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Fortunately I was not on #49 when it hit a deer near Syracuse on Monday (10/10) night and damaged the engine. I understand there was a temporary repair, a slow limp into Syracuse, a 5-hour wait for a new engine and crew and a VERY late arrival into Chicago on Tuesday evening.
I just returned from my semi-annual trip to see the grandchildren on 48/49. I have never been on 48 (Lake Shore Limited) when it was less than 4 hours late to my destination, and that record still stands. In spite of a to-the-minute departure from Chicago on Oct 4, I awoke at 7:30 to find Cleveland, instead of the expected Buffalo. The Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago has been expanded and updated, and the staff was even cheerful and polite! We boarded the train at 7 PM, went immediately to the diner for our evening meal, and glided out into the night at 7:55 PM on the dot. All downhill from there. . . .
Today's (10/12 arrival) return was just late enough to miss my Hiawatha connection, but I munched on goldfish crackers in the lounge while I waited & have arrived home. For something new, I switched to room H (accessible bedroom) and found it superior to any other viewliner accommodation - plenty of room in the bathroom and a wide comfy bed. Almost makes having a bad knee worthwhile. Now if they could do something about the rotton track that threatens to throw you on the floor at every turn.
MontanaJim Member # 2323
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why is the lakeshore late so often?
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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My thought is that the Lake Shore is routed over one of the busiest railroads in the country. This is the primary routing for movement of container traffic to and from the Port of New York - and it is only going to get busier.
Further, because of the Conrail carve up, the Lake Shore is now interchanged at Cleveland between the Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation. Why the master minds saw fit to break up a route that had been run by one carrier for the past 150 years escapes me. That interchange can only add to the potential for delays.
Lastly, there are the reasons that have always been part of railroading; an example being the "ouchie' for Bambi, who I'm sure has parted for a better life. Also consider that Amtrak operates a fleet of locomotives designed solely for passenger service on which it would be unreasonable to expect host railroad mechanical employees to be qualified to make en route repairs. Often the "how to fix it' is on the other end of a telephone.
But the reason that often floats around railfan message boards that I believe is total "bunk' is that the railroads are intentionally delaying (as distinct from prioritizing) Amtrak trains in the hope that Amtrak will simply discontinue them.
sojourner Member # 3134
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I heard there was a CSX freight derailment in Amsterdam, NY today. I imagine that delayed things some as well!
Deer overpopulation is a terrible problem in upstate NY. Although the deer don't usually cause train mishaps, they do contribute to lots of car accidents--not to mention the spread of Lyme disease. .
George Harris Member # 2077
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Seems strange that a deer could do that kind of damage to an engine. Surprised that hitting a deer could even result in the need for a train to stop.
jgart56 Member # 3968
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I agree with Mr. Norman,
CSX runs an incredible amount of freight traffic on it's former Conrail lines and those pesky passenger trains get short shrift.
As to the trackwork...CSX seems to be notorious for doing the minimal amount of work to keep the track in good enough shape to keep things moving. I recall that the FRA chastised them a few years back for their lack of MOW.
Grandma Judy Member # 3278
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I, too, was surpised that a deer could damage an engine enough to cause such a delay. When I saw how late the train was, I checked the Amtrak section at trainorders.com and that's where I got the information that it was a deer. Something about a pipe. . . That must have been some kind of trophy animal, although now I am sure he wouldn't make a very good mounted trophy. This time of year, a deer's mind is on female deer and not on trains. We were actually driving west on the Thruway Monday night along the LSL woute and saw a herd of 5-6 deer right on the edge of the road near Utica. As to why the LSL is always late, it seems to be much worse eastbound. The westbound trains I've been on arrive in Chicago usually only an hour or so late. The most delays seem to come early in the trip in Indiana & western Ohio. The Empire Service trains running from Buffalo to NYC are better timekeepers. A couple of those extrememly late trips were in winter when icing of equipment caused delays in departing Chicago. Bad weather seems to bump the delay from 3-4 hours to 6-7 hours between Chicago and Rochester, my usual destination.
espeefoamer Member # 2815
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I'll bet the Bambiburgers and venison steaks in the diner that night were delicious .
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