Mechanical Problems

This morning's delay is being blamed on mechanical problems and not switch problems as I expected.  The problems caused a delay of at least 15 minutes.  In order to make up for the delay, MARC decided to "operate express" from Baltimore's Penn Station to BWI Airport.  Ordinarily there are two stops between these two stations.  So I guess there's a chance I can still get to work on time.

On the Move

We're on the move again but still no explanation as to what caused the stop.  A Norfolk & Southern engine with two cars passed by on the other track so one could speculate that there was some "switch problems", which seems to be an oft-quoted reason for delays.  Let's hope everything is back on track now and it will be smooth sailing the rest of the way this morning.

Stopped

Bells began ringing not long after boarding the train this morning and we are now stopped somewhere outside Baltimore.  No power and no explanation as to what's causing the delay; if it weren't for the gentleman behind me tapping his feet to the beat of whatever is  playing on his IPod, there would be no noise on the train at all.  I guess people are using the delay to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

Another Month

I received yet another month's rail pass in the mail this weekend, just in time to start the June commute.  And it certainly is going to be a hot one.  Temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday hit the high 90s.  Last year when the mercury hit that level trains were regularly breaking down.  This year MARC seems to have taken some preventative measures to keep the trains running smoothly.  The trains have fewer cars so the diesel engines don/t have as much of load to pull in the sweltering heat.  Fewer cars means more people standing, though.  And let me just say a train car filled with hot, sweaty, and standing people is not a very pleasant place.  Fortunately it's early enough in the season for people to have a sense of humor about the situation.  Also fortunate for us riders is that the air conditioning appears to be working well.  Who knows, however, what July will bring.

Riding Rut

The train has been running along pretty much as scheduled for the last few days.  No one ever acknowledges when the train pulls out or arrives on time.  There for awhile it seemed like such a rare occurrence that it was news when departures and arrivals occurred as scheduled.  Now the riders have been lulled into thinking that the problems have been worked out and late arrivals and departures and breakdowns are things of the past.  I'm not so optimistic.  But I do appreciate the last week of uneventful commuting and I look forward to many more weeks like it.

Late Late Coffee Break

While I don't get on the morning train at the first stop, I do get on at the second and I am always amazed when the announcement is made that the train will arrive late to its second stop.  That's what happened this morning.  The announcement was made that the train would be arriving 10 to 12 minutes late with no explanation of the problem causing the delay.  That early in the morning I figure the delay is self-induced rather than caused by any technical malfunction.  After all, the train did arrive, it seems to be running smoothly, and all systems are a go.  Thus, I can only deduce that one of the crew was simply stuck in the drive thru at Dunkin' Donuts waiting to pick up coffee for the rest.  I just wish he or she would have grabbed an extra cup for me.

Chariot of Doom

As the train pulled up about 5 minutes late this morning, fellow rider L -- I don't want to use his full name -- announced loudly, "the chariot of doom arrives." It's the first time I heard our morning train so characterized but I kind of liked it, expecially today as we are getting progressively later with each stop we make.  No explanation for the cause of the lateness, but it is raining outside.  I guess rain and chariots don't mix.