Let me be clear. I like eating in the diner as much as the next railfan. It’s a unique experience.
But…
Last time I rode the Crescent, the folks in two adjacent rooms took all their meal in their room. The attendent fetched it for them.
So, is a diner really necessary? You could serve all sleeper passengers in their rooms.
From what I read here and elsewhere, a big part of the problem is the quality of the food in the lounge car, the mediocre quality in the diner.
So, how about this? For full meals, do it airline style. Put a galley in the lounge car and serve people at their seat/room. For snacks, NC Piedmont style vending machines in the lounge car.
Pure speculation again. The cafe cars in the past have been reported as running out of food before the end of the train’s run. Maybe Amtrak could place a pallet(s) of extra food and different choices in the baggage car. Does anyone know if the interior of the new V-2 baggage has an electrical connection(s) for pallet(s) of refrigeration equipment carrying such extra food ?
Don, my self I prefer the dining car experience. You get to mingle with other folks, take in the scenery, stretch your leg. For me better than spending the entire trip in my room.
The Portland section of the Empire Builder serves sleeping car passengers in their oom departing from Portland. Which my wife & I exerienced.
The timetable note reads:
Service on the Empire Builder®
Dining: Full meal service. - Not available between Spokane and Portland; Sleeping car passengers will receive complimentary cold meal service.
So it’s being done already. My suspicion is, as has been mentioned earlier, that they are short of Heritage diners and this was a way to solve the shortage and experiment on fares and obtain public reaction.
My wife and I also had the experience–both ways–five years ago. The lunch (served in the evening) and breakfast are not much, but they are the best that can be expected. We did enjoy the view of the Columbia River.
Yes, I agree. Eating in the diner is great for all the reasons you mention. I imagine crossing the Atlantic on the USS United States was pretty great, too.
Posted by Fred Frailey
on Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Amtrak’s experiment with food service on the New York-Miami Silver Star has gotten me thinking about one of my favorite subjects, eating. Having no diner car on a train that at most you will ride for 28 hours is not such a bad thing, I concluded, particularly if you bump the cost of a roomette down by $125 for more.
So I challenged myself to plan a trip. I could do it the easy way and visit KFC or Popeye’s, to board with a box of fried chicken, slaw, and mashed potatoes (as if I liked cold mashed potatoes). That’s my dinner, maybe, but what about tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch? I decided I n
yeah don your right, never did the united states, but leaving for a cruise today. I can tell you I was one the Ss Norway before she had her horrible boiler incident that sent her to breakers. She was a grand old ship, a true ocean liner. If they ever put the ss united states back into service id buy the first ticket.
Posted by Fred Frailey
on Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Amtrak’s experiment with food service on the New York-Miami Silver Star has gotten me thinking about one of my favorite subjects, eating. Having no diner car on a train that at most you will ride for 28 hours is not such a bad thing, I concluded, particularly if you bump the cost of a roomette down by $125 for more.
So I challenged myself to plan a trip. I could do it the easy way and visit KFC or Popeye’s, to board with a box of fried chicken, slaw, and mashed potatoes (as if I liked cold mashed potatoes). That’s my dinner, maybe, but what a
One is that these trains should be equipped with microwave ovens, probably with enough sophistication in their power settings and cycle controls to make reheating even fairly delicate items a possibility. Failing that, I have seen small microwave ovens (made for the over-the-road truckers’ market) that could be adapted to be packed in a carryon and used in a sleeper accommodation…
The other is that insulation and Peltier cooling/heating are now so good that a small and comparatively cheap ‘powered cooler’ could be brought along – one of those “six-pack sized” units might be enough for the “perishable” constituents of a number of meals, and an adapter to plug into the 110V outlet in a modern Amtrak car keeps things cool as long as necessary.
What I’m now wondering is whether Amtrak might provide different amenities on a ‘dinerless’ train – a bank of passenger-accessible and user-friendly microwaves, or refrigerators with individual sections or bins to keep your food (and keep it separate or safe from the usual ‘roommates with munchies’ issues!).
While this is not necessarily a full analogy, Whole Foods provided a fairly large range of condiments free to its dine-in patrons. Much of the problem with ‘portable’ meals, especially sandwiches or burgers, is that things like mayo or ketchup can’t be put on when made and then left for hours – but it’s inconvenient or expensive to buy and bring along little individual packs, or little travel bottles. Easy, too, for a passenger to mention a special need or want ‘ahead of time’, let’s say for that nectar of the gods O
With respect to Fred Frailey’s thoughts on a no-diner SILVER STAR (which I firmly believe/hope were somewhat tongue in cheek) there is more to this than just food. If Amtrak can get away with a snack-only 31 hour long-haul train why bother with new diners? And if there is no need for diners why bother with added sleepers either? Those annoying First Class riders will just want services!
I deeply hope I’m wrong about the VIEWLINER II car order, but something is certainly amiss there and it’s not just the builder’s (CAF) fault. Quoted from the Trains Magazine site: The problem with the SILVER STAR food “experiment” is the cafe-lounge menu being offered, which contains only sandwiches and snacks for both lunch and dinner and at breakfast only the “AmMcMuffin” and packaged sweet rolls/donuts. No plated meals, no quality salads, nothing fresh–and this on a potentially 31 hour run.
No “experiment” needs be completed to determine that sleeping car riders at least won’t like this! They may intially think, “Great deal–lower room charges”, but the bloom will fade fast from the rose when they go into an Amfleet II Cafe-lounge with most tables occupied by computer users and/or drinkers–served by only one attendant and discover the menu offers nothing even remotely good for a New York-Miami trip encompassing two lunches, a breakfast and a dinner.
If this was meant as a fair “test”, a menu and service model similar to the diner-light service on the CARDINAL would have been offered. There at least passengers can get a ecent plated meal based on the ACELA “Fist Class” model. As it stands this travesty on the SILVER STAR should ultimately devastate sleeper business on 91&92, and Amtrak has to know this going in!
Are we doomed to replay the 1960s? This recalls the SP “economy” moves in the late 1960s, when the SUNSET LIMIT
Carl, you are right on. Sure thier are many ways for a creative passenger to bring or make a meal on board, but if I have to resort to brown bagging it on any long distance train, then I am out.
I have no issue paying a higher fare for a good meal. From almost the beginning of long distances trains railroads prided them self’s and built a tradition of good food and good service. Most first class passenger’s have no trouble paying for it or even a bit more for the service. For those who can’t or won’t the lounge car is available. Hey these are my feelings and perceptions of what is of value for me.
It’s becoming more and more obvious that Amtrak is both unwilling and unable to provide of any real innovation in food service. Being unable to “unseat” a dining car attendant on the CZ who’s “on a sit down strike” is another example.
The only real hope is to get Amtrak out of the LD dining cars completely. Get folks who make money selling food to folks in there. Let them figure it out. I’d bet they could. Could they do any worse?
May be Amtrak is going the wrong direction on sleeping cars and first class service. Perhaps Amtrak should follow the lead of via, providing a premium price service in its park cars on the Canadian. Price aboved regular sleepers but with the bell and whistle to attract the cliental willing to pay the extra fare.
Pullman is already doing it to a certain extent on the Chicago to new Orleans run. ( yes I know this is not a daily service)
Perhaps at high seasonal demand times, such as November to April on one of the silver trains, or may to October on the empire builder.
Gutting first class service will reduce expenses for Amtrak but in the end it will reduce ridership and total revenues.
First class on the Acela trains is well worth the added expense and contributes to the bottom line as well.
Nope just want premium service, aka Acela first class or the new via service on the Canadian. It can be daily or tri weekly. I am sure their is a demand for it on the east coast.