Amtrak Pennsylvanian - NS "protocol change"

There might have been a telemetry report of a fault on the engine. This requires a qualified tech to assess it. Any idea of the kind of motive power on the head end?

There are dragging equipment and WILD detectors located at Mill Creek, about 5 or 6 miles east of Huntingdon. It’s possible one of those might have caught something that required a stop and inspection by the crew.

Curt

Even if something was wrong, it could have been speed restricted, the relation of Altoona unfortunately has nothing to do with a line of road failure. Depending on the type of failure/report, as well as the train/district it requires a different response.

@PRRrat posted:

I am sitting on Amtrak 43, the Pennsylvanian, about 2 miles east of Huntington station when the train slowed and stopped.  The conductor came on and said there was a Norfolk Southern protocol that required a "wayside engine inspection".  What?  We waited about 15 minutes, the conductor came on and said NS was happy, so we're moving at about 40mph and about to arrive at Huntington.  I've taken this train dozens of times between Pgh and NYC and have never heard of such a thing.  And if you're going to "inspect the engine" near Huntington which has no facilities.  Why not wait until Altoona?

Anyone got any ideas what this might have been?

Not only could it have been a trackside detection device, but Amtrak could have received a report from the locomotive and had NS take a look.

Every time I take a train trip I borrow one of my old neighbor's portable scanners.

Nothing like knowing what is happening when it is happening.    Did this a while ago on the Vermonter and we were annulled north of Springfield due to a washout.  Nice to hear about it as it's transpiring as opposed to being told a simple line about having to be bussed due to a track condition.

Mark, I'm with Curt.  If a hot bearing detector or dragging equipment detector alarmed, and the locomotive was identified as the "car" which set off the alarm, then the train would have to stop and an employee would have to inspect the culprit "car" from the ground.  Depending on the type of alarm, it might be necessary to tie a support onto a sagging air hose, check all roller bearings with a heat crayon, inspect traction motors for heat, make a general "sniff-around" for anything that smells unusual, etc.

There is only one Engineer on some Amtrak trains and a locomotive cannot be left unattended when coupled to an occupied passenger train.  If that is the case with the Pennsylvanian, then a member of the train crew would have been required to walk up and either make the required inspection from the ground, or occupy the locomotive cab while the Engineer performed the inspection.  If there are two Engineers on the Pennsylvanian, then the time to make the inspection is considerably shorter.

Any time a wayside detector gives an alarm, the "car" identified must be inspected, plus one or more adjacent "cars" must be inspected, so there is actually more to this.  I just gave the short version because Mark indicated the crew said the engine had to be inspected.