Passenger Trains > No extrra cars on Eastern LD trains

CRESCENT 19/20 still handling a measly 7 cars
In 2019 (last pre-COVID yr) the CRESCENT, LAKE SHORE, PENNSYLVANIAN and SILVER STAR each handled one extra coach during Thanksgiving
The SILVER METEOR handled a 4th sleeper and 5th coach - sometimes 6
The PALMETTO handled 3 extra coaches - 10 car train
So far this holiday the Floridian and METEOR handle a 4th coach but nothing extra for the holiday.  The other trains have standard consists.
Are Amfleet II coaches that could be used on these services still stored unserviceable due to poor planning associated with COVID-caused lost business 3-4 yrs ago?
Andy

The autotrain now has 9 sleepers and 4 coaches which is the standard winter consist

I believe the Cardinal had 3 coaches earlier this week compared to the normal 2

Posted from iPhone

No extra cars on today's eastbound and westbound Pennsylvanians.  However, sometime this year, the consist of the Pennsylvanian was increased from 6 cars to 7 cars (not including the baggage car).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/24 06:26 by RuleG.

Not much happened in the West either.  The Coast Starlight got its consist inverted again (coaches first now) with the trans-dorm replaced by a regular sleeper, so three regular sleepers altogether, but I thought it was unconscionable that the former Capitol Limited coaches weren't used to put the second Seattle coach back on the Empire Builder for the holidays, at least not for Thanksgiving.  Those coaches seem to have just disappeared, as far as I can tell.  I think four of the six Capitol Limited Sleepers were what enabled Amtrak to bring that third regular sleeper back to the Coast Starlight, though.

twropr Wrote:
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> CRESCENT 19/20 still handling a measly 7 cars
> In 2019 (last pre-COVID yr) the CRESCENT, LAKE
> SHORE, PENNSYLVANIAN and SILVER STAR each handled
> one extra coach during Thanksgiving
> The SILVER METEOR handled a 4th sleeper and 5th
> coach - sometimes 6
> The PALMETTO handled 3 extra coaches - 10 car
> train
> So far this holiday the Floridian and METEOR
> handle a 4th coach but nothing extra for the
> holiday.  The other trains have standard
> consists.
> Are Amfleet II coaches that could be used on these
> services still stored unserviceable due to poor
> planning associated with COVID-caused lost
> business 3-4 yrs ago?
> Andy
As long as Amtrak has incompetent ridicules, careless leadership, improvements will not occur.  Gardner and his cronies must be gotten rid of the sooner the better if we ever expect Amtrak to be operated as a real transportation business.  These people are completely clueless.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

The fourth coach on the Meteor was just added last weekend and was done to be available for the holidays. It had been running with three coaches for the fall so that counts as a holiday addition. Also the Floridian is now running with four coaches. The Star had been running with 3 for quite some time. So those are both additions.

The Capitol’s cars have not disappeared. The Eagle just gained an extra coach and the CCC dining cars went to the City of New Orleans which had been operating with no diner and had to run with an axle count car in the diner’s place which was usually a transition sleeper. This eliminated the need for an axle count car and restored sleeper meal service - it was cafe only when they were just running a Sightseer only. Revenue transition sleepers were just added to the Sunset and Texas Eagle.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/24 02:12 by lordsigma.

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> twropr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > CRESCENT 19/20 still handling a measly 7 cars
> > In 2019 (last pre-COVID yr) the CRESCENT, LAKE
> > SHORE, PENNSYLVANIAN and SILVER STAR each
> handled
> > one extra coach during Thanksgiving
> > The SILVER METEOR handled a 4th sleeper and 5th
> > coach - sometimes 6
> > The PALMETTO handled 3 extra coaches - 10 car
> > train
> > So far this holiday the Floridian and METEOR
> > handle a 4th coach but nothing extra for the
> > holiday.  The other trains have standard
> > consists.
> > Are Amfleet II coaches that could be used on
> these
> > services still stored unserviceable due to poor
> > planning associated with COVID-caused lost
> > business 3-4 yrs ago?
> > Andy
> As long as Amtrak has incompetent ridicules,
> careless leadership, improvements will not
> occur.  Gardner and his cronies must be gotten
> rid of the sooner the better if we ever expect
> Amtrak to be operated as a real transportation
> business.  These people are completely clueless.


Who would you replace them with?

I think Wick Moorman would be an excellent choice. An experienced railroad executive with a true passion for the industry.

Oh, wait...

Posted from Android

Did the Palmetto get the extra coaches for the whole ways, or just north of DC ?

Posted from Android

DutchDragon Wrote:
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> Who would you replace them with?

Why is that even a question in a first world country of 350 million people. Have we thrown in the towel and really given up that much?  We don't necessarily need a CEO with rail experience per se. Just someone with good management skills, who knows and understands the mission and want the whole system to succeed. I don't think Gardner and the BOD understand the mission at best and at worse are just going rouge against Congreses wishes subtly implementing their own agenda. 

I'd start with the 25 largest transit systems in the US and look to poach talent there. Find someone with a vision. It's the same thing on a smaller scale.  Your downtown commute buses and trains bring in the most revenue and passengers. You still have to run buses to the suburbs and boonies for seniors, students, domestic help, etc. those buses lose money but are vital to the system, that's the part current  Amtrak management doesn't get. 

My local transit system in San Diego is as good an example as any. There's only 3000 employees but a CEO from this type of operation is surely more competent then Gardner. 

https://www.sdmts.com/inside-mts/media-center/news-releases/new-leadership-takes-helm-california-transit-association

https://www.sdmts.com/
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/24 04:48 by Flyer92122.

Perhaps the 'mission'of Amtrak is what is misunderstood? I see this at other organizations where the mission evolves with turnover in leadership and the Board of Directors. One small thing changes, then another and another and eventually the organization is going in a completely different direction than it originally was. It is very difficult to get back on track - so to speak

Posted from Android

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Did the Palmetto get the extra coaches for the
> whole ways, or just north of DC ?
>
> Posted from Android
Back in 2018-2019 the PALMETTO had been a 10-car train south of Washington
Andy

Folks here don't think very highly of former commuter authority execs running Amtrak.

Tom Downs, George Warrington, etc.The

I say Mr Gardner has done a good job "managing" Congress and the Board. Look at his bonus.

That said, Amtrak's known objectives seem to favor cost cutting. Not revenue growing, maximizing revenue per seat or room mile, revenue per unit of rolling stock, etc

Posted from Android

ShortlinesUSA Wrote: Wick Moore man was the guy who got us his buddy Richard Anderson hired. Yeah he would be great.
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think Wick Moorman would be an excellent choice.
> An experienced railroad executive with a true
> passion for the industry.
>
> Oh, wait...
>
> Posted from Android

Posted from iPhone

Wick Moorman was bought off in some way by the BOD and Gardner. Slightly before Anderson was hired Moorman passionately testified to Congress the LD trains break even in the big picture. I don't doubt it either, if the LD routes go away the hokus pocus accounting will have to as well, and the NEC and what's left will require the same if not more subsidy. 

There's a story on Moormans abrupt change regarding the LD trains, but we will probably never know. He went from an advocate to bashing them in a 90 day period.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/24 10:36 by Flyer92122.

Wick wanted what was best for his stock performance perhaps,  his buddies stocks,, and his marriage 1 year and done, if he wants to ride a choo choo NS can haul him around.. he didn't need anderson to haul his obs around



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/24 09:12 by dan.

In 2017, the tracks in NYPS started falling apart, causing derailments, that required months closure to rebuild each one. I think that sudden crisis triggered him to say enough.

Rumor has it while Moorman was retained for 6 months into Anderson's reign, that he told Anderson to not touch the LD routes - it is not worth expending the political capital and time to do it. Anderson blew him off and said it's my railroad now.

Moorman was right. After a near fist fight between Anderson and Senator Heinrich at a kill the Chief PPT road show, the Chief is still running, and the Board pushed Anderson out. It was too much even for Chair Coscia. They regard Congress as their customer, not the passengers.

Posted from Android

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> Moorman was right. After a near fist fight between
> Anderson and Senator Heinrich at a kill the Chief
> PPT road show, the Chief is still running, and the
> Board pushed Anderson out. It was too much even
> for Chair Coscia. They regard Congress as their
> customer, not the passengers.
>
> Posted from Android

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that one.

I really don’t know where you begin to clean up Amjoke.

Bob Claytor would probably throw his hands up at the debacle that is Amjoke.

Of course the whole damn industry is a debacle now.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

I am almost to the point of saying they need to just "start over" but it takes someone with a LOT of willpower, a LOT of creativity, and a LOT of influence/networking to try to unwind this current mess. I was even thinking what "sections" or "segments" or "XXXXXX" could be outsourced. Course Gardner already pulls this line out of his back pocket - "we are just a contractor to operate the [state supported] trains. Bringing in a foreign passenger railroader may be one answer, but the US has just fallen so far behind in passenger rail tech and advancements that they'd throw up there hands too after three months - if that. 

The fact that Amtrak did not try to increase capacity on key corridors and LD trains is VERY telling for this Thanksgiving season. Yes, some equipment is being shuffled around, but there's WAY TOO much equipment sitting idle or stored in Beech Grove. Again, the Viewliner Sleeper utilization alone is beyond pathetic.