Passenger Trains > new bag-dorm on 98 today

98 came 5 min  early into kissimmee Fla station with the new bag-dorm in service .today at 1250 p m . wonder if there is room for all the checked bags with only half a car . saw that the sleepers were all but mty. 3 people in diner having lunch,, wonder if there selling all the rooms in sleepers now what little of crew left can sleep in dorm.? 2ed picture is most of train .

---

---

Must be.  That's where the usual baggage car would be.

I think the sleeper dorms were one of the best moves Amtrak ever made.  Completely open up the high-revenue sleeper rooms for sale to improve the bottom line.  Especially important now that future Viewliners will lose one revenue roomette.     

Lake Shore Ltd should get the others, though I don't know if that is enough bagggage space for 6 coaches + 3 sleepers, considerably longer than a Meteor, unelss they put the Boston baggage car back.  That would consume 7 of the 10. 

FloridaTrainGuy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Must be.  That's where the usual baggage car
> would be.
>
> I think the sleeper dorms were one of the best
> moves Amtrak ever made.  Completely open up the
> high-revenue sleeper rooms for sale to improve the
> bottom line.  Especially important now that
> future Viewliners will lose one revenue
> roomette.     

Huh? There's only two crew members (the two LSA's) to occupy the Bagg-Dorm now days. Yeah, great idea when there was a dining car staff to house, but that's been reduced to two people. The Heritage Crew Cars (restored from Heritage sleeper cars) were also a great idea, but again, only if they have people to occupy them.

Although I can't tell exactly how many roomettes are in the Bagg-Dorm, there's at least eight (8) of them. So two members for eight rooms, what to do with the others? On the other hand, I don't think ANY single level train east of the Mississippi needs a full baggage car. A Bagg-Dorm would do fine. But perhaps now Amtrak needs to look into figuring out how to make the "Dorm" into revenue space. The sleeper car attendants need to be in the sleepers they work in. The coach attendants stay in the coaches they tend to. Forget trying to wire the sleepers to some SCA's room in the Bagg-Dorm. That's an electrical and mechanical nightmare Amtrak will never get working right. 

Best they could do right now - put the Bagg-Dorms on CA Zephyr and Auto Train and sell the rooms in the Superliner Trans/Dorm Sleeper as an "all revenue roomette" car. At least those trains either have a descent onboard staff to still house overnight in a "crew car" or they have a regular dining staff. 

And think about these pictures for a minute. The "premium" Florida to Northeast train can get away with just a half baggage car, while having the largest consist heading from NE to the South..............Very telling about baggage useage. 

There is more to the baggage area of these cars just just the floor to put luggage and packages on. There is this clever invention known as "shelves" which allows items to be stored in places other than the floor.

Grayheads will remember that the Florida trains prior to Amtrak for many years ran with baggage/dorm cars, and that was when passengers traveled with much more luggage than they do today.

These new Viewliner cars have as much baggage space as the Superliner Coach/Baggage cars.


 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/19 15:06 by johnpage.

Airlines have conditioned travelers to think in terms of roll-aboards that are no larger than 22 x 14 x 9 in. Full-size luggage has just about gone the way of the dodo bird. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/12/19 15:10 by ctillnc.

johnpage Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Grayheads will remember that the Florida trains
> prior to Amtrak for many years ran with
> baggage/dorm cars, and that was when passengers
> traveled with much more luggage than they do
> today.

They also tried Dorm-Lounge cars for a little while.  Located behind the sleepers, there was a lounge area for sleeper customers.

(From a "Grayhead" that rode those Florida trains)

My own personal opinion - the full Viewliner based designed baggage car is overkill (floor space, shelves, bike racks, collapsable racks, gun enclosure etc.). The half baggage/dorm *could* be seen as tight, but it will likely work just fine with current consists. Can't go backwards now, only forward! 

RFandPFan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> johnpage Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Grayheads will remember that the Florida trains
> > prior to Amtrak for many years ran with
> > baggage/dorm cars, and that was when passengers
> > traveled with much more luggage than they do
> > today.
>
> They also tried Dorm-Lounge cars for a little
> while.  Located behind the sleepers, there was a
> lounge area for sleeper customers.
>
> (From a "Grayhead" that rode those Florida trains)

If you look at the original lettering and "re-design" plans of the Heritage Sleepers that were made into "crew cars" in the late 1990s, they were to be "Dorm-Lounges." A special "sleeper lounge" was planned for sleeping car passengers from where the 6 double bedrooms were ripped out. Lounge portion on that end, and then the 10 roomettes for the crew (some roomettes taken out for further onboard service/equipment storage etc.). Lounges never completed though.....

jp1822 Wrote:

> Huh? There's only two crew members (the two LSA's)
> to occupy the Bagg-Dorm now days. 

There's also the coach attendants, 2 on the Meteor, 3 on the Lake Shore.

I wonder how much business Amtrak Express receives. On my last trip through D.C., there were about 4 pallets on the platform destined for places along the Silver Star route. There is more to the baggage car than just bags. 

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FloridaTrainGuy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
>
> And think about these pictures for a minute. The
> "premium" Florida to Northeast train can get away
> with just a half baggage car, while having the
> largest consist heading from NE to the
> South..............Very telling about baggage
> useage. 

Amtrak for years has been discouraging checked baggage service. It's not even available at the vast majority of stations. It's also true that people are more and more accustomed to packing lighter and using the roll-ons.
Naturally, less baggage car space is needed. I think the bag-dorms were a great addition to the fleet, but Amtrak has shown that they are very adept at screwing up the best ideas. I was looking forward to these cars added to the frequently sold out Cardinal, but keep hearing that's not in the works.

Posted from Android

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
>
> > Huh? There's only two crew members (the two
> LSA's)
> > to occupy the Bagg-Dorm now days. 
>
> There's also the coach attendants, 2 on the
> Meteor, 3 on the Lake Shore.

These folks do not ride or take a bedroom in the crew car though.... At best, two extra rooms on top of the two for the LSAs? Again, it "worked" when a full dining staff was going to be there, but not with reduced onboard staffing that doesn't require separate overnight space! 

chrsjrcj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder how much business Amtrak Express
> receives. On my last trip through D.C., there were
> about 4 pallets on the platform destined for
> places along the Silver Star route. There is more
> to the baggage car than just bags. 

I always thought there would be more "Amtrak Express" moving from Washington DC and Chicago on the Capitol Limited, but there's not. I rode this train MANY times prior to it receiving the new VIewliner based baggage car and it didn't even have a baggage car in the consist!!! Just a Superliner coach-baggage, or a Superliner car that had baggage/packages carried on the lower level of the Superliner where the former smoker lounge had been. I was amazed at what they were fitting in there, but it was more than adequate. 

I am sure some routes have more baggage/packages/pallets moving on them than others. Been rare to see pallet transport recently though on a REGULAR basis. During the same period that the Capitol Limited did NOT have a baggage car, it would occasionally get one to move extra "freight" so to speak. But it was not to retain the baggage car once in Chicago. 

The Palmetto and Silver Star are earlier trains southbound than the Silver Meteor for most of the journey.......

Have NEVER seen a full baggage car on Amtrak. I have on VIA Rail's Canadian, but NEVER, in all my travels, on Amtrak. People often keep their luggage with them with the lower level Superliner storage, especially in sleeper. VIA is filling its baggage car because they are VERY strict on what can be brough aboard the sleeper car - and they are filling their sleeper car with high end passengers with lots of baggage (international travellers). Amtrak has to be more flexible because they've reduced stations that will handle baggage, and trains that have a baggage car!

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lake Shore Ltd should get the others, though I
> don't know if that is enough bagggage space for 6
> coaches + 3 sleepers, considerably longer than a
> Meteor, unelss they put the Boston baggage car
> back.  That would consume 7 of the 10. 

Can you please show me a picture of a baggage car that is anywhere close to full with baggage?  They always look nearly empty to me.

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And think about these pictures for a minute. The
> "premium" Florida to Northeast train can get away
> with just a half baggage car, while having the
> largest consist heading from NE to the
> South..............Very telling about baggage
> useage. 

The picture shows a train with 3 coaches and 2 sleepers.  Pretty sure its the Silver Star.

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > jp1822 Wrote:
> >
> > > Huh? There's only two crew members (the two
> > LSA's)
> > > to occupy the Bagg-Dorm now days. 
> >
> > There's also the coach attendants, 2 on the
> > Meteor, 3 on the Lake Shore.
>
> These folks do not ride or take a bedroom in the
> crew car though.... At best, two extra rooms on
> top of the two for the LSAs? Again, it "worked"
> when a full dining staff was going to be there,
> but not with reduced onboard staffing that doesn't
> require separate overnight space! 

Yes they do. The rotate and go to bed for 4 hours each night like all the rest if them. They do not go off duty and sleep in coach seats.

Posted from Android

abyler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > And think about these pictures for a minute.
> The
> > "premium" Florida to Northeast train can get
> away
> > with just a half baggage car, while having the
> > largest consist heading from NE to the
> > South..............Very telling about baggage
> > useage. 
>
> The picture shows a train with 3 coaches and 2
> sleepers.  Pretty sure its the Silver Star.

Silver Star does not yet have a Viewliner diner, which is the VL behind the Am2 lounge. Either way something is wrong though.

Posted from Android

joemvcnj
> Silver Star does not yet have a Viewliner diner,
> which is the VL behind the Am2 lounge. Either way
> something is wrong though.
>
> Posted from Android

What's wrong?  That's the usual consist of the Meteor just with a bag/dorm on the end instead of the usual Viewliner full baggage.  I have taken this train often and it looks fine to me.

That is the Meteor, 3 sleepers and bag/dorm at the end, geeze....