Hey guys, it's been awhile but my trip down in June was great!!!My daughter and I both loved it! Never disappointed on the train!!!We sat in coach and happened to get a car that had outlets at every seat!!! When it was too dark to look out the windows we just plugged in and watched dvd's till the wee hours! it was super! I hope on the return trip we get lucky again!! But I have a question... I just got a call from Amtrak and on Aug 20th (our return trip date) and the train will be leaving Sacramento an hour late... my cell phone cut off right when I asked why... typical!!! Any guessess guy's??? I know somebody out there knows why! Thanx!
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
The Starlight's timekeeping has been on the order of 7-9 hours late in recent weeks. As I understand it most of the time is lost between Dunsmuir and Chemult, where UP is doing a lot of track work. So northbound #14 does OK south of there, while southbound #11 does OK north of there, but once through the construction zone its anybody's guess when the train will actually arrive.
There was a recent change to the published schedule, with #14 now being scheduled about an hour earlier, not later.
Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
#14 is now departing from Los Angeles at 10:15AM again and upon arival into Klamath Falls, it will HOLD for a few hours (if it were on time) to wait for track crews. Then it will proceed north...
Does anyone know how that bulletin affects the southbound train?
Posted by rachsewell (Member # 4339) on :
Thanx for the info... It does not bother me to be late. I just like to be a little informed that's all! As long as i don't get stuck on a bus who cares! Thanx again!
Posted by daniel3197 (Member # 27) on :
Too bad Amtrak CAN'T run another run similar to this TOTALLY AWESOME TEHACHAPI DETOUR of October 23 2005. It is so SHOCKING that current time performance has tanked so badly in less than ONE YEAR. I am so very very fortunate to have been able to take that trip. It sure helped to have former Amtrak PRESIDENT David Gunn and Amtrak biz car "Beach Grove" aboard this train. This train was and will be perhaps the ONLY REVENUE PASSENGER TRAIN IN HISTORY to roll PAST FRESNO NON-STOP!!! This was possible because of a last-minute trackwork project in Santa Clara CA COMBINED with then Amtrak President David Gunns ADVANCE PLANNED trip aboard this very train to Los Angeles CA. My mom wrote a travelogue about this totally AMAZING trip here: http://www.trainweb.com/travelogues/margaret/mm05j23a.html
Here is a rather rough log of the Time Performance of our detoured Thachapi Loop Coast Starlight train 11 of sunday October 23rd in California. These times are taken from my watch which runs about 5 minutes ahead of the real, actual time. (EDIT: I adjusted the Sacramento times back 5 minutes in my written log as I did not start my direct "clock to paper" log until stockton. The Sacramento and ELvas times on here should be the real and actual times.) A big THANK YOU to everyone at Amtrak and the freight railroads for making this special trip possible! --- Daniel
TIMES TEHACHAPI DETOUR Amtrak 11 of 10-23-05 in CA
725am SAC --DEPART = reverse SHOVE to Elvas Tower (train stopped on American River Bridge) 740am ELVAS sac dp FOREWARD to Bakersfield (1st stop made) operated via UP Fresno Sub and Lodi
Dan watch times + 5 min from Stockton: 845am STOCKTON ACE depot tower approach 850am Stockton on BNSF OFFICIAL radioed to Stockton sub DS 906am ESCALON Escalon 910am RIVERBANK 915am Modesto Amtrak 916am EMPIRE 924am DENAIR 935am WINTON 937am CASTLE AIR 941am MERCED 950a PLANADA 955 LA GRAND IN SDG down to 5mph 1001a E LA GRAND 1010a E SHARON 1024am Figarden 1034am mp 1000 1038am FRESNO **NO STOP ** ROLLED past Amtrak Depot at 45 mph - ONLY REVENUE PAX train to ROLL THRU Fresno NON-STOP??? 1043am CALWA depot 1044am Calwa DIAMONDS SP XING 1049am Bowles 1103am Shirley 1107am Hanford 1111am Guernsey 1119am Highway 43 swings alongside 1122am CORCORAN –Meet at 45mph Amcal San Joaquin Train 1123am E Corcoran 1132am Alpaugh –24 hours after OLW cam 1140am ALLENSWORTH 1146am SANDRINI 1150am ELMO 1155am WASCO enter 1159am Shafter 1214pm Bakersfield ar BNSF yard - arrive rolling by west yd 1226pm Bakersfield depart BNSF yard 1231pm Bakersfield AMTRAK DEPOT passing 1237pm KERN JUNCTION 1243pm by UP detector 318.8 --56 axles at 58mph 1249pm Sandcut 105pm Caliente 108pm milepost 337 430pm eta for Lancaster given to UP DS 54 on radio 114pm Bealville X Over 121pm W Cliff -- INTO SIDING here and SLOWLY 5mph
133pm E Cliff 142pm by mp 344 149pm by DETECTOR 347.0 150pm West Woodford 156pm East Woodford siding 158pm T LOOP far West curve Road enter LOOP Amtrak 11 on INSIDE track 201pm EAST T LOOP Walong 203pm T CAM BURTON CURVE 205pm West MARCEL 208pm East MARCEL 213pm milepost 356 west Cable 216pm 357.5 223pm Tehachapi Downtown 225pm SUMMIT -Highway 58 OVERPASS 227pm 363 DETECTOR trk 1 no defects 56 axles 70 MPH 228pm Cement plant Monolith 231pm 368 milepost 234pm Cameron (up hooded signals) 243pm at milepost 375 Pilot engineer planned to be dropped at Vincent (Soledad Canyon) 245pm 377 detector track 1 no defects-- 58 axles-- 34 MPH 250pm MOJAVE downtown 253pm milepost 381
303pm West ANSEL 305pm East ANSEL
306pm DS 54 says we will MEET frt at Denis siding 309pm --396.1 detector at 65 mph 312pm west OBAN 313pm east OBAN 316pm Lancaster 317pm ENTER SIDE by SIDE Metrolink at Lancaster 324pm West DENIS 328pm East DENIS –Air Plant east side of tracks 331pm – 412.0 UP Detector no defects 56 axles 23 MPH 334pm PALMDALE Metrolink depot 336pm PALMDALE JUNCTION - PALJCT ENTER METROLINK at CP HAROLD
431pm CP PORTAL–North Tunnel 434pm --South Tunnel 453pm DETECTOR 7.8 -track 2 FREIGHT MEET 49mph (South Burbank) DETECTOR 7.8 TRACK 1 AMTRAK train 11 at 18mph 454pm GLENDALE DEPOT –PASSING 457pm CP ORMISTON ON EAST BANK LINE F40 diesels seen in Amtrak paint (3) 300, 256, 338 at Metrolink shops 504pm LAUPT TERMINAL TOWER 505pm LAUPT on platform at track 12. END WONDERFUL TRIP at Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal ============
--- Daniel
Posted by delvyrails (Member # 4205) on :
Going back to the original question, perhaps it is time for a general rescheduling of Amtrak's LD network to stretch connecting times. Connecting passengers generate revenue far out of proportion to their numbers, and their continued patronage is increasingly in jeopardy.
Try this exercise: draw a map of the network and insert the schedule times at various connecting points. Bear in mind the normal two-hour connecting minimum. Then consider the trains that now reach their desinations consistently two, four, and six hours late.
Chicago seems to be almost the only point where, practically speaking, there are still more connections possible than non-connections. At New York, the Toronto and Montreal connections require overnight stay, and so on. New Orleans flunks completely.