Passenger Trains > Future of Amtrak Baggage Cars?

All this talk of the new coaches for Amtrak got me to thinking. Are they going to order baggage cars anytime soon or is Amtrak expecting these 50+ year old cars to last much longer. It seems that the Horizons, Amfleets and Superliners have a bit more life in them than the baggage cars do. Or are they going to gut out old Amfleets like the 1700 series, wouldnt that be funky.

-Jacob Klatt
www.jkchubbes.com

Why get rid of the current ones? If they're overhauled and maintained the current baggage cars are great for Amtrak's needs... More spacious then an Amfleet, and they mostly still work (no silly little HVAC or lighting systems to overhaul constantly, etc)

The only problem I've seen with the current ones (which could easily be fixed in an overhaul) is the fact they don't offer checked baggage the best protection against winter weather... In the ticket office I had several shipments come from back East soggy where Ice had built up on the bags and melted again.

The thing is those 50 plus year old bags (Some are nearing 60) got a ton of miles on them!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
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> The thing is those 50 plus year old bags (Some are
> nearing 60) got a ton of miles on them!


Your point? The baggage doesn't care how old the cars are, and as long as they're still operable why spend money to replace them?

Other than the doors, a baggage car is a simple steel shell, darn near indestructible. Same with the Heritage car conversions that Amtrak did - as long as they used stainless steel sheeting for the conversion there's literally NO service expiration for the car. The issues are wear and tear (stainless steel has a nasty habit of stress cracks but they're fixable) and the usual abuse any car takes in service. The conversion roll-up doors were a DUMB move and someone at Beech Grove should have known better than to use something that flimsy on a railcar. Any door that moves UP has to either be lightweight (not good) or have some spring-loaded raising whoosis that adds another degree of complexity. In either case the door has to flex which means many hinged parts - another accident waiting to happen. SLIDING DOORS ARE ONE PIECE AND SOLIDLY BUILT, DARN IT! Weight works FOR you!

A decent rebuild program that addresses draft gear, frame, and trucks is all these babies need - that and a good sandblast and scrub down.

Are baggage cars needed on Superliner trains for passenger baggage? I realize Amtrak still carries some express on pallets - is that the reason for full bag cars, or is there really enough checked luggage to fill a Superliner bag/coach compartment? Or perhaps there aren't enough bag/coaches to go around.

Dave

DavidP Wrote:
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> Are baggage cars needed on Superliner trains for
> passenger baggage? I realize Amtrak still carries
> some express on pallets - is that the reason for
> full bag cars, or is there really enough checked
> luggage to fill a Superliner bag/coach
> compartment? Or perhaps there aren't enough
> bag/coaches to go around.
>
> Dave


It depends on the train. The Sunset uses a Heritage bag car only during peak season and during an Express move. You'll notice during the Winter it runs without. The CNOL and Eagle never run with a bag car except for equipment positioning and the occasional Express Pallet.

The East Coast LD trains always run with bag cars since the single-level equipment doesn't have checked baggage space in the Coaches or sleeper, while the West Coast LD trains (Zephyr, Starlight, Chief, Builder) always need bag cars because they carry hundreds of bags (I've worked the Starlight, during busier times they should add a second bag car onto there!)

Perhaps we will see stored Amfleets turned into baggage cars just so Amtrak can retire 50 year old baggage cars - which some were former Heritage coaches!

Could be worse. They could be retrofitting a bunch of the unused express Amboxes sitting around with a baggage door, they are new enough...Hope not! --- --- - --- JLH

Well. I would also think they need a Baggage car on the Surfliner Route too. Personaly. I like the old Baggage Car. Miss seeing them on the Surfliner Route.

How about designing some new baggage cars to match the equipment out there? Why keep using this 60 year old shabby looking junk? What kind of image does this give Amtrak? I have yet to see an Amtrak train that looks complete other than the Talgo. What does Amtrak do with all of the subsidies it gets?

They don't sand blast anymore, but instead use power washers, water only. Works better. I have a friend that cleans off the cars and loves his job. Water gets rid of everything and leaves a great shine. Power washing the cars would surely make them look much better.

GP25 Wrote:
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> Well. I would also think they need a Baggage car
> on the Surfliner Route too. Personaly. I like the
> old Baggage Car. Miss seeing them on the Surfliner
> Route.


They have a baggage car, located in about 1/3 of the lower level of the Cab Car. 9999 times out of 10000 it's sufficient, occasionally there might be a group of 200.. Each with two bags, then I'm sure Amtrak would do something such as send an extra bag car down on the rear of a train.

Jaanfo Wrote:
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> GP25 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Well. I would also think they need a Baggage
> car
> > on the Surfliner Route too. Personaly. I like
> the
> > old Baggage Car. Miss seeing them on the
> Surfliner
> > Route.
>
>
> They have a baggage car, located in about 1/3 of
> the lower level of the Cab Car. 9999 times out of
> 10000 it's sufficient, occasionally there might be
> a group of 200.. Each with two bags, then I'm sure
> Amtrak would do something such as send an extra
> bag car down on the rear of a train.


I know that Jaanfo. But when Amtrak Does have the Single Level Cars running. They do have a Full Baggage Car. And back before they got the Surfliner Cars. They was running Full Baggages on almost every train.

> ... Or are
> they going to gut out old Amfleets like the 1700
> series, wouldnt that be funky.

The train would look great with all cars having the same profile.

Amtrak's fleet of baggage cars is in terrible condition.

The ride quality can be flat out violent at times. At 90 MPH, I've watched pieces of baggage bounce 3-4" off the floor when passing over switches or grade crossings. It is sometimes very difficult to remain standing up.

The doors never open/close properly - either they're stuck open or stuck closed. On the 1700-series cars, if the roll-up doors aren't stuck, they often vibrate their way open. If there's any loose baggage near the doorway, nothing is stopping it from falling out.

DavidP Wrote:
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> Are baggage cars needed on Superliner trains for
> passenger baggage? I realize Amtrak still carries
> some express on pallets - is that the reason for
> full bag cars, or is there really enough checked
> luggage to fill a Superliner bag/coach
> compartment? Or perhaps there aren't enough
> bag/coaches to go around.
>
> Dave

Good question.
On most trains a baggage car is necessary. The downstairs baggage area of the Superliner I's is small and becomes filled very quickly. Keeping baggage separated by destination is impossible. Throw in a little express and before you know it the compartment is filled floor to ceiling.
I don't know how many of these cars are available but there are probably only enough to cover The Sunset/Eagle and City of New Orleans.

David.Curlee Wrote:
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> Amtrak's fleet of baggage cars is in terrible
> condition.
>
> The ride quality can be flat out violent at times.
> At 90 MPH, I've watched pieces of baggage bounce
> 3-4" off the floor when passing over switches or
> grade crossings. It is sometimes very difficult to
> remain standing up.

Well, the cars weren't built for comfort, which is why you're not supposed to be in it (certainly as a passenger) at 90 MPH. The Luggage can bounce around all it wants to in there so long as the door is closed and the baggage doesn't fall out. I believe they were intentionally set up to ride that rough... without sensitive cargo (peopl, HVAC, etc) the tighter Springs may actually protect some of the mechanicals of the car.

> The doors never open/close properly - either
> they're stuck open or stuck closed. On the
> 1700-series cars, if the roll-up doors aren't
> stuck, they often vibrate their way open. If
> there's any loose baggage near the doorway,
> nothing is stopping it from falling out.


The Roll-up doors were already mentioned above... but it's nothing an overhaul (much cheaper thant a replacement) won't fix.

Ask VIA Rail how they keep their 50 year old baggage cars, domes, coaches, sleepers, diners, and what have you in daily service...in a state of good repair...riding well, and with terrific public acceptance, and THAT is what you do with the "funky old baggage cars."

Horrors. The GrandLuxe Express uses such horrid old equipment, too! What's wrong with them?!? Isn't it just awful to see the Grandluxe roll through with all of that highly-polished junk, and the horrid prices people are willing to pay to ride in this junked out old equipment?

Yes...indeed. We need brand new baggage cars for the trains that use them! Let's forget about new Amtrak California Cars, forever scuttle the possibility of Viewliners, and buy all new baggage cars! And leave the Amfleet cars where they are...they are now "old." Not any good any longer. It matters not that they are solid Budd-built cars...why...even the Amfleet IIs are over 20 years old. Send them to the scrappers heap, along with all of those horrid old baggage cars! Out with the old, in with the new. No money for new? Well, scrap 'em anyway, go to Congress, and say "We no longer have enough equipment to operate a national system, oh dear, we will have to cut the system back to the California services and the Northeast Corridor unless you give us new-build baggage cars, and two designs at that: we want double-decker baggage cars to match the profiles of our Superliner trains, and single-level new-build baggage cars for the single-level services."

Wow, never knew the lowly baggage car could get people all excited. Before AMTRAK rushes out and buys some new ones remember, the discontinuation of baggage cars is currently up for Congressional review.