Passenger Trains > Capitol Limited Consist

Can somebody out there tell me the  non holiday consist of the Capitol Limited?  How many engines and a sightseer lounge?

Thnaks.

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/20 07:24 by texchief1.

I will be on it  Friday. If  you  get  no answer  by that time I will let  you know !!  Bet  a  short  winter  set up!!

Just saw it go by Elkhart, Indianna #29 this morning with two p-42"s , 1 crew car, 1 sleeper, 1 diner, 1 lounge, and two coaches. total 6 cars...
The other set seems to have a baggage car and only 1 p-42...

cutboy1958 Wrote:
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> I will be on it  Friday. If  you  get  no
> answer  by that time I will let  you know !!
>  Bet  a  short  winter  set up!!

people are saying they were down to this consist by the 5th, and trains were sold out thru the 8th at least, amtrak mgmt turning their back on revenue.  Riduculous how much traffic they don't want.

dan Wrote:
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> people are saying they were down to this consist
> by the 5th, and trains were sold out thru the 8th
> at least, amtrak mgmt turning their back on
> revenue.  Riduculous how much traffic they don't
> want.

It was.  Alarmingly short consist.  But marketing to gain revenue is more work than cutting consists.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/20 10:33 by GenePoon.

30 at Shenandoah Junction WV today had two engines (99 and 837), a baggage car, a crew car, a sleeper, a diner, lounge, and two coaches.
and this evening's 29 has 3 engines with 6 cars.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/20 15:13 by GM50.

The Transition Sleeper can count as part of a revenue sleeper.  It has ten rooms for sale. 

Very few employee overnight "guests," since the adoption of Downgraded Dining.

Speak of the devil ... 

Riding the Capitol Limited, DC to Chicago this Friday, reverse back to DC Sunday.

Sleeper on the way out, what I believe to be a transition sleeper on the way back.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/20 13:55 by GoodTimeCharlie.

Thanks for the answers, guys!

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX

Here's the consist I had leaving on Train #30 after New Year's:

Locomotive
Baggage Car
Superliner Trans/Dorm Sleeper - Rooms #17 to 24 were for sale and rooms #2 to 6 were for sale (13 roomettes). Room #7 & 8 had the two LSAs and Room #1 the Sleeper Attendant. There was no room 15 and 16. 
Superliner Sleeper
Cross Country Cafe (Sleeper Lounge)
Sightseer Lounge
Superliner Coach
Superliner Coach

We left Chicago oversold. Consist had been SOLD OUT for at least a month. I was lucky to get a roomette on the date I travelled!!! Two couples boarding in Chicago were supposed to be in a sleeper that didn't exist (3002 and 3001). One couple was acommodated in the Trans Dorm/Sleeper's Handicap Room.

The 3001 sleeper had been pulled shortly after Christmas.

The Sleeper attendant in my sleeper 3009 (the Trans/Dorm Sleeper) and the one in car 3000 (the full revenue Sleeper) both were complaining that this wasn't the first time it happened with overselling and that the Capitol Limited was hitting SOLD OUT status from Chicago to Pittsburgh. 

It needed its regular consist from Christmas to at least mid-January to deal with potential bookings. 

Airline mentality in action. Sell out fixed capacity and assume people will take another flight a couple of hours later. That doesn't work with once a day trains. 

dan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> people are saying they were down to this consist
> by the 5th, and trains were sold out thru the 8th
> at least, amtrak mgmt turning their back on
> revenue.  Riduculous how much traffic they don't
> want.

How ridiculous.  They could have run an empty car with 3 people in it and instead chose not to.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > people are saying they were down to this
> consist
> > by the 5th, and trains were sold out thru the
> 8th
> > at least, amtrak mgmt turning their back on
> > revenue.  Riduculous how much traffic they
> don't
> > want.
>
> It was.  Alarmingly short consist.  But
> marketing to gain revenue is more work than
> cutting consists.

I just booked my wife and daughter sleeper tickets on the Capitol Limited on the winter trips around the President's Day weekend. No issues getting sleeper space 4 weeks out from travel on what should be a relatively popular travel day. Obviously there is plenty of inventory.  You can still book 8 roomettes on the same train if you try to make a reservation for 8 people, so there is clearly no issue with limiting demand in coach or roomettes right now.  There are also 3 bedrooms left out of the 6 being run.  At best the train is 50% sold right now in the short consist.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Transition Sleeper can count as part of a
> revenue sleeper.  It has ten rooms for sale. 
>
> Very few employee overnight "guests," since the
> adoption of Downgraded Dining.

That has nothing to do with it. I'm told Amtrak changed the employee personal travel policy for taking sleeper space.  Ask around.

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Sleeper attendant in my sleeper 3009 (the
> Trans/Dorm Sleeper) and the one in car 3000 (the
> full revenue Sleeper) both were complaining that
> this wasn't the first time it happened with
> overselling and that the Capitol Limited was
> hitting SOLD OUT status from Chicago to
> Pittsburgh. 
>
> It needed its regular consist from Christmas to at
> least mid-January to deal with potential
> bookings. 

Or really, almost like the Pennsylvanian needs its own through cars to allow for demand through Pittsburgh on the Capitol Limited.

abyler Wrote:
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> No issues getting sleeper space 4 weeks out from travel on what should be a relatively popular travel day.

Let us know if your family or fellow passengers get bumped. Amtrak can still oversell the train.

abyler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> GenePoon Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Transition Sleeper can count as part of a
> > revenue sleeper.  It has ten rooms for sale. 
> >
> > Very few employee overnight "guests," since the
> > adoption of Downgraded Dining.
>
> That has nothing to do with it. I'm told Amtrak
> changed the employee personal travel policy for
> taking sleeper space.  Ask around.

Winter Consist:

Rooms for sale in Car 2900/3000 (Superliner Sleeper):
- Bedrooms A throughj E, 5 (not six!)
- Family Bedroom, 1
- ADA Room - 1
- Roomettes 2 through 14 - 13 roomettes**                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
Rooms for sale in 2909 and 3909 (Superliner Trans/Dorm Sleeper):    
- Roomettes 2 through 6 and 17 through 24 - 13 roomettes**

** Roomette 1 is reserved for sleeping car attendant. The ADA Sleeper is only sold in car 2900/3000

I was booked in room 5 of of the Trans/Dorm Sleeper on the Capitol Limited. The two LSA's (Sleeping Lounge LSA and Sightseer Lounge/Cafe LSA) were booked in rooms 7 and 8. 

If the sleeper get booked up, it would help to keep a wait list so as to analyze or make the decision as to whether to add a sleeper or not, or if the winter consist is sufficient. 

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Rooms for sale in Car 2900/3000 (Superliner
> Sleeper):
> - Bedrooms A throughj E, 5 (not six!)
> - Family Bedroom, 1
> - ADA Room - 1

5 bedrooms and the ADA room is 6.  That's what I was counting.