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While watching distant shots of the Superdome roof peeling away, one angle shown on Fox News appeared to be from the road that is across the railroad from the Dome. In the wind and rainswept images on TV, it appeared there was the sillouette of one or more Superliner cars. I may be imagining this but the angle was from across the railroad and seemed to be from the area where the coach yards are. If so, Amtrak is awful dumb to leave equipment there unless it was incapable of being moved.
Southwest Chief Member # 1227
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I wonder if the Sunset Limited was cancelled due to the storm.
mikesmith Member # 447
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The Sunset was canceled. In fact, the Wednesday Sunset will be turned at San Antonio. Amtrak is not furnishing transportation to San Antonio from Houston or Beaumont for westbound passengers, so I assume they are not furnishing transportation to the eastbound travelers, beyond San Antonio.
dmwnc1959 Member # 2803
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This is from Amtrak's homepage:
Service Alert: Hurricane Katrina Update - City of New Orleans, Crescent, Sunset Limited - Revised Service Information
August 30, 2005 9:30 a.m.
Due to Hurricane Katrina and severe damage across the Southeast, Amtrak continues to implement a revised service plan for its City of New Orleans trains, which operate between New Orleans and Chicago; the Crescent, which operates between New Orleans and New York; and the Sunset Limited, which operates between Orlando and Los Angeles via New Orleans.
Southbound City of New Orleans train #59 that departs Chicago will terminate in Memphis instead of New Orleans on the following dates:
Tuesday August 30, Wednesday August 31, Thursday September 1, Friday September 2 and Saturday September 3. No alternate transportation will be provided between Memphis and New Orleans.
Northbound City of New Orleans train #58 originally scheduled to originate in New Orleans will instead originate in Memphis on the following dates:
Tuesday August 30, Wednesday August 31, Thursday September 1, Friday September 2, Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4. No alternate transportation will be provided between New Orleans and Memphis.
Southbound Crescent train #19 that departs New York will terminate in Atlanta instead of New Orleans on the following dates:
Tuesday August 30, Wednesday August 31, Thursday September 1, Friday September 2, Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4. No alternate transportation will be provided between Atlanta and New Orleans.
Northbound Crescent train #20 originally scheduled to originate in New Orleans will instead originate in Atlanta on the following dates:
Tuesday August 30, Wednesday August 31, Thursday September 1, Friday September 2, Saturday September 3, Sunday September 4 and Monday September 5. No alternate transportation will be provided between New Orleans and Atlanta.
Westbound Sunset Limited train #1 originally scheduled to originate in Orlando will instead originate in San Antonio on the following dates:
Tuesday August 30, Thursday September 1, Sunday September 4, Tuesday September 6 and Thursday September 8. No alternate transportation will be provided between Orlando and San Antonio.
Eastbound Sunset Limited train #2 that departs Los Angeles will terminate in San Antonio instead of Orlando on the following dates:
Wednesday August 31, Friday September 2, Sunday September 4 and Wednesday September 7. No alternate transportation will be provided between San Antonio and Orlando.
Amtrak will continue to monitor the storm and make further schedule adjustments if necessary.
stlboomer Member # 2028
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I've been in touch with Amtrak reservations and IT twice today regarding the above service update, specifically whether #1 will depart San Antonio on Saturday the 3rd as usual, or Sunday the 4th as stated. (I'm arriving on the Eagle (#421) on the 2nd, continuing through to Los Angeles.) Reservations assures me #1 will depart San Antonio on the 3rd and IT confirms this, admitting an error in today's update. They said they will contact the webmaster in Washington and update ASAP. I also asked them to confirm the information they've posted for #2. The way they have it, all the northbound Eagle connections will be broken. I think someone has confused the Los Angeles departure days with the San Antonio arrival days. As I understand it, aside from the turn, they intend to run a "normal" schedule for #1 & #2 west of San Antonio. I hope so. We shall see in the morning.
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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It sounds like the Sunset will keep running in some fashion west of San Antonio. But the news for those of us here in the eastern end is bad. Just looking at the pictures on TV shows there won't be service anytime soon. New Orleans is flooded and the towns of Gulfport and Biloxi (and surely Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and Pass Christian) are devastated. The CSX line runs between two major lakes east of NOL and its bridge over St. Louis and Biloxi Bays are likely wrecked. TV pictures seem to confirm this is Biloxi Bay. A CSX manager told me he thinks the line may be scrapped. No matter what, we have either seen the last Sunset or at least the last in a long time here in Florida. Rebuilding the railroad would have to take a back seat to recovery of the communities and they are expected to be in bad shape for quite some time. My heart goes out to the folks of the Gulf region.
SilverStar092 Member # 2652
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I was right! Trains Magazine online says Superliner transition sleeper 39044 was left in NOL due to running geqr problems. That would be what I saw on the TV picture. Also engines 33, 180, and 511 were left behind for various reasons. It will be interesting to see if any of them ever run again.
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