After I saw this, I hit the Amtrak web, also. Could not find it either. So, I went to the Oct 2003 timetables, which I copied from the Amtrak web last fall. Checked back, the April 04 SW Chief shows the connecting train as being at the same time as in October 2003 TT for Chicago St. Louis Kansas City. That being the case, the times for the main points are:Southbound (read down)------------Northbound (read up)
--301----303-----Miles*-----City-------------304----306---
-7:50a---3:00p----0.5---St. Louis-----------1:35p---8:45p---
-8:19a---3:29p---13.4---Kirkwood----------12:53p---8:03p---
10:11a---5:22p--125.5---Jefferson City-----10:58a---6:08p---
10:14a*--5:44p*-140.2---Centertown*-----10:14a*--5:44p*
11:21a---6:33p--188.9---Sedalia------------9:44a---4:54p
12:55p---8:06p--273.2---Independence------8:14a---3:24p
-1:30p---8:40p--283.0---Kansas City--------7:55a---3:05p
*Information not from the Amtrak timetable is from a 1996 UP employee’s timetable. Centertown is the siding that works out as the meeting point. Time shown is my estimate. The siding actually extends from mileposts 140.2 to 141.9. St. Louis to River Jct. at MP 128.0 is double track except for two short sections that have large bridges. Beyond that, sidings are scarce. Centertown is the first siding beyond River Jct. and the next siding is at milepost 165.
This does not include all stops. I left out Washington, Hermann, Warrensburg, Lees Summit.
I did a little study of this line for my own curiosity a couple of years ago. Still in the computer. The maximum speed limit is 75 mph east of Jefferson City and 70 mph west of it. There are so many restrictions to lower speeds that raising the speed limit to 79 mph would probably save less than 10 minutes. If any serious reduction in time is to be achieved, speeds in the terminal areas must be increased, which might not be excessively expensive; and a lot of the intermediate speed restrictions removed, and that will be expensive.
The siding gap shows the problem with a single track line with widely spaced sidings. Even without freight interference, if either train is late at the meeting point, the amount of time late then exists for both trains after the meeting point, or if the meeting point is changed to allow the on-time train to continue, the late train then becomes late by at least twice the running time between the location of the on-time meeting point and the actual meeting point. For a move of meet point to the next siding west, that would be about one hour. Improved reliability will require additional sidings west of Jefferson City.
[This message has been edited by George Harris (edited 08-17-2004).]
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