Fair use: "Amtrak's City of New Orleans train, between New Orleans and Chicago, usually crosses the trestle. Since the fire, Amtrak has been halting the southbound train at Jackson, Miss., and busing passengers to New Orleans."
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
The Amtrak website mentions only tangentially when checking status for 58(16) at NOL "status unavailable due to service disruption". 59(15) shows arrival some 1hr early.
Some might wonder "can't they run closer to NO than Jackson?". Of course they could, but there is an intermodal terminal at Jackson, which means buses are available along with facilities to handle baggage.
Surprised it will only take a week to repair the bridge. The photos look as destructive as those for the New Haven's bridge at Poughkeepsie, which burned during 1974 and never reopened to rail traffic (it is now a pedestrian walkway).
Finally, I guess Ellis is out of business "for the duration".
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
Well, it is CN who's saying a week, not any independent engineer. We'll know when we know, not before...
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
This is far less than the Poughkeepsie bridge. This is a long relatively low trestle. Think the western approach to UPRR (ex Southern Pacific's) Sacramento Bridge which burned some 10 years ago. I do not recall how long they took, but it was relatively fast. A week sounds like light-speed, but "months"? NO.
ICRR does have a detour, Hammond to Baton Rouge to New Orleans, but that route has its own trestle across the Bonnet Carre spillway. I think that route would take about 3 hours longer than the direct line.
Posted by palmland (Member # 4344) on :
I understand the CONO made a northbound deadhead move for the equipment that would have been trapped. It used the Crescent route to Meridian, MS then KCS (ex Mid-America, IC) to Jackson then north on the regular route.
On a related note, I understand there is happy talk about initiating service from Atlanta to Dallas via the once discussed route of Meridian, Jackson, Vicksburg, Shreveport. Source: my son says he heard it on NPR, of all places.
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
Call me skeptical (not of the news item, but of service starting):
I'll believe it when I can ticket it.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Interesting to learn, Mr. Palmland, that the "trapped" set of equipment has been rescued.
Now what Amtrak has lost until the trestle is returned to service is the ready means to thaw out frozen up equipment from Chicago. Frozen cars have been deadheaded from CHI on the City, thawed. And repaired for service at New Orleans.
I understand that Amtrak was getting ready to close the maintenance facility there, but "thought twice" about doing so.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
The Meridian-Shreveport line is one that could easily be run in less time than the ICRR train, as it is relatively straight, particularly west of Vicksburg and is now signaled. Amtrak might have to pay for lengthening the circuits on grade crossing signals, but a passenger train at 79 mph can easily stop in a shorter distance than a freight at 50 mph so there would be no issue with length of circuit in the signal system itself.
It should probably have respecable ridership with decent scheduling, however, I still regard starting this service as a fantasy without serious commitment for additional funding to Amtrak. I would think additional frequency New York to Chicago should probably come first and given additional options probably result in increased ridership per train compared to what exists now. I say that even though living in the Southeast.
Posted by PullmanCo (Member # 1138) on :
Is that trestle New Orleans only rail connection to the outside world?
Could not Amtrak have paid for a freight deadhead on another line to get their equipment out had the situation arose?
Now, we just have to see how long the trestle is actually out of service.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
quote:Originally posted by PullmanCo: Is that trestle New Orleans only rail connection to the outside world?
NO.
There are three trestles across the Spillway. 1. The KCS trestle on their line New Orleans - Baton Rouge - Shreveport - Kansas City 2. The CN (ex ICRR) trestle on their line New Orleans to Baton Rouge 3. The CN (ex ICRR) the one that burned on their line New Orleans - Jackson MS - Memphis - Chicago The CN has a line west out of Hammond LA to Baton Rouge. This will undoubtably be the freight detour route. However, it would take at least 3 hours, and more likely 4 for a passenger train to cover this distance versus 1 hour almost exactly on the direct line. The Baton Rouge - New Orleans line is very congested with multiple refineries and other oil patch industries served.
The we go directly west, crossing the Huey P. Long bridge, this line carrying the Union Pacific (ex MoPac-T&P) lines to Houston (MoPac GCL) and Shreveport - Dallas - El Paso ((T&P) and BNSF (ex SP) line to Houston (trackage rights on UP west of Iowa LA)
Then east, the CSX (ex L&N) to Mobile - Montgomery - Birmingham - Nashville - Louisville - Cincinnatti
Then northeast around the east side of Lake Ponchatrain, the NS (ex Southern NO&NE) line to Meridian - Birmingham and places north and east thereof. This line has a 6 mile trestle across the eastern end of Lake Ponchatrain which is now concrete. This is the route taken by the CNO equipment to get it out of New Orleans. It would take at least 6 hours to go this route, New Orleans - Meridian - Jackson MS versus 4 by the direct line. Yes, to go New Orleans - Hattiesburg - Jackson MS using CN's direct line (ex ICRR, formerly Gulf & Ship Island) would be shorter in miles, but probably not in time.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Something tells me, considering what Amtrak must have paid for pilotage and detour charges to move the "captured" equipment over two foreign roads, they must know that it will be "a bit more than a week" until that structure is returned to service. Otherwise, the most economical way out would have been to just "let it set" until the line was again open.
Amtrak did have an option, considering I know first hand they ain't dummies @ 60 Mass, to have handled the equipment West on #1, Sunset, to SAS, thence North on 22, Eagle. But for reasons known only to they, it was chosen to detour such out of NO.
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
It would look like this would be a great opportunity for the CN to "when handed a lemon, make lemonade" Since the majority of the CN trackage is in territory where February and March are not exactly the best months for track and structure work, mobilize the B&B forces for maximum speed of work and replace the whole thing before returning the line to service. It might more or less double the out of service time, but it would eliminate the need to build on offset alignment and to make temporary repairs.
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :
I don't know when Amtrak first started using the [new] trestle again but both 51 and 52 have traversed the section between Hammond and New Orleans today, as reported by the GPS on their lead engines on the Amtrak Train Tracker.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Mayo; 51, Westbound Cardinal and 52, Northbound Auto Train??
58-59, City of New Orleans.
If the latter as I likely expect, then "about a week" turned out to be the case.
Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :