Passenger Trains > No. 3 at West Levy NM

Amtrak No. 3 Southwest Chief quickly leaves behind the semaphore-controlled siding at West Levy, NM on September 16, 2020. === === = === JLH



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/20 17:57 by highgreengraphics.

---

Must be dead-heading cars??? There's typically just two coaches, and this train has more than that on the back! Also, just one regular Superliner Sleeper, as opposed to two! Thankfully they are using a Trans-dorm Sleeper. However, the Southwest Chief typically did have heavier patronage in roomettes. When the Superliner II's were still coming out, Amtrak used an extra Superliner Trans Dorm Sleeper to offer all-roomette service on the Southwest Chief one summer. Old Hi-Level Crew/Coach was used for crew etc.

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Must be dead-heading cars??? There's typically
> just two coaches, and this train has more than
> that on the back! Also, just one regular
> Superliner Sleeper, as opposed to two! Thankfully
> they are using a Trans-dorm Sleeper. However, the
> Southwest Chief typically did have heavier
> patronage in roomettes. When the Superliner II's
> were still coming out, Amtrak used an extra
> Superliner Trans Dorm Sleeper to offer
> all-roomette service on the Southwest Chief one
> summer. Old Hi-Level Crew/Coach was used for crew
> etc.

That's actually a regular Superliner sleeper, it just has the smoke shield installed since there's no transition sleeper to keep smoke out of the train. A ton of transition sleepers are stored in Chicago right now. 

Just curious why the Zephyr has a transition sleeper and the Chief doesn't?  I was recently in the first sleeper on No. 6 and had no issues sleeping do to horn noise at all. On the Chief last June, the proximity to the horn even in the second sleeper made sleep very difficult. With no transition car, why put the sleepers on the rear the way God and Mr. Pullman intended.  

saves one position of crew requirements  perhaps