OR - Amtrak train from Seattle with 183 passengers stranded since Sunday, Oakridge, 26 Feb 2019

[cybervampira]

Amtrak train with 183 passengers onboard is stranded in Oregon for a DAY-AND-A-HALF | Daily Mail Online

An Amtrak train carrying 183 passengers has been at a standstill in the snow in Oregon for a day and a half.

The Coast Starlight train left Seattle on Sunday morning at 9.45am and was due to arrive in Los Angeles on Monday at 9pm but got stuck after hitting a downed tree in Oakridge, Oregon, around eight hours into the 35-hour journey.

It brought the train to a screeching halt in a rural part of the track where the snow is four feet deep.

The train has been there since around 6.30pm on Sunday night and there is no indication of when it will be able to move again because road closures and the thick snow and ice nearby have made it impossible for crews to reach it.

Staff had been rationing out the remaining food but passengers were down to their last meal on Monday night.

Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the tracks, said on Tuesday morning that it was in the process of clearing the way for the train but it does not know how long it will take.

Amtrak said it planned to have crews with the passengers by 6am PT on Tuesday and that they would be brought back to Eugene but so far there is no word of any rescue.



There was a snow storm in the area on Sunday which caused widespread power outages and because there are only two small hotels nearby, Amtrak has said it is safer for the passengers to remain onboard where they have electricity.

'We can't get off the train because there's four feet of snow in every direction.

'There's nowhere to go,' passenger Rebekah Dodson KTVL, claiming they had been 'yelled at' for opening windows.

The passengers are becoming increasingly frustrated by Amtrak's lack of communication.

183 people stranded on stuck Amtrak train

Amtrak train stranded in Oregon snow since Sunday - CNN

 

[Trudie]

Oh what a miserable situation for all held captive by Mother Nature.
CyberV, you find the best topics!

 

[Trudie]

The train is now moving, according to national news, albeit backwards, lol.
This would have caused me a lot of anxiety, I can’t even fly next to kids, let alone be enclosed in a train car.

 

[cody22]

Why do I keep thinking about the Donner Party ?....moo

 

[nothingnew]

I've taken that train more than once & it's torture with any delay, even just 2 hours. No smoking. You can smoke at a few stops but if they have to make up time then some of those stops you have to stay on the train. Those poor people! Plus I saw on the news a nice lady brought out her ukulele, I would be screaming inside my head, loudly.

 

[1&2&3]

Why was the train not prewarned about this four inch snowfall ahead of them?

Sounds like poor planning on Amtrak’s part.

Ugh, a 36 hour train ride! That doesn’t sound interesting, inviting, or safe in the middle of winter to me.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

Why was the train not prewarned about this four inch snowfall ahead of them?

Sounds like poor planning on Amtrak’s part.

Ugh, a 36 hour train ride! That doesn’t sound interesting, inviting, or safe in the middle of winter to me.

Almost 3 years ago I took the Texas Eagle to AZ. It was a wonderful trip, and I feel so bad for the people stuck on the train. Both passengers and crew.

 

[Gardenista]

As long as I had plenty to read and there was a quiet area, I would love it.

 

[SuziQ]

Why was the train not prewarned about this four inch snowfall ahead of them?

Sounds like poor planning on Amtrak’s part.

Ugh, a 36 hour train ride! That doesn’t sound interesting, inviting, or safe in the middle of winter to me.

I love trains. Especially in winter. The untouched territory, pristine wilderness, and wildlife. It's downright magical. Trains do better than plains in snow. I have been on them when they have gone through six feet of snow. They plow through it like it's nothing. In this case, the train hit a fallen tree.

 

[SuziQ]

I've taken that train more than once & it's torture with any delay, even just 2 hours. No smoking. You can smoke at a few stops but if they have to make up time then some of those stops you have to stay on the train. Those poor people! Plus I saw on the news a nice lady brought out her ukulele, I would be screaming inside my head, loudly.

Some trains have a lounge car for drinks and smoking.

 

[borndem]

Why do I keep thinking about the Donner Party ?....moo

Dammmm!
Well, there's always one, I guess!! And you're ours! Love it!

 

[gitana1]

I've taken that train more than once & it's torture with any delay, even just 2 hours. No smoking. You can smoke at a few stops but if they have to make up time then some of those stops you have to stay on the train. Those poor people! Plus I saw on the news a nice lady brought out her ukulele, I would be screaming inside my head, loudly.

Oh you absolutely need to switch to the gum. I did after I quit smoking and let me say, it was very nice to be able to "smoke" on airplanes and in buildings, etc.

 

[cody22]

I've taken that train more than once & it's torture with any delay, even just 2 hours. No smoking. You can smoke at a few stops but if they have to make up time then some of those stops you have to stay on the train. Those poor people! Plus I saw on the news a nice lady brought out her ukulele, I would be screaming inside my head, loudly.

I can just picture that nice lady, starting to play that ukulele, while everyone starts singing "100,000 bottles of beer on the wall............"...moo

 

[cybervampira]

 

[cody22]

If there are about half a dozen people missing after getting off that train, we may have a whole new thread.......moo

 

[gitana1]

The train is now moving, according to national news, albeit backwards, lol.
This would have caused me a lot of anxiety, I can’t even fly next to kids, let alone be enclosed in a train car.

I would die. I can't handle being trapped.

 

[Trudie]

I've taken that train more than once & it's torture with any delay, even just 2 hours. No smoking. You can smoke at a few stops but if they have to make up time then some of those stops you have to stay on the train. Those poor people! Plus I saw on the news a nice lady brought out her ukulele, I would be screaming inside my head, loudly.

I honestly don’t think I could have survived with ukulele music (or whatever it is) & kids singing.
I’m the type to willingly pay for an extra seat to avoid having a child or wrong person next to me on a flight. I think the train would be worse, kids would be running around & allowed to be much louder. Only thinking of being trapped with them makes me need aspirin.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

Some trains have a lounge car for drinks and smoking.

In the past couple of years they stopped allowing smoking on Amtrak trains.

 

[Tssiemer]

Planes, cruise ships now trains. I barely like riding in a car anymore. Can’t handle being trapped.

 

[Trudie]

I love trains. Especially in winter. The untouched territory, pristine wilderness, and wildlife. It's downright magical. Trains do better than plains in snow. I have been on them when they have gone through six feet of snow. They plow through it like it's nothing. In this case, the train hit a fallen tree.

I’m guessing the beauty of the trip was lost, despite the ukulele music.