, a wind thing? Or local time zone changes I'm missing? Or are the engines just more rested and refreshed at the start of the trip, and therefore faster?
Or is it...... padding?Posts: 445 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Sometimes it does take more time into the last stop if the train has to go through a wye and back in. For this add 10 to 15 minutes to the straight out time. There may need to be an extra 5 minutes or so if there are hand throw switches involved that would already be set for the outbound. But, usually this extra time into the terminal station is simply padding in the schedule. It varies with the train, length of run, and normal timliness of the schedule. About 5 to 10 minutes is really not padding at all, but allowing for glitches that would not happen to the departing train. 15 to 20 minutes is fairly normal for a medium distance run. It was seldom more than 15 to 30 minutes when the railroads themselves were running the trains. Most of teh long distance trains seem to have over 30 minutes up to an hour of padding. A few are rediculously more. I think that at one time the Sunset had near 2 hours of padding into Los Angeles.
George
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
A reveiw of timetables (hey, ya' got somethun' better to do?) also shows variations in train velocities mid-route. Especially between podunk oh-dark-thirty stops (I call it the "slop zone" on the schedules).
Take Chico, CA (considered by many as the Amtrak stop with the very best station-side entertainment thanks to all the college kids who wander by after "closing time").
From Sacramento to Chico, the NB CS (14) takes 1'56" (scheduled CIC ETA 1:55 a.m., the "closing time" per Calif liquor laws is 2:00 a.m., ergo the entertainment). SB CS (11) to SAC slows down, taking 2'25" (30 minutes longer) per timetable.
It seems the published timetable ETA's in the "slop zone" are, let's say, optimistic. In best case scenarios, the Coast Starlight can arrive on time in Chico (to board/detrain a very small number of passengers). About as often as pigs fly, but it can theoretically arrive as advertised. It's like: there's a remote possibility we'll be there at X:XX a.m., so you better be there then (but call Julie for an update).
Now, if you were a timetable author, you'd probably do the same thing. You would publish the most "optimistic" ETA for Chico and like towns. An early arrival would be "unacceptable." It would require the Starlight to linger (bad manners to leave earlier than advertised) in Chico and cause delays in getting to "there" (Sacramento and other "important" stops). Besides, you're tying up the main (no siding at CIC). And the train is a nuisance to the locals as it blocks downtown streets during it's stop (to say nothing of hindering the progress of the students staggering back to the dorms). You'd want to get 'em off, get 'em on, and get. No holdun' for "runners" in Chico. The priority for 11 is SAC, where we're talking bigger crowds, service stop, connections, and toilet repairs.
If it wasn't for some silly safety considerations, I suspect Amtrak would prefer to keep the wheels rolling through Chico and other small towns in the "slop zones." Just throw the passengers off (say, into a thickly padded area) and snag a sack of boarders hanging from an old mail hook (like a variation of the bygone RPO days). But they stop. Almost never at the time advertised. And not for long. But they stop, and I'm so glad they do.
Posts: 445 | Registered: May 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
I speak for many Minnesotans when I say thou shalt never speak ill of the Kansas City Royals again.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Liberty I visited Baltimore this summer and was very impressed with how Baltimore treats its train stations your Penn Station, Mt Royal Camden Station and the B&O Museum. While the Late Great Pennsylvania Station is buried its death did inspire the protection of other magnificient structures. TwinStar I am glad Minneapolis-St Paul saved the stations but won't shed a tear on the demise of the Humphery Dome, hey will the Vikings return to outdoor football?
Posts: 516 | From: New Haven, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
We in NY see that Kenny Rogers is in prime playoff performance, nice job in relief sunday.
Posts: 516 | From: New Haven, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by zephyr: From Sacramento to Chico, the NB CS (14) takes 1'56" (scheduled CIC ETA 1:55 a.m., the "closing time" per Calif liquor laws is 2:00 a.m., ergo the entertainment). SB CS (11) to SAC slows down, taking 2'25" (30 minutes longer) per timetable.
It seems the published timetable ETA's in the "slop zone" are, let's say, optimistic. In best case scenarios, the Coast Starlight can arrive on time in Chico (to board/detrain a very small number of passengers). About as often as pigs fly, but it can theoretically arrive as advertised. It's like: there's a remote possibility we'll be there at X:XX a.m., so you better be there then (but call Julie for an update).
This actually appears reasonable. First: the time between a major point and the first station beyond it is quite frequently scheduled right at minimum run time, which appears to be the case here. Second: the only time given for Sacramento is a leaving time, but the southbound schedule probably includes some dwell time. Then, since this is the last segment into a major stop, it probably includes some slack. The distance is only 84 miles, so even on a 70 mph limit railroad with quite a few permanent speed restrictions, the 1h 56m northbound time, an average of 43.4 mph, is not exactly light speed.
George
Posts: 2808 | From: Olive Branch MS | Registered: Nov 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Tanner: Vikings still lobbying legislature for their new stadium, all current proposals far from downtown. Twins new stadium downtown will have light rail extension, and is situated on the old route of the Empire Builder when it ran on Great Northern tracks through Wilmar instead of St. Cloud. It will also be at southern end of commuter rail to St. Cloud.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
Well TwinStarRocket both favorites went down hard. feel good story baseball is the Tigers the Auto Industry is falling again but they have the Tigers...Like old Tiger (Briggs) Stadium the Michigan Central Depot is still standing in its glorious ruin perhaps some day it will be the priciest most sought after condo address in Detroit.
Posts: 516 | From: New Haven, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
