Recent content by Manny T

Hi there. I am wondering if you can tell me what the consist is on the CONO, and if it is "consistent." For example, are the sleeping cars always in the front or sometimes in the back? Also is there always a sightseer lounge or is it missing sometimes. Thanks!

Thanx for posting this. So refreshing to hear honest and straightforward commentary on one of Amtrak's accommodations -- the family bedroom -- including the small windows, the lack of en suite bathroom, the thin walls (lots of noise from neighbors), the end of the car noise from being over the...

Thank you for posting this. I was there last week and can confirm this is what it looks like, and better from other angles. For background, I commuted on the LIRR for a decade; now I use Penn/Moynihan for my long distance travel on Amtrak, so I have some familiarity with what it was and what it...

I was riding in Bedroom B of 4912 last week and it was a Viewliner II. I had an extremely bad experience both with the SCA and sound infiltrating into the bedroom from the HVAC and would not accept that room again.

I think that is correct. Another point, what I heard seemed to be coming from the ceiling area, above the bedroom. That would seem to be more consistent with an air-conditioning or HVAC unit rather than something connected to the waste system which is probably operating underneath the carriage.

There is no question that the sound I heard could certainly be flushing. For example, when the passenger in Bedroom A flushes, you certainly hear it in Bedroom B. But you have to take into account -- and I am not making this up -- it happened literally every 20 seconds. That's three times a...

Well in a way it's good for me to now there have been others who have mentioned this -- it means I wasn't imagining things or being overly sensitive. Bedroom B being more or less in the center of the car, it makes sense for the air unit to be located there. The roomettes are pretty much removed...

Thanks, I'm going to call them tomorrow.

I recently traveled in Bedroom B on the Lake Shore Ltd. from D.C. to Chicago. It was a new Viewliner II car. The room was fine -- except for what sounded like a traditional through-the-wall air conditioning unit that clicked on and off every 20 seconds for the entire trip. It seemed to be...

The CTA has a small transit hub just across the street from Chicago Union Station where you can pick up the Bus 151. A ride northbound on that bus will put you within walking distance of pretty much every downtown and Michigan Avenue hotel in Chicago. In D.C. there is the Phoenix Park Hotel out...

So we're facing a possible blizzard here in Chicago and a DePaul University professor was on the news discussing possible travel risks -- he mentioned Amtrak's double-level carriages as not such a great transportation option in high wind conditions. If that's true, then high wind is a factor...

I wonder if you could expand on this. From my map reading, it seems like the end of the Streetcar route is Union Station, not inside but at the intersection of H Street and Capitol Street, which google maps says is a 9 minute (1/2 mile) walk from the exit of Union Station. Once aboard the...

Maybe, maybe not. Any hip folks here, ever heard of the H Street Corridor? "A dynamic one-and-a-half mile corridor, this neighborhood promises a memorable night out, funky shops and chill cafés....The neighborhood’s largest event is the annual H Street Festival, which spans 10 blocks...As far as...

Here's the coverage from local Chicago station WABC news last night on the 19 hour train ride from Michigan: Passengers stuck on Amtrak from Detroit to Chicago for 19 hours with no electricity, water, food How expensive to Amtrak is that local WABC coverage of the fiasco, seen by millions?

Don't understand why Amtrak isn't on scene ASAP whenever this happens with personnel, water, food, blankets, a method of evacuation, transportation, portable sanitation, whatever it takes to make passenger safety, health and well-being its first priority. Why aren't there local contacts at every...