Passenger Trains > v2 Dorms

Just happened to see the rear of 97 a litte while ago and, as in the videos of a couple days ago, there was a dorm between the last sleeper and the baggage car.  I have to assume that they are being used but don't know that for a fact.

Gordon

I am on 97 and see no baggage, but I do see a liquid tote container (I believe that is the proper name). Probably to simulate weight?

Posted from iPhone

Someone in the know on another site says they are "testing" on the Meteor.  It will be very good to have these in place for the fall/winter season.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/19 10:24 by FloridaTrainGuy.

My fear is that they are heading to Florida for storage -- 

For me, this will be a check on Anderson's intentions for LD eastern trains. If they are stored -- along with the new sleepers and diners --
then we will know for sure that his plan is to decrease revenue and ridership in preparation for discontinuance.

If he places ALL the new cars in service -- including acceptable food service again -  then I will know I was wrong.
 

Another wasteful purchase by the prior administration

Actually a waste for not using them in the current administration, along with the sleepers and diners. The waste is Anderson.

another_view Wrote:
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> Another wasteful purchase by the prior
> administration

another_view Wrote:
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> Another wasteful purchase by the prior
> administration

Well it is now with the intended downgrade, or change in the LD F&B service, shall I say. The new LD train effective October 1, 2019 would only put two LSA's in the V2 Dorms - the LSA in the regular Amfleet Cafe Car (diner lite) and the LSA in sleeping lounge car. These cars had been planned to house the "dining crew," which were much more in number when Boardman was in charge and order of the V2 Dorms placed. The make little sense for the LD eastern trains with the new F&B service (and crew to sustain it) that's to take effect October 1st.

They'd do better to house the crew of a Superliner train set and allowing the Superliner Trans/Dorm to be an "all-roomette" revenue generating car. Assign as crew dorms to the six train sets to operate the CA Zephyr and then in order to get East and interchange to go to Florida, use on the two train sets of the Cardinal, but maybe as revenue cars since again, they aren't really needed for the crew. Would the single VIewliner sleeper be enough to satisfy ADA. Out of 8 roomettes in the Dorm, 2 to the crew and 6 could be sold as revenue roomettes, while still having an ADA in the regular Viewliner? The remaining V2 Dorms (two of them) can either be left in Chicago or NYP as spares/rotation...........

Not sure how the V2 Dorms make any sense as "space for the crew" on eastern long distance overnight trains east of the Mississippi once the new F&B plan is rolled out Oct 1, 2019. There won't be much crew to house overnight.  

ronald321 Wrote:
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> My fear is that they are heading to Florida for
> storage -- 
>
They are operating on 98 as well as 97, so I think your fear is unfounded.

Gordon

'another_view Wrote:
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> Another wasteful purchase by the prior
> administration

I take this as a sign that the current Amtrak administration will consider renewal of its western long distance fleet as a wasteful purchase if Congress allocates the funds to do so. 

Is this whole thousand-cuts-to-profitability/run-Amtrak-as-a-business really a charade meant to convince Congress that preserving a national network that people will want to ride requires a change to Amtrak/NRPC’s enabling legislation to eliminate the expectation of running a profitable enterprise? I’d be okay with that goal, but it would be a flawed strategy, as once the prospect of profits is demonstrated, the more likely response is Congress changing legislation to make state-subsidized privatization of regional corridors appealing to competing private-sector operators, solving the insurance, labor, equipment and infrastructure access issues that the FRA failed to address in its privatization pilot project. There will be no need for a national passenger rail operator if it comes to that, and that, in my opinion, would be detrimental to the long-term viability of passenger rail. 
 

What about the sleeping car attendants? Don’t they get a roomette too?

Posted from iPhone

lordsigma Wrote:
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> What about the sleeping car attendants? Don’t
> they get a roomette too?
>
> Posted from iPhone

They get a roomette in the sleeper still. Attendant's room is already provided for in sleeping cars - Viewliners and Superliners. 

jp1822 Wrote:
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> lordsigma Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > What about the sleeping car attendants? Don’t
> > they get a roomette too?
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> They get a roomette in the sleeper still.
> Attendant's room is already provided for in
> sleeping cars - Viewliners and Superliners.

The plan is to reactivate the call buttons in the rooms and put all sleeper crew in the dorm opening all rooms for revenue income. 

FloridaTrainGuy Wrote:
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> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > lordsigma Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > What about the sleeping car attendants?
> Don’t
> > > they get a roomette too?
> > >
> > > Posted from iPhone
> >
> > They get a roomette in the sleeper still.
> > Attendant's room is already provided for in
> > sleeping cars - Viewliners and Superliners.
>
> The plan is to reactivate the call buttons in the
> rooms and put all sleeper crew in the dorm opening
> all rooms for revenue income. 

AH. so re-wire ALL the sleepers (in who knows what century), so TWO sleeping car attendants (as most trains just have TWO sleeping cars) can be housed in the Crew Dorm and Crew Dorm still operates with four empty roomettes. All we are doing is "moving the problem" of empty rooms not solving it. This just gets better and better. Call buttons still work by the way, in the sleepers. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/19 08:47 by jp1822.

Anyone have a floor plan for these new bag/dorms?

I haven't seen the latest floor plan, but it was eight roomettes (four on each side) and then a common bathroom and shower at the end. Hence the "windowless" section nearest the vestibule for the shower on one side and bathroom on the other. Not sure what more the car would need for eight roomettes. 

Regardless, Oct 1, 2019, I don't see any more than two LSA's occupying this car when the new F&B program goes in place for Long Distance Eastern Trains - East of the Mississippi (regular LSA in the Amfleet diner/lite and sleeper lounge LSA). Can any of the rooms be used as revenue generating rooms, knowing the adjacent sleeper, or "a" sleeper in the consist would have an ADA room, just not ONE per sleeper car. For the VIewliners, this reduced staff will open up additional rooms in the sleepers that are presently held by dining car onboard staff.

But to now have a DORM car with only two employees in it, when it can house eight (8) - we are back to the dilemma that the Superliner Trans Dorm/Sleepers had for years - travelling the system with a LOT of empty space. Look at what Amtrak has recently done on the Capitol Limited. This train ONLY has to overnight TWO crew members - the LSA for the Superliner Sightseer Cafe Lounge and the LSA in the Superliner Sleeper Lounge (aka Superliner Cross Country Cafe with modifications). Amtrak now sells rooms "one through four" in the Superliner Trans/Dorm Sleeper, which had been off limits as this was "the other half" of the car that was crew only for the longest time. I was one of the firsts to be in roomette four under the new F&B (reduced onboard staff) plan. Roomettes 5, 6, 7, and 8 were for the crew, but two were for the LSAs and one was for an Amtrak corporate official travelling between Chicago and Washington DC on business. This certainly has given the Capitol Limited more sleeping space inventory. They should look into selling the handicap room downstairs if they can, putting roomette 15 back together (some were converted to be the conductor's office and some are just an empty space), putting roomettes back where the crew lounge used to be or making it a large family deluxe bedroom. Yes, the conductor and assistant conductor often still use the booth in the lower crew lounge, but they could re-locate to the smaller lounge area (the side that has four tables and half moon couches) of the Superliner Sleeper Lounge.

Recall, that it wasn't until the mid 2000's that the crew officially allowed roomettes to be sold in the Superliner Trans Dorm Sleeper. This had always been "the crew car." Even the "Heritage Crew Cars" that operated in the East at one time with the Viewliners, it took the crew into using these overhauled cars, but it was "their crew car." Staff took pride in "their car." I guess the staff now is just happy to be employed? I would have thought some sort of organized protests would be going on to save the massive layoffs that are about to take place. Guess they don't care? 

Don't forget coach attedants. There are 1 to 3 per train. What if the VL-I sleeper attendant were moved into the dorm car, of which there are between 1 to 3 per train as well, then convert their room to revenue room #13 ? 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/19 15:55 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Don't forget coach attedants. There are 1 to 3 per
> train. What if the VL-I sleeper attendant were
> moved into the dorm car, of which there are
> between 1 to 3 per train as well, then convert
> their room to revenue room #13 ? 

Coach attendants don't get overnight accommodations in the crew car. Like the sleeper car attendants they stay with and near the cars they are attending.

Maybe others can, but I just can't see Amtrak re-wiring 50 Viewliner I sleepers, rennovating the sleeping car attendant's room (to make it a revenue room - some need rennovation!), etc. etc. just to have it so the sleeping car attendant can run back and forth between the sleeping car and V2 Dorm Car. How would that even work on a train like the Lake Shore Limited, where the Boston sleeper is in the front and the NY sleepers in the back. The V2 Dorms made sense when you had the LSA in the Cafe/Diner Lite Car and a full compliment of staff in the dining car. With cutbacks to take place, I just don't see it. More trouble than what it is worth, and then to ensure the wiring is always working when sleepers are changed out, and for just 10 dorm cars.................Seems to me there'd be a easier or more efficient solution without having to "re-work" sleeper cars. I know they plan to take the toilets out of the old sleepers and match them to the newer sleepers, but that's a refresh effectively needed.                                                                 

I would not be surprised if Amtrak just scraps the v1s when/if the v2 sleepers are all on the property, if not sooner. The current regime clearly has no interest in growing the sleeper business, and can make some excuse why they’re no longer roadworthy or not worth the investment to refurb.

njfrn Wrote:
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> I would not be surprised if Amtrak just scraps the
> v1s when/if the v2 sleepers are all on the
> property, if not sooner. The current regime
> clearly has no interest in growing the sleeper
> business, and can make some excuse why they’re
> no longer roadworthy or not worth the investment
> to refurb.

Agree with your statement. 

Let's see - crack center sills, frame issues, beyond their operaing life, etc.

Honestly, the Viewliner Sleepers have NOT aged well at all and are in need of some serious overhaul and refresh on the interior. Current regime is not putting a dime into making sleeper cars better.