Onboard the Cardinal 51(4)

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.

printman2000

Engineer
Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Messages
3,785
Location
Amarillo, Texas
Walk up for the Cardinal to board in Washington DC and what do I find? Nothing I expected. There are TWO sleepers! Not only that, but the car order is odd.

Baggage

5100 Sleeper

5101 Sleeper

Coach

Diner/Cafe

Coach

Coach

First Cardinal trip ever. Has anyone else seen this setup and how in the world did it get a second sleeper.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
There was a previous thread about this odd consist on the Card, but no definitive answer came about as to why!

Perhaps Sunnyside or the Chicago yard crew just hooked it up this way as some kind of test for when the Card gets another Sleeper or it could even be that there is a plan to drop the last two coaches in WAS on the way to NYP when the new Viewliner II Diners and Sleepers come into Service???

As was said, could be an equipment move also? The Shadow knows!
 
Also, our car attendant was surprised by the setup. He had no idea why. I asked if he was covering both sleepers and he thought at first he was. But there was another attendant for the second sleeper.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
Both sleepers have passengers and looks to be pretty full. And no, one is not a new Viewliner.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
Are all three Coaches occupied also? And are Coach pax being allowed to eat in the Diner-Lite???? Not much food or storage space on these hybrid diner/cafes!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Wow! Now this is real Amtrak news. :) Hope they can find a way to keep that second sleeper on the Cardinal. And stick that new diner roaming on the LSL on the 50/51 as well. Then you will have a real Cardinal :p
 
Maybe Amtrak thinks it can make a lot more money by running a longer Cardinal -- and maybe there are more sleepers available than usual for some reason (fewer in the shop than usual). Maybe it's a test for when the new Viewliners arrive, to see how much more sleeper space the market can handle.

What I don't get is the weird arrangement with the coach between the sleepers and the cafe/diner.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Printman, if you care to step off the train I will be there. I have on shorts and a yellow tshirt and a white Aussie bush hat. Very nice day in Cville today .... after 2 stinkers.
I assume you mean Charlottesville? If they let us off, I will be there!

Blue two toned tee shirt.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
FYI, we are about 50 minutes late right now. Something slowed it down before it got to Baltimore and was late into WUS.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
I wouldn't be surprised if they are doing it to keep short/long haul passengers seperated in some way by putting a certain group in the coach between the sleepers and diner. I'm not familiar with the Cardinal's particulars, though.
 
Toilets in the 5100 car just stopped working. Guess we are fortunate to have another sleeper as they have directed us to use and empty roomette in the 5101 sleeper.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
A week or so ago I bought a ticket from Detroit to Charlottesville via the Wolverine and the Cardinal for $252. I thought this was very cheap :) considering it was the last week of October: the peak of the fall foliage season. The Wolverine part of that ticket is ~$30 so the Cardinal roomette was $222. I have seen them go for twice that. So maybe increased inventory IS the explanation. Maybe they are expecting to have 2 sleepers....on that day anyway.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
One step toward making the Cardinal the train it once was, and always should have been, appears to be happening. Amtrak, are you actually paying attention to our little forum? Man, those new VLII's can't come soon enough.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Got me all excited. I'm taking the Capitol Limited WAS-CHI on the 26th, so I ran over to see if there are any rooms in the Cardinal now. Holy crap there are on the 27th, but still too expensive:-(

I think Boardman is playing with us, probably sitting up there in Union Station reading this thread while twirling his evil railroad mustache. I'm on to you!
 
The question is whether 2 Viewliner sleepers on the Cardinal is a permanent change until the Vw IIs show up or something they are doing for a few weeks or the summer because they can supply 2 sleepers for a while until they need to yank them for overhauls & inspections?

Perhaps there is a behind the curtains reason to boost the revenue numbers for the Cardinal to give it some protection if a cut has to be made based on the FY14 numbers. If Amtrak starts to sell a few seats between NYP and WAS on the westbound Cardinal through the end of the FY, that would be a sign that they are seeking to boost the FY14 route performance numbers.
 
So we are currently hooking up what appears to be Hoosier State cars. Any idea why? Since it does not run on Saturday? Are they just taking them back to Chicago for departure from there on Sunday?

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top