AMTRAK Re-Route!! Good Day

[A No.1]

It started with a phone call from a friend or two that told me about the Amtrak 29 & 49 Re-Route.

I was in Grand Rapids at the time. As quickly as I could I finished what I was doing at work and took off for Battle Creek. As I rolled into town I realized I was out of Gas and AMTK 29 was calling out the signal at Levett. I was still driving and I heard Stop indication at Baron. Desk 10 told them that they had to get 149 out of the yard and then they could look for the signal. I had time to get gas and get moving toward downtown. On My way down Dickman I see 149 roll past me and I kwew 29 would get a signal soon. I headed up to the M-66 overpass. Crap for lithting but I got 29 & 49.

I had time to run to K-zoo BO tower and look for them again. GD ELK 105 was cleared to head south of the Diamond as 29 pulled up to west Botsford and shut off the headlight.

Then 29 headed for CP 147 to pick up a head unit for the rest of the trip


Then 105 shoved back to Botsford.


I headed for Battle Creek and Jon Hall told me that 353 may have a Dash 8 on it. it was 20 minuts late, Perfect timeing for me to catch.




All I needed was SUN

[GLC 392]

Nice photos Aaron. I saw 29 go rolling by me last night at about 23:00 or so when i was at work.

[GP30M4216]

Just AARON, despite the lack of sun, I thought your photos were awesome! The re-routes are always so interesting, not only just because of the fact that two big trains are tied together, equaling a total of 5-6 engines and something like 22 or more cars, but because they really harken back to the days of serious long-distance trains, with real amenities, actually traveling through Michigan. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch this time's re-routes or the P32, so I'm glad you got the photos you did.

It seems like, since Amtrak first re-routed three days' worth of Capitol and Lake Shore Limiteds through Michigan back in Feb. of 2007, this route has worked out rather well for them. I wonder how the Wabash re-route worked out for 30 and 48 yesterday? This route would allow for more station stops at stations along the route (South Bend, Elkhart, and Waterloo), unlike a Michigan Line re-route, but I wonder if it's actually any faster.

Anyhow, glad you caught them, great to see some photos from my old railfanning home of Kalamazoo. I had the pleasure of catching a few of the other previous re-routes on the Michigan Line (due to several different derailments on the NS Water Level Route), so I thought I'd share a few of these photos here, to augment Just AARON's from today:


Five locomotives and 17 cars as a combined 29/49 (using symbol Amtrak 29) detour westbound on the Michigan Line through Kalamazoo past the venerable BO Tower. February 25, 2007. <I wish this grimy Genesis leader would have been as clean as the #179 you saw leading by the tower....not to mention had a nose logo!>





Amtrak 49/29 re-route again on March 27, 2010 to detour around a derailment on the Water Level Route. This image is taken at a location called Foster, just a few miles west of Ann Arbor. This classic F40 carbody looked great leading this lengthy train of 22 cars and 5 Genesis engines.

[A No.1]

Thanks for adding the older photo's. I like the shot from 2007 at BO. Not much has changed there.

I had caught the March 2010 29&49 in Marshall. Bad lighting but I managed this shot.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 5&nseq=166


I guess I should have taken a shot as it was going away from me like you did.
There was a bagage car in trail this time.

[TrainWatcher]

Did anyone get shots on the 6th car from the end? It appears to be an old RPO or something to that effect. Definately not a new car, and sceams ex-NYC.

[railohio]

Great shots, Aaron. Definitely not "bad light" on that day.

[GP30M4216]

Great photos, AARON, and I liked your march re-route photo just fine....not perfect sun, but you get a great impression of the length of the train in your Marshall shot. There have been just a couple changes at BO: new roof in summer 2009, and two new target backgrounds on that mast signal for westbound movements on track 1.

Trainwatcher, what train/car are you talking about? Perhaps you can be a little more specific?

[sd70accsxt700]

He is either talking about Aarons firs photo, and if thats the case, its right behind the locos for 49. It's a baggage. Other wise he is talking about your going away shot from BO in the winter, in that case it the dinner. Those are the only two photo where a "old" car is sixth from something (although in Aarons photo it looks that way cause the rest of the train is not visable behind the trees).

[TrainWatcher]

Nah, this car I was asking about 6th car from the VERY END. Like TTAM suggested, prolly a diner. If you look at this image and count 6 cars UP the train, its the car just before the Viewliner.

[sd70accsxt700]

Nah, this car I was asking about 6th car from the VERY END. Like TTAM suggested, prolly a diner. If you look at this image and count 6 cars UP the train, its the car just before the Viewliner.

HOLY CRAP JAMES I am pretty sure I said that.

[PAT.C]

Post by JUST AARON on Thu Nov 25, 2010 12:01 am
It started with a phone call from a friend or two

YOU HAVE FRIENDS ???


Postby sd70accsxt700 on Sat Nov 27, 2010 2:13 pm
HOLY CRAP JAMES I am pretty sure I said that

U ANNOY ME.!!!!!!!!!

[GP30M4216]

Heritage Diner 8528 is the 6th car up from the end of the Lake Shore part of the consist in my photos. Former Southern Pacific.




Amtrak does operate one odd-ball former RPO as a baggage car amongst its Heritage Baggage fleet. I've seen it twice now. You can imagine how stunned I was to see it the first time around. Former Southern RR, shown at Elkhart, IN. Not sure if it's gotten the Phase V "wave" scheme yet....this image is from 2006.



Side note: Via Rail Canada does operate some old United States RPO cars as Baggage Cars.

[TrainWatcher]

Thanks for the Info Nate.

[willardgarrett]

It seems like, since Amtrak first re-routed three days' worth of Capitol and Lake Shore Limiteds through Michigan back in Feb. of 2007, this route has worked out rather well for them. I wonder how the Wabash re-route worked out for 30 and 48 yesterday? This route would allow for more station stops at stations along the route (South Bend, Elkhart, and Waterloo), unlike a Michigan Line re-route, but I wonder if it's actually any faster.

NS is already having capacity issues with the wabash, and I believe that CP rail had to pay for capital upgrades so that they could run more trains on the line. Adding Amtrak trains to single track freight routes gobbles up capacity, so that wabash option is totally out of the question, espeially considering that MDOT will soon own most of the Michigan line, and will have it upgraded (hopefully) for faster Amtrak service. If anything, they would route it that way. But either way, they would probably get killed going north to Toledo and Detroit, and then having to come back down to the Chicago line at Porter anyway would not make this routing very viable.

[CSX_CO]

Anyone know if there was a 2nd engineer or crewman stationed in the engines located in the middle of the train? Surprised they got away with that, as CSX doesn't allow unoccupied (or somehow otherwise controlled) locomotives in the middle of a train. I would think the NS has similar rules in place. Reason being is if there is a problem with the locomotive (locked axle, traction motor seizes, sliding wheels, etc), there isn't anyone on board to notice the alarms. Obviously, DPU power has these things monitored, and throws a flag to the head end. Is there something in the wiring of the AMTRAK cars, through the HEP connections, that would transmit such a signal to the headend?

Practice Safe CSX

[Buster Manning]

Yep, they made the student engineers ride back there...

Some of the Stupidliners and Amfeets are wired up with an m.u. connection; all of the horizons are to be able to run the out and back corridor trains with an engine or a cab car on the opposite end. When we get the supers' in the winter, the train somehow always manages to have one car that isn't m.u.-able and then we have to have somebody ride the rear unit---easiest money to be made on the rr, that's for sure