Passenger Trains > Amtrak #5, 1/7/26

Noticed #5 had no baggage car when it passed the Truckee cam.

Train 3 had only six cars leaving Chicago yesterday.  No baggage car, only one revenue sleeper plus dorm space, and two coaches.

January and February are the lowest ridership months of the year.

Tom Loftus
Omaha, NE

I've heard a rumor that the baggage cars are having to undergo an inspection of some sort. Anybody have additional information?

With 1-1/2 sleepers + 2 coaches, coach/baggage section ought to be sufficient. 

last week i saw a cz with no bagg

2 days in a row #5 had no bag.
Today it was back.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/26 14:50 by restricted_speed.

Looks like 3 and 4 have been running with a bag.  Glad I went back on the Fort Madison cam to check out today's number 4.  It had to back out of the station to go from track 1 to track 2 then stop again at the depot to change out the engineer.

stevelv Wrote:
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> Looks like 3 and 4 have been running with a bag. 
> Glad I went back on the Fort Madison cam to check
> out today's number 4.  It had to back out of the
> station to go from track 1 to track 2 then stop
> again at the depot to change out the engineer.

That is just a brilliant station design there at Fort Madison.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> With 1-1/2 sleepers + 2 coaches, coach/baggage
> section ought to be sufficient. 

The CZ has kept the second sleeper. So 2-1/2 sleepers and 2 coaches. 

G600DRVR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > With 1-1/2 sleepers + 2 coaches, coach/baggage
> > section ought to be sufficient. 
>
> The CZ has kept the second sleeper. So 2-1/2
> sleepers and 2 coaches. 

Thank God! The Empire Builder and CA Zephyr should have as much sleeper revenue capacity as possible. Amtrak's done well recently in keeping the second Seattle sleeper in place most of the year - except Jan/Feb. Reducing the CA Zephyr below the 2 Superliner Sleepers and Superliner Trans/Dorm Sleeper is not a smart thing, so glad they are keeping that going. The second Seattle Sleeper was never restored post-COVID, and one year they pulled a Superliner coach off the Portland section, really reducing capacity. Amtrak forgets about the demand of this train in winter to Whitefish, MT, and even along the Hi-Line to/from Chicago and Seattle, let alone the "corridor between Grand Forks, Twin Cities, and Chicago. I still hold skepticism re: Amtrak LD consists (coach or sleeper) matching against demand, or what could be - even on a year-round basis. This also leads to onboard staff being put to part-time, extra board, or not guaranteed work and then you got them bailing out.