The Harrowing Tale of an Amtrak Train Stuck on the Rails for 10 Hours (Baltimore-Philly)

The Gawker ^ | 12-17-10 | Stephen Tschida

[dynachrome]

A train from Baltimore to Philadelphia stalled on the tracks for ten hours last night. With doors locked and electricity waning, passengers cried and fought for emergency rations. A local news reporter happened to be on board, and tweeted it.

D.C. reporter Stephen Tschida, of ABC affiliate WJLA-TV, was on the train as rations fell short, cold set in, and passengers swelled into an anarchic mob. As @ABC7Stephen, he chronicled it all, 140 characters at a time. Here is our brave correspondent's story, unabridged and arranged chronologically:

[denydenydeny]

Doesn't take long, does it?

In America at least, I think panic is still the exception rather than the rule. Not one person was trampled or pushed aside in the Hudson River plane crash; 9/11 was much the same.

[Domestic Church]

We are just across the Mason-Dixon line above Perryville Md. It was 18 degrees last night.

[Smokin' Joe]

Trains suck, which is why the airplane was invented.

Well, at least if something goes wrong while you're in transit in a plane, the wait isn't so long...

[Grizzled Bear]

Didn't he get banned in the great Rudy purge of '08?

He tried his trash talk on Jim Rob after Jim told him "we don't want fricken government trains!" Willie had a message on his FReep Page saying he would stay away from FR.

Just recently, I took a look and noticed his account was suspended. I don't know if he acted up again or if he simply asked for it to be wiped.

[ansel12]

Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water.

W. C. Fields

[Hot Tabasco]

Stuck on a train?????

This is stuck and it happened this past Monday and Tuesday just outside of Windsor. Actual reports had approx. 350 motorists stranded in their cars for over 24 hours and ultimately had to be airlifted out via military helicopters...........

Stranded on Canada’s 402

[Presbyterian Reporter]

Societal norm in 2010 is anarchy within one hour of not getting their way.

[ml/nj]

Was thinking of taking the train to Fla rather than submit the family jewels to close examination. But maybe not.

ML/NJ

[Viking2002]

Typical D.C. media castrato from an affiliate of one of the alphabet networks. Legends in their own minds when they're in their own warm, pampered element, but they turn into 5 year old girls if they have to rely on their own atrophied (if even existent) primal sense of self-survival. And no, it doesn't take indigenous urbanites long to panic and lose it. They're too used to that hive-like mindset that expects someone else will provide them everything from sustenance to salvation.

Props to cripplecreek for the graphics!

[ml/nj]

Sounds a bit like something from Atlas Shrugged.

ML/NJ

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

It’s becoming much more clear:

http://washingtonlife.smugmug.com/2010-Photos/Plant-a-Fish-Lunch-with-Fabien/12494358_kK8QZ/5/895777198_LjPY3#895777198_LjPY3-A-LB

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Or, if 95 is jammed, hop over to US 1 and enjoy the drive through some mighty fine countryside. I’ve done it many times.

[dynachrome]

My guess is that the inhabitants of that train were mostly “the elite”, used to being catered to and not prepared for anything. It’s winter and these people didn’t have any warm clothing/jackets? And yeah, it did remind me of the train in Atlas Shrugged

[Sacajaweau]

Our thruway here in NY got jammed near Buffalo...Of course, they kept letting people on....just plain STUPID!!!

[EDINVA]

Those trains run out of DC into NYC and often North to Boston. Baltimore/Philly are 2 of the intermediate stops. I’m thinking it’s more urbane DC types who just can’t have their lives interrupted or made uncomfortable in any way.

Amtrak ain’t cheap. I think poorer folks (like me) take the bus when traveling from DC to NYC. You see, there is LOTS of competition among bus companies for that route; Amtrak owns the rails and sets the fare.

[latina4dubya]

Reminds me of the story of the tourists stuck overnight on a jammed tramway car that goes up Sandia Mountain in Albuquerque NM (yes, New Mexico is in the USA).

just did this in June during my visit to Albuquerque... had no idea this happened! glad i didn't know...

[dynachrome]

Dang! He is a drama “queen” alright!

[Viking2002]

As a matter of fact, a percentage of the elite rabble in D.C. do use Amtrak to get back and forth. As someone who used the Metro rail a bit back in the day, I can't understand how anyone would willingly do it over the long haul - how tedious. I can understand not wanting to pull up roots, especially given the price of housing in the the region, and if you're in a professional position that may not last beyond a month, a year, or an election, but jeez - getting up every day, getting your head and ass wired together for the daily grind, schlepping to a terminal, enduring a train ride sitting beside God-knows-who and not knowing if they're a nut case, if they have bad gas, if they even bathed that morning, etc., then having to catch a bus or slug in to your office, log an eight hour shift, then reverse the process just to return to your own personal toilet seat and warm bed.......no money is worth that. No amount of power is worth that. That isn't living; that's just existing.

Props to cripplecreek for the graphics!

[dynachrome]

“ABC7StephenStephenTschido...you must be a fag’

heh. see the link in #71

[dynachrome]

Check out #71 for a link to a pic of the reporter. The gaydar broke on that one!