January 2010

Classic Snow Plow YouTube by railroad 33 2 years ago a railroad snow plow approaches a huge drift...  makes one wonder what the "two story snow drifts" ahead of those stuck on this year's "Train From Hell" were like

Airline delays, highway closures and stalled trains have been the order of the day this winter as record low temperatures and a few nasty blizzards have plagued travelers nationwide. Significant Amtrak service distruptions put a damper on holiday travel along the Northeast Corridor and trains to the south the week before Christmas. The Empire Builder experienced sporadic delays through the upper midwest  and service on the California Zephyr was disrupted for days between Denver and Chicago due to a midwest blizzard in early January. The list goes on, however, as of this writing, the weather across the nation has tempered a bit, approaching seasonal norms, and Amtrak operations appear to have improved accordingly.

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So,  if you're planning a wintertime train trip in the near future be prepared. Even though there is no way to prepare for every situation that you may encounter when venturing out into a blizzard, there are a few common sense measures that you can take.

• Call ahead. Check Amtrak's train status either via 1-900-USA-RAIL or Amtrak's website.  You may also get an unofficial Amtrak train status overview by using the website Amtrak Status Maps, an independent website that presents the location and status of Amtrak long distance trains on a dynamic map. A complimentary joint site is "Amtrak Train Status/Archives". Check out the "Archive Site" if you're interested in learning how your favorite train fared during the recent weather events.  

• More information sources: Other sources of information include rail passenger discussion forums such as Yahoo's All Aboard whose members often monitor train status and are not shy about passing along information on delays and other train events as they discover it. As with any such forum, try to ignore the politics, be ready to separate fact from fiction and always verify the information before taking action.

• Dress and pack for the weather. Obviously, whether traveling by auto, plane or train, the shorts you were wearing when you left Southern California or South Florida will not be fashionable or adequate when deboarding in the middle of a midwest or northeast snowstorm. Don't forget your gloves.

• Take some food.  Throw a few high energy bars or the space age food of your choice into a freezer bag or two and pack it for the trip.  We've never gone hungry on Amtrak, but a common complaint is the lack of food (or its price) on delayed trains.

• Be prepared for a bus ride. On delayed trains, if highway conditions permit, Amtrak may choose to bus you to a location where you may connect to an alternate train or your originally scheduled connecting train.
  

• Consider building some slack into your plans. If you absolutely need to be at your final destination at a given time (say to attend a critical meeting or family event), you might want to consider building an extra day or two into your itinerary. Amtrak will generally put you up in a hotel or may otherwise compensate you if you miss a connection due to a delayed train, but that's of little help if you miss the wedding.
  

On Board Communications

"Hey folks, 'we're not in Kansas anymore'... or is it Nebraska"? According to some passenger accounts that may as well be the message blurted out over the PA system on some delayed Amtrak trains.

The Conductor is responsible for disseminating on board information regarding train status. Some conductors are more forthcoming than others. In their defense, they often don't have enough confirmed details to pass on any meaningful information, and disseminating partial or misinformation could be more disruptive than passing on no information at all. 

In defense of the complaining passengers...Sitting for extended periods of time with no announcements is understandably disconcerting and the rumors invariably start to fly. (Ray suggested that, even if there is no new information to pass on, the conductors should get on the PA more often and shoot the bull with the passengers for a minute or two... or maybe just hum a few bars of Kumbaya). 

So that's the old "Catch 22". Happy conductors to you!

Note: Some seasoned rail traveler's carry radio scanners. The radio frequencies used along the Amtrak routes are published on the website On Track On Line under Amtrak Radio Frequencies. If you do use a scanner it's recommended  that you do so with discretion and remember that the conductor is still the boss. Broadcast transmissions may be easily misinterpreted by untrained individuals. 

Seattle

Los Angeles

            
To access our Coast Starlight Route Guide
click - Coast Starlight Home Page

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Colorado Ski Train Refunds

If you are one of the 13,000 ticket holders that purchased tickets for this season, don't forget to call 1-877-726-RAIL for refund information. 

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Website News at Rail Passenger USA

Amtrak Updates

Amtrak updated a few  of their northeast regional timetables this month. Click on a link below or to go to the Amtrak website to view the updated timetables that became effective on January 18, 2010.

Castleton, Vt Station (CNV)	Adirondack Ethan Allen Express & Vermonter Northeast Corridor 1 Northeast Corridor 2 Northeast Corridor 3

Ethan Allen Express service to Castleton, Vermont began on January 10, 2010.  The Ethan Allen will no longer stop at Fair Haven. The Castleton Station is about 7.5 miles east of Fair Haven via U.S. 4. A photo of the Castleton Station is shown above.  Click here to view the Rail Passenger USA page for this new station stop.  

Wikimapia

We're continuing to update all of our route guides to add mileage scales and city elevation information for all Amtrak station stops. In addition we've added selected links to Wikimapia that sometimes show the location of Amtrak stations more accurately than some of the more popular map search sites. The Wikimapia contibutors are passenger rail savvy and links to appropriate passenger rail sites are provided there. Check out Denver Union Station for example. 

Rail Passenger USA Route Guide Tip 

Changing trains: Did you know that if more than one train stops at a given station, that you can change trains, i.e. change from one Rail Passenger USA route guide to another at that station? You can just by clicking on the train name links in the boxes at the bottom of each station page? Try clicking on the Coast Starlight box above and then click on the Empire Builder box at the bottom of the Seattle station page to try it. 

Happy Wintertime Rails to You!
 

 
Ray York
Rail Passenger USA

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Rail Passenger USA is a free website founded by Ramblin' Ray, an old train travel addict who devotes most of his time to mapping USA passenger railroad routes and preparing route guides to share with others via his website.

www.railpassengerusa.com