Amtrak California Zephyr, Train 6 + Train 6 = Train 12 ?

[Mark W]

Thursday's Amtrak #6 was 30 hours late into Lincoln.  Friday's #6 was also several hours late, arriving in Lincoln moments after Thursday's train.

Amtrak ran one train through the wye and coupled their rears together, giving us a palindrome train, the Amtrak California Zephyr #12??   

Two engines + baggage + 16 superliners + baggage + two engines. 


I caught the concoction just outside of Lincoln/Waverly on Hwy 6. 

                                                                                                                                    @ 0:45 Watch your head!

Interestingly, you can see one of the trains had two diners and no lounge.  I wonder if they opened the doors between the two trains, allowing the passengers to mingle. 

[C855B]

... Interestingly, you can see one of the trains had two diners and no lounge.  I wonder if they opened the doors between the two trains, allowing the passengers to mingle.

Unlikely. It would result in a lot of foot traffic through the sleepers, normally discouraged for several reasons, one being security of personal items.

[Missaberoad]

Anyone know how they set the power up to do this?
Are the P42's set up for locotrol? Or did they cut out the trucks?
Or did someone have to sit back there and bleed off the independent?

[mu26aeh]

DPU passenger trains. 

[eric220]

Unlikely. It would result in a lot of foot traffic through the sleepers, normally discouraged for several reasons, one being security of personal items.

The last several times I’ve taken the Zephyr it’s been run with the sleepers to the front and the coaches to the rear.

[C855B]

The last several times I’ve taken the Zephyr it’s been run with the sleepers to the front and the coaches to the rear.

Interesting. That's a change since we were last on, which now that you make me think about it was at least three years ago. Our last (likely the last) trip was on the EB.

I say "last" for a couple of reasons. We rode mostly on points, and they changed the point/zone system a couple of years ago to penalize LD riders. In the meanwhile there have been some hidden administrative moves, one of which is attempting to limit long-distance trains to 750 miles. Obviously the intent is to gut the service to useless levels and running customers off, thereby justifying complete elimination. Similar strategy to what went on in the 1960s with the RRs.

[nkalanaga]

Ryan:  I suspect that they "isolated" the locos, basically disabling all of the controls, the same way they do units being moved "dead in tow" in a freight train.  At that point, they're just an unusually heavy freight car as far as the crew is concerned.

In most cases, dead units are still handled at or near the front of the train, because they don't want that much concentrated weight on the rear end.  But as short as this train was, by freight train standards, it probably was easier to leave them on the rear.

[Mark W]

Word is that Zephyr service between Chicago and Lincoln is terminated until further notice.  A levee was breached on the alternate route as well.
Today's eastbound 6 terminated here in Lincoln and will become Tuesdays westbound 5. 

Interesting. That's a change since we were last on

I rode the Zephyr between Lincoln and San Francisco close to a dozen times, if not more, back during college.  Most often it was Sleepers up front, Diner, lounge, then coaches, and one sleeper on the rear.  But, there were times it was one sleeper, coaches, lounge, diner then sleepers;  once was sleepers, diner, lounge, coaches and no rear sleeper.  Never saw it where a coach followed the baggage.  I probably would have lived up there watching through the forward door glass!