posted
For the historic record here is my log of the time performance of the VERY RARE - Amtrak Coast Starlight TEHACHAPI DETOUR of sunday October 23, 2005:
Here is a rather rough log of the Time Performance of our detoured Thachapi Loop Coast Starlight train 11 of sunday October 23rd in California. These times are taken from my watch which runs about 5 minutes ahead of the real, actual time. (EDIT: I adjusted the Sacramento times back 5 minutes in my written log as I did not start my direct "clock to paper" log until stockton. The Sacramento and ELvas times on here should be the real and actual times.) A big THANK YOU to everyone at Amtrak and the freight railroads for making this special trip possible! --- Daniel
TIMES TEHACHAPI DETOUR Amtrak 11 of 10-23-05 in CA
725am SAC --DEPART = reverse SHOVE to Elvas Tower (train stopped on American River Bridge) 740am ELVAS sac dp FOREWARD to Bakersfield (1st stop made) operated via UP Fresno Sub and Lodi
Dan watch times + 5 min from Stockton: 845am STOCKTON ACE depot tower approach 850am Stockton on BNSF OFFICIAL radioed to Stockton sub DS 906am ESCALON Escalon 910am RIVERBANK 915am Modesto Amtrak 916am EMPIRE 924am DENAIR 935am WINTON 937am CASTLE AIR 941am MERCED 950a PLANADA 955 LA GRAND IN SDG down to 5mph to meet Amtrak train 701 here 1001a E LA GRAND 1010a E SHARON 1024am Figarden 1034am mp 1000 1038am FRESNO 1043am CALWA depot 1044am Calwa DIAMONDS SP XING 1049am Bowles 1103am Shirley 1107am Hanford 1111am Guernsey 1119am Highway 43 swings alongside 1122am CORCORAN –Meet at 45mph Amcal San Joaquin Train 713 1123am E Corcoran 1132am Alpaugh –24 hours after OLW cam 1140am ALLENSWORTH 1146am SANDRINI 1150am ELMO 1155am WASCO enter 1159am Shafter 1214pm Bakersfield ar BNSF yard - arrive rolling by west yd 1226pm Bakersfield depart BNSF yard 1231pm Bakersfield AMTRAK DEPOT passing 1237pm KERN JUNCTION 1243pm by UP detector 318.8 --56 axles at 58mph 1249pm Sandcut 105pm Caliente 108pm milepost 337 430pm eta for Lancaster given to UP DS 54 on radio 114pm Bealville X Over 121pm W Cliff -- INTO SIDING here and SLOWLY 5mph
133pm E Cliff 142pm by mp 344 149pm by DETECTOR 347.0 150pm West Woodford 156pm East Woodford siding 158pm T LOOP far West curve Road enter LOOP Amtrak 11 on INSIDE track 201pm EAST T LOOP Walong 203pm T CAM BURTON CURVE 205pm West MARCEL 208pm East MARCEL 213pm milepost 356 west Cable 216pm 357.5 223pm Tehachapi Downtown 225pm SUMMIT -Highway 58 OVERPASS 227pm 363 DETECTOR trk 1 no defects 56 axles 70 MPH 228pm Cement plant Monolith 231pm 368 milepost 234pm Cameron (up hooded signals) 243pm at milepost 375 Pilot engineer planned to be dropped at Vincent (Soledad Canyon) 245pm 377 detector track 1 no defects-- 58 axles-- 34 MPH 250pm MOJAVE downtown 253pm milepost 381
303pm West ANSEL 305pm East ANSEL
306pm DS 54 says we will MEET frt at Denis siding 309pm --396.1 detector at 65 mph 312pm west OBAN 313pm east OBAN 316pm Lancaster 317pm ENTER SIDE by SIDE Metrolink at Lancaster 324pm West DENIS 328pm East DENIS –Air Plant east side of tracks 331pm – 412.0 UP Detector no defects 56 axles 23 MPH 334pm PALMDALE Metrolink depot 336pm PALMDALE JUNCTION - PALJCT ENTER METROLINK at CP HAROLD
431pm CP PORTAL–North Tunnel 434pm --South Tunnel 453pm DETECTOR 7.8 -track 2 FREIGHT MEET 49mph (South Burbank) DETECTOR 7.8 TRACK 1 AMTRAK train 11 at 18mph 454pm GLENDALE DEPOT –PASSING 457pm CP ORMISTON ON EAST BANK LINE F40 diesels seen in Amtrak paint (3) 300, 256, 338 at Metrolink shops 504pm LAUPT TERMINAL TOWER 505pm LAUPT on platform END WONDERFUL TRIP at Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal ============
notelvis Member # 3071
posted
Thanks for posting this log. I would have loved to have been there.
Mr. Toy Member # 311
posted
If it could be done once, is there any reason why it couldn't be done with a train on a regular schedule?