I’m running 4 to 5 passenger consist with 4 to 18 cars at any given time. A few empties sitting in the yard is ok. About 60 cars that I need to populate. At 10/car (minimum the CEO will accept in the very near future, and she’s looking for an increase over that before too long) that works out to 600. It will help to have a few standing figures at the three main stations. If I can’t get this done the entire Empire Builder fleet (mostly Balboa’s) and a full Portland Rose will be on the block.
I just completed an Amtrak roundtrip from Denver, Colorado to Troy, Michigan. Every seat was sold out on all four trains (#6 California Zeypher - Denver to Chicago, #354 Wolverine - Chicago to Troy, #351 Wolverine- Troy to Chicago, and #5 California Zeypher - Chicago to Denver). The CZ’s sleepers were sold out with exception of one bedroom on #5. The CZ was running with baggage car, four superliner coaches, lounge, diner, and three sleepers.
Thoroughly enjoyable trip. The only issue was when a scheduled 3 hour 10 minute layover between #6 and #354 became a 15 minute race between platforms. The CZ was habitually late. The Wolverines ran like clockwork at speeds up to 110 mph. The CZ was so crowded that we had to wait 3 1/2 hours for dinner on #5. I should have sprung the $700 to upgrade to that last bedroom, lol, to get the first dinner seating. In past overnight trips I’ve always gotten a roomette, but was pleasantly surprised on how quiet and comfortable the coach seating was for sleeping.
Btw, coal companies must have won the “War on Coal” as there were countless unit coal trains frustrating the CZ. At one stretch near Ottumwa, Iowa we meet