Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2

I got Whitefish 2 route and want to create an activity based on real Amtrak Empire Builder schedule#7 Chicago - SeattleWhitefish 9.16pm
Libby 10.59pm
Sandpoint 11.49pm2.5 hours for 188 miles. How is it possible? The train must go with 75mph average speed. Damn too fast for mountaneous route. Is there a mistake in the schedule?#8 Seattle - ChicagoSandpoint 2.47am
Libby 5.41am
Whitefish 7.46amThis run supposed to be 5 hours long with 37mph average speed

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RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, amtkfan79, Jul-18-03, 09:20 AM, (1) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, awaken77, Jul-18-03, 10:09 AM, (2) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, McCloud_River_John, Jul-18-03, 01:05 PM, (3) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, Idahojeff, Jul-18-03, 11:44 PM, (4) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, Macster, Jul-19-03, 00:19 AM, (5) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, awaken77, Jul-19-03, 05:40 AM, (6) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, awaken77, Jul-20-03, 12:39 PM, (7) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, awaken77, Jul-20-03, 02:22 PM, (8) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, NoslopTrainman, Jul-20-03, 06:31 PM, (9) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, awaken77, Jul-21-03, 02:09 AM, (10) RE: Empire Builder activity for Whitefish 2, Koziolean, Jul-26-03, 08:33 AM, (11)

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Don't forget the time change. Lose an hour going west, jump ahead an hour going east. I think railroad crews stay on whatever time they're on when they start that run... so you just have to adjust your timetable to fit that.
JE

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>Don't forget the time change. Lose an hour going west, jump
>ahead an hour going east. I think railroad crews stay on
>whatever time they're on when they start that run... so you
>just have to adjust your timetable to fit that.
>JE Is the local time in Whitefish and Sandpoint differs on 1 hour?
In this case both runs should take approx 4 hours. Is that correct?

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Looking at a BN timetable, appears there are several chunks of 79MPH in between.

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The sign announcing the change from Pacific to Mountain time (or, vice-versa) is at the east end of the Sandpoint platform. So... operationaly, shouldn't throw a wrench in the works. Just fiddle with your watch as the passengers board (both of them ). You can't go to Spokane (yet,(but I can)). So, I'm working up an eastbound 3 parter. PtI, make up the train at Spokane from trains 8 and 28. PtII, take the train to the station stop at Sandpoint. PtIII, (The one youse guys'll get), take it east to Whitefish. Should be more daylight running eastbound anyway.Jeff

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remember... the time change is at the signals in Sandpoint, ID....

Brian E. Bundridge
Seattle, Wa

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I run activity test tonight from Libby, MT to Whitefish.
Converted timetable to Whitefish local time (Mountain)
Where the passenger station for #7 and #8 is located?
There are 2 platforms in Sandpoint (BNSF and UP)Player consist is 2x NALW P42, 1 luggage and 8 Superliners.
Actually when it departs from Seattle, there rarely more than 6 cars, and mostly only 1 loco.
P42 definitely needs night cab!If follow all speed restrictions train will arrive 7-10 minutes later to Whitefish. Probably adding "ignore speed limit" in some places of player's path will help.
Which sections allow to run passenger trains with higher speed?Between Ripley and Riverview sidings depending on player and AI timing , deadlock or head-on collision occurs. When I'm approaching Rippley passing track signal shows yellow, then red. Somewhere in the middle of passing track the next light changes to GREEN but I know for sure that another train already departed towards me. Strange, huh? When I proceed this signal, track monitor shows me the next signal is red. But there is already long intermodal going to kill me. And it happens.
If I go a little bit slower, oncoming train stops at the Ripley East and we are deadlocked.

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This was REALLY scary.

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>Looking at a BN timetable, appears there are several chunks
>of 79MPH in between. There are 70 and 75mph zones between Whitefish and Libby but it's impossible to go with such speed becouse of derailments.

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I can make the Empire Builder schedule work to only be approximately 15 minutes late going Whitefish to Sandpoint but I also have updated the route by adding the passenger speed limits based on the current BNSF timetable and that also without any A-1 traffic.
Since the time changes where it does I don't worry about it since I cannot make the Sim jump ahead or back an hour anyway.
In the process I also updated the freight speed limits too.
It would be very hard to run the Amtrak schedule based on the speed limits that Batt has in the route considering he did not include any passenger speed limits, only the ones for freight.
It is still hard to run on time even with adding the passenger limits due to the terrain of the this route.
Batt explained in the readme that I have that some parts of the route are prototypical and some are not and the speed limits are not accurate.
He "modified" the speed limits based on the terrain of the route and his own personal taste.
I was fortunate to have a "beta" copy of the route before the release so since it was released I have also replaced all the default crossings with the "lighted" versions as I prefer these especially when running the Empire Builder.
I am in the process of adding A-1 traffic to the activity to see how that effects the timing. So far it has put me way behind schedule but I attribute that to the A-1 "dispatcher" in the Sim that everyone hates. He really does need to be "fired".
Overall I still think this was an AWESOME update by Batt and the regraded track base is wonderful.
He did a terrific job on updating this route and I for one applaud him for sharing it with the rest of us and Mr. Dollins in creating it in the first place.
I will continue to update it on my computer as I like to add my own "personal touches" to any route.
BTW I find the remark curious about there only being "one" locomotive on the Empire Builder out of Seattle or did I misunderstand the remark?
I have taken this train many times from Seattle to Whitefish and back and have never been on a train that had only one locomotive.
I find that curious given the "grade" it has to climb over Stevens Pass and the schedule they try to keep.

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>I can make the Empire Builder schedule work to only be approximately >15 minutes late going Whitefish to Sandpoint I finished trip from Whitefish to Libby 20 minutes later, trying to follow passenger speed limits where it's possible. It's with traffic delays. Without traffic it would be 10 minutes later.>I have taken this train many times from Seattle to Whitefish
>and back and have never been on a train that had only one
>locomotive.
>I find that curious given the "grade" it has to climb over
>Stevens Pass and the schedule they try to keep. Maybe it depends on time of the year. When passenger traffic is light they couple less cars and 1 loco is enough. Previously I've seen it double-headed (P40+F40PH) and I guess they used F40PH for supplying HEP

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Alright never mind about running late and that, upload the activities I CAN'T WAIT. PHYSICALLY.LITERALLY.

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