If you're talking about Express-Trak cars, when we were at the LA Yard in October, there are a line of something like 20 or more of them "waiting" for the next run!I see an occasional one in scrap yards adjacent to main lines that Amtrak runs on. And we're still running baggage cars and diners from the 50's...
Because the Express Trak cars are freight cars. They have no HEP pass through cables and no MU cables.Seriously, why couldn't they have converted the cars to baggage cars instead of buying what? 75 new baggage cars!?
It would have been a cheap retro fit to have pass thru cables installed and use them temporarily if the current baggage cars are so defective. Not to mention, the doors would be more reliable!Because the Express Trak cars are freight cars. They have no HEP pass through cables and no MU cables.Seriously, why couldn't they have converted the cars to baggage cars instead of buying what? 75 new baggage cars!?
Additionally the 75 new baggage cars that Amtrak is planning on buying are half baggage cars/half crew dorms. Converting the freight cars would have been difficult, unless one basically left the crew without windows.
Yes, it would be cheap. But why do something that you don't need to do?It would have been a cheap retro fit to have pass thru cables installed and use them temporarily if the current baggage cars are so defective. Not to mention, the doors would be more reliable!Because the Express Trak cars are freight cars. They have no HEP pass through cables and no MU cables.Seriously, why couldn't they have converted the cars to baggage cars instead of buying what? 75 new baggage cars!?
Additionally the 75 new baggage cars that Amtrak is planning on buying are half baggage cars/half crew dorms. Converting the freight cars would have been difficult, unless one basically left the crew without windows.
I think the only "run" they might make would be their last~ to the cutting torch or a short line.If you're talking about Express-Trak cars, when we were at the LA Yard in October, there are a line of something like 20 or more of them "waiting" for the next run!I see an occasional one in scrap yards adjacent to main lines that Amtrak runs on. And we're still running baggage cars and diners from the 50's...
Yes, but its a special kind of freight that has traditionally been well integrated in the passenger business. Even today, most passenger airlines have first class mail contracts. If Amtrak were to acquire more baggage cars and routinely have sufficient space in them, I think mail would be a good way to fill the space. Not to say it will ever happen, though.Just because it's tradition doesn't make it good. Mail is just a special kind of freight.
Amtrak VP Crosbie went before Congress late last year to outline Amtrak's needs & requests. That included 15 new single level sleepers, the baggage cars, and a few other things. You can find the full details here.Since when has Amtrak ever said they were looking to order 75 of these cars? I hadn't heard about that till now. And what does a baggage/dorm look like? How much space does it have for baggage compared to a typical baggage car?
Has the purchase been approved and have orders been placed? If not, does anyone know when?Amtrak VP Crosbie went before Congress late last year to outline Amtrak's needs & requests. That included 15 new single level sleepers, the baggage cars, and a few other things. You can find the full details here.Since when has Amtrak ever said they were looking to order 75 of these cars? I hadn't heard about that till now. And what does a baggage/dorm look like? How much space does it have for baggage compared to a typical baggage car?
When we were in LA, I saw the inside of a baggage car. You would have thought that there would be things like shelves or something in them - but the whole thing (at least the one I saw) was just all open floor! And with just 10-15% of the stops on a route (if even that much) even offering checked baggage service, that is a lot of wasted space. I would even think that 1/2 of the car would leave a lot of space. (Even a cabbage only uses 1/2 of the "car" for baggage. And a Superliner coach/baggage uses less than 1/2 of the lower level for baggage.)And what does a baggage/dorm look like? How much space does it have for baggage compared to a typical baggage car?
I think another big disadvantage is they could not be accessed from inside the train. That would mean someone would have to get off the train, walk up to the car, open the door, climb in, find the baggage, then reverse all that after removing the baggage. Adds more time to station stops and would also be more physically demanding.It would have been a cheap retro fit to have pass thru cables installed and use them temporarily if the current baggage cars are so defective. Not to mention, the doors would be more reliable!Because the Express Trak cars are freight cars. They have no HEP pass through cables and no MU cables.Seriously, why couldn't they have converted the cars to baggage cars instead of buying what? 75 new baggage cars!?
Additionally the 75 new baggage cars that Amtrak is planning on buying are half baggage cars/half crew dorms. Converting the freight cars would have been difficult, unless one basically left the crew without windows.
Well, bags can be stacked. I used to work for JetBlue and towards the end of my time there was cross-trained to be able to work on the ramp. Aircraft cargo areas don't have shelves either. One of the first things you learned was how to efficiently stack bags and fit them all together in the most efficient way possible (and do it quickly). Obviously, a train is a bit more complex in that some bags need to be retrieved mid-route, which makes organization critical. On aircraft, cargo areas are divided into different 'bins' which are physically separated by either a wall or just nylon webbing. For instance, on thru-flights (flights where an aircraft stops, offloads some people and board some more and then continues on using the same flight number, bags continuing on would be segregated in their own bin as much as possible, so they would not have to be offloaded then reloaded.When we were in LA, I saw the inside of a baggage car. You would have thought that there would be things like shelves or something in them - but the whole thing (at least the one I saw) was just all open floor! And with just 10-15% of the stops on a route (if even that much) even offering checked baggage service, that is a lot of wasted space. I would even think that 1/2 of the car would leave a lot of space. (Even a cabbage only uses 1/2 of the "car" for baggage. And a Superliner coach/baggage uses less than 1/2 of the lower level for baggage.)And what does a baggage/dorm look like? How much space does it have for baggage compared to a typical baggage car?
So I can easily see a baggage/dorm being used instead. Plus, the rooms it would free up are more rooms that can be available!
Do these cars have any differences vs normal freight cars?It makes far more sense to try and sell the ExpressTrak cars
I'd have to imagine baggage would have to have some sort of similarly organized stacking scheme in baggage cars. I just worry that as train ridership increases and trains become longer, it would be desirable to have full baggage cars. However, if a baggage dorm is set up so that the top level is all dorms and the bottom level is all baggage, I can see that being plenty of space.
Your reply just verifies my reasons. If bags can be stacked, why would 1/2 a car not be enough room? :huh:Well, bags can be stacked.
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I'd have to imagine baggage would have to have some sort of similarly organized stacking scheme in baggage cars. ... However, if a baggage dorm is set up so that the top level is all dorms and the bottom level is all baggage, I can see that being plenty of space.
That's already happening with the coach/baggage cars that were the converted old smoking section cars. Someone has to de-train and open the door and load and unload baggage then re-board.I think another big disadvantage is they could not be accessed from inside the train. That would mean someone would have to get off the train, walk up to the car, open the door, climb in, find the baggage, then reverse all that after removing the baggage. Adds more time to station stops and would also be more physically demanding.It would have been a cheap retro fit to have pass thru cables installed and use them temporarily if the current baggage cars are so defective. Not to mention, the doors would be more reliable!Because the Express Trak cars are freight cars. They have no HEP pass through cables and no MU cables.Seriously, why couldn't they have converted the cars to baggage cars instead of buying what? 75 new baggage cars!?
Additionally the 75 new baggage cars that Amtrak is planning on buying are half baggage cars/half crew dorms. Converting the freight cars would have been difficult, unless one basically left the crew without windows.
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