Passenger Trains > Sleepers for the Summer on LD Trains

Well appears the crunch is on - even three months out. I was trying last night to book bedrooms on Coast Starlight and Empire Builder and it was a little bit of a tough go. And I took the last roomette on the eastbound Lake Shore Limited (for a date in July!).

I even had to re-arrange my length of stay in Portland and Glacier so I didn't get stuck with the dreaded Bedroom A. And suppsedly I was booking on "non-peak days" - however, I would say any summer day on a LD train is a peak day.

Obviously summer season has demand for sleeper space. With the sixth train set removed from rotation on the Empire Builder, and better efficiency of equipment on the Sunset Limited, I'd hope the CA Zephyr has a third sleeper line for the summer as it normally does - but ALL THE WAY to Emeryville. 

The Empire Builder seems to need the proposed second Portland sleeper line.

I sure hope the revenue managers of these trains in Washington DC are crunching numbers and trying to deploy equipment where it is needed. We go from the low in winter to the high in summer!

I was somewhat surprised with trying mutliple books on the eastbound Empire Builder when time keeping and "never again passeners" have definitely taken its toll on this train! Patronage, per Amtrak reports have also dropped off. Hopefully Amtrak is doing all that it possibly can to take advantage of increased patronage that may be emerging. If I am booking in May for a July trip and find trouble getting sleeper space, it's definitely going to be a booked up train come July. I've seen some movement in sleeper space becoming available, but it has always been a challenge.   

A third sleeper has already been running on the Zephyr, but I have no idea how far west it goes. At least in Iowa, the Zephyr has had 3 sleepers plus the dorm car.

It runs the entire route.
SR

Posted from iPhone

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> It runs the entire route.
> SR
>
> Posted from iPhone

Praise be!!!! Amrak needs it for the summer on this route!!! There are always the Chicago to Denver passengers, then the day trippers from Denver to SLC (who often taken a roomette rather than a coach seat - hence causing issues for "through" sleeping car passengers. Then There's the overnight run from SLC on out to Reno and California that has picked up in pace since the 1990s at least. I couldn't imagine this train operating tri-weekly between SLC and the West Coast

What's the problem with Bedroom A? Over the wheels?

The 3rd sleeper runs all summer (I'm booked on the 633 car in early June)

I'm not sure why the A room would be considered "Dreaded". (I've got an A on #27 coming home) The A has a slightly different shape because of the end door outside it. Maybe he means because of the noise of that door? (The label Dreaded seems a bit much!) Yes, it's over the truck, but I've never given the whole "over the truck" thing much weight- the difference between bumpy and bumpier isn't a deal breaker for me anyway!
SR

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> The 3rd sleeper runs all summer (I'm booked on the
> 633 car in early June)
>
> I'm not sure why the A room would be considered
> "Dreaded". (I've got an A on #27 coming home)
> The A has a slightly different shape because of
> the end door outside it. Maybe he means because of
> the noise of that door? (The label Dreaded seems a
> bit much!) Yes, it's over the truck, but I've
> never given the whole "over the truck" thing much
> weight- the difference between bumpy and bumpier
> isn't a deal breaker for me anyway!
> SR
All that along with the fact it is the smallest room.

Uncle Joe,Seffner,Fl.