AMTK 654 is on train 6 today. Currently about an hour late out of Ottumwa. If it stays like that, it should go by the MH camera by shortly after 3pm CDT.

The Facebook thread I was following for the CP steam locos jumped the shark of sarcastic intolerance of unjustly inferred stupidity and is no longer a source of info. I'll see if I can find it elsewhere.

Thanks for the info, I will be watching the 6, of course I will not post any boring pictures or info.

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AMTK 654 is on train 6 today. Currently about an hour late out of Ottumwa. If it stays like that, it should go by the MH camera by shortly after 3pm CDT.

The Facebook thread I was following for the CP steam locos jumped the shark of sarcastic intolerance of unjustly inferred stupidity and is no longer a source of info. I'll see if I can find it elsewhere.

Thanks for the info, I will be watching the 6, of course I will not post any boring pictures or info.

I see 6 lost a bit more time, but made it up again. I stand by my earlier prediction.

Latest intel on the steamers is that they were still in Motor Yard (which used to serve a Ford plant) in Macedonia, near Cleveland, yesterday. No one has reported them moving today that I can find.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Hey Bernie, you weren't by any chance watching MH late Monday morning (Chicago time), were you? Mark himself went out and got some shots of the Cardinal going around the wye... with the Iowa Pacific consist of the Hoosier State attached to the back end.

The Hoosier State runs four time a week. For a single train set to cover that, it has to deadhead north on Mondays and south on Tuesdays. The contract with CSX does not allow for it to run separately, so it has to be attached to the Cardinal. The first week, it missed the connection and the southbound train was buses instead.

You'll want to watch for that next week.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Hey Bernie, you weren't by any chance watching MH late Monday morning (Chicago time), were you? Mark himself went out and got some shots of the Cardinal going around the wye... with the Iowa Pacific consist of the Hoosier State attached to the back end.

The Hoosier State runs four time a week. For a single train set to cover that, it has to deadhead north on Mondays and south on Tuesdays. The contract with CSX does not allow for it to run separately, so it has to be attached to the Cardinal. The first week, it missed the connection and the southbound train was buses instead.

You'll want to watch for that next week.

What you mean with 4135 on point




And 4137 on the other end



Plus the 3 cars?





I had wondered why it was being towed behind the Cardinal, seems a very cumbersome way to get a train from A to B when it can do it on its own.

Still I suppose it doesn't cost any more. I noted that all three locos were running as it passed the camera.

So where does the Iowa get stabled when not in use?

I have not seen it on the wye before so I assume as it is double ended it doesn't turn.

Oh and just so I can mention Amtrak, this was on the other end ;-)



PS Almost forgot. A pair of "old friends" snuck passed the MH Tower cam yesterday






Yep CNW 8701 and 8646, light engine. I have seen them several times in the past few weeks. and always together. Using the Heritage Units web site I can usually tell when they are due! I assume that they will be kept in the CNW paint until they are "retired".

Be nice if a heritage group could save them and actually restore them, though I suspect that would be a bit of a big job.

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Thank you, Bernie.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

Over at the Railstrean forum I have a thread called "Skies and things"

Which while it can feature a train if there happens to be one passing it is mostly to do with the amazing skies and weather that seem to happen in the "Midwest" possibly caused by the great lakes.

So here is today's post.

The first train I saw at Chesterton today was nothing special, however the sky was pretty spectacular.



A bit different a little over an hour later when the 29 went through.



Could almost be a different place!!

Another PS, 8701 and 8646 went passed twice today, first heading west with a consist of empty well cars and then back east again light engine.

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Hey Bernie, you weren't by any chance watching MH late Monday morning (Chicago time), were you? Mark himself went out and got some shots of the Cardinal going around the wye... with the Iowa Pacific consist of the Hoosier State attached to the back end.

The Hoosier State runs four time a week. For a single train set to cover that, it has to deadhead north on Mondays and south on Tuesdays. The contract with CSX does not allow for it to run separately, so it has to be attached to the Cardinal. The first week, it missed the connection and the southbound train was buses instead.

You'll want to watch for that next week.

What you mean with 4135 on point




And 4137 on the other end



Plus the 3 cars?

Yep, that be them.

I had wondered why it was being towed behind the Cardinal, seems a very cumbersome way to get a train from A to B when it can do it on its own.

Still I suppose it doesn't cost any more. I noted that all three locos were running as it passed the camera.

So where does the Iowa get stabled when not in use?

I have not seen it on the wye before so I assume as it is double ended it doesn't turn.

The IPH train runs north on Sunday morning, sits in the Amtrak yard (or just in the station) for a few hours, then goes south Sunday evening. The Cardinal runs north on Monday, and the IPH train has to deadhead with it so it can run south again Monday night. Then it runs north Tuesday morning and deadheads south on the Cardinal Tuesday night. When it arrives in Indy (any day) a crew from a local IPH short line takes over and moves it to their yard for servicing. Then they bring it back to the Indy station for the Amtrak crew to run or attach to the Cardinal. It runs north and south on Wednesday and Friday.

PS Almost forgot. A pair of "old friends" snuck passed the MH Tower cam yesterday






Yep CNW 8701 and 8646, light engine. I have seen them several times in the past few weeks. and always together. Using the Heritage Units web site I can usually tell when they are due! I assume that they will be kept in the CNW paint until they are "retired".

Be nice if a heritage group could save them and actually restore them, though I suspect that would be a bit of a big job.

Ah yes, I heard they were in Canal St. Yard today. I wouldn't be surprised if IRM gets at least one of them when the time comes. It is a bit surprising how long they've stayed in service.

Speaking of IRM, it has been revealed this week that we will be getting something from rather out of our geographic area (hardly the only such item in our collection). It's an electric locomotive originally built for the Virginian Railway, which merged with the Norfolk and Western. I believe they sold it to the New Haven, which became Penn Central and then Conrail. It's been just sitting for many years (CR quit using electrics in about 1980) and now it's on its way to the museum in Altoona, PA, where it will get a cosmetic restoration before it comes to us. There is talk that we may try to make it operate, which would surprise me somewhat.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Just a quick one today

More F40PH but of the cabbage variety!

This long train came down the wye today, with a mixture of odd cars and in the middle was



90219 along wtih P42 #33 all of that was actually attached to the Cardinal, so all became clear, it was a move from Beech Grove, Amtrak's maintenance facility.

Also this PV came in on the 49 from NY



Yes famous Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar, so famous in fact that everyone seems to have heard of it yet no one seems to know it's history.

All the other private varnish I have seen I have been able to find some history, not this one.

Perhaps David can fill in the blanks!!

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Canadian Pacfic steam engines cp 1238 & cp 1286 according to Trainorders are in NS Rockport yard

Canadian Pacfic steam engines cp 1238 & cp 1286 according to Trainorders are in NS Rockport yard

Does anyone know when a how they will move?

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Yes famous Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar, so famous in fact that everyone seems to have heard of it yet no one seems to know it's history.

http://www.icrr.net/passenger1.htm

#'s: 3
US 4
18
8
AMTK 800138
PPCX 800138
Class: Office
Built: 1917
Notes: Pullman lot #4466. Renumbered to #8 in 1940. Assigned to C. H. Mottier and J. M. Trissal in 1950's and 60's. Currently privately owned and marked Sheriff Railcar and Cripple Creek.

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Yes famous Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar, so famous in fact that everyone seems to have heard of it yet no one seems to know it's history.

http://www.icrr.net/passenger1.htm

#'s: 3
US 4
18
8
AMTK 800138
PPCX 800138
Class: Office
Built: 1917
Notes: Pullman lot #4466. Renumbered to #8 in 1940. Assigned to C. H. Mottier and J. M. Trissal in 1950's and 60's. Currently privately owned and marked Sheriff Railcar and Cripple Creek.

Which is sort of what I meant.

Tells you nothing, really, no history of what it was used for from 1917 to 1940. When was it sold off. Also no real info on what is was just "office".

Of course most intriguingly, why is it now Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar.

Strange.

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Yes famous Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar, so famous in fact that everyone seems to have heard of it yet no one seems to know it's history.

http://www.icrr.net/passenger1.htm

#'s: 3
US 4
18
8
AMTK 800138
PPCX 800138
Class: Office
Built: 1917
Notes: Pullman lot #4466. Renumbered to #8 in 1940. Assigned to C. H. Mottier and J. M. Trissal in 1950's and 60's. Currently privately owned and marked Sheriff Railcar and Cripple Creek.

Which is sort of what I meant.

Tells you nothing, really, no history of what it was used for from 1917 to 1940. When was it sold off. Also no real info on what is was just "office".

Of course most intriguingly, why is it now Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar.

Strange.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3808351
IC = Illinois Central?

As to why the name today, not sure. There is an actual Cripple Creek RR, but they are narrow gauge.

---

Yes famous Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar, so famous in fact that everyone seems to have heard of it yet no one seems to know it's history.

http://www.icrr.net/passenger1.htm

#'s: 3
US 4
18
8
AMTK 800138
PPCX 800138
Class: Office
Built: 1917
Notes: Pullman lot #4466. Renumbered to #8 in 1940. Assigned to C. H. Mottier and J. M. Trissal in 1950's and 60's. Currently privately owned and marked Sheriff Railcar and Cripple Creek.

Which is sort of what I meant.

Tells you nothing, really, no history of what it was used for from 1917 to 1940. When was it sold off. Also no real info on what is was just "office".

Of course most intriguingly, why is it now Cripple Creek Sheriff Railcar.

Strange.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3808351
IC = Illinois Central?

As to why the name today, not sure. There is an actual Cripple Creek RR, but they are narrow gauge.

Yes, IC = Illinois Central. What I make of that page is that it was built as an office car for railroad executives to use as they traveled the system. Other search results lead me to believe it came under the control of the United States Railway Administration. That branch of government has had two incarnations. The first was when President Wilson nationalized the railroads during World War I. The second was the agency that was set up to oversee the formation of Conrail out of several bankrupt railroads in the 1970s. Given that the number US 4 is listed so early in its history, I'm thinking it was the first USRA that controlled it for a while. [edit] I wrote this paragraph after reading the icrr.net page but before reading the trainorders page. [/edit]

I'll ask my friend Mike what he knows about it. He's not busy at the moment. He was supposed to depart Seattle on 8 today, but Amtrak is busing around the fires in Montana, so he's stuck there for at least a couple of days. Poor guy.

By the way, if I don't get on here tomorrow night, I want to mention that last week the Percy train was going all the way to the west end of station track 2, so it should be fairly visible from the Spaulding Tower webcam at http://irm.org. You're still not likely to see me unless I walk over to talk to the conductor again.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Canadian Pacfic steam engines cp 1238 & cp 1286 according to Trainorders are in NS Rockport yard

Does anyone know when a how they will move?

These are the same ones I've mentioned. They are on flat cars, with their tenders together on a third flat car. They are expected to come through Chicago, but I don't know the schedule. There are lots of clearance issues to work out, both height and weight, but they have preliminary clearance on Metra's CP lines.

---

David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I know that America is 3000 miles wide, but I just find it ironic that trains can arrive hours or even days late, and people just accept it.

If the 8.45am was 10 minutes late at Waterloo station there would be hell to pay and letters to the London Times. Even a 30 minute delay with the Glasgow to London service gets front page news in the Evening Standard. Are Americans THAT laid back, or just gave up years ago?

In the places in the US where service similar to that in the UK is operated, it has similar tolerance of tardiness. It is only the long distance trains that ever get delayed by huge amounts, and not as often as you might think; people think it happens a lot because they only hear about it when it does, not when it doesn't. When it does happen, Amtrak compensates the passengers in various ways: partial or full refund of fare paid, hotel if they missed a connection to another train, fly them to destination if they want.

Now I could be wrong on this, but here goes nothing:
Americas freight railroads usually have priority over an Amtrak Train, since Amtrak for the most part runs on freight railroads tracks as a guest.

David could say something more on this and when He has the time, I think He might.

By law, Amtrak has priority. Practice is another thing and varies by railroad and division of the railroad. CSX is notorious for delaying Amtrak for its hotshot freights, even when the freight is still hundreds of miles away. Sometimes the solution to this is to put public money into extra track capacity, but even liberal governments are reluctant to do so for a single train each way per day.

America's railroads were built for both passenger and freight service, but most of the passenger infrastructure has dwindled away since WWII. For example, the Chicago & Western Indiana, a terminal road mostly within the city of Chicago, had six main tracks approaching downtown, one for passenger and two for freight in each direction (or was it two and one?). That part of the line now belongs to Metra, part of the Southwest Service line. Once trains leave Amtrak control at 21st St., it's a single track to about 39th St. (8 blocks per mile). After negotiating the connection between NS's line to Union Station and the leads to Ashland Ave. Yard, it's double track to 74th St. (at which it turns west into the mess I told you about a few days ago). And that NS line to Union Station? It used to be the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad (one of two routes they had into town), with four tracks right next to C&WI's six. It's now three tracks (numbered 1, 2, and 4, although 4 is where 3 was when there were four of them). The point I was making before I started lecturing is that the railroads today are mostly optimized for freight, and passenger usually doesn't fit into the scheme very well.

There is also a very old saying in railroading: late trains get later. The reason for this, at least nowadays, is that the railroad schedules its freight trains so that Amtrak fits into a "slot" between them. If Amtrak misses its slot, they don't hold the freights, and then Amtrak has to wend its way through them whenever possible.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Yesterday's 6 had a UP engine leading and PV Sierra Hotel on the rear. Someone got it on video at Agency, Iowa, running several hours late.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I know that America is 3000 miles wide, but I just find it ironic that trains can arrive hours or even days late, and people just accept it.

If you journey takes a hour or two then delays of day would of course be silly.

No one says they accept it. Far from it there are lots of complaints and calls for Amtrak to be sold off/shut down.

The trains you are talking about are long distance sleepers, all the local trains I watch arrive fairly on time or usually early, by "local" I mean 100-300 miles and 2-4 hours journey time..

Please imagine if you will travelling from Aberdeen to Penzance a journey of some 697 miles taking 13 hrs 12 mins, 4 times one after the other, then you will have an idea of the distances they cover, also remember a lot of the country is open and wild, there are landslides, floods and due to the "open nature of the railways, accidents. Also while in fact Amtrak are "supposed" to have priority over freight, that apparently sometimes does not happen.

I have have been watching the Chesterton camera for either the 29 or 49 and seen several long slow freights pass when according to Amtraks own map their train is stationary a few miles back.

Remember in the UK the track is all owned by a third party that has nothing to gain by slowing anything down as they will get fined anyway. Also most of the UK is minimum double track, not so in the US.

I will admit there is of course a lot wrong with long distance passenger rail in the US, but to compare with the UK you should really be looking at the more local services funded by city and state they compare more with our system.

We really don't have anything in the UK that compares with the long distance sleeper services, that run everyday of they year (Christmas, New Year and all Sundays). The California Zephyr takes 51 hours (on a good day).

So arriving an hour late on the Penzance train would be the same as 4 hour late on the Cailfornia Zephyr.

Currently the California Zephyr that Departed Emeryville (SF)Yesterday at 9:10am PDT(5:10pm BST) is on time and it is due into Chicago tomorrow at 2:50 PM CT. The one that left Emeryville on Wednesday is unfortunately 1 hour and 18 mins late and is due in Chicago at 3:04PM CT (9:04pm BST)

So today both are doing fairly well. As usual when everything is working OK you don't hear much, it is only when it goes wrong and for trains that travel father than some airlines those delays can be pretty spectacular

I see David has answered whilst I have been writing an has helped to explain things.

I will post as well so as to hopefully put in into the perspective of the UK

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Speaking of IRM, it has been revealed this week that we will be getting something from rather out of our geographic area (hardly the only such item in our collection). It's an electric locomotive originally built for the Virginian Railway, which merged with the Norfolk and Western. I believe they sold it to the New Haven, which became Penn Central and then Conrail. It's been just sitting for many years (CR quit using electrics in about 1980) and now it's on its way to the museum in Altoona, PA, where it will get a cosmetic restoration before it comes to us. There is talk that we may try to make it operate, which would surprise me somewhat.

More info on this:

8/2015 - Coming to the Juniata Shops for restoration!
Conrail 4601 is one of two E33 electrics remaining of the 12 built. All were built
for the Virginian as GE class EL-C. They found their way onto the New Haven then
Conrail. 4601 has been in storage at Old Saybrook, CT since at least 2003. It's
going to the Illinois Railway Museum.
The other EL-C/E33 is on display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in
Virginian colors.


AltoonaWorks - Juniata Insourcing | Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/altoonaworks/photos/a.10150327322115637.570694.222359370636/10156041257315637/?type=1&theater

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

Similar story in Canada. The railways were built for freight and passengers, but post war the passenger service dwindled. Long distance train passengers are just about all tourists these days, they don't mind delays as much. If you mess with urban transit train times, on the other hand, you can expect letters to the editor, nasty words in Parliment, etc.

You have to remember Chris that from our point of view just about all the UK passenger rail services would be considered urban transit.

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