Passenger Trains > Business class on trains 66-67?

Does anyone have recent experience with business class on overnight NEC trains 66 and 67?  I think it’s offered in an Amfleet cafe car...is that right?  Is the seating 2-2 or the old Metroliner 2-1?  Leg rests?  Am trying to decide if it’s worth the 2x price premium over regular coach.  I know about the free drink, but what’s important to me is a more comfortable sleeping environment.

Dave

Oh for that view again of the lights of Manhattan from the darkened Roomette as the Night Owl flew up over Hells Gate and on down into Penn Station in the wee hours of the morning!

ghCBNS Wrote:
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> Oh for that view again of the lights of Manhattan
> from the darkened Roomette as the Night Owl flew
> up over Hells Gate and on down into Penn Station
> in the wee hours of the morning!

Would even settle for the comfort of a Viewliner roomette on the Twilight Shoreliner from Williamsburg to Boston  (and return), with its dedicated portion of the an AmDinette.  

I just did the Business Class on # 48 Chicago-Syracuse. Our car was 1/2 Biz. Class 2/1 seating with lots of legroom and leg rests and 1/2 snack bar with tables. To Amtrak's credit they gave us a nicely packaged light sleeping blanket ( cotton? ) eye patches and ear plugs. Major downside was they had the car turned backwards so that all the coach passengers for the snack bar came through the Biz. Class section to get to/from the snack bar which was open until 11:30pm and began again at 0630. Had the car been turned properly so that Biz. Class was rear it would have been a LOT nicer. As it was there was often a waiting line right through our section. I managed to get maybe a total of 3 hours sleep in bits & pieces. Sure will be glad when the NY sleepers are back.

   Bottom line IMHO it ain't worth 2x coach. Ross Rowland

RevRandy Wrote:
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> Would even settle . . . on the Twilight Shoreliner . . . with its
> dedicated portion of the an AmDinette. 

That was a "lite" dining operation that worked -- in part Amtrak's design of it and in part because the OBS people staffing it were always extraordinarily good.

Gordon 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/18 09:56 by gbmott.

Business Class seating question: Do the business class seats recline as far back as coach seats?

NYC4096 Wrote:
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> Business Class seating question: Do the business
> class seats recline as far back as coach seats?

Specific to trains 66/67 I expect they do as the coaches are Amfleet I.  For that reason I booked business (using AGR points) for my return trip from Philly to Mass. on Wednesday night.  On trains like the Lake Shore as Ross described, the regular coaches are Amfleet II so the difference in comfort is less pronounced.

Dave

The half-club seats in an Am-1 have a tigher seat pitch than long distance coach, and have 5 rows of overhead lights for 6 rows of seats. You also cannot stretch out over the vacant aisle seat in a 2 seater due to a 6" wide armrest. 

gbmott Wrote:
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> RevRandy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Would even settle . . . on the Twilight
> Shoreliner . . . with its
> > dedicated portion of the an AmDinette. 
>
> That was a "lite" dining operation that worked --
> in part Amtrak's design of it and in part because
> the OBS people staffing it were always
> extraordinarily good.
>
> Gordon 

Warrington launched it with visions of it being the Coast Starlight of the East - minus the daylight scenery for the most part! The windows had a special motif, everyone was given an overnight "care pacakge" that included special Twilight Shoreliner slippers, etc. Then the private section in the AmDinette for meals was nice! All downsized as Amtrak needed to cut funds and meet payroll - literally (NYP was re-mortgaged) etc. etc. Twilight Shoreliner was ALWAYS filled when I was aboard (the David Gunn relaunched Federal not as much since it originated in Washington DC and not Newport News in my opinion). Even towards the end, the sleeping car price was just as expensive as a NYP to CHI Lake Shore's Viewliner Rommette charge. Yes, the sleeper was first to go since other trains were more needy of sleepers when the 2005 winter freeze struck and sidelined half the Viewliner fleet, but I still think this sleeper service could work if restored from the Virginia Tidewater to BOS via Washington DC and NYC etc. It was a nice first class overnight service from WAS to BOS and even PHL to BOS - just like Acela Express first class. 

But yes, Train 66/67 used to operate with a half biz and half cafe car - with the leather seats and their leg rests with 2-1 seating. Presume that's still the case (and worth every dime if so), but it does get substituted occasionally and season by season sometimes with a full business class car. 

Actually, in the Claytor era 66/67 had an additional sleeper, the "Executive Sleeper" that ran WAS-NYP; the first Viewliners were used for this assignment.  It was a nice way to take in a Broadway show, then go to Penn Station, down a controlled escalator (to keep the homeless out) and board the sleeper, which was on power and waiting for you to go nighty-night.  Train 67, the southbound Night Owl (in those days) picked up the sleeper and you awoke in Washington DC.
I did it once with my family (party of four) and we had the two non-handicapped full bedrooms en suite.  Those were the days....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/13/18 16:50 by hazegray.

I wish I could figure out the 'whys and wherefores' of when 66/67 uses the split lounge/BC car of the full NEC Amfleet I BC car.  It seems like almost every time I rode 66 or 67, it would 'switch' from what I rode 3-12 months prior. 

For what it's worth, as reported above, it currently has the 62 seat 'full' BC car (2-2 seating).  The seats recline nicely, AND there's 20" from the front of your seat cushion to the rear of the seat ahead.  With no armrest between seets, it's reasonably easy to 'spread out' across them.  Every time I've ridden the full BC cars on 66/67, there were perhaps 20-25 passengers at most in the car, so getting a seat to yourself is not a problem.  If you have an inflatable pillow or 2 or 3, stuffing one between the wall and armrest gives a good base for another pillow or whatever for your head.

The last time I rode 67 was about a year ago and they were using the split cafe/BC car with 2-1 seating in BC.  The distance from front of your seat cushion to back of next seat is 18", 2" less than the full BC car, but still a generous 6" more than NEC coach with 12" legroom.  And when the passenger in front reclines their seat, it really seams cramped!  (last time I flew was 2004 or so).  As an aside, I'm amazed that BC on the Cardinal and Lakeshore are pretty much sold out using the split lounge/BC cars.  The legroom on an LD Amfleet II coach is 22" vs 18" on the split BC.  The downside of coach is that it's usually more crowded, noisy, and odiferous.  As I discovered on my last trip about a year ago on #67 in a split cafe/BC car...it SELLS OUT!  Fortunately, I boarded at WAS and only 1 or 2 seats were filled at that point and I took one of the single seats, as it's an inch wider between armrests than on the 2 side.  After BWI, there were only 3-4 seats open, and boarding passengers at PHL filled all the seats.  At NYP, several got off and several got on.  There were still maybe 7-8 in BC upon arrival at BOS.