![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A Tale of Two Amtrak Trains
Jun. 8th, 2020 05:51 pmThis morning, the "little BN" crew came out to collect their locomotives parked across the street from our house. When they called the dispatcher to get permission to get out onto the main, the dispatcher told them, "I've got two Amtrak #5s to get past you first."
Say what? Amtrak #5 is the westbound California Zephyr. I'd already noticed that Amtrak had issued a service advisory that today's #6 (the eastbound train) would originate from Reno instead of Emeryville, and now I had an inkling of why that would be. There must be no CZ train set in the Bay Area to form today's westbound train!
I went out to photograph what I could. That wasn't a lot because of the BNSF locomotives and some spotted cars on the Fernley House tracks.
( First #5 )
I could see on Amtrak's track-a-train map approximately where "Second #5" was, so I went back to work until it was getting close, about fifteen minutes later. Now, in train speak "First #5" and "Second #5" would really mean what are called the first and second "sections" of the same train, both leaving on the same day a few minutes after each other. That's not what happened here, and as I learned over the radio shortly, the second Amtrak train through here was, strictly speaking, the first of the two #5s.
( Second #5 )
Shortly after "Second #5" passed, I heard the dispatcher talking to what could only have been the second Amtrak because I could still hear the answers over the scanner. (The first train would have by then been out of range.) The second train was Amtrak #5 that departed Chicago on June 5th and that should have passed through here yesterday morning, been serviced at Emeryville, and come back through today. That means that the first train was Amtrak #5 out of Chicago on June 6th. I speculate that at some point, when the June 6th train caught up to the >24-hour-late June 5th train, they transferred the passengers (which wouldn't have been many; ridership is extremely low due to the pandemic-induced passenger lull) to the June 6th train, and let the June 5th train limp to Reno. According to the engineer on the June 5th train, there was supposed to be a new locomotive waiting for them at Sparks Yard.
(Sparks is a major division point and yard for the railroad. It's just east of Reno. There used to be a station at Sparks Yard, and I occasionally caught the Zephyr there when heading to the Bay Area because it was so much quieter, but Amtrak removed the stop. It probably only kept it due to it being a crew-change point. Now the operating crews (engineers and conductors) change at Reno.)
Now the pieces started to make sense. With no train set in Emeryville, they couldn't start a train this morning. Passengers for stops west of Reno would have to be sent by bus (possibly by train as far as Sacramento) to Reno. They could then terminate the June 5th #5 train at Sparks, probably not even going as far as Reno inasmuch as they had no passengers aboard. They could then swap the failed locomotive for the good one that Amtrak managed to get to Sparks, turn and service the train as best they could, possibly get the on-board service crew a minimal amount of rest, and "short turn" the train back to Chicago.
This afternoon, I watched on Amtrak's train tracker to see the unusual sight of Amtrak #6, a nominally eastbound train, moving westbound slowly between Sparks and Reno. That would be the backup move down to Reno station, where they would collect all of the passengers transferred by bus. (I know I'd be sore if I'd paid for a bedroom and got a bus through one of the two most scenic parts of the trip, but what can you do?) Already running late, they left Reno and headed my way.
To my annoyance, I lost track of the time and missed a chance to photograph the eastbound train, which would have given me a chance by spotting engine numbers to confirm my hypothesis. Still, today got me the rare opportunity to see Amtrak three times in the same day here at Fernley.
Now that travel is somewhat loosened up, Lisa and I would like to take a train trip, even as far as Chicago. But a round-trip fare is about $2500. I have the time, but not the money. I have Amtrak points saved up, but the plan is to use them to get to DC for next year's Worldcon, which should also give us a ride on a train on which we have not traveled before. Fingers crossed that it works out.
Say what? Amtrak #5 is the westbound California Zephyr. I'd already noticed that Amtrak had issued a service advisory that today's #6 (the eastbound train) would originate from Reno instead of Emeryville, and now I had an inkling of why that would be. There must be no CZ train set in the Bay Area to form today's westbound train!
I went out to photograph what I could. That wasn't a lot because of the BNSF locomotives and some spotted cars on the Fernley House tracks.
( First #5 )
I could see on Amtrak's track-a-train map approximately where "Second #5" was, so I went back to work until it was getting close, about fifteen minutes later. Now, in train speak "First #5" and "Second #5" would really mean what are called the first and second "sections" of the same train, both leaving on the same day a few minutes after each other. That's not what happened here, and as I learned over the radio shortly, the second Amtrak train through here was, strictly speaking, the first of the two #5s.
( Second #5 )
Shortly after "Second #5" passed, I heard the dispatcher talking to what could only have been the second Amtrak because I could still hear the answers over the scanner. (The first train would have by then been out of range.) The second train was Amtrak #5 that departed Chicago on June 5th and that should have passed through here yesterday morning, been serviced at Emeryville, and come back through today. That means that the first train was Amtrak #5 out of Chicago on June 6th. I speculate that at some point, when the June 6th train caught up to the >24-hour-late June 5th train, they transferred the passengers (which wouldn't have been many; ridership is extremely low due to the pandemic-induced passenger lull) to the June 6th train, and let the June 5th train limp to Reno. According to the engineer on the June 5th train, there was supposed to be a new locomotive waiting for them at Sparks Yard.
(Sparks is a major division point and yard for the railroad. It's just east of Reno. There used to be a station at Sparks Yard, and I occasionally caught the Zephyr there when heading to the Bay Area because it was so much quieter, but Amtrak removed the stop. It probably only kept it due to it being a crew-change point. Now the operating crews (engineers and conductors) change at Reno.)
Now the pieces started to make sense. With no train set in Emeryville, they couldn't start a train this morning. Passengers for stops west of Reno would have to be sent by bus (possibly by train as far as Sacramento) to Reno. They could then terminate the June 5th #5 train at Sparks, probably not even going as far as Reno inasmuch as they had no passengers aboard. They could then swap the failed locomotive for the good one that Amtrak managed to get to Sparks, turn and service the train as best they could, possibly get the on-board service crew a minimal amount of rest, and "short turn" the train back to Chicago.
This afternoon, I watched on Amtrak's train tracker to see the unusual sight of Amtrak #6, a nominally eastbound train, moving westbound slowly between Sparks and Reno. That would be the backup move down to Reno station, where they would collect all of the passengers transferred by bus. (I know I'd be sore if I'd paid for a bedroom and got a bus through one of the two most scenic parts of the trip, but what can you do?) Already running late, they left Reno and headed my way.
To my annoyance, I lost track of the time and missed a chance to photograph the eastbound train, which would have given me a chance by spotting engine numbers to confirm my hypothesis. Still, today got me the rare opportunity to see Amtrak three times in the same day here at Fernley.
Now that travel is somewhat loosened up, Lisa and I would like to take a train trip, even as far as Chicago. But a round-trip fare is about $2500. I have the time, but not the money. I have Amtrak points saved up, but the plan is to use them to get to DC for next year's Worldcon, which should also give us a ride on a train on which we have not traveled before. Fingers crossed that it works out.
