RAILforum: Southwest Chief Switching Cars Near Kansas City

This is topic Southwest Chief Switching Cars Near Kansas City in forum Amtrak at RAILforum.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.railforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/11/137.html

Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :

I recently rode the Southwest Chief from Flagstaff, Arizona to Chicago and back. Just west of Kansas City, the Southwest Chief switched some of its mail and/or express cars. Eastbound, this took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Westbound, this took 2 hours and 20 minutes. The train backed up and went forward several times, leading me to believe that it was not just dropping off some cars and picking up others, but that the train must have been shuffling several cars around.

It seems that Amtrak could use a switch engine to shuffle the cars around, so that the Southwest Chief would only have to stop for a short while to drop off one set of cars, then pick up another set. If Amtrak cannot use their own switch engine, why couldn’t they make a deal with one of the freight railroads in the area to rent one of their switch engines for a few hours each day.

If it is not feasible to regularly use a switch engine, then I have another idea. Heading eastbound, our train was five hours late and had been running about that late for most of the day. Amtrak had plenty of warning long before we got to Kansas City that we were late. It seems that when the Southwest Chief is running late, they could rent a switch engine for that train only. This would probably save the Southwest Chief at least an hour minimum.

I have read that, when the Southwest Chief is running a certain amount of time late, passengers connecting onto the Capitol Limited are taken off the train in Kansas City and flown on Southwest Airlines to Chicago to meet the Capitol Limited. This not only costs Amtrak money, but more importantly, creates a lot of angry customers. It seems to me that they could save some of this by renting a switch engine in Kansas City when the Southwest Chief is a predetermined amount of time late.

One thing that made me a little upset was that there was no announcement on the train at all to let us know what was happening. It was not until we asked Amtrak employees that we found out why we were there.

What are your opinions on this?

------------------
Elias Valley Railroad (N-scale)
www.geocities.com/evrr

Posted by jebradley (Member # 606) on :

Certainly sounds like mishandling by Amtrak! We rode Chicago-L.A. last Dec. and except for adding the express cars just after leaving Chicago station, there were no delays and no switching; but, the entire line rode very roughly; I had to await stops to enter/leave upper berth, and vases and bottles fell over in diner, apparently due to high speed; when slowing for stations, ride was much smoother. We came back via Sacramento and Seattle and ride was MUCH better, so it wasn't the cars! Amtrak is trying desperately to cut expenses and maybe the switch engine service is a casualty.
Jim Bradley Natl.Director Hawk Mtn. Chap.NRHS