Passenger Trains > Dorm-Baggage Cars

Curious as to which lines Amtrak is currently employing the nenw Dorm/Baggage cars. It does seem that one has been appearing on at least the Cardinal. Anyone know of other trains using them?

I believe I've been seeing them on both the Cardinal and the Crescent. Would be nice if the Boston section of the Lake Shore could get one.

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Only 10 of them.

Orgional order was for 25,  but they changed the rest 15 to baggage. That was a mistake in my thinking.

mundo Wrote:
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> Only 10 of them.
>
> Original order was for 25,  but they changed the
> rest 15 to baggage. That was a mistake in my
> thinking.

No reason for full baggage cars. Should have all been Baggage-Dorms and further released the Superliner Trans-Dorm Sleepers to become full revenue roomette cars. The Superliner Trans-Dorm Sleeper has the most concentration of sleeping car rooms throughout if they were all built out. The former crew lounge on lower level could be a large ensuite bedroom of sorts. The conductors have retreated to other areas of the train since the Superliner Trans-Dorm Sleepers were pulled from service with the advent and operation of tri-weekly service. 

If the Cardinal and Crescent have the Viewliner dorm-baggage cars, that means six (6) are in service. Amtrak could put another three (3) in service for the Lake Shore Limited - and that's on a daily basis. So for trains just operating tri-weekly, they only have four (4) in service out of the 10 that were ordered. 

Assuming daily service on 12 LD trains, ideally they should use 8 of 10 for a 20% shop margin. That could mean Star and Crescent, which I think swap in Sunnyside. 

From what I've seen the Meteor and Star have more checked baggage than other single level trains, so a full baggage car is probably appropriate.  The Cardinal and Crescent don't seem to have as much.  A lot of stations on the route of the Florida trains seem to still have checked baggage available.

Jim

Can also get to 8 by one at each end of the Lake Shore, whose Boston section should have one, plus the Cardinal. Perhaps sell rooms in the Boston one if they could get a ADA waiver to do it. 

Jimbo Wrote:
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> From what I've seen the Meteor and Star have more
> checked baggage than other single level trains, so
> a full baggage car is probably appropriate.  The
> Cardinal and Crescent don't seem to have as much.
>  A lot of stations on the route of the Florida
> trains seem to still have checked baggage
> available.
>
> Jim

The Florida trains carry a lot of baggage. Also wheel chairs.

Edited to Add:  I'm in Delray and West Palm regularly, sometimes once a week. Delray and West Palm Beach load a lot of older folks, many with wheel chairs or walkers.  It's not uncommon for a few minutes delay as their needs are addressed.  Even though the train may tarry a few minutes longer than scheduled, there's enough padding to make up the time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/21 18:35 by Lackawanna484.

You could probably use them on the Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, California Zephyr and the Coast Starlight with no problems.

They want them left in the east because Hialeah is where low level car maintenance is based. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> They want them left in the east because Hialeah is
> where low level car maintenance is based. 

With tri-weekly service on the single level LD train sets that carry Viewliner Sleepers, they could outfit nearly all with the Viewliner Dorm-Baggage Cars......except leave it OFF the Northeast Regional overnight train #65,66,67.

Tri-weekly service on 12 routes ends in June. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Tri-weekly service on 12 routes ends in June. 

When service is restored to pre-pandemic levels:

3 - Lake Shore Limited
2 - Cardinal
4 - Crescent

Leave one Bagg/Dorm in Sunnyside as a spare for the Cardinal more than anything else. If the Bagg-Dorm gets bad-ordered on the Lake Shore, it's got another baggage car in tow and can likely outfit the Boston crew in the full revenue sleeper. Or sub it completely with a Viewliner I. Aren't the new Viewliner II's supposed to be debutting after all? Amtrak's got extra baggage cars at Sunnyside it could sub with on the Crescent and an extra Viewliner I if totally needed to accomodate crew. Brand new equipment shouldn't be breaking down. Run it! When VIA ran its Renaissance equipment (Diners, transition cars, etc.), or Prestige Park Cars, or Panorama Cars, they have a shop margin of one car to ZERO! Course they also seem to have better maintenance on their equipment. Brand new equipment for very few crew members - get it out there and run it. Private enterprise doesn't have reserves like Amtrak. And private enterprise would figure out how to get a waiver to put revenue passengers in the Viewliner Bagg-Dorm...... And if that fails - Amtrak modified a roomette on a Heritage car for ADA access - they can't do the same somehow? Enough of the craziness. I had to book an ADA Viewliner room in May due to a recurrence of handicap, so I don't understand this with the Viewliner Bagg-Dorm cars. The Superliner Trans Dorm Sleeper has a ADA room on the lower level, but it is never offered for sale, but the roomettes in the car are......

jp1822 Wrote:
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> The Superliner Trans
> Dorm Sleeper has a ADA room on the lower level,
> but it is never offered for sale, but the
> roomettes in the car are......


There are different versions of this car and not all of them have ADA rooms.

DevalDragon Wrote:
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> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The Superliner Trans
> > Dorm Sleeper has a ADA room on the lower level,
> > but it is never offered for sale, but the
> > roomettes in the car are......
>
>
> There are different versions of this car and not
> all of them have ADA rooms.

CORRECT - that too!!!! I know that some of them don't have ADA rooms, but I've never run across those Trans Dorm-Sleeper versions, nor do I know their car number or the story as to WHY some do and some don't. The Superliner Trans-Dorm Sleepers are a product of the Superliner II order. I surely remember when they debutted, and yet I've had a train consist whereby the Superliner Trans Dorm Sleeper did NOT have the ADA bedroom. Not sure how that has happened. Been onboard when the ADA room in the Trans-Dorm Sleeper was pressed into service though because "somehow" Amtrak swapped out the full revenue sleeper and subbed it with the Dorm/Sleeper car. Most passengers were accomodated with a roomette, but somehow Amtrak came up one room short and needed it for service. Been onboard the Capitol Limited at least four times in recent years where that has happened. It just so happened to be the third or fourth day etc. of the second full sleeper being pulled from service and the Superliner Trans Dorm/Sleeper being put into full revenue service, except a couple of rooms reserved for the crew.