Passenger Trains > UP Leads the California Zephyr

Yesterday, it was reported ( http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/61825-union-pacific-leads-amtrak-617/) that UP 7496 was leading Amtrak #6(17) through Colorado. Anyone know if it is still on the Zephyr today?

The Union Pacific unit, UP 7496, is still leading. #6 came through Agency, Iowa over two and half hours late. You might notice the engineer waving as the train passes by. Also, the sightseer lounge for this California Zephyr has been substituted with a diner-lounge.

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Can Amtrak not find a single SSL for this train? Especially this train, probably the MOST scenic out of all the long distance trains? This train should have a SSL over say the Capitol Limited. The Auto Train was even running with SSL's - which it does not need over its route.

To answer someone's question - no more protect power in Denver any more! Not even sure about ABQ these days.....Both used to, but power is tight I am sure!

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can Amtrak not find a single SSL for this train?
> Especially this train, probably the MOST scenic
> out of all the long distance trains? This train
> should have a SSL over say the Capitol Limited.
> The Auto Train was even running with SSL's - which
> it does not need over its route.
>

You're right in theory. But that bumps into reality when a car becomes bad order unexpectedly.
Reality requires that a car be found to put in the train, even if it isn't exactly what is wanted/needed.

The 35000 series Superliner coaches that have a snack bar downstairs (I think there are 10 of them) were
even known to Amtrak people as "panic boxes" because when a SSL went down at Chicago they were in a panic
to get a lounge and sometimes that was all that was available.

The same situation could have occurred in Chicago in 1962 when your expected UP dome lounge became a MILW
flat top "Tap" car.

BSB

BigSkyBlue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can Amtrak not find a single SSL for this
> train?
> > Especially this train, probably the MOST scenic
> > out of all the long distance trains? This train
> > should have a SSL over say the Capitol Limited.
> > The Auto Train was even running with SSL's -
> which
> > it does not need over its route.
> >
>
> You're right in theory. But that bumps into
> reality when a car becomes bad order
> unexpectedly.
> Reality requires that a car be found to put in the
> train, even if it isn't exactly what is
> wanted/needed.
>
> The 35000 series Superliner coaches that have a
> snack bar downstairs (I think there are 10 of
> them) were
> even known to Amtrak people as "panic boxes"
> because when a SSL went down at Chicago they were
> in a panic
> to get a lounge and sometimes that was all that
> was available.
>
> The same situation could have occurred in Chicago
> in 1962 when your expected UP dome lounge became a
> MILW
> flat top "Tap" car.
>
> BSB

This CA Zephyr set has been floating around without a SSL for a while now. It's been sent out of Chicago a couple of times without a SSL. Chicago Maintenance couldn't have pulled a SSL from even another train at Chicago - Cap, Texas Eagle, City of New Orleans - and put a Superliner Diner Lite on that particular train as a substitute till things got back in rotation? They gotta enough Superliner Diner Lite's around!!! I could understand unexpected bad orders, or for the train to be sent out once without a SSL, but this has been a little too frequent!!!

At least one of the Capitol Limited sets is using a diner or Cross Country Cafe instead
of a Sightseer Lounge...check the Hyndman cam to keep track.

There is also a report...okay, a rumor...that the Capitol Limited is to lose its Sightseer
Lounge completely as part of a coming consist reduction.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/14 15:12 by GenePoon.

The 35000's picked up the "Panic Box" name early-on. They were first assigned to 11&14 in about 1986 or 87 as a regular car in the Summer and served as the 4th coach to augment the SSL. At first we only served coffee and cold snacks- hot food was added a year or two later.
But the term "panic box" is an old one, and referred to ice chests, or maybe coffee urns, used to serve food on a train whose diner had been bad ordered en-route or similar situation.
SR

BigSkyBlue Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can Amtrak not find a single SSL for this
> train?
> > Especially this train, probably the MOST scenic
> > out of all the long distance trains? This train
> > should have a SSL over say the Capitol Limited.
> > The Auto Train was even running with SSL's -
> which
> > it does not need over its route.
> >
>
> You're right in theory. But that bumps into
> reality when a car becomes bad order
> unexpectedly.
> Reality requires that a car be found to put in the
> train, even if it isn't exactly what is
> wanted/needed.
>
> The 35000 series Superliner coaches that have a
> snack bar downstairs (I think there are 10 of
> them) were
> even known to Amtrak people as "panic boxes"
> because when a SSL went down at Chicago they were
> in a panic
> to get a lounge and sometimes that was all that
> was available.
>
> The same situation could have occurred in Chicago
> in 1962 when your expected UP dome lounge became a
> MILW
> flat top "Tap" car.
>
> BSB

Posted from iPhone

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BigSkyBlue Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > jp1822 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Can Amtrak not find a single SSL for this
> > train?
> > > Especially this train, probably the MOST
> scenic
> > > out of all the long distance trains? This
> train
> > > should have a SSL over say the Capitol
> Limited.
> > > The Auto Train was even running with SSL's -
> > which
> > > it does not need over its route.
> > >
> >
> > You're right in theory. But that bumps into
> > reality when a car becomes bad order
> > unexpectedly.
> > Reality requires that a car be found to put in
> the
> > train, even if it isn't exactly what is
> > wanted/needed.
> >
> > The 35000 series Superliner coaches that have a
> > snack bar downstairs (I think there are 10 of
> > them) were
> > even known to Amtrak people as "panic boxes"
> > because when a SSL went down at Chicago they
> were
> > in a panic
> > to get a lounge and sometimes that was all that
> > was available.
> >
> > The same situation could have occurred in
> Chicago
> > in 1962 when your expected UP dome lounge became
> a
> > MILW
> > flat top "Tap" car.
> >
> > BSB
>
> This CA Zephyr set has been floating around
> without a SSL for a while now. It's been sent out
> of Chicago a couple of times without a SSL.
> Chicago Maintenance couldn't have pulled a SSL
> from even another train at Chicago - Cap, Texas
> Eagle, City of New Orleans - and put a Superliner
> Diner Lite on that particular train as a
> substitute till things got back in rotation? They
> gotta enough Superliner Diner Lite's around!!! I
> could understand unexpected bad orders, or for the
> train to be sent out once without a SSL, but this
> has been a little too frequent!!!

I rode #6 Sept 23-24 to Denver and it had that lousy Diner Lite then. Has this set without a SSL possibly been around that long?

Does anyone know the status of the SSL's that have been removed from the CZ and the CL? Are they getting rehabbed/repaired at Beech Grove/Chicago, or just sitting in a dead line in Chicago? Also, when they use a Cross-Country Cafe, does the attendant set up in the "lounge" part of the CCC, and then the tables are used similar to the tables on a SSL? Downstairs is only a kitchen on the CCC's correct? If Amtrak is short SSL's, why not turn the downstairs of the CCC's into a similar set up as the SSL's (take out the kitchens) and then redo the upstairs slightly to arrange the non-table seating similar to what is in a SSL. This would be OK for the CL, CONO, and Texas Eagle. Upstairs windows would stay the same.

Have the Sightseer Lounge cars been removed from the Auto Train pool? The Auto Train used to have special renovated Superliner 1 Diners converted into lounge cars. But when the consist of the Auto Train was re-arranged, somehow a SSL appeared.

Also, the Capitol Limited has run with a Diner Lite - subbing as a regular diner - in the past and no SSL. This proved to be a disaster and the SSL was added back - often running with a full service diner OR a Diner Lite.

Is Amtrak short on SSL cars? The long distance trains have been running quite full lately!!!!