LSL "Cold Meal Service"?

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Andy

Train Attendant
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Feb 20, 2009
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Location
Atlanta, GA
The Lake Shore Limited timetable shows under dining that "sleeping car passengers will receive complimentary cold meal service." What does that mean? Does that mean I'll have to pay for dinner? I thought, according to the Amtrak site, that all regular meals are included in the price of the first class ticket.
 
The Lake Shore Limited timetable shows under dining that "sleeping car passengers will receive complimentary cold meal service." What does that mean? Does that mean I'll have to pay for dinner? I thought, according to the Amtrak site, that all regular meals are included in the price of the first class ticket.
Between Albany and Chicago you have the dining car service, and it is free if you are in a sleeper. Since the dining car doesn't go to/come from Boston, the sleeper car passengers get a "cold" meal instead on being able to go to the dining car during that portion of the trip. Its still free.
 
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The Lake Shore Limited timetable shows under dining that "sleeping car passengers will receive complimentary cold meal service." What does that mean? Does that mean I'll have to pay for dinner? I thought, according to the Amtrak site, that all regular meals are included in the price of the first class ticket.
Between Albany and Chicago you have the dining car service, and it is free if you are in a sleeper. Since the dining car doesn't go to/come from Boston, the sleeper car passengers get a "cold" meal instead on being able to go to the dining car during that portion of the trip. Its still free.
Oh so what you're saying is that between Boston and Albany I'll get a cold lunch for free from the cafe and then after Albany I'll get my dinner free in the dining car?
 
dinner in the diner after Albany...
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer!
Except on the LSL its SDS. :angry:
:lol: Be nice now :) It will be good but it can get finer then SDS
Actually you get SDS on every LD train in the system, except for the Empire Builder and the Auto Train. The problem with the Lake Shore isn't SDS, it's that its a Diner-Lite car. Diner-Lite cars have no regular ovens or grills, and therefore cannot cook anything to order. They can only reheat pre-prepared meals in convection ovens.
 
dinner in the diner after Albany...
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer!
Except on the LSL its SDS. :angry:
:lol: Be nice now :) It will be good but it can get finer then SDS
Actually you get SDS on every LD train in the system, except for the Empire Builder and the Auto Train. The problem with the Lake Shore isn't SDS, it's that its a Diner-Lite car. Diner-Lite cars have no regular ovens or grills, and therefore cannot cook anything to order. They can only reheat pre-prepared meals in convection ovens.
It really is not all that bad. When I traveled on the LSL in March, I had scallops for dinner. This was the exact same scallops dinner that I was served in October - in the PPC on the CS! :)
 
dinner in the diner after Albany...
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer!
Except on the LSL its SDS. :angry:
:lol: Be nice now :) It will be good but it can get finer then SDS
Actually you get SDS on every LD train in the system, except for the Empire Builder and the Auto Train. The problem with the Lake Shore isn't SDS, it's that its a Diner-Lite car. Diner-Lite cars have no regular ovens or grills, and therefore cannot cook anything to order. They can only reheat pre-prepared meals in convection ovens.
It really is not all that bad. When I traveled on the LSL in March, I had scallops for dinner. This was the exact same scallops dinner that I was served in October - in the PPC on the CS! :)
I agree I was in a Diner-Lite on the cardinal all my meals were okay shouldn't have had the pizza for dinner still not sure what I was thinking with that one.
 
What's the schedule for installing convection ovens in more of the Amfleet II lounge cars? Is there any chance they could get three or so upgraded well before Thanksgiving to be able to serve the usual Diner-Lite options to the Boston passengers?
 
What's the schedule for installing convection ovens in more of the Amfleet II lounge cars? Is there any chance they could get three or so upgraded well before Thanksgiving to be able to serve the usual Diner-Lite options to the Boston passengers?

It isn't that they don't have convection ovens, they already have them (or atleast on most of the cars). It's the fact that they don't have enough regular diners to cover the current LSL route (if they had enough diners to cover the NY section, then the Diner-Lite would be put on the BOS section.) So, no nope, no DL car anytime soon.

cpamtfan-Peter
 
What's the schedule for installing convection ovens in more of the Amfleet II lounge cars? Is there any chance they could get three or so upgraded well before Thanksgiving to be able to serve the usual Diner-Lite options to the Boston passengers?

It isn't that they don't have convection ovens, they already have them (or atleast on most of the cars). It's the fact that they don't have enough regular diners to cover the current LSL route (if they had enough diners to cover the NY section, then the Diner-Lite would be put on the BOS section.) So, no nope, no DL car anytime soon.

cpamtfan-Peter
I agree with Peter that you won't see one anytime real soon. But if you're traveling on or around Thanksgiving, then I'd say that you have a chance that the Diner-Lite will be running to Boston by then. A lot hinges on how quickly the modules arrive for the Viewliner Diner and that they actually fit together properly and into the car properly.
 
I was on the LSL from CHI to NYP arriving NYP on Friday evening. I had breakfast and lunch and the food was good. I had a cheese omlet with sausage for breakfast and a cheeseburger for lunch. Our car attendant (Tom) advised us there would be no dining service from ALB to NYP well in advance so we could

have lunch or go to the snack car. A couple of years ago, the LSL gave us a box snack between ALB and NYP, but apparently no more.

The dining car was arranged in normal table setting. The car was divided by the "kitchen" and I think there were tables on both sides. I never went beyond

my section of the car. The sleepers were completely occupied when we left Chicago. My car attendant (Tom) was truly excellent - the best and most attentive

than any other attendant I have ever had. I gave him a good tip.
 
I was on the LSL from CHI to NYP arriving NYP on Friday evening. I had breakfast and lunch and the food was good. I had a cheese omlet with sausage for breakfast and a cheeseburger for lunch. Our car attendant (Tom) advised us there would be no dining service from ALB to NYP well in advance so we couldhave lunch or go to the snack car. A couple of years ago, the LSL gave us a box snack between ALB and NYP, but apparently no more.

The dining car was arranged in normal table setting. The car was divided by the "kitchen" and I think there were tables on both sides. I never went beyond

my section of the car. The sleepers were completely occupied when we left Chicago. My car attendant (Tom) was truly excellent - the best and most attentive

than any other attendant I have ever had. I gave him a good tip.
So, there were no food options south of Albany? Or did they use the diner-lite as a snack bar?
 
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