Passenger Trains > Zephyr and Chief Consists 11/18

Some extra sleepers running tonight. Today’s 5(18) had a 532 sleeper and today’s 3(18) had a 331 sleeper per facebook observations (and then myself verifying by watching Galesburg Virtual Railfan cam.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/18/22 16:23 by lordsigma.

For thanksgiving? If so that's great. They need to be year round however. Especially since it can be done and was done over the summer and maybe now.

So??  Where  did  the  cars  come  from?    Are  the  cars  being  staffed   by one  person?  People  shortage  as  well as   car  shortage!!

cutboy1958 Wrote:
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> So??  Where  did  the  cars  come  from?  
>  Are  the  cars  being  staffed   by one
>  person?  People  shortage  as  well as  
> car  shortage!!

Maybe relatively recently out of Beech Grove after work on them completed there. There have been previous reports here on TO of fairly steady movements of cars out of Beech Grove, so maybe the pace there finally picked up. Having them ready for the holidays would have been a logical goal.

Likewise for the staff. Several reports of trains with extra staff as trainees were completing training and qualification out on the road. Perhaps they were now in service, allowing some extra staffing to cover the cars. Again, having them ready to solo on the road by the holiday rush would also have been a logical goal.

MC

Be nice if the cars where put back!

Posted from Android

ironmtn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cutboy1958 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So??  Where  did  the  cars  come  from?
>  
> >  Are  the  cars  being  staffed   by one
> >  person?  People  shortage  as  well as  
> > car  shortage!!
>
> Maybe relatively recently out of Beech Grove after
> work on them completed there. There have been
> previous reports here on TO of fairly steady
> movements of cars out of Beech Grove, so maybe the
> pace there finally picked up. Having them ready
> for the holidays would have been a logical goal.
>
> Likewise for the staff. Several reports of trains
> with extra staff as trainees were completing
> training and qualification out on the road.
> Perhaps they were now in service, allowing some
> extra staffing to cover the cars. Again, having
> them ready to solo on the road by the holiday rush
> would also have been a logical goal.
>
> MC

This past monday saw one dorm, one coach, and one horizon coach from the shops. Amtrak has about 5 spare sleepers coupled together in the Chicago storage tracks, maybe this sleeper was one of those. 

To put a second sleeper line in place for CA Zephyr (which the Zephyr has had for years till just recently), you need 6 Superliner sleepers (one sleeper per the six consists that hold down the CA Zephyr frequencies). Need 5 Superliner sleepers for the Southwest Chief. Amtrak just removed the second sleeper line on these trains in July and after Labor Day for Chief and Zephyr respectively. 

friday and sat departures from CHI would be nice, even if not all departures would be covered would be something

jp1822 Wrote:
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> To put a second sleeper line in place for CA
> Zephyr (which the Zephyr has had for years till
> just recently), you need 6 Superliner sleepers
> (one sleeper per the six consists that hold down
> the CA Zephyr frequencies). Need 5 Superliner
> sleepers for the Southwest Chief. Amtrak just
> removed the second sleeper line on these trains in
> July and after Labor Day for Chief and Zephyr
> respectively. 


And that was dumb, thank you Gardner and Co. for your treatment to the LD Network!

Posted from Android

cutboy1958 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So??  Where  did  the  cars  come  from?  
>  Are  the  cars  being  staffed   by one
>  person?  People  shortage  as  well as  
> car  shortage!!

There have been a couple of reports here of dorm sleepers having their own attendant after the second full sleeper was eliminated on some western trains.  Normally responsibility for the dorm fell to the adjacent car's attendant.  So, there may not have been a staff shortage in this case, and no new staff needed to restore two full sleepers.

Dave