Passenger Trains > Now some LD consists are shortened

3(2) is back down to its COVID-19 length, one sleeper, diner, lounge, two coaches.

4(2) has two sleepers, diner, lounge, three coaches.

8(2) Seattle has three engines, one sleeper, diner and one coach.   Probably short on cars after the wreck of 7 in Montana.

30(2) is still with its (slightly) expanded two sleepers, diner and three coaches.

48(2) has sleeper, dinette, four coaches, Viewliner diner, two sleepers, baggage.
 

Thursday's #3 should be back up to full consist.  3 coaches and 2 sleepers, but no full baggage or transition car.
Why they couldn't have started on June 1st from Chicago is beyond me.

mp51w Wrote:
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> Why they couldn't have started on June 1st from
> Chicago is beyond me.

I know right? I mean with our narrow railfan focus on things everything should be just so simple, right?









































<SARCASM DRIPPING FROM CORNERS OF MY MOUTH>

The Cardinals cut Business Class effective June 1st. So on 06/03/2020:

50(02) was minus one Amfleet II Coach and an Amfleet I Biz Class/Cafe with AMTK 182 leading. One Amfleet I Coach and two Amfleet I Cafes deadheading.

51(03) was minus one Amfleet II Coach and an Amfleet I Biz Class/Cafe with AMTK 84 leading. One Viewliner II Sleeper deadheading.
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/03/20 15:31 by tramfan.

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The Texas Eagle is still 5 cars - sleeper, diner, lounge and 2 coaches - as it arrives in Temple Texas on its way to Chicago.

The lone P42 62 looks like it's has quite a few battles over the years. 

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You guys keep saying "two coaches" when it's really one coach and one coach-baggage which is how they can drop the baggage car and still provide checked baggage service.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> 30(2) is still with its (slightly) expanded two sleepers, diner and three coaches.

30(3) is one engine and seven cars ... it appears there is a second diner at the coach end tonight.
I have not seen a four car consist in several days.

48/448(2) was 10 cars with the baggage car at the end. In the nights proceeding there were dead cars after the baggage car.

mp51w Wrote:
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> Thursday's #3 should be back up to full consist. 
> 3 coaches and 2 sleepers, but no full baggage or
> transition car.
> Why they couldn't have started on June 1st from
> Chicago is beyond me.

3 of 6-3 usual 5 cars at La Plata.this evening.

It's probably related to the number of cars that can be moved from Beech Grove and it's only possible 3 days/week on days the Cardinal runs.  So, assume 10 Superliners are to be put back into service.  Those 10 would arrive at CHI in the AM, and would be added 2 cars/train to #3, #5, #7, #21 and #59.  The next day, there's no returning cars from Beech Grove, so that days' trains go out in shortened form.  Throw in they have to ferry Superliners for #1 and #11, so those would be additions to #3 and #59, and so on.  There simply isn't capacity at Chicago to hold 50-60 'returned' or 'thoroughly cleaned' (carpets, etc) cars at the Chicago shops.  So newly available cars have to be fed into the system at a trickle. 

It might also be that Amtrak is moving some of the cars to fill in 'spares' at NOL, SAS, LAX, EMY, PDX and LAX, therefore only 2 each was sufficient and now it's back to Covid-sized trains.