I would not enjoy being on this train. Reading this made me think of the Donner party. I wonder how people from that time in history would view the situation. I think in many ways we have become rather soft and unable to care for ourselves. Here is the story:

An Amtrak train headed for Los Angeles with nearly 200 people on board came to a standstill Sunday evening after hitting a tree that had fallen onto the tracks.

More than 24 hours later, there’s still no movement.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told CNN none of the 183 passengers and dozen crew members were injured, but that “conditions further deteriorated with numerous track blockages from snow and fallen trees.”

“Due to worsening conditions, area road closures and no viable way to safely transport passengers or crews via alternate transportation, Train 11 stopped in Oakridge, Oregon,” he said. “We are actively working with Union Pacific to clear the right of way and get passengers off the train.”

The train still has power and there is enough food on board — for which passengers will not be charged, Amtrak said on Twitter.

Passenger Carly Bigby told CNN affiliate KOIN 6 the snack cart on the train is empty and people have run out of diapers for their children.

“A lot of the [older] kids have been really good but they’re having to run up and down and it’s a lot,” she told the news station. “Especially the food — it’s not really food they’re liking. Moms are doing all they can right now.”

Bigby also said some people don’t have good cell phone reception in the area where the train is stuck, and haven’t been able to easily contact their family.

Another passenger, Rebekah Dodson, told CNN affiliate KTVL train staff have remained “great, very professional” and morale among passengers has been good.

“We have to put wash clothes together to make diapers for a couple of the kids on the train,” Dodson told KTVL. “We got together and got some feminine products together because several people had run out already.”

But she said they’ve all remained on the train, as there’s no way of going anywhere else.

“We can’t get off the train because there’s four feet of snow in every direction,” she told the news station. “There’s nowhere to go.”

Train 11 operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles.

Magliari says Amtrak anticipates the train will return to Eugene, Oregon Tuesday morning.

LINK: https://wgntv.com/2019/02/26/a...-more-than-24-hours/

Oakridge, OR, near the Decshutes Nat'l Forest, seems an odd place to be if you're going to LA. I'd have thought the I-5 corridor followed the railroad route.

If tempers get short before the tracks are cleared, this could end up more like "Murder on the Oregon Express." (groan)

Poirot is on the case!

Guess I'll wander in playing the role of "lower intelligence." Why didn't they just back up before getting snowbound?

Oh. Snowpiercer...

Oakridge has a pub with craft brewed authentic cask-conditioned ales and good food. That's where I'd be!

People are soft, but this is a 1st-world problem emergency. Choo-choo has power and chow and it has only been 24hrs, BFD.

quote:

Originally posted by Blackmore:
Oakridge, OR, near the Decshutes Nat'l Forest, seems an odd place to be if you're going to LA. I'd have thought the I-5 corridor followed the railroad route.

When they built the line some 100+ years ago, they chose the location through Klamath Falls to avoid some sharp curves.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Guess I'll wander in playing the role of "lower intelligence." Why didn't they just back up before getting snowbound?

dunno, maybe because if they go back, the closest station is in Eugene

Imagine the toilet condition.

^^^
No, thanks. I'd rather exit the car, wade out into the snow like a dog, and do my thing there.

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
Oakridge has a pub with craft brewed authentic cask-conditioned ales and good food. That's where I'd be!

People are soft, but this is a 1st-world problem emergency. Choo-choo has power and chow and it has only been 24hrs, BFD.

I would have made a nice bon fire and commandeer a keg of beer it would be like a weekend in NH

A train was sent to pull it out. Looks like it’s heading back to Seattle.

https://news.yahoo.com/amtrak-...340194--finance.html

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
... People are soft, but this is a 1st-world problem emergency. Choo-choo has power and chow and it has only been 24hrs, BFD.

But ... but ... they "don’t have good cell phone reception". Oh, the horror!

quote:

“Due to worsening conditions, area road closures and no viable way to safely transport passengers or crews via alternate transportation, Train 11 stopped in Oakridge, Oregon,”

The news makes it sound like they were stuck in the mountains like the Donner party, but they were STOPPED IN OAKRIDGE. They were in a freaking town, albeit a small town, but they were in town. A town of 3000 people with gas stations, schools, stores, restaurants. The town has a medical clinic, a fire department, and an A&W.

They were in a freaking town!!

https://www.ci.oakridge.or.us/...come-oakridge-oregon

quote:

Originally posted by John Steed:

quote:

Originally posted by Strambo:
... People are soft, but this is a 1st-world problem emergency. Choo-choo has power and chow and it has only been 24hrs, BFD.

But ... but ... they "don’t have good cell phone reception". Oh, the horror!

That was my thought, too.

Regarding the escalator--yes, there are people that clueless. (Although I think that was staged.)

flashguy

Hmm There's a bit more to the story than some of you are aware.
Yes Oakridge is not far from where they stopped.
That town is also without power.

https://www.opb.org/news/artic...qua-national-forest/

This is a pretty freak storm that has dumped a large amount of snow centered in the Eugene/Springfield area and directly East to Bend.

We're talking major tree's down, auto wrecks, and power outages.

Just not something most in the valley are used to dealing with.

PS The Brewers Union 180 in Oakridge is not a destination brewery for us beer geeks.

Cheers~

quote:

“Due to worsening conditions, area road closures and no viable way to safely transport passengers or crews via alternate transportation, Train 11 stopped in Oakridge, Oregon,” he said. ...

Don't they have snowmobiles in Oregon? I can believe it would be tough to transport all the people from the train to some place better, but couldn't somebody make a run out to the train with diapers, feminine products, and maybe a few cases of beer?

quote:

Originally posted by John Steed:

quote:

“Due to worsening conditions, area road closures and no viable way to safely transport passengers or crews via alternate transportation, Train 11 stopped in Oakridge, Oregon,” he said. ...

Don't they have snowmobiles in Oregon? I can believe it would be tough to transport all the people from the train to some place better, but couldn't somebody make a run out to the train with diapers, feminine products, and maybe a few cases of beer?

It doesn't generally snow like that in those parts of Oregon.

I thought at first this was gonna be a modern "Breakheart Pass".