From now until after Jan 3rd checking showed almost all east coast LD trains are sold for all sleepers. Coach mostly open except for the Crescent many days. It would appear that Amtrak could carry more sleeper passengers thru this period if they had contracted to NS to switch the excess sleepers out at Atlanta and turn them back to NYP ? Even if switching cost $2000 four extra passengers would have paid for the extra available sleeper. ( fare listed as $616.00 )
Now for a big surprize that someone needs to check. On Monday Dec 21st the Amtrak web site shows the Cardinal operatin NYP - CHI. Note this may be an error but ?
Streak, I do not remember when the change was made, but Washington has been a way station for the Cardinal for several years. It may have been so when my wife and I first rode it, in 2009, but I do remember that when I rode it in 2012 Washington was a way station–and every timetable I have since then shows this.
You may remember a comment from a few weeks ago about a dimensional issue between the modules and the car she’ll. Haven’t heard any resolution to this issue yet (doesn’t meen there hasn’t been one) but if true who knows when they’ll come on line. I will try to tap some “informed sources”).
Can anyone shed light on the work rules that kick in when you add additional sleepers to a train? For example, if you added 1-2 additional sleepers to the Lake Shore, how many additional train crew are added?
Train Crew - NONE - Engineer & Conductor. I suspect there may be some rules for Assistant Conductors, which perform Amtrak specific functions, and are not required in the operation of the train from a railroad perspective.
Train Service Crew, don’t know - Car attendents, Assistant Conductors, Club/Cafe/Dining car personnel.
There has been some unconfirmed talk that Amtrak wants to have a sleeper attendant to serve 2 cars once the V-1s were updated to V-2 electronics so that a call button was pushed in non occupied sleeper will call attendant in the occupied sleeper. Also unconfirmed that plans were that for 3 sleepers 2 attendants would split one sleeper. All very confusing.
the sources say the dimensional problems remain, don’t look for a test car till mid 2016. Meanwhile the diners have weight distribution issues, no estimate on when a test car might be available.
Amazing! Pullman company could design and implement multiple floor plans for all kinds ot cars myriad of sleeper plans, combination sleeper and other uses and all done without computers and all the other modern tools that are supposed to make the design phase of constructing things multiple times faster and more efficient than was done with a slide rule and drafting table.
This is a discouraging word. We could go to the moon, manned, in 1969, but today we can’t design a railroad car?
I’ll admit I don’t know who the manufacturer is. Pessimistically, I assume he’s not domestic (even if he’s doing the building here). Whoever, I would think there’s grounds for a lawsuit.
I suspect part of this passenger railcar issue problem is the fact it’s an industry that has to be re-invented and re-established, at least in this country. It’s my understanding the domestic passenger car builders went out of business due to lack of business quite a while ago. When that happens all the experience and expertise that might have been passed to a new generation of builders died with the companys.
Extreme example, but imagine trying to re-establish the stagecoach or Conestoga wagon industry in this day and age.
From what I can see the NA stainless design/construction is part of the problem for a European based car builder, and the original viewliners were built by others.
Even if they are identical that doesn’t mean that the modual designers can get it right.
You have no reason one way or the other to think it is true. But yet you insult anyone who suggests the body (not the modules) of the IIs are similar, if not identical, without any evidence.