Passenger Trains > Saturday: Auto-Train with four units

Train 53 (16) has four units on the point today. 814 + 830, which have been in the A-T pool for a while, plus 154 and 85. No idea where or if they'll be dropped along the way to Sanford.

The train continues to shrink as it goes into its summer configuration. Today had the four units plus 15 superliners and 25 auto carriers.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Train 53 (16) has four units on the point today.
> 814 + 830, which have been in the A-T pool for a
> while, plus 154 and 85. No idea where or if
> they'll be dropped along the way to Sanford.
>
> The train continues to shrink as it goes into its
> summer configuration. Today had the four units
> plus 15 superliners and 25 auto carriers.


It ran like a scalded dog!!!!

As much as the Auto Train shrinks and grows in size by season, does Amtrak ever shuffle the cars between it and the rest of the Superliner trains to shrink or grow consists? I don't think it really does...... Not sure what the answer is, or if there is an answer, but three trains come to mind that could use a third or additional sleeper in mid/late June to September:

1) Southwest Chief
2) Portland Section of Empire Builder
3) California Zephyr (be it entire distance or at least Denver to Chicago - in ADDITION to the three full sleepers). 

Perhaps the Auto Train's Sightseer Lounge needs to be seasonal......and not the Capitol Limited.

jp1822 Wrote:
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> As much as the Auto Train shrinks and grows in
> size by season, does Amtrak ever shuffle the cars
> between it and the rest of the Superliner trains
> to shrink or grow consists? I don't think it
> really does...... Not sure what the answer is, or
> if there is an answer, but three trains come to
> mind that could use a third or additional sleeper
> in mid/late June to September:
>
> 1) Southwest Chief
> 2) Portland Section of Empire Builder
> 3) California Zephyr (be it entire distance or at
> least Denver to Chicago - in ADDITION to the three
> full sleepers). 
>
> Perhaps the Auto Train's Sightseer Lounge needs to
> be seasonal......and not the Capitol Limited.


Auto Train's cars cannot be used on other trains because
of modification's.Something I think about the braking
system.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

retcsxcfm Wrote:
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>
> Auto Train's cars cannot be used on other trains
> because
> of modification's.Something I think about the
> braking
> system.
>

The type of braking used should just be a matter of changing a lever from graduated (used on most passenger trains) to direct release braking (used on freight trains and the Auto Train). Graduated release generally doesn't work well when trains are over 20 or so cars in length, so the Auto Train uses the direct release braking. Back when Amtrak was adding a lot of express and mail cars to many of their other long distance trains, they converted those trains to use direct release braking as well. I don't think the auto carriers are even equipped with the graduated release braking so that is not even an option for Auto Train. But I don't think there is any reason the passenger cars could not be used on other trains by simply changing the brake setting.

But maybe there is some other modification that I am not aware of.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/18 19:19 by czephyr17.