Passenger Trains > Baggage car missing on train 3 iinto Fullerton today.

They stowed the baggage on the last coach car.

The number of B/O baggage cars is probably on the upswing. Why spend money on repairing them when
there are brand new cars supposedly on the way? So, trains are dispatched without bags and the coach-baggage
cars are used for checked baggage.

The_Chief_Way Wrote:
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> The number of B/O baggage cars is probably on the
> upswing. Why spend money on repairing them when
> there are brand new cars supposedly on the way?
> So, trains are dispatched without bags and the
> coach-baggage
> cars are used for checked baggage.


So this begs the obvious question????? There is a big overhead maintaining, handling and pulling a baggage car along for what purpose if
they can just be skipped? Are there Amtrak people who could address the question as to how much is actually carried in these cars??

Bob

There is also a report that a Coach-Baggage will replace a Coach and a Baggage
on some Superliner trains.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> There is also a report that a Coach-Baggage will
> replace a Coach and a Baggage
> on some Superliner trains.

Good idea since most of the Coach-Baggage cars are not being used.

As I see it in the very near future there will be a day where you will see only a P42 locomotive Something like a dorm baggage car 2 sleepers a diner and 2 coaches on the long distance Amtrak Superliner trains. Baggage car Transition sleeper and sightseer lounge car will all be gone for ever. That will make for a 1 locomotive and 6 car train. Making the train the same length as an Amtrak surf liner train.

PHall Wrote:
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> GenePoon Wrote:
> -------------------------------------------------------
> > There is also a report that a Coach-Baggage will
> > replace a Coach and a Baggage
> > on some Superliner trains.
>
> Good idea since most of the Coach-Baggage cars are
> not being used.

Why were they not used as originally intended? When the express business was going were the coach-baggage cars inadequate for the task, necessitating a separate baggage car. Does a coach-baggage have enough capacity to handle a western LDT, or even a CNO?

In most cases, a coach/baggage cannot handle a western LD train. On the Eagle and CoNO, it is a very tight squeeze, and they need a real baggage car. It is fine for 27/28. For trains like the Desert Wind and Pioneer, they were fine, but Amtrak does not want to run trains like that anymore. I don't know why they built them.

On western trains, no Sightseer Lounge, no travel. Simple as that. I'd rather fly than be stuck in my room all day with limited visibility.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> In most cases, a coach/baggage cannot handle a
> western LD train. On the Eagle and CoNO, it is a
> very tight squeeze, and they need a real baggage
> car. It is fine for 27/28.

I rode Train 8/Empire Builder in March a few years ago and there were four (4) baggage carts that pulled alongside at Whitefish, MT... lots of skiers returning to Chicago,I guess. In any event, the full size baggage car was crammed to near capacity. A coach baggage would never have handled that!

No need to worry. Amtrak is not building 70 brand new baggage cars for nothing.

I'm sure they have no intention of carrying baggage in the coaches.

Joe

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> .... I don't know why they built them.

Would it be practical, feasible, and cost effective to rebuild them into straight coaches?

floridajoe2001 Wrote:
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> No need to worry. Amtrak is not building 70 brand
> new baggage cars for nothing.
>
> I'm sure they have no intention of carrying
> baggage in the coaches.
>
> Joe


No need to worry? I saw No. 3 last night without the bag and I just can't believe you guys are jumping to conclusions already! Give me a break!

cz didn't have one last week

The coach baggage cars still have utility for the western LD trains.

Capitol Limited often runs with just a Superliner Coach Baggage Car - even before this recent announcement that the Cap will have a "reduced consist for the next month - Oct 20 to Nov 20.

And then there's the baffling question of the California Zephyr being spotted with two baggage cars.

Amtrak shouldn't bank on any Viewliner baggage cars going into operation any time soon with the way the CAF order has been delayed to date....

ts1457 Wrote:
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> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > .... I don't know why they built them.
>
> Would it be practical, feasible, and cost
> effective to rebuild them into straight coaches?

Superliners are of modular construction. So the baggage compartment "module" could be removed and replaced with a coach module if the desire and money is there.

We are pretty sure the regular baggage car was on #3 at Winslow last nite.

Fine Private Varnish group on #4 this morning.

David

Wiki says Amtrak had 48 Coach/Baggage cars. If they are not well utilized, at least half could be turned into coaches. The Wiki article states that some were used for smoking coaches, putting seats downstairs and walling off some baggage space, so there is a precedent. It's all a function of time and money, though.

What could Amtrak do if they had 24 Superliner Coaches?

Jim Montague
IRVINE, CA
Train and Nature photo Art

Finishing off the interiors of the baggage section would be quite a job. I do not see Amtrak doing any heavy-lifting to do much of anything with Superliners.