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  1. S

    LSL to Boston

    Get the room, I've done taken it dozens of times and unfortunately the LSL is almost always late into Boston.  The slow trip from Albany to Boston is infuriating, knowing you can drive it in half the time.  
  2. S

    New LD Locomotive Order Placed

    Any thoughts on the New York section of the LSL and its need for dual power.  I wonder if they will have to keep some of the dual mode units to fill that need or replace them with something else.
  3. S

    Viewliner II Part 2: Dining Car Production, Delivery, Speculation

    Looks like Albany is the only one missing.  Good news, maybe the Star or Cardinal will get a Lounge.  Some of the early deliverers are probably ready for a long maintenance, so good thing there are spares. :)  
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    Viewliner II Part 2: Dining Car Production, Delivery, Speculation

    I was in Chicago 7/13 and 8400 was on a consist in the yard.
  5. S

    Elimination of diners on western Amtrak long distance trains?

    They generally fight all things Public transit. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/climate/koch-brothers-public-transit.html
  6. S

    Anyone travelled Amtrak on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

    I took the Lake Shore Limited in 2000 at Christmas. There was a blizzard and we got to Chicago very late, catching a very late City of New Orleans, and got to downstate Illinois at 4am on Christmas day. We were just happy the train was running at all, as nothing else was moving. Even in 2000...
  7. S

    Viewliner II Part 2: Dining Car Production, Delivery, Speculation

    Yes, as watching the rest of the diners be delivered will give us all false hope that the dorms and sleepers will quickly follow.
  8. S

    One week until EB trip (Lyft question)

    The Lyft app will also show the driver where you are standing, based on the location of your phone.
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    Viewliner II Part 2: Dining Car Production, Delivery, Speculation

    Not sure what it costs Amtrak to operate a car, but if you assume they are making 75% off the PV cars, then it costs $0.82 per mile, or just under a $1000 for one direction on the LSL. Using the logic above, this is likely why the original order was changed to reduce the number of bag dorms...
  10. S

    Viewliner II Part 2: Dining Car Production, Delivery, Speculation

    Adding cars has operational costs, adding a bag dorm, they drop the current bag, or on the LSL one of them, and get extra rooms.
  11. S

    Viewliner II Part 2: Dining Car Production, Delivery, Speculation

    The Bag dorms will indirectly generate revenue by getting the crew out of revenue space in the current VL1 sleepers. Just for the LSL, 6 crew * $500 per room * 2 trains *365 days = ~$2.2M.
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    Silver Star: What to do for meals without Diner?

    We are trying it this year to/from Orlando because the schedule worked better. Planning on bringing a picnic and grape juice.
  13. S

    Equipment Order in the works this year (2018)?

    I'm interested to see how he would get more service out of the host railroads, and Congress will want its say if he starts removing service in favor of different service.
  14. S

    Equipment Order in the works this year (2018)?

    The quote would imply mostly off the shelf technology that other railroads use around the world. Maybe Amtrak has learned from the VL2 order. Their most recent orders all seem to be off the shelf products with minor modifications to work here; Acela replacement, Chargers, Siemens replacement...
  15. S

    2019 Amtrak Train New York to Pittsfield

    They could use a similar consist to the Downeaster, with a converted F9 as a cab car on one end. That train also has half the seats facing each direction.
  16. S

    Least scenic Amtrak route?

    I disagree. Parts are terrible. But, Albany east is very nice, both the Boston and New York sections. Parts of the trip along the Great Lakes are very nice. I think I've done close to 40 round trips on the LSL in the last 22 years. It also depends on the season.
  17. S

    Least scenic Amtrak route?

    Depends on what you like to look at. The Illini/Saluki is filled with flat corn fields, which having grown up in Illinois I find pretty boring. The Lake Shore Limited route between Ohio and Chicago, the long stretch of nothing but junk yards and old steal mills might be viewed as un-scenic.
  18. S

    Business Class on the Crescent

    I agree with the variations on business class. It's very frustrating that there is no standard. I often take it, more for the fact that I won't have to fight for a seat in a busy station, and its usually quieter, than anything else.
  19. S

    Richard Anderson replacing Wick Moorman as Amtrak CEO

    I do wonder if he had an effective testimony before congress. Amtrak did come out pretty good, and suddenly there was money for PTC added to the budget.
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