The Build Week 1/24/2021 Club

[sockmeister]

So I finally just got my VV report. It doesn't exactly look like what other people have been seeing... but it's something I guess. I can at least see if my KCS #008310 ever made it KC since I still don't have a Palsapp update.

That's exactly what mine looked like, albeit with different dates. It was just one line like that too.
Palsapp apparently doesn't always update, so don't rely on that.

 

[djett]

So it seems like there's been activity for quite a few folks. BUT... Anyone else out there with a production date of 2/8/21 with no other updates? The dealer told me yesterday it is still at the factory on a "plant quality hold." I don't want quality issues - so they should take care of any before shipping... But the wait is painful, especially when I see movement on other cars produced around that same date....

I am thinking I should be moved into the pool of people getting the $1,000 for the long wait....

 

[sockmeister]

So it seems like there's been activity for quite a few folks. BUT... Anyone else out there with a production date of 2/8/21 with no other updates? The dealer told me yesterday it is still at the factory on a "plant quality hold." I don't want quality issues - so they should take care of any before shipping... But the wait is painful, especially when I see movement on other cars produced around that same date....

I am thinking I should be moved into the pool of people getting the $1,000 for the long wait....

Get a copy of the vehicle visibility report from your dealer. There is no way that yours is still in Mexico...
Most dealers make that same mistake because the last updated line on the VVR usually says in mexico. Get the rail car number and call KCS and ask to track that railcar.

 

[GoosePond08]

So it seems like there's been activity for quite a few folks. BUT... Anyone else out there with a production date of 2/8/21 with no other updates? The dealer told me yesterday it is still at the factory on a "plant quality hold." I don't want quality issues - so they should take care of any before shipping... But the wait is painful, especially when I see movement on other cars produced around that same date....

I am thinking I should be moved into the pool of people getting the $1,000 for the long wait....

I feel like at some point the dealers should be replacing those that are still waiting with deliveries to dealer stock inventory.

 

[sockmeister]

I feel like at some point the dealers should be replacing those that are still waiting with deliveries to dealer stock inventory.

Agreed; at least we are all at liberty to do that on our own though at any time.

 

[Eraser]

Yesterday the Ford delivery tracker said the car would arrive in 7 days. Checked again 24 hours later now it says 8 days...

 

[djett]

Get a copy of the vehicle visibility report from your dealer. There is no way that yours is still in Mexico...
Most dealers make that same mistake because the last updated line on the VVR usually says in mexico. Get the rail car number and call KCS and ask to track that railcar.

Finally, got the email from Ford last night - estimated delivery date May 3 to May 9. 7 weeks to get to New England? Interesting...

 

[GoosePond08]

Finally, got the email from Ford last night - estimated delivery date May 3 to May 9. 7 weeks to get to New England? Interesting...

If it just shipped last night, that's their rough estimate. Hopefully no more delays and you'll beat that guesstimate.

 

[generaltso]

Finally, got the email from Ford last night - estimated delivery date May 3 to May 9. 7 weeks to get to New England? Interesting...

I'm going into week 6, and it just made it into Pennsylvania. Four days ago it was just over the border in eastern Ohio. They seem to crawl.

 

[sockmeister]

Finally, got the email from Ford last night - estimated delivery date May 3 to May 9. 7 weeks to get to New England? Interesting...

Well, maybe it actually WAS still there? I can't understand why!
Don't discredit looking for a car in dealer stock without markup if you don't want to wait.

 

[CHeil402]

That's exactly what mine looked like, albeit with different dates. It was just one line like that too.
Palsapp apparently doesn't always update, so don't rely on that.

I just called KCS and they said it was going to be in Loredo for a border crossing today. I REALLY hope that they meant it was going BACK to Mexico and not just about to cross into the US today. Maybe the lack of Palsapp update was correct

UPDATE: Of course, just after I posted this I happened to recheck Palsapp (which I already did this morning with no update) and it updated! I guess that's another reference point that however long it took to get back to the border from KC is about how long it took for my car to get moved by truck.

 

[Plutoman15]

I just called KCS and they said it was going to be in Loredo for a border crossing today. I REALLY hope that they meant it was going BACK to Mexico and not just about to cross into the US today. Maybe the lack of Palsapp update was correct

UPDATE: Of course, just after I posted this I happened to recheck Palsapp (which I already did this morning with no update) and it updated! I guess that's another reference point that however long it took to get back to the border from KC is about how long it took for my car to get moved by truck.

I had a similar thing happen. When I got my first VVR and checked where the railcar was, it was heading south back to Mexico. Freaked me out a little. Mine was listed with the stopship so I am guessing that the quality checks are happening at the first rail stop in KC and when your car is done with the QC check palsapp.com then takes it to the next train loading ramp and that is when we have been seeing the updates happen. Until that update, it is a blackhole of the unknown. When you get that palsapp update, it is good news that your car is moving again for the final train ride. At least, that is my understanding.

 

[sockmeister]

I just called KCS and they said it was going to be in Loredo for a border crossing today. I REALLY hope that they meant it was going BACK to Mexico and not just about to cross into the US today. Maybe the lack of Palsapp update was correct

UPDATE: Of course, just after I posted this I happened to recheck Palsapp (which I already did this morning with no update) and it updated! I guess that's another reference point that however long it took to get back to the border from KC is about how long it took for my car to get moved by truck.

At least it's moving! I'm just most surprised that yours is behind mine, since mine was produced a mere 3 days prior to yours. I guess it's one of those "caught the next train" things.

Since you're following the same route, I can more or less give you pretty exact estimates of the timeline from there to SE PA...

Right now, you are looking at 9 days until it arrives in Delaware if that's consistent. So that'll be next Saturday. From there, I'm still in the dark.

 

[ktgeek]

Yesterday the Ford delivery tracker said the car would arrive in 7 days. Checked again 24 hours later now it says 8 days...

I'm pretty sure that the "countdown" is just a the absolute value of the time between the ETA and whatever "now" is. So as you get further from the ETA date, the "will arrive in X days" will keep getting larger.

 

[CHeil402]

No, he didn't give me a railcar number or any other updates besides that, though.
For what it's worth, Norfolk Southern says the "max speed" their intermodal trains travel at are 60mph, and 50mph for freight trains. Assuming they go at half that speed, that means it'd take it just less than 2 24-hour days to get from missouri to delaware.

EDIT: Yes, I realize they don't run continuously for 24 hours straight

I'm going into week 6, and it just made it into Pennsylvania. Four days ago it was just over the border in eastern Ohio. They seem to crawl.

Some other fun facts to make the waiting time go by since this is in my wheelhouse... there are three "speed limits" that trains have to abide by:

1. Maximum Authorized Speed (MAS): The maximum speed the train could safely travel on flat tangent (straight) track.
2. Permanent Speed Restrictions (PSR): The maximum speed the train could safely travel on a specific section of track based on a permanent attribute of the track geometry (e.g.: up or down a hill, around a tight corner).
3. Temporary Speed Restrictions (TSR): The maximum speed a train could go through a section of track based on temporary conditions (e.g.: a work crew is working on or near the track, rock slide, etc.).

That 50 mph they referenced is the MAS. And as you pointed out, the engineers have an "hours of service" requirement that they can drive for any 24 hour period.

Also, when within a city space, freight trains are more likely to share trackage with passenger transit agencies. In that scenario one company is the "host" and one is the "tenant". That varies for each city, but typically, the host's trains are given priority, so for example, a freight train might have to wait for a passenger train to pass.

Also unless the train is composed of only individual cars (train cars) that are going to the end destination (in my case New Castle, DE) they might go into a rail yard to 'reshuffle' the cars in the train.

So all of this can result in much slower train service than we want when they have our cars on them.

Here's a fun photo of myself doing track work in a "hyrail" car (a pickup truck with train wheels on it that can only get on or off the tracks at grade crossings) in double track territory having to wait for an Amtrak high speed Acela train to pass on the neighboring track. It's a little nerve-wracking to sit in the truck seeing a train come towards you from the distance at 120 mph where you can't visually be 100% sure that it's on the neighboring track and not yours until it's pretty much already next to you, lol.

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