Amtrak must find the tour business good business for Amtrak, probably because the tour operators commit very early in the reservation cycle giving Amtrak guaranteed revenue even though it is deeply discounted. In reality, when the tours are during the busiest time for a certain route, is Amtrak throwing away revenue just to get a guarantee when there is an extremely high probability that the train will sell out without the tour group? How much revenue does Amtrak receive from tour groups or other groups?
If all the members of the tour group are treated like individuals, then there shouldn't be a problem, it is just a busy train, but if the tour director traveling with the group shows up just before 6AM on the CZ going into Denver, to reserve seats for their 30-40 member tour, that is a problem. Also, if the tour group is occupying say 8-10 table at breakfast but they all stay extra long drinking coffee just visiting because they can all be together, this is also a problem since tables do not turn over for other passengers.
I wonder if Amtrak has any periods of time that it will not accept group reservations?