Dome car opportunities

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TylerP42

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Detroit, Michigan
So I was just wondering when I would be able to ride on a dome car for Amtrak? I know the Adirondack runs it, but when?

It's weird, I've volunteered with the first ever Vista dome, the Silver Dome, but I've never ridden in a dome car. I'm afraid I'll lose that chance forever. Could someone point me in the right direction to ride one?
 
I think it's usually in late October. The Hoosier State also runs with a dome car these days, though soon that will only be available to first class passengers.

The Canadian (and I believe some other VIA trains) do have dome cars as well, though they're not the full-length domes (at least on my trip) like the one Amtrak has.
 
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I'm looking to ride in both a Vista dome, and a Superdome. I hope I can do it. If I go, I also want to go with some friends, which include some AU'ers.
 
By "Vista" dome, I assume you mean a short dome (CB&Q and California Zephyr consortium used the term "Vista Dome"). Best bet is to go to Canada to ride in a short dome (Budd). The short domes are a superior dome experience, the view is better. They still have ACF (ex-UP) short domes on the Alaska RR, too

By "Superdome" I assume you mean a full length dome. Technically "Superdomes" were Milwaukee's home builds and I think there are a couple of private ones still around. Amtrak's sole remaining dome, the Ocean View, is a Budd full dome (formerly a Great Northern "Great Dome"), and it runs on the Adirondack in the fall (leaf season), north of Albany 3 days a week in each direction. Iowa Pacific also has Budd full domes, running on the Hoosier State now which I think is an ex-Santa Fe "Big Dome", they also run them on their Rio Grande Scenic and Saratoga and North Creek.

The only other Via train that runs a dome is "The Ocean" (or "Montreal-Halifax Train" as they now like to call it). It runs one Park car on the end of the Renaissance consist.
 
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There are a number of privately-owned dome cars in charter service. Check with the American Association of Private Railroad Cars Owners website (aaprco.com) for details on available trips.
 
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If you are interested in riding an actual Super Dome; Friends of the 261 ( http://261.com/) owns one with their fleet of Milwaukee Road cars. They do excursions & private rentals so you could catch an excursion run on theirs.

Their next excursion is the fall color run, on Oct. 10 & 11; out of Minneapolis. You will have to get the Premium Class tix to access the Super Dome; their website quotes $329 a trip. (the Fall color run has other Vista Domes, for cheaper)

peter
 
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Saratoga and North Creek used to run one of the Santa Fe Super Domes, like the one in Hoosier State, between Saratoga and North Creek in NY State. I don't know if they still do. I had a nice lunch it it a couple of years back.
 
As others said Tyler, your best bet, since you're close to Toledo, would be to go to CHI or IND on one of the days the Hoosier State runs ( 4 days a week) before the Dome Car becomes First Class only ( ie expensive,!)

I've ridden in. Amtrak's Dome car several times,on a Surfliner from SBA- SAN, on the Cardinal between WAS and CHI and the Adirondack ALB-Montreal.All much better scenery than the Midwest, but the Hoosier is still an affordable ride in a Dome Car!

Amtrak's Dome is nothing fancy, in facy it's shopworn and sort of tacky, and has no servicres, but it's first come,first served without extra cost.

The Hoosier State doesn't have any scenery to write home about, but the IP Dome is very nice and the food and service is first rate (based on reports.).

The private Dome rides, as said, are pricey and if you ride the Canadian ) Best of All Worlds!) go in the Winter and get a reduced Fare since its so expensive between June and Canada's Thanksgiving in October.Last Feb I paid $500 CND for a Roomette and the train had three Domes plus the park Car on the Tail end of the consist!( normally it runs in Winter with 1 Dome and 1 Park Car)
 
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[SIZE=11pt]To ride in the “Park Car” Dome on the Ocean......you have to be in Sleeper Plus Class but during the off-season you can get some pretty good deals.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]If you don’t want to pay for a Sleeper.....another option is riding in Economy (Coach) Class on the Canadian. Economy passengers have their own “Skyline” Dome at the front of the train and depending on the season and length of the train...there are also other Skyline Domes for sleeper passengers along with the Park Car on the rear.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]For a quick Dome ride.....take the Canadian between Toronto and Sudbury but unless you can get the 3 trains a week schedule to work....you’ll probably have to ride a bus one way or the other. It’s overnight but the view can be just as interesting watching the signals change.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]The Domes in the Skyline and Park cars are ‘short domes’ and the similar to Vista Dome.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=11pt]
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[SIZE=11pt]
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I can still vaguely recall riding in the dome car on the Great Northern version of the EB in 1965. I can still remember seeing the mountains gradually coming into view westbound as we neared Glacier Park. However, much more recently (this June) I rode in the dome car on the Alaska Railroad:20150612_160642.jpg

20150612_160348.jpg
 
Dome cars are very old and often very worn. The one that is owned by the Iowa Pacific in use on the Hoosier State is the only restored one in regular revenue service that I know of. I saw that car when we were in Chicago a few weeks back and it is in fine condition.

The sightseer lounges on Amtrak routes are not as nice as a dome car but that's all we have in the lower 48 these days. I would not expect dome cars to return until private industry moves back into the rail passenger business.
 
Dome cars are very old and often very worn. The one that is owned by the Iowa Pacific in use on the Hoosier State is the only restored one in regular revenue service that I know of. I saw that car when we were in Chicago a few weeks back and it is in fine condition. The sightseer lounges on Amtrak routes are not as nice as a dome car but that's all we have in the lower 48 these days. I would not expect dome cars to return until private industry moves back into the rail passenger business.
As others have mentioned, VIA still runs very nice, recently refurbished Budd dome-lounge and sleeper-dome-obs cars. They're honestly very, very nice with the ongoing refurbishments that started in 2011 (Park, Diner, and Manor cars are done, I think the Skylines are still a WIP, but most are done. Refurbished Skylines have a different seat covering coloration than Parks and Manors - usually green and black leather vs the Park/Manor brown and black. Pre-refurbishment is blue-ish fabric.), and combine the 50s aesthetic with a beautiful modern blend. Can't say the same of nice aesthetics blending for the Prestige refurbishment - though it's still very nice to be in a Prestige Park.
 
Amtrak's Dome is nothing fancy, in facy it's shopworn and sort of tacky, and has no servicres, but it's first come,first served without extra cost.
Good point to make. I don't think one can buy an Amtrak ticket for their Dome. You have to buy a regular ticket, and run faster than everyone else, to get a seat in the Dome. True?
 
Iowa Pacific's own Saratoga and North Creek operates a sister dome car, of the one operated on the Hoosier State. S&NC is a commercial scheduled operation.Both cars are ex-SantaFe.

Iowa pacific basically acquired 8 ex-SantaFe full domes, all from Auto Train operations. They are mostly in great shape. A couple are assigned to Saratoga and North Creek. A couple to Pullman Rail Journeys, and now one or two are assigned to Hoosier State pool, and possibly one will got to Oklahoma.

IP also owns a ex-GN/CBQ full dome Prairie View, which is a sister of Amtrak's Ocean View, and BNSF's officer's car Glacier View.

So there will be no dearth of dome cars in commercial operations, though some of them are pricey. I think S&NC is probably one of the low end dome operations but with great meals served in the dome for a price.
 
Yes. Amtrak follows the railroad tradition of dome seating being non-revenue space available to all passengers. However, note that Iowa Pacific does intend to sell dome seating on the Hoosier State as "business class".

Actually purchasing seats in a dome is a practice instituted by charter and tour operators.
 
Amtrak's Dome is nothing fancy, in facy it's shopworn and sort of tacky, and has no servicres, but it's first come,first served without extra cost.
Good point to make. I don't think one can buy an Amtrak ticket for their Dome. You have to buy a regular ticket, and run faster than everyone else, to get a seat in the Dome. True?
True!

And it's surprising how few people are actually riding in it sometimes! I was the only one up there last time I rode in it between SBA and LAX along the Coast!!!

Of course when its on the Cardinal or the Adirondack, and the Rail Fans line up to snag a ticket, it's everyone for themselves!
 
I have been on a rather heavily loaded Adirondack hat was running with a dome car with just ten of us in the dome most of the way. Most passengers don't particularly care to leave their seats somehow, and a dome means nothing to them unfortunately. Well that is of course somewhat fortunate for us who do care, since it makes it easier to snag a good seat in the dome.
 
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The Napa Valley Wine Train used to (and may still do) own what appears to be an Ex-Milwaukee Super Dome as well. Taking an excursion with them would present you with the opportunity to ride in one.

peter

PS. I know very little about the NVRR, but I've seen pictures of a dome car in their trains.

Edit: Ok so I did a little more digging, turns out the still do have the dome, although their website is a bit confusing on the history of the dome.
 
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I have ridden in a dome a couple of times. Both times were on the Branson Scenic Railway located in Branson, MO. They operate a train with at least three domes in the consist. It's really neat riding up in a dome and watching the train round a curve or go through a tunnel.
 
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Grand Canyon Railway runs three Vista Domes and one full length dome on it's regular service between Williams and the South Rim.
 
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The Tennessee Valley Railway Museum runs an ex-patriot CP/VIA Rail 'Park Car' dome observation car on their Hiwassee River Excursions out of Etowah, TN.

http://www.tvrail.com/events-exhibits/rides/hiwassee-loop

Looked like this when I rode that train in the 'other' dome in 2014........ though this season the Park Car has been the only dome on the property.

1625537_10204418834607172_6004083540345931048_n.jpg
 
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By "Superdome" I assume you mean a full length dome. Technically "Superdomes" were Milwaukee's home builds and I think there are a couple of private ones still around. Amtrak's sole remaining dome, the Ocean View, is a Budd full dome (formerly a Great Northern "Great Dome"), and it runs on the Adirondack in the fall (leaf season), north of Albany 3 days a week in each direction. Iowa Pacific also has Budd full domes, running on the Hoosier State now which I think is an ex-Santa Fe "Big Dome", they also run them on their Rio Grande Scenic and Saratoga and North Creek.
Would like to just offer one correction to your statement....The Milwaukee 'Superdomes', were not 'home builds', but rather built entirely by Pullman-Standard. Milwaukee did some 'home build' single level cars in their shops, but not these cars.

The Southern Pacific 'three quarter length' dome lounge cars were 'homebuilds'.... they took some single level cars in their fleet, and added a dome section supplied to them by The Budd Company. The first modern dome cars, like 'Silver Dome' mentioned by the OP, was a homebuild (in the Burlington's shops).
 
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