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Passenger Trains > Amtrak City of New Orleans #59Date: 07/03/16 08:01 Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: Trolleysteve A friend recently asked me this. His family will be traveling sleeper on train 59, The City of New Orleans departing Chicago at 8:05pm. Do they serve dinner on the train departing Chicago for first class passengers? He wants to know if they need to grab a meal in Chicago or just wait and dine on the train.
Date: 07/03/16 10:26 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: Genesis803 Yes, they serve dinner departing Chicago. But I would suggest getting something to eat before getting on the train as the food and service was terrible on #59 earlier this month. Everything is premade and microwaved. It was like eating a frozen tv dinner meal. This was the last leg for our trip on #1, #14 and #8, all of which had great food and service. Train #59 was a big dissapointment. They are also in for a very rough ride.
Date: 07/03/16 11:09 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: andersonb109 "First Class" and Amtrak are sadly no longer compatable. Until there are separate sections for each class if passenger as is the case on VIA Rail and the airlines, with the exception of the Pacific Parlour car (or its substitute) and Acela, there is no first class service on Amtrak.
Date: 07/03/16 11:45 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: District I have had different levels of success in even getting to the Diner upon departure from Chicago. In one instance they made the announcement that you must wait in your seat for the conductor to get your tickets, then nobody ever came to the sleeper so dinner was much delayed.
Since e-ticketing that has gone away, I have noticed that some people just ignore what they are told and head to the diner prior to departure as the reservation system does not work very well for such a late dinner. Maybe they should take reservations in the lounge? The City really should depart earlier out of Chicago, I wish they would swap it for the 4 PM corridor departure, as then the train with a diner would operate during dinner. Date: 07/03/16 13:00 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: palmland We were on the the train last week. As earlier poster said: bad food, poor service, rough track. Get a dinner in one of Chicago's many great restaurants first unless they just can't afford it. Last summer we also rode it, same mediorcre food and rough track but had a great crew. The cafe attendent made an excellent Bloody Mary the next morning using some of her own Carribean spices. Sadly, that innovation and effort to please is a rarity. On the other hand the crew on our Empire Builder trip was excellent. You just never know.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/16 13:27 by palmland. Date: 07/03/16 17:09 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: illini73 District Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > . . . I wish they would swap it for the 4 PM corridor departure, as then the train with a diner > would operate during dinner. Right now, the City is basically an overnight train Chicago--Memphis and a day train Memphis--New Orleans (in both directions). This fits the market about as well as Amtrak can with only one daily train. Leaving Chicago earlier would put 59 into Memphis in the middle of the night, not an attractive prospect. There are plenty of places to eat a timely (say, 6 p.m.) dinner in Chicago and get to Union Station in time to board the train. One could even argue that the diner should only operate Memphis--New Orleans (in both directions), with 58 running about an hour earlier than it does at present to arrive Chicago at 0800. Date: 07/03/16 18:25 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: jp1822 illini73 Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > District Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > . . . I wish they would swap it for the 4 > PM corridor departure, as then the train with a > diner > > would operate during dinner. > > Right now, the City is basically an overnight > train Chicago--Memphis and a day train > Memphis--New Orleans (in both directions). This > fits the market about as well as Amtrak can with > only one daily train. Leaving Chicago earlier > would put 59 into Memphis in the middle of the > night, not an attractive prospect. > > There are plenty of places to eat a timely (say, 6 > p.m.) dinner in Chicago and get to Union Station > in time to board the train. One could even > argue that the diner should only operate > Memphis--New Orleans (in both directions), with 58 > running about an hour earlier than it does at > present to arrive Chicago at 0800. You know for the horrible service that the City often endures nowdays (and the continous cutback of amenities) it is hardly the overnight train it used to be. There used to be two sleepers and a nice full service diner (even with a diner lite car a full service diner operation was in place). Not sure ridership is where it used to be so perhaps Amtrak should revert it back to a day train all the way - UNLESS it becomes the train the continues on from New Orleans across the Panhandle of Florida and on into say Orlando. There would be no "mis-connects" from the Western Long Hauls, as the City would be scheduled to go out the next day. But if a day train - remove the sleepers, and just have Superliner Coaches, Superliner Sightseer Lounge (the scenery is worth while) and perhaps a Superliner Diner Lite. Amtrak may not want to have the later due to the Superliner Sightseer Lounge operating. Offer Business class - especially for those going "all the way." I mean at one time the City of New Orleans was a full day train from Chicago to New Orleans. Heck, have it leave Chicago at 6:15 am and you probably could get it to New Orleans by 11:59 pm - same day. There are a few stops along the way that certainly eat up the time of this train. Memphis is one of them - a 40 minute stop. That could be reduced down to try and get the City of New Orleans into New Orleans at 11:30 am. The train takes it time getting into and leaving Greenwood too. If the day schedule were established, only two trainsets would be needed. So Amtrak would have a net net of extra cars - especially three sleepers. Amtrak should have NO problem deciding where extra sleeper need to go! I believe the Saluki departs Chicago at 8:15 am or so. Amtrak could even have that train depart later- mid-day and it could extend down to Memphis for a 10pm hour arrival. Returning from Memphis, the Illini and Saluki may have to exchange times so at least one train on the Carbondale corridor reaches Chicago by 1 pm so it can make the connections to the Western Long Hauls.......... Date: 07/03/16 20:34 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: illini73 The difficulty in improving service on this route is that you can't reduce the current 19hr 15min end-to-end timing (slightly more southbound) without spending a lot of money. Clearly it's an easy schedule, given that the City is the most consistent of the LDTs in endpoint arrival time, but it can't be tightened without CN's co-operation, which will cost a large fortune. They are already ruing the day they allowed the second state-supported train between Chicago and Carbondale without any capacity investments in the line. No matter what's done, the removal of most of the double track, the end of 100 mph running, and diversion to the freight line between Memphis and Jackson means the original 15hr 55min timing will never be seen again, or even the slightly easier 16hr 30min overnight schedule of the all-Pullman Panama Limited. 18 hours is probably the best that can be done, and that after significant investment. Given CN's residual political problems with Illinois' two U.S. Senators stemming from the long-since-concluded EJ&E merger, I don't think that investment would be forthcoming even if the State were in better financial shape.
So I think the "overnight Memphis--Chicago; day train Memphis--New Orleans" is still the best fit for the market under the present circumstances. If IL-KY-TN would step up and pay for a second, daytime Chicago--Memphis train by extending 391 and 392, that would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. Date: 07/03/16 20:42 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: mundo Illini 73 you are so correct.
Its all pipe dreams now to look at the IC schedules and see what they did with a real railroad. The rough track will result in fewer and fewer ridership, nevermine the poor OBS service. Date: 07/04/16 06:20 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: IC1038west illini73 Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- No matter what's done, the removal of most > of the double track, the end of 100 mph running, > and diversion to the freight line between Memphis > and Jackson means the original 15hr 55min timing > will never be seen again, or even the slightly > easier 16hr 30min overnight schedule of the > all-Pullman Panama Limited. 18 hours is > probably the best that can be done, and that after > significant investment. What is interesting about the current capacity/ speed issue is that the IC spokesman for the asset rationalization project in the 1990's claimed that the single tracking project allowed for growth and train speeds, according to Paul D. Schneider's' article beginning on page 26, July 1991 Trains. While Mid-America was getting "rationalized", Mr Bromleys employer (Union Pacific) was concurrently doing something unique; "adding capacity" on the Marysville sub to do something also unique. Move trains. Date: 07/04/16 09:19 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: mundo If this trip is the first rail trip for this family, its a bad choice and hope it does not turn them off for future rail travel.
Unfortunately many of the main line trackage in the US continues in a rough condition. Date: 07/04/16 20:26 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: irhoghead There's rough, and then there's third world country branch line rough. The City and good parts of the Zephyr from Chicago to Denver fall in the latter.
Date: 07/04/16 20:30 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: mundo When I rode the then new Denver Zephyr in 1956, the track was rough. Ar their subbase probems that requires lots of work to maintain.
Date: 07/04/16 21:38 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: illini73 mundo Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- > . . . Ar their subbase probems that requires lots of work to maintain. That nice Illinois topsoil (and plentiful rain) so good for the corn and soybean growers is not so good as a railroad subgrade. The IC Chicago and Champaign districts have pumped mud here and there for decades. A couple of unfortunate choices for ballast material (crushed slag, then Thornton limestone) didn't help matters when heavier freight cars and unit trains came along. Getting some of the mud out of the ballast section required a major ballast undercutting operation in the late 1970s (the civil engineer running the undercutting gang pointed out that there was a major difference between "clean" and "cleaned" ballast, and he was only able to provide the latter). I forget how much time and money he spent just working the length of the passenger platform at Effingham (north of the PRR diamonds), but it put him way behind schedule and over budget. Division Engineers didn't like working in towns, as the turnouts and grade crossings slowed gang production considerably, so places like Effingham were often in much worse shape than the track in open country. The Effingham platform also had the phenomenon of coal dust in the ballast of the NB main, as the bottom-dump hoppers then in widespread use on the IC would be shaken up crossing the PRR diamonds and leak a bit of coal immediatly thereafter. Date: 07/05/16 07:05 Re: Amtrak City of New Orleans #59 Author: P I rode this train nearly 10 years ago round trip to NO and back and other than a sleeper attendant on the n/b run that was not up to par, had an excellent trip and excellent food in the diner. Several 'creole' options available which were excellent. The train was/is a rocket and south of Memphis it didn't seem like we dropped below 60 for hours on end. Don't remember the ride quality being an issue - but that has nothing to do with Amtrak.
Why all the negativity on this route? I can't see how Amtrak could screw this one up. Of course Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing disruption of New Orleans could have played a part in ridership issues, but I don't have ridership levels accessible to me to prove this one way or another. Date: 07/05/16 09:55 Kwit Cher Complainin Author: NewRiverGeorge It's not that bad, and sure beats the 900+ mile drive with the 18 wheelers on I-55/57.
What you are supposed to do on an overnight train is doze and not worry about it. I'd be more concerned if there was a baby crying the whole way or a kid kicking the back of my seat like on a red eye airline flight. If it were the Builder or the Zephyr with stellar crews, the best mountain scenery (but often crappy timekeeping), there would still be complainers. Guess everyone has to have something to whine about. Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/16 09:57 by NewRiverGeorge. Date: 07/05/16 14:05 Re: Kwit Cher Complainin Author: Genesis803 Amtrak could take a cattle car and paint their logo on the side and some of us would still say "it's not that bad". What we railfans often forget is that the traveling public are generally not railfans. They spend hundreds to thousands of dollars to book first class sleeping accommodations and expect it to be a good value. A sleepless night due to unbearable rough track and terrible food is not what they should be paying for.
It also doesn't help when 6 out of the 14 tables in the dining car are being occupied by Amtrak employees on their iPhone while passengers are told there are no clean tables and they can check back in 30 minutes. The 4 tables on the cafe side of the car were covered with envelopes and papers, I guess belonging to the LSA or conductor, and 2 tables on the diner side were occupied by the coach and sleeper attendants loudly enjoying each others company. The floor looked like it hadn't been swept the entire time so you had to step around food as you put your legs under the table and you can imagine what the bathrooms were like. The track was so rough that at one point our waiter in the dining car was thrown into the table across the aisle while taking our order, thus spilling thier drinks. Thankfully I had brought duct tape along as I used it to fix several places in our sleeping car room where metal stripping had come loose and would bang against the wall all night. We had two bedrooms and opened the door between them to make a "bedroom suite". The sliding door would not stay opened due to the rough track, so we put our suitcases there to stop it from closing. We didn't want it slamming shut on us or our kids. I'm not normally a complainer and I understand Amtrak's financial constraints, but this was not a good part of our trip. As I said, this was the last train in an around the west trip for us from New Orleans to Seattle and back. I was very impressed with the crews, cleanliness and food on the other three trains. I even wrote Amtrak several complimentary letters about the other trains, naming specific employees that had been exceptional. However, this was a bad ending to an otherwise good trip. I have ridden the City countless times over the past few decades and it's had it's ups and downs over the years but I don't recall it ever being this bad. Although the rought track is not really under Amtrak's control, they should really devote some attention to training and monitoring the onboard crew for this route. That would be a big first step in the right direction. Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/16 15:12 by Genesis803. Date: 07/06/16 06:25 Re: Kwit Cher Complainin Author: NewRiverGeorge Old poorly maintained equipment is definitely a problem, no matter what type of conveyance or what route.
The best functional stuff used to be on trains 7 and 8. Don't know about now, but that was true in the past. If Chicago could not figure out how to fix it, or did not care to fix it, they put it on 21/22/58/59. Highway equipment: disposed of after 5 years, sold off to farmers for seasonal grain hauling, or to use as storage containers. Airline equipment: disposed of after 10 years, sent to regional airlines in Peru or Vietnam. Amatrk equipment, kept 25-60 years, and the overhaul budget is gutted in order to divert the money to install out of date wi-fi towers in New Jersey. Date: 07/18/16 09:25 Re: Kwit Cher Complainin Author: eee I ride to work in a 66 year old commuter car still lettered "BURLINGTON" which is more comfortable than the newest cars on the train (I get to choose, I choose the older car). It's not age, it's care. Or lack thereof.
NewRiverGeorge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Old poorly maintained equipment is definitely a > problem, no matter what type of conveyance or what > route. > The best functional stuff used to be on trains 7 > and 8. Don't know about now, but that was true > in the past. > If Chicago could not figure out how to fix it, or > did not care to fix it, they put it on > 21/22/58/59. > > Highway equipment: disposed of after 5 years, sold > off to farmers for seasonal grain hauling, or to > use as storage containers. > Airline equipment: disposed of after 10 years, > sent to regional airlines in Peru or Vietnam. > Amatrk equipment, kept 25-60 years, and the > overhaul budget is gutted in order to divert the > money to install out of date wi-fi towers in New > Jersey. |