Passenger Trains > Cross Country Cafe on #5 (9/26)

For the record, the consist of the California Zephyr departing Chicago Friday, 9/26, substituted a Cross Country Cafe for the standard Sightseer Lounge. Worse, according to the conductor, is that the consist had arrived in Chicago the previous day with this same car, and Amtrak did not bother to reinstate a Sightseer Lounge into the train.

Anyone familiar with this train will understand why the Sightseer is an essential part of the CZ experience. It was a huge disappointment to many on board (including yours truly and my wife).

As a bonus, the train featured one of Amtrak's infamous "bad crews." As an example, one of our fellow passengers started a conversation with us on the Denver platform, "Is the sleeping car attendant still supposed to make up our beds like they did in the old days?" She wondered because their beds were still unmade despite a few requests to our attendant during the morning.

Because this is what America's Railroad considers acceptable after 40 years of mediocrity, I am sorry to say that absolutely none of this surprises me. Also, to be balanced, you can still have a great expereince on Amtrak. Problem is, you never know when that will occur.

But wait! The 4-times-weekly Hoosier State has big improvements, starting today! It has Business Class! It has WiFi. It has cafe service! No more just a coach seat on a we'll-get-there-when-we-get-there operation that takes 5 hours to run 196 miles between Indianapolis and Chicago. The new marketing slogan: See Indiana At 40 M.P.H.! Maybe even slower, since we're only on-time 52.3% of the time this year!

No, wait. No one mentioned marketing the new improvements. Scratch that.

Amtrak could have done this at any time in the past 10 or 15 years that it's operated the Hoosier State but it had too many other irons in the fire. There were bigger fish to fry. It had to wait until today, the day the new operator was supposed to take over the service, to announce these upgrades. It's only a coincidence. They aren't intending to rub Corridor Capital's nose in it. Or pressure Indiana. Nothing like that.

So, California Zephyr riders who would like to have a Sightseer Lounge for the 4,800 round-trip miles over 6 days, just think about the big improvements taking place in Indiana. Amtrak's making big, big strides for the passengers.

Substituting equipment has gone on as long as there have been passenger trains. $hit happens. If that were all that was wrong with this train, no one would bring it up. I remember being on a #6 from Ogden to Chicago in 1979 (having gotten off an overnite 'Hound from West Yellowstone) and there were no dome cars at all that day. But there was an ex-UP 6200-series lounge car with brown paneled walls and applique on all the windows that had a mirror finish, so that was interesting, even when Wyoming was not.

I once had that happen on the EB all the way across. Not even a second diner to substitute. Most boring trip I've ever had with no place to go other than the room. While a bad order in California is understandable, it's hard to believe they couldn't find a substitute in Chicago with the advance notice of what was coming in. How about taking a car from the C of NO o Eagle. Not nearly as long a ride and certainly not as scenic. But I guess Amtrak doesn't car about that.

I would rather see them closer to on time 6 hours late today in Salt Lake.

Already done...the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle were robbed earlier in the summer to come up with the extra set of equipment needed by the crippled up Empire Builder.

One has to wonder where are the extra sets of equipment for the Lakeshore and Capitol Limited going to come from if the lateness into Chicago continues, combine the Silver Meteor and Silver Star into one train and cancel one or the other of the Florida services?

If Amtrak didn't have such an aversion to switching cars in and out en-route, a sightseer lounge could theoretically overnight at Denver off of 6, and go back on 5 the next morning. Nobody would care much if there were no sightseer cars across Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois.

How
> about taking a car from the C of NO o Eagle. Not
> nearly as long a ride and certainly not as scenic.
> But I guess Amtrak doesn't car about that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/14 10:51 by NewRiverGeorge.

448/449 need a 4th set

They still had a Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car on the Auto Train. That car should definitely be switched out. I don't know why they were keeping this in the consist as opposed to the regular AT Lounge Car.

There still should be plenty of Sightseer Lounge cars around to be put on the City of New Orleans, Texas Eagle, and all Western Long Hauls for that matter........

Amtrak made one extra set for the Empire Builder - not two or three etc.

There is a cross country cafe substituting for a diner on #7 (30) I believed they were seating dinner on the lounge side too.
Booths are uncomfortable if you are seated on the outside as they are designed for fat people....the table angles away from you and you plate is a distance away.

Posted from Android

kbehling Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is a cross country cafe substituting for a
> diner on #7 (30) I believed they were seating
> dinner on the lounge side too.
> Booths are uncomfortable if you are seated on the
> outside as they are designed for fat people....the
> table angles away from you and you plate is a
> distance away.
>
> Posted from Android

If the Empire Builder is short on a Diner, there is no reason why they couldn't "swap" a CCC for a full service Diner that is operating on the Capitol Limited. The Capitol Limited (normally) is just an overnight train and it "can" get away with a CCC if necessary, where I would think the Empire Builder it would be much harder considering the distance and volume.

No need to answer this - but is anyone home at Amtrak? They put a CCC on a train that already has horrendous problems - OTP - AND is a two night three day journey (at least).

Amtrak should take all its Superliner Cross Country Café cars and convert them into full diners - or at least half. Instead of creating a Viewliner theater car for Boardman and friends to ride around in - put the money into this conversion.

And Amtrak was able to restore "diners" back to the Capitol Limited when it was getting Cross Country Cafe's so Amtrak should be able to muster up ONE diner for ONE trainset.

I too am already flying between East Coast and Midwest before taking the CA Zephyr out to the West Coast. I am very much leaning to calling United and asking them to extend my reservation to SFO. Just thought I'd try to relax and take the train across the country to attend a conference in San Jose. With the Diner variable, Sightseer Lounge variable, not sure if I really want to be stuck in my roomette for the whole journey. And as mentioned, these trains are booked! I took the last upper level bedroom on the CA Zephyr a month ago, and there were NO bedrooms available!

One of the best moments on #5 (9/26) was the new Conductor out of Denver describing the Sightseer Lounge, Totally unaware it was not on the train. The train laid up in Denver for almost 2 hours leaving just before noon. Kind of hard to miss a unique car in broad daylight. Two dispatching changes would have avoided the problem on Donner for #5. Not waiting 20 or so minutes outside of Salt Lake City after the eastbound CZ went by to let an eastbound freight go by too. The next was holding #5 outside of Reno for another eastbound freight. Those moves let the westbound freight that broke a knuckle get ahead of us. My Wife and I had Amtrak Stew. We got off in Sacramento 7 or 8 hours late. I have no idea when it got to Emeryville. Steve



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/01/14 23:35 by Scoopcat.

Scoopcat Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One of the best moments on #5 (9/26) was the new
> Conductor out of Denver describing the Sightseer
> Lounge, Totally unaware it was not on the train.
> The train laid up in Denver for almost 2 hours
> leaving just before noon. Kind of hard to miss a
> unique car in broad daylight. Two dispatching
> changes would have avoided the problem on Donner
> for #5. Not waiting 20 or so minutes outside of
> Salt Lake City after the eastbound CZ went by to
> let an eastbound freight go by too. The next was
> holding #5 outside of Reno for another eastbound
> freight. Those moves let the westbound freight
> that broke a knuckle get ahead of us. My Wife and
> I had Amtrak Stew. We got off in Sacramento 7 or
> 8 hours late. I have no idea when it got to
> Emeryville. Steve


Careful! You're not allowed to criticize dispatchers on TO.