This is topic Myth , Fact, or Urban Legend in forum Amtrak at RAILforum.


To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.railforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi/topic/11/6174.html

Posted by sfthunderchief (Member # 7204) on :
 
On Saturday night did all east west Amtrak movement pause for 1 hour wherever they were at for the daylight saving time Fall back?

I've heard this for years, and my wife asked about it because a railfan couple she knows asked this question.
 
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
The pause was the first scheduled stop, or any point at which an Employee Timetable has established a timetable time for a train to pass, after 201A this past Sunday, and if the train was otherwise on time, it would sit for one hour.

Come springtime, it is a case of "run like the devil' starting after departing the station immediately prior to the 201A time change.
 
Posted by amtrak92 (Member # 14343) on :
 
I have heard of it, but I couldn't prove it
 
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by amtrak92:
I have heard of it, but I couldn't prove it

Maybe next fall we should book an overnight trip departing the Saturday evening of the time change just to see what happens.
 
Posted by amtrak92 (Member # 14343) on :
 
Sounds like fun, if I can get the time, I will.
 
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
 
I think it would be more fun to book the "run like the devil" time in spring. We've probably all spent enough time stopped for an hour on Amtrak.

Or, for an even cheaper night on the town, we can watch the Amtrak Status Map website to see if all the trains suddenly become 1 hour late. For a truly foamer experience we could video tape ourselves watching the status maps and put it on youtube.
 
Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :
 
Am I right that not all states observe DST (eg Arizona?) and indeed some districts/counties within states don't. What happens then?

How on earth would you manage if you had to stop at, say, four consecutive stations where alternately two were located in DST areas and two not!!
 
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
 
Arizona does not observe daylight savings due to their heavy "native American" population. The Top Chief stated that only the federal government would rip a foot off of the top of a blanket, sew it onto the bottom and declare the blanket was longer.
 
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
Mr. Williams, under our Uniform Time Act of 1966, Standard Time is what is called 'standard time' for the four Winter months; for the remaining eight, what is called in the vernacular "Daylight Savings Time" is Standard Time.

The Act gives localities down to county level the option to have a time other than Standard. Therefore it is Arizona (also Hawaii) that is "opting out' without any effect on any railroad operations.

Until only recently, Indiana largely "opted out" as well; there were enough 'forward thinking' State legislators who were of thought that "the cows and chickens all get up at the same time so why should we change our clocks?".
 
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
 
Good one, Mike! I found out that our family cat doesn't observe "falling back" either, as he now wakes us up an hour earlier every morning! Guess he's as smart as that Native American chief and lots smarter than the government.
 
Posted by railrev (Member # 2640) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Mike Smith:
Arizona does not observe daylight savings due to their heavy "native American" population. The Top Chief stated that only the federal government would rip a foot off of the top of a blanket, sew it onto the bottom and declare the blanket was longer.

Haven't lived in Arizona for more than 20 years, but in those days, one of the reservations in the Navajo/Hopi/checkerboard area of Arizona observed DST while the other did not. Made for some interesting "time changes."

One correction to the original post. The dwell time would apply to all Amtrak trains, not just east/west trains.

How many remember when trains ran on Standard Time all year long and "railroad time" was an hour earlier where DST was observed?
 
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
 
Moi. including first hand experience with the resulting confusion.

However, the New Haven RR printed public timetables in "people time' since WWII.
 


Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classic™ 6.7.2