Passenger Trains > Wolverine consist?

What is the typical consist of Amtrak's Wolverine, specifically 352 and 353 these days?

Yesterday it was:

SC44
Venture Business Class car
Venture coach
Venture coach
Venture coach
Venture coach
Venture cafe

Thanks so much.

I didn't know they are actualy operating Venture Business Class cars (other than randomly as Coach Class).

For Business class, the same hard, narrow seat, albeit 2+1, and a 5 car walk to get your one free soft beverage, and then bring it right back since there are no counter tops or seats.  



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/24 08:03 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For Business class, the same hard, narrow seat,
> albeit 2+1, and a 5 car walk to get your one free
> soft beverage, and then bring it right back since
> there are no counter tops or seats.  

I find it difficult to think why the business car is not behind the cafe! What are they thinking?

Posted from iPhone

amtrakbill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > For Business class, the same hard, narrow seat,
> > albeit 2+1, and a 5 car walk to get your one
> free
> > soft beverage, and then bring it right back
> since
> > there are no counter tops or seats.  
>
> I find it difficult to think why the business car
> is not behind the cafe! What are they thinking?

Exactly.  The two times I've ridden business class on the Pennsylvanian the cafe car was always between the business class car and the coaches.

To ponder why, a person has to care, or have investment in the process/subject.

Amjoke: The gang that can’t shoot straight since 1971.

Regards

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/24 08:19 by Drknow.

Strangely, the business class car is routinely on the opposite end of the train. I understand that some of the Venture cars operate in pairs.  Maybe the business class cannot be coupled directly to the food service car.  If this is the case, then poor design and planning by all parties involved.  

steve4031 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Strangely, the business class car is routinely on
> the opposite end of the train. I understand that
> some of the Venture cars operate in pairs.  Maybe
> the business class cannot be coupled directly to
> the food service car.  If this is the case, then
> poor design and planning by all parties
> involved.  

The Business Class car is semi permanently coupled to another coach car, forming a married pair. Word is Amtraks Chicago shops weren’t equipped to handle a full Venture consist so they broke the cars up into married pairs and single coaches.

They should put the cafe car in the middle of the train so everyone has equal access to it.

Aside from 2-1 seating and a less crowded car, what is the advantage to traveling by business class?  It sounds as if the quality of the actual seat is not any better than it is for the passenger sitting in the coaches.
Earlier this year pricing was significantly more expensive in business class than in coach.

Whenever I can, I enjoy traveling in business class...but this new arrangement?...I dunno.
 

AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yesterday it was:
>
> SC44
> Venture Business Class car
> Venture coach
> Venture coach
> Venture coach
> Venture coach
> Venture cafe

Good to see at last! I am not comaplaining at all - but curious why the cafe car is in the front and not between say the coach and business class car. 

stevelv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> amtrakbill Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > joemvcnj Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > For Business class, the same hard, narrow
> seat,
> > > albeit 2+1, and a 5 car walk to get your one
> > free
> > > soft beverage, and then bring it right back
> > since
> > > there are no counter tops or seats.  
> >
> > I find it difficult to think why the business
> car
> > is not behind the cafe! What are they thinking?
>
> Exactly.  The two times I've ridden business
> class on the Pennsylvanian the cafe car was always
> between the business class car and the coaches.

I guess they run a better RR in the east since the cafes are next to business class

Posted from iPhone

The Amtrak Midwest states have a plan (and I believe this is a standing request and plan with Amtrak) to have the Venture Cafe at the center of the train, and the Venture Business Class car at the end of the train, for more privacy.

This was mentioned in a previous thread about a week ago which quoted an Amtrak or Amtrak Midwest document or news release. Sorry, can't cite it right now.

I suspect the preferred placement may not be the case now since not all Venture Cafes have gone into service. That may mean out-of-position assignments as cars arrive and go into service. With the married pairs for some cars, that may find a Venture Cafe without its proper "mate" for coupling. At least for a while.

Give this a little time to sift out with the delivery of more Venture Cafes. The important thing right now is that the Venture Cafes are going into service, and full Venture consists are finally in service. That's long overdue progress. Finally.

MC

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/24 19:36 by ironmtn.

Why can't they make a married pair of the Business car with the cafe/coach car ? 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why can't they make a married pair of the Business
> car with the cafe/coach car ? 

Maybe they can. I don't recall offhand how the couplings are arranged. But I think the goal is to have Business at the end of the train for more privacy and fewer walk-throughs by Coach passengers. That makes sense to me.

The related issue then is where does the Cafe go? Center of train makes most sense to me for best service for the most passengers. I travel Business now and then, and I have no issue walking to a midtrain Cafe for my included beverage. But I realize some may object and want the Cafe right next them.

Not sure if there is a perfect solution here. Personal preferences will inevitably come into play.

MC

Posted from Android

I don't remember off hand exactly, but I believe the cafe car can be married to a business class car, or at least a coach and then a business class car. Nothing to prevent it from placing it in the center of the consist - the cafe car. I quoted the Amtrak Midwest article on the Ventures, but didn't dig back to give it another look. 

What I saw for years as a standard Venture consist plan was Business Class/coach seating-Cafe Car married pair, two-coach married pair, plus an optional single coach for busy periods.  When this came out some years back, I thought those trains were going to be too short and figured as many as 20 Horizon coaches were going to have to stick around to provide needed capacity on all the Midwest trainsets (six cars, in other words, and look what we have now in most cases).

If I could be king for a day at Amjoke and had access to reliable locomotives and coaches I would do this, using the Chicago-MSP service for my example.

Set train up with appropriate HPT with locomotives in good condition.
Set consist as
Baggage
Coaches as needed
Dining/cafe/lounge
Business class
Lounge/dome/observation in the spirit of a Budd or something like the Milwaukee Road Hiawatha skytops. Sold as extra fare, but not exorbitant. See what price point it could be done at for the extra service. Amjokes in the business of selling service; I wish someone would tell them.

Notice the baggage. That’s because I would also be back to hauling express. Covid pandemic is over Amjoke, what’s the excuse for walking away from that revenue? A topic for another day.

And I would run these trains in the higher speed category of 80-110 MPH to make it competitive.

Of course this is fantasy as Amjoke barely has enough operational equipment to keep up a hap hazard business model as is.

As the sub slowly sinks…

Regards

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/24 08:40 by Drknow.

NPRocky Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What I saw for years as a standard Venture consist
> plan was Business Class/coach seating-Cafe Car
> married pair, two-coach married pair, plus an
> optional single coach for busy periods.  When
> this came out some years back, I thought those
> trains were going to be too short and figured as
> many as 20 Horizon coaches were going to have to
> stick around to provide needed capacity on all the
> Midwest trainsets (six cars, in other words, and
> look what we have now in most cases).

Well then I could be wrong about the Cafe in the middle and the Business Class car at the end. I'm going to have to try to find that info on the plans of the Amtrak Midwest coalition once again. I found a citation I was thinking of when I wrote my comments above, but it is not the one which contained that information. So I will have to keep looking.

That said, as someone who uses the Amtrak Midwest trains regularly, both the Michigan trains and the Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Service trains, and who also sometimes goes Business Class, I am fine with either arrangement. Be it Cafe midtrain and Business at the end, or Business and Cafe together at one end of the train. Either is workable and can provide good service to both Coach and Business Class. I'm just glad the Venture Cafes are finally going into service. They have been long awaited, and are much needed.

MC



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/05/24 12:04 by ironmtn.