CONGESTION! Amtrak FORCED To Make WEIRD MANEUVER | Rail RECAP

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[@sandysmithvideos228]

Thank you for your patience and getting this posted.

[@billwilson6670]

Thanks for the excellent explanation. I've been a railfan here in Houston for over 30 years and never quite understood how all this works. Great job!

[@mariofilippi3539]

Thanks for this video. Seeing a train switching tracks is always a treat.

[@pendlechild7516]

Once again the T26 ptz cam and cam operators prove they are best in the business ! Awesome job guys, thanks 👍

[@AbelG8781]

😁😁👍

[@johncamp2567]

As a new subscriber, I thank you for showing me something I have never seen before!! 😲 Definitely not the route I was expecting; the maps and text were very helpful!! 👍

[@AbelG8781]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@kens.3729]

That was a Crazy Move. Can you Imagine what Radio Traffic was like between the Dispatcher and the Amtrak Conductor and the look on the Engineers Face. 🤪 🤔

[@jameshennighan8193]

Yep.....but an example of excellent and practical railroading to get around a problem and keep things moving. Here in the UK moves like this were easily accomplished when we had signal boxes, (towers), covering our railway system, when individual signalmen in charge of their own sections would talk to each other. Back in the 1950's and 60's we also had station staff, especially Station Masters at each station, who would arrange things like this, as required with the local signalman. Since our railways were privatised in 1997, the companies running trains....having no real railway experience and knowledge....became so risk averse that hardly anything out of the norm could be carried out. As an example, when a train ran past a station at which it should have stopped, (it happens sometimes and always has), the signalmen would arrange for it to 'set-back' to the station wherever possible. Nowadays they won't 'set-back' any distance over 200 yards......and as for propelling stock with passengers in, say from one platform to another, they will have everybody get out of the train before they will think of moving it. Nowadays cancelling trains at short notice is a daily business and as a consequence passengers get a poor service. It doesn't help that the train companies lost the plot when they stopped calling passengers passengers, and started to call them customers.... james Hennighan Yorkshire, England

[@jimpern]

I had a somewhat similar experience on train #1 a year ago. When approaching El Paso, our direct path to the platform was blocked by a parked freight on an adjacent track. We had to go at least a mile past the station and then back in! The delay wasn't too great but in the end we arrived in Los Angeles 7 hours late.

[@dubreil07]

El Paso sucks

[@amircat]

​@@dubreil07maybe so, but ridiculously long delays happen on Amtrak trains all the time. Amtrak only owns like 3% of all the track it operates on, so the class 1 freight companies prioritize their trains over amtrak. I rode the California Zephyr Route from San Fran to Chicago this past summer, and I think the train accumulated 10 hrs total in delay time from multiple instance waiting on freight. I feel like the maneuver itself isn't that time consuming though.

[@danburch9989]

Looks like the front of lead engine #27 was invovled in some kind of incident. Looks to be some damage to the front that doesn't appear on #19.

[@natehill8069]

It looks like my dads hunting beagle after it got loose and was hunting all night, running with its nose pressed to the ground.

[@user-bf1md8xv1p]

More switches are needed. UP should install them. AMTRAK should demand them. With all the road crossings in reverse, it was a dangerous maneuver.

[@Brianrockrailfan]

great rail recap video 🚅🚃🚃

[@saxmanb777]

I’ve been on this train when it did this move. The track was removed a long time ago so they could go just straight across south to north across tower 26, no back up moves at all, or so I was told.

[@AbelG8781]

Correct, there was a diamond but it was removed over 30 years ago. Now they're forced to do this maneuver.

[@leeroberts1192]

@@AbelG8781 Is there enough traffic to justify the cost of reinstating the diamond?

[@OregonRailfan83]

Interesting and informative, Thanks!

[@natehill8069]

American high speed trains. 2 hours from Dallas to Houston. Then 2 more hours from the "H" in Houston to the first "O" in Houston!

[@sweynforkbeardtraindude]

You guys do a fantastic job of explaining things. So much better than Virtual Railfan Grab Bag! Keep up the good work.

[@Kassandria-wc1tj]

I agree

[@OmahaTom]

I can't believe the sunset limited only has 4 cars and 1 baggage! Thats a crime!

[@debbievogt9881]

That's only the Eagle part isn't it?

[@rebaleasure9304]

😂😂😂

[@vincent412l7]

Looks like sleeper, diner, lounge, coach?

[@vincent412l7]

​@@debbievogt9881train 2 is the Sunset Limited. Texas Eagle is train 22.

[@minhngoctran1966]

4 Superliners rather than 6

[@mikeef747]

There is nothing strange about it! The engineer had to pull the entire train past the track switch, then the tracks switch to the middle track. Next, it reversed onto the middle track until it passed the switch to the 3rd track. Last, it proceeded onto the 3rd track, assumingly the track it needed to get on to go in the direction it needed to go. Logically think about it for a minute try to consider any other way it could've to the 3rd with the setup in front of you.

[@marioxerxescastelancastro8019]

1:06 Where do you get the track maps from?

[@Highland_Moo]

Hello from the Scottish highlands! I’m from a wee village close to Kyle of Lochalsh where the railway terminates from Inverness. It’s a beautiful journey and if anyone gets the chance to visit Scotland then it’s worth the trip to Kyle from Inverness - I promise you! Anyway, thank you for uploading this - I’d love to do the Sunset Limited but unless I win the lottery the it ain’t gonna happen! Too ugly to sell my body!

[@JohnnyAngel8]

🤣

[@jasonalperin9414]

Is this what happened with Saturdays late Amtrak 1?

[@user-yd1vl9lj5j]

They do something similar in St. Pete Fl. train takes a spur and then backs into the St. Pete Station.

[@randydobson1863]

hello live trains it's is randy and i like yours video is cool thanks friends randy

[@101egals]

Is that the engine that hit the dump truck a few months back?

[@katyflyer3278]

They used to play Murray St shuffle all the time it was fun to watch

[@sherlocksteve9109]

that was interesting!!

[@ICUNA22]

When did Amtrak start running on the old Mopac route to Beaumont, instead of the S.P.? The S.P. route is more direct?

[@AbelG8781]

Both the same, have always done it like this.

[@gregsells8549]

The one time I rode the Sunset out of Houston, it took the SP route to Beaumont. This might have been before UP began directional running: eastbound on MP, westbound on SP. The TXDOT highway map shows this, and also an incorrect routing west of Houston: the mostly-abandoned Bellaire Line (what's left of it is the 8-mile Chesterville Industrial Lead) from Eagle Lake to Wallis, then BNSF to Rosenberg, rather than the UP main along Alternate US 90. The map as well still has the Texas Eagle between Dallas and Fort Worth on the T&P through Arlington, instead of the TRE (ex-Rock Island) through Irving to avoid backing up at Tower 55.

[@ICUNA22]

@gregsells8549 I rode Houston to Lake Charles before u.p. got them both, so Amtrak on the Mopac was a rare event at that time.

[@TubinTexas]

Still waiting on the "crazy" move. It's not uncommon to make a reverse move through the crossover to get from m2 to m1 and continue onto the HWB. The specials often use this CP to turn around.

[@tonytins]

Those P42s sure have seen better days.

[@Dalts1985]

Given the arrival of the Siemens Charger Locomotives, seems they are in there final days

[@ronclark9724]

The Siemens Chargers have been bought to replace them. Its just a matter of time before they are all built and in service... The P42s have served Amtrak well...

[@rjm2024]

Backup move to Maury St, then 10mph turnout to the West Belt. East Belt to the Beaumont Sub. Make this trip every other day 😁 Some of this area has recently been put in service. I didn’t know Amtrak used the bypass tracks at Settegast Yard when congestion is heavy. Thanks for the insight. Great video btw and thanks for sharing

[@TicTacToe3511]

What a chaotic situation

[@joebidenbites1015]

Amtrak is fine as long as you're not in a hurry.

[@roberttrometter5788]

Who builds Amtraks engines? Robert

[@theknickerbocker5808]

The engines on that train are General Electric P42s built in Erie PA.

[@roberttrometter5788]

Thank you.

[@allanegleston4931]

ya gotta do what ya gotta do. i feel the move wasnt strange at all. it worked , no?

[@arbigdog73]

Is this Tampa?

[@whiteknightcat]

Funny.

[@delano62]

The only time they were on time. Then this hold up.

[@greaterhoustonrailfan]

Why does it usually reverse out of the station?

[@AbelG8781]

There was an animation explaining the move.

[@greaterhoustonrailfan]

Yea, but can’t it just go forwards out of the station?@@AbelG8781

[@rebaleasure9304]

This is what happens in Trainz Simulator😂🎉

[@geoffreylee5199]

If this is a daily movement, why no crossover?

[@stewartschweers672]

Should be noted that the map at 00:50 isn't true, no through trains to the Beaumont Sub are routed via Settegast Yard.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

I feel like this map should become the new norm, seems like it would save some time with the backup move

[@stewartschweers672]

@@JoeyLovesTrains If trains were routed that way, they'd pass right through both Englewood and Settegast Yards. UP doesn't want trains potentially tying up the area around both yards, as opposed to bypassing them both.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

@@stewartschweers672 I mean, knowing Texas this will never happen, but constructing a bypass that take that route at 0:50 with grade separation would be ideal

[@ronclark9724]

@@JoeyLovesTrains But UP doesn't want to build it. After all it is their tracks on their right of way. Amtrak does not own these tracks.

[@VE3UET]

Just proves. freight has priority over passenger service, and railways go out of their way to destroy passenger service,

[@amircat]

its just that private class 1 freight companies own 97% of rail in the US. They want their profit & the supply chain depends on them, so they're gonna prioritize their freight. And at this point it would be a nightmare trying to find enough contiguous federal land / coordinating private land to create a national passenger infrastructure independent of private freight.

[@ronclark9724]

Basically the dispatchers know who puts butter on their bread, it isn't Amtrak. While passengers do not like to hear this, freight is much more important to the economy than passengers getting to their destinations quicker. That food in the grocery stores doesn't pop out of thin air using a wand. COMMERCE trumps public transit...

[@redlight722]

This is no surprise in railroading. It could had been any number of things. A switch not working, track out of service, new dispatcher doing what they thought was correct, workers on the rail, MOW, and possibly somebody just seeing if this maneuver will be better and decided to try it. Nothing I have seen in railroading has ever been routine.

[@JohnnyAngel8]

I was wondering why the train didn't sound its horn when backing up over the road crossing. It doesn't make sense to me as this would seem to be a more dangerous situation than when travelling forward. Do you know why?

[@redlight722]

@@JohnnyAngel8 horn is at the locomotive on the other end while backing. Nobody would hear it in their vehicle. The conductor was on the rear end to tell the engineer commands, road is clear, entering the intersection, and how far until they stop. So on

[@JohnnyAngel8]

@@redlight722Thanks. I hadn't thought of the conductor at the rear. (I use commuter trains frequently and they have horns on both ends.)

[@redlight722]

@@JohnnyAngel8 with or without horn. There is still a conductor at the rear end. Making sure they don’t hit anything. The engineer can’t see anything and is operating more less blind when in reverse.

[@CC-ug3ld]

Train

[@yvesd_fr1810]

As an European used to take train, it is difficult to understand how the train system "works" in the US. Nevertheless, I doubt that this type of operation helps Amtrack to tranport more passengers at a time we need to develop public transportations. First the Amtrack train is running quite slow, second it has to make incredible manovers to go through the junction, and last, it looks like from the description that priority is given to freight trains that also run quite slowly and perturbate passenger train operations... There is room in the whole system needs for some improvement imho.

[@ronclark9724]

Presently the Amtrak Houston station is at the site of the former Southern Pacific station north of Buffalo Bayou, whereas the former Houston Union Station which served many other railroads is now apart of the new Houston Astros baseball stadium downtown south of Buffalo Bayou. Keep in mind the private freight railroads build the tracks for their routes, with interlockings and wyes with other railroads and their routes. America has NEVER nationalized the railroads, and Amtrak wasn't even created until PennCentral went bankrupt after it lost its mail contracts. No longer do America passenger trains have a dozen or more mail cars on their consists. Houston is not the only place in America where Amtrak does silly things to move forward. The tracks were not laid out for Amtrak... Nor is America a TINY nation one can drive across in a single day after dawn and before dusk. It takes a truck driver SIX days to drive legally from LA to Boston... Not one day...

[@v8pilot]

2:16 How is this even possible. If Amtrak continues it will bump into the oil train and there is no signal between Amtrak and the oil train. It's just up to the driver's judgment? Amazing. Or does he hope that the oil train will have got out of his way by the time he gets there?

[@michlo3393]

Both trains are on diverging routes. The oil train is diverging off of the mainline while the Amtrak is diverging from the same main track to another. The crossover just happens to be pretty far down, away from the camera. The crossover is a Control Point and both trains are able to occupy what appears to be the same space because they are in fact, on diverging routes. The dispatcher would not be able to set a route if there was conflicting movement on the same track. When the Amtrak begins to shove back, you can see the crossover in front of it has it lined to the adjacent main, while the freight train is peeling off.

[@rogertemple7193]

Nice to see this maneuver and it was done really well by professionals.🤠😎 🚄🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃

[@lancomedic]

Why are there two locomotives on that train? Does it pick up other cars enroute?

[@whiteknightcat]

Despite the tiny consist, it's not unusual for the Sunset Limited to have two units on the point. The day of this video was a Tuesday so there would not have been any cars transferred to the Texas Eagle in San Antonio. The train would have arrived in New Orleans late that same night, likely been serviced, and then departed westbound Wednesday morning. It would have arrived in San Antonio after midnight Thursday morning where it would have picked up a coach and sleeper from the Texas Eagle before continuing on to LA. I would guess two units would be kept on at all times because the train would be a little longer every other trip. This summer I saw the westbound California Zephyr southbound on the Raton Subdivision heading for a meet with the eastbound Zephyr waiting in a siding a couple of miles away. Both trains had seven passenger cars in them, the eastbound train was led by two units, and the westbound with THREE units.

[@lancomedic]

@@whiteknightcat Thanks

[@ronclark9724]

@@whiteknightcat While Amtrak sometimes uses one locomotive on basically flat terrain, Amtrak uses more than one on mountainous grades, especially in the west. Believe it or not there are grades on the Sunset Limited route, if not along the Gulf coast...

[@debbievogt9881]

Is that the Eagle?

[@ronclark9724]

No, the Sunset Limited in Houston... The Texas Eagle does not serve Houston...

[@skyh]

Train #2 is the Sunset limited eastbound.

[@whiteknightcat]

One sleeper, one lounge car, one diner and one coach. THAT is the Sunset Limited? Damn but that's pathetic. That's down to the size of the Texas Eagle, or more appropriately, the Eaglet. As much as I'd like to see passenger service continue and grow, seeing once great trains shrunk down to shadows of their former selves sometimes makes me wonder if it's even worth it to continue with something so few people (relatively speaking) use.

[@michlo3393]

It's probably not peak season. The passenger demand fluctuates on those long-distance trains.

[@whiteknightcat]

@@michlo3393 True that, but they still are the hugest money losers on the system. Unfortunately, after 40 years, nobody seems to have been able to staunch the losses. And with nobody now enforcing Amtrak priority over the Class I monopolies, it seems service will continue to wither.

[@michlo3393]

@@whiteknightcat Well even in the glory days of American passenger rail those long-distance trains lost money. It was the mail and express that kept them going. As for Amtrak having priority, I think for the most part it varies from location to location. Depending on congestion and available track. Believe it or not, the Class 1's don't really mess with Amtrak - at least not on purpose. They're just really good at being in the way.

[@whiteknightcat]

@@michlo3393 And PSR only made it worse if an Amtrak route has to run against a line using directional running. They'll have to go in the hole for pretty much everything. On the other hand, we've seen UP hold the Eagle for rock trains, cement trains, and even empties in central Texas.

[@johnsons74thsquadron74]

No, consists are shorter than usual due to a shortage of rolling stock. Superliners in particular are severely impacted. There is already demand to return this train to its pre-pandemic consist, which had the addition of a transition sleeping car and a second coach if more equipment was available. Most of the cars stored back during the Covid era are set to return to the rails this fiscal year.

[@Zeakthecat]

i bet if amtrak received 100 Billion dollars earmarked for new rail construction today, we would have better train services by 2030.

[@dmitrykapustin7697]

А что, так можно было????? Как всё просто! Упс! Немного не туда... Ерунда! Сейчас, чуток назад, стрелку переведём... ( машинист сам стрелки переводит?) и поедем, куда надо... Волосы дыбом... В СССР, за такое тюрьма обеспечена была. Да и в России тоже.

[@tomp8871]

I'm sure all were qualified to make this move, no? What congestion

[@jaysmith1408]

The lollygagging UP tank train for one

[@user-hj2jk6rx9e]

How much do u charge for your subscription?

[@frankfreeman1444]

When will our country wake up and give Amtrak priority over frieght? Technically they already have it, but freight companies have lots of pull and bribe money, so they do what they want. We pay for airports but won't help passenger rail. I wonder why people won't ride Amtrak?????

[@filanfyretracker]

the loophole used by freight is they make their trains too long to fit on the sidings. Honestly the only way to get ridership up on Amtrak is to electrify and multitrack everything between major city groups. Just look at the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak craps all over the airlines here. but even the non Acela can run 100+ on the NEC.

[@cliftongalloway6138]

Trains in this country should not have to do this. There's no reason we shouldn't have dedicated passenger tracks...🤦🏿

[@Victorseafog]

These Amtrak locomotives like 27 are the most hideous designed ugly things ever put on rails.

[@whiteknightcat]

You've obviously never seen some of the locomotives produced in the 1950's and 60's

[@Dalts1985]

@@whiteknightcatThe Alligator Electric Chairs lol 😂 Where As The EMD F7 Streamliners we’re true elegance…

[@whiteknightcat]

@@Dalts1985 I was kind of thinking along the lines of EMD's BL2 (the Edsel of engines), or the Baldwin Centipedes, or GE's U50's. I know some people like them, but many considered the Krauss-Maffei imports just butt ugly.