Amtrak Southwest Chief at 90 MPH - Once more

Shot at Bucklin, MO on the BNSF Marceline Sub 9April 2008. Sorry it's a bit jerky, but got pretty chilled waiting for it, so was a bit unsteady. Note the P42's are back-to-back, they usually run nose-to-tail; also the train is short one of it's sleepers, set out at ABQ the previous day.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Amtrak
• Southwest
• Chief
• BNSF
• missouri
• train

[skifool10]

for P42DC's the Maximum Authorized speed is 79 and overspeed is set at 83mph

[PumpkinHogger]

That only applies to lines without ATS, ATC, or ACS

[hojimbo]

We were told while riding this very train the maximum speed Amtrak is allowed to go is 78 mph -

[PumpkinHogger]

On this portion of BNSF Amtrak runs 90 max

[MrZkr123]

@monica012077 on the NEC the engines go 125mph and up

[MrMattIntel]

I saw 3 IV cars. the rest were IVb.

[calif1mc]

@atsf3751fan The Chief is also good to do 90 through parts of the Transcon though the Mojave Desert east of Barstow.

[monica012077]

@USofMilitaryPower94 The Lakeshore Ltd can go 110mph on the Hudson Subdivision between NYC and Albany with P32's with the third rail shoes(forget what these are called)for electric power, The Silver trains can go 110mph but with the AEM-7's & HHP-8's on the Northeast Corridor, otherwise they go 79mph with the P42DC's

[Petemonster62]

There must be stretches of that Santa Fe line that are an " Air-Line Railroad ". I recall the Super Chief & El Capitan having been referred to as " fast trains ".

[USofMilitaryPower94]

@skifool10 What about trains like the Lakeshore Ltd. or the Silver Star/Meteor which regularly hit 100mph with P42DC's on the point?

[monica012077]

That was definitely 90 mph, you can tell because the wheel noises are closer together than when its 79mph. I've never seen train that big & a P42 move that fast! awesome video

[BackOnTheRoad]

Assuming the timeline on the video is accurate and knowing the Amtrak passenger cars are 85 feet long I came up with a calculated speed of 81 mph. Pretty close to the usual 79 mph max.

[amtrakjackson]

Excluding other restrictions, 90 mph is permitted as follows:

Marceline Sub- mp 234.8 to mp 388.7, 418.2 to 425.0.

Gallup Sub- mp 27.4 to 58.7, 85.9 to 128.8 ebd on 1, 128.8 to 157.6 wbd on 2, and then from 157.6 to 284.5.

Seligman Sub- mp284.5 to 326.7 ebd, 362.1 to 418.3, 484.0 to 514.0 on 2, 465.8 to 578.0 on 1.

Needles Sub- mp609.1 to 669.3, 706.6 to 737.3

[atsf3751fan]

@hojimbo I was onboard the Chief, and for most of the journey, it is 79 mph max. However, some parts of Missouri and Iowa are set for 90 mph.