Unfortunately, there is no direct way to upload audio. If it were on a site such as YouTube, it can be linked in here. But that is the only way at present.
I had a rare opportunity to see Amtrak make a pickup in Minot last week. While the rain drizzled, the crews did their thing while I was in my vehicle cab staying dry! There's not normally a unit set-out or pickup in Minot, but it has been happening with increased frequency since the Chargers made their debut on the 'Builder. A7 arrives and pauses at CP2030 to make the pickup. The light unit is prepared and moved onto the main line, then backs towards a coupling. Crews guide the unit in reverse. And creeping the last couple of hundred yards to its Minot station stop (slow shutter speed to speed blur).
Speaking of Rondout, I happened to read a story this morning in the Spring 2002 of classic Classic Trains on the Milwaukee's 4-4-2 Class As and 4-6-4 Class F7s. Both were products of Alco and were superbly built and routinely archived triple digit speeds in regular service. As an example, on 01/14/1941, Class F7 #100 headed the eastbound (south by compass) Morning Hiawatha from Milwaukee to Chicago. Routine speed from Sturtevant, WI to beyond Rondout was 100 MPH, with speed topping 110 MPH east of Wadsworth and again east of Rondout. In a test west of Watertown, WI, an A ran to 112.5 MPH for 14 Miles. The Engineeer said the faster she went, the better she rode. The Milwaukee never set out to smash records, so no one knows how fast these locomotives might have gone. An F7 was timed over 120 MPH when its speedometer pegged. Upon later looking at the speed tape, the Engineer estimated he'd hit 123 to 125. One story said that an F7 was diverted to the PRR's test plant at Altoona on its way west from Alco, where it was run to approximately 140 MPH.
For sure! My family rode Amtrak between Milwaukee and Chicago several times perhaps ten years ago and it was still an impressively fast ride. CP does a fine job maintaining it. On one trip, a freeloader was met in Chicago by a reception committee of Amtrak police who were in no mood to mess around. The Conductor was very patient with the man, offering every method of payment options. When it became clear that the man was out for a free ride, the Conductor just smiled and said, "Okay then." The Milwaukee would have set him out at Sturtevant.
Those steamers sure had to be precision-built with all that heavy machinery reciprocating so fast. Doug
While aboard the American Orient Express, we were parked one night in the yard at Meridian, Mississippi waiting on traffic before the train headed to Vicksburg. The AOE train manager and I were shooting the breeze standing in a car vestibule with the tops of the Dutch doors open. All of a sudden a strange man plopped in over one of the doors and stood there staring at us. The train manager asked him, "What the he** are you doing?" The guy answered, "Just catching my train." The train manager asked me to open one of the bottom doors and he unceremoniously threw they guy off.
Still having troubles with these engines? Seems as though they'd have a lot of the bugs worked out by now.
I doubt the bugs are all worked out. The winter-relatedbugs have subsided with the warm weather, but other issues continue to make trains late, not counting BNSF-related issues. PTC might be among those delay causes.
I saw a video clip, an hour or so ago, of Amtrak #8 yesterday in western Washington. One Charger leading. Not a big consist for that train, but from where it was recorded, in half an hour they would be in mountain grades. Hope they made it, safely.
A7 arrives in Minot yesterday (crummy skies for photos, but of course!): A crop of the trailing 50th anniversary unit:
Zephyr meet. Aboard the East bound while the #5 heads west between Dotsero and Burns, Colorado. September 15, 2021.
On the east slope between Horseshoe Curve and the tunnels at Gallitzin is Bennington Curve, said to be the sharpest on the mainline. Here's the Pennsylvanian working upgrade there in July 1980. Conrail was soon to lift one track on the east slope. Friends and I set up a weekend campsite from where I took this picture.
Earlier today north of Los Angeles, an Amtrak train encountered a water tanker truck that was blocking a grade crossing.
Wow, can't hit the "Like" button on this, holy cow! Looks like the 300, first Charger for Amtrak, ouch! Wonder if the crew went out the roof escape hatch, or it popped open on impact? Daaang....looks like the Coast Starlight, train 11/14. The nose held up really well, depending on the speed at impact, just what it's designed to do.
