This is topic Watching Amtrak with GPS in forum Amtrak at RAILforum.


To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.railforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/11/7672.html

Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
 
I blatantly stole this discovery from trainorders.com, but did you know on Amtrak's site you can watch each train on a map.

http://www.amtrak.com/train-routes

Click on the "Train Tracking Map" box at the top and up pops a US map with the familiar GPS symbol showing where each train is. Then click on that symbol and you get a closeup map of the train's location. Click on the train and you actually get the speed and ontime status of the train.

So right now I see an eastbound Empire Builder raoring through Royalton, MN at 76 mph, heading toward St. Cloud 2 hrs and 40 min late.

Now if I can figure out how to make it interactive, I will speed up the train a little and head to the diner for breakfast.

And the Google Map toggles to satellite view to see the terrain. Now I am watching the eastbound Zephyr passing Aspen Mountain southeast of Evanston, Wyoming at 21 mph on the Overland detour.
 
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 
Doesn't look like I can make this work from my office....... but many cool things like Youtube and Facebook are firewalled to 'protect our kids'.

Perhaps from home this evening I'll give this a whirl. I don't need to be tracking trains at work anyway!
 
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
 
Thanks for the link, TSR. Right now, #5 is rattling along at 34 mph somewhere past Denver, while #6 is "off the rails" (figuratively) in Wyoming.
 
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
 
If it doesn't work for you, try a different browser. It would not work with Google Chrome on my Mac but worked fine with Safari.
 
Posted by daniel3197 (Member # 27) on :
 
The live URL link again for Easy Navigation to AMTRAK :
www.amtrak.com

This very COOL and AMAZING new Amtrak LIVE GPS Tracking feature works very well for me as I post this. I have SUCCESSFULLY used this feature in the latest version of the following browsers : Google Chrome, Firefox , and, Slimbrowser.
Slimbrowser does seem to navigate the Map a Lot slower than my other browsers but it does work albeit slowly.
By the way this new info IS Updated at least every 5 minutes and DOES SHOW DETOURING trains -- OFF their regular routes .
The Wyoming detour of the Amtrak California Zephyr shows updated locations at least every 5 Minutes if not more often.

--- Daniel
 


Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classic™ 6.7.2