Amtrak Train Stuck for 5 Hours

[N2NH]

An Amtrak train got stuck because of snow or was it mechanical failure?


An Amtrak train with 190 passengers was stuck for five hours, with no power, south of Rhinecliff.

The Maple Leaf left New York Penn Station at 7:15 a.m. Friday en route to Toronto.

The train experienced a "mechanical failure" at about 9:30 a.m. south of Rhinecliff.

It possibly got stuck in the snow, with no lights or heat. "I can't tell you what happened. There was water in the locomotive. There was obviously two feet of snow on each side of the train, we were traveling up the Hudson we were the first train of the day to come up this route. all of a sudden we ground to a halt, slightly south of Rhinecliff. And we sat and we sat. and the conductor was apologetic, they were checking to see what was happening. There was a lot of snow, a lot of water. And for the next five hours we sat," said Barbara Graustark, a passenger.

Amtrak sent a "rescue locomotive" to link up with the stranded train and take it to Toronto.

The train finally started rolling again around 3 p.m.

This is relatively close by and I know that the snow was really bad up here. We had white-out conditions for about 10 hours. This means that Empire Service was probably cancelled until the track was cleared.

Source WABC-TV: Amtrak train stuck for 5 hours. (http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/northern_suburbs&id=9432695)

[NQ6U]

This sort of thing has happened before (http://cprr.org/Museum/Stranded_Streamliner_1952/).

http://cprr.org/Museum/Stranded_Streamliner_1952/images/I_ACCEPT_the_User_Agreement/stranded_streamliner.jpg

[kb2vxa]

Five hours without light isn't much of a problem, no heat is. Going from heated cars to heated stations to heated trains, many don't wear adequate clothing so when HEP goes out they're schtupped. Depending on the locomotive HEP may be provided by a separate generator spun by the prime mover held at a constant 800 or 900rpm or a separate genset. The former is most likely here, most Amtrak Diesels are GE Genesis P42DC. Either way, when snow comes through the vents, melts and gets into the electrics, breakers trip and HEP goes bye bye. Sing lamentations for steam heated Pullman coaches.

Lots of trains get stuck in snow, even plow extras. They're usually pretty quick rescuing passengers, freights can be stuck for days. I doubt the engine crew likes that very much having only bough a lunch aboard expecting the mandatory crew change after 8 hours. Crashtrak should have been watching the weather and put on extra power, sometimes Class 1 freight carriers help out lending their locomotives. Sometimes they send rescue power and IT gets stuck, send in the front end loaders.

Now who file named an Alco PA a streamliner?

[N2NH]

Seems to be happening a lot lately...


After more than 14 hours stranded on Amtrak trains, the first of 500 passengers arrived in Chicago's Union Station - by bus - Tuesday morning.

Three Amtrak trains  the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles, the Illinois Zephyr from Quincy and the California Zephyr from the San Francisco Bay area -- became stuck in blowing snow and ice on Monday afternoon. The first two trains were stranded near Mendota, Ill., which is 90 miles west of Chicago. The third train, the California Zephyr, spent the night in Galesburg at a BNSF rail yard.

All 500 passengers were put on charter buses to complete their trips to Chicago. The first of those buses arrived Tuesday morning around 7 a.m.

Stranded passengers arrive in Chicago after Amtrak trains get stuck in Illinois (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?id=9384135)

[kb2vxa]

It's that time of year again and the Midwest buried... again. It's not unusual and since the internet made railfan communication a lot easier, with discussion boards information travels far, wide and fast. I've been hearing the same stuff year after year, some years worse than others, the climate change mob didn't invent snow.

The dining car staff wants to know whether to cook this new food like steak or serve it raw like sashimi. They can't read that strange writing.

[K7SGJ]

It's that time of year again and the Midwest buried... again. It's not unusual and since the internet made railfan communication a lot easier, with discussion boards information travels far, wide and fast. I've been hearing the same stuff year after year, some years worse than others, the climate change mob didn't invent snow.

The dining car staff wants to know whether to cook this new food like steak or serve it raw like sashimi. They can't read that strange writing.

Perhaps I can be of assistance..............

11688

[NQ6U]

Now who file named an Alco PA a streamliner?

Compared to this it was:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/SARM5310.JPG/300px-SARM5310.JPG

[n2ize]

Sounds like it was snow and water related. Probably wreaked havoc with the electrical system. The NYC subway system did surprisingly well during and after the last storm. They planned ahead including protecting the layups and trying to keep most of the trains in layup out of the snow. Yes there were delays but it seems like the evasive action worked.

[WØTKX]

http://www.trainweb.org/mccloudrails/Miscellaneous/MCRR_Sid_Muma_Rotary_Plowa[1].jpg

[K7SGJ]

Sounds like it was snow and water related. Probably wreaked havoc with the electrical system. The NYC subway system did surprisingly well during and after the last storm. They planned ahead including protecting the layups and trying to keep most of the trains in layup out of the snow. Yes there were delays but it seems like the evasive action worked.


Not being anywhere near there, and it is just a guess on my part, I doubt it was due to an abundance of sunshine.

[n2ize]

Not being anywhere near there, and it is just a guess on my part, I doubt it was due to an abundance of sunshine.

No, definitely not. haven't had much sunshine round these here parts lately :).

[kb2vxa]

I'm walking on sunshine (whoa oh)
And it feels HOT (HEY!) Alright now
And don't it feel HOT (OUCH!) Alright now
It's not all right now yeah! (YYYAAA!)