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Re: You get it.... Of course, because you've actually done it... So you actually know.....
Author: BOB2
Date: 01-16-2024 - 17:17
In case you haven't noticed..... Wrote:
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> BOB2 hit the nail on the head. Amtrak and the
> carriers have eliminated most of the "in the
> field" positions to the point where there is no
> support once you leave a terminal area like
> Chicago. There is no help out there should a
> train become mired down in the snow or a
> locomotive fail. Sadly, the Chargers are not
> reliable and the P42s have millions of miles on
> them. While it is a sad commentary on the rail
> industry, there are some realities that must be
> considered. Imagine the tragedy of a train load
> of passenger and crew perishing in the extreme
> weather that is currently embracing so much of the
> country. At least Amtrak is cognizant that they
> cannot afford to endanger human life with a
> situation that is deadly.
>
> I worked for Amtrak for thirty-nine years and it
> pains me to see what is happening but when I
> retired over a decade ago, you could see the
> trends in the industry that have lead to this
> situation. And many of those years were in
> Chicago and the Midwest and those included the
> terrible winters of 1976-77 and 1977-78. Society
> and the country have changed and generally not for
> the better. Most of you probably don't remember
> the Floridian stuck in the snow at Bainbridge, IN,
> in early 1978 on the old Monon. Snowmobiles and
> five light units that were dispatched to
> (unsuccessfully) pull the snow-bound train were
> eventually used to ferry the stranded passengers
> to safety, a few at a time. It could ended much
> differently.....
Real rails who have done this for a while, like you, understand these changes and understand why these things have to be done this way because that is the real world today, like it or not (with a lot of "not" for me too, not that it matters much....).
I remember going across Indiana in the winter of 1977 on the National Limited (aka National Disgrace...), past one broke rail after another at restricted speed, for hours, in a coach where the steam heating line had frozen, and it was about 20 degrees inside the car the car. Carman broke up the ice on the steam line and restored steam pressure in Saint Louis... Was I ever glad when I got on the Santa Fe Bilevels in KC for the rest of the trip home to CA.
Trolls just got to troll, and whiners will always find something to whine about, and let all of the cruel pesky facts of this complicated world, the tough choices that are involves, and the safety of others, be damned...
-------------------------------------------------------
> BOB2 hit the nail on the head. Amtrak and the
> carriers have eliminated most of the "in the
> field" positions to the point where there is no
> support once you leave a terminal area like
> Chicago. There is no help out there should a
> train become mired down in the snow or a
> locomotive fail. Sadly, the Chargers are not
> reliable and the P42s have millions of miles on
> them. While it is a sad commentary on the rail
> industry, there are some realities that must be
> considered. Imagine the tragedy of a train load
> of passenger and crew perishing in the extreme
> weather that is currently embracing so much of the
> country. At least Amtrak is cognizant that they
> cannot afford to endanger human life with a
> situation that is deadly.
>
> I worked for Amtrak for thirty-nine years and it
> pains me to see what is happening but when I
> retired over a decade ago, you could see the
> trends in the industry that have lead to this
> situation. And many of those years were in
> Chicago and the Midwest and those included the
> terrible winters of 1976-77 and 1977-78. Society
> and the country have changed and generally not for
> the better. Most of you probably don't remember
> the Floridian stuck in the snow at Bainbridge, IN,
> in early 1978 on the old Monon. Snowmobiles and
> five light units that were dispatched to
> (unsuccessfully) pull the snow-bound train were
> eventually used to ferry the stranded passengers
> to safety, a few at a time. It could ended much
> differently.....
Real rails who have done this for a while, like you, understand these changes and understand why these things have to be done this way because that is the real world today, like it or not (with a lot of "not" for me too, not that it matters much....).
I remember going across Indiana in the winter of 1977 on the National Limited (aka National Disgrace...), past one broke rail after another at restricted speed, for hours, in a coach where the steam heating line had frozen, and it was about 20 degrees inside the car the car. Carman broke up the ice on the steam line and restored steam pressure in Saint Louis... Was I ever glad when I got on the Santa Fe Bilevels in KC for the rest of the trip home to CA.
Trolls just got to troll, and whiners will always find something to whine about, and let all of the cruel pesky facts of this complicated world, the tough choices that are involves, and the safety of others, be damned...
