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As some of you know I have cancer. I go to the hospital 5 times a week for treatment. Any way my questions is on Amtrak. So I go by Peachtree Station 2 times a day times 5 days a week. Granted I'm on I85. They have a passenger train there almost every time I go by it. The problem is the train is going in the wrong direction. The normal is it comes into Atlanta from Washington about 9am. It comes out of Birmingham about 7pm. The train I'm questioning is headed for Greenville and Washington about 10am. I have also seen and extra engine just to the south of it. Not every day (engine) but the train is there almost every day. Anyone have any ideas?

I'm sure the only AMTRAK train thru Atlanta is the Crescent, which is from NYC and New Orleans.

    Get well soon!

That's the only Amtrak through there that I'm aware of as well.    I waited up for it once in NC near my home town.   If it's on time it passes through the Charlotte area at 1am one direction and 3am the other direction.   So if you're seeing it in Atlanta during daylight at all you're lucky !   And for here in east Tennessee we have no passenger rail at all.

From the Amtrak pages, the schedule going east would be to depart Atlanta at 8:21pm and the westbound would depart Atlanta at 8:38am.   

Hope that's helpful.

Steve

Back in the old days when I was on the railroad in Atlanta, the southbound Crescent cut out a lounge car, some sleepers and a diseasel in the mornings. This equipment was taken to the wye at Armour yard and turned and serviced and then put on the northbound Crescent that evening. Amtrak had fewer passengers between Atlanta and New Orleans. maybe what you are seeing is how they do things now. I am not sure sfter all the interstate construction on I-85 if the wye is still at Armour yard, they might turn at Howell and keep the equipment nearer the station.

As some of you know I worked out of Atlanta Terminal (Inman) for 34 years. The train was there this moring when I went by both times. The engine numbers were Amtrak 53 and 512.  When I first hired they ran the Piedmont to Atlanta. It became more a Freight train as Southern added freight on the rear.

The passenger train was there again this morning headed toward Washington. It had Amtrak engines 10 and 139. Must be at least 10 cars.

Currently they are on a service disruption on the Crescent. Monday to Thursday, the train terminates in Atlanta before running back up toward Washington that night. They wye it in the morning and park it in one of the leads during the day, before pulling it back out at night. I think this is what you are seeing.

The train was back again this morning. It was not there when I went by the first time but was the second a little over and hour later. The first engine was again Amtrak 63 but not sure what the second one was. Again at least 7 hours before the Crescent goes north.

they are doin track work over here in alabama and seem to be in no hurry. 3 or 4 years ago they came though here like the wind replaceing rails but this time it looks like there's no hurry. if someone wants to ride amtrak to new orleans he might ought to figure on week end travel.

Today (Friday) there was no train. Blacksheep yep lots of double track north from Atlanta but not that much south toward New Orleans. That must be it. The T&S gangs in Alabama. So they have and extra in Atlanta to make the run. One time long ago they had the T&S gangs work at night to keep out of of Amtrak way. Thanks.