Auto Train new consist reporting thread

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Allypet

Service Attendant
Joined
Jul 17, 2012
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168
Since tomorrow (3/14) is the target date of the planned changes to the auto train, including the removal of the sleeper lounge and the addition of a 5th coach car and a general reshuffling of the diner cars to the center of the train. I am curious to see how they set this up, or even if it takes effect on time, so I'm reminding everyone to keep an eye out for any noticeable changes to the consist and post them here. Thanks!
 
Any railfans have a sighting yet? Should be pulling out soon!
 
My son was on the AT last night going north to Lorton. This morning he texted me and said they arrived early and had no time for breakfast. He was in a sleeper and had to walk thru four cars to get to the diner for a take out breakfast. He said it was a slow walk and chaotic! But he was glad to get in early.

Other than the location of the dining car the only difference he saw was no wine tasting and having four dinner seatings last evening instead of the "normal" three. They were 4:30, 6:00, 7:30 and 9:00. But that was for sleepers only. Coaches had the normal 5:00, 7:00 and 9:00 dinner seating.

I wonder why they would have an additional dinner seating for sleepers when they added more coach seating?
 
Hanno, thank you for your response. Can you tell me where the new location of the diners are in relation to the rest of the sleepers? I think the 4 seating for an hour and a half is going to be a big problem. The service isn't really that efficient to seat you, take your order, deliver your meal, and get you out and the table reset in less then 90 minutes. And taking servers from breakfast to make orders to go will slow down the process for everyone, what are they thinking? I can see Amtrak in their infinite wisdom now cutting desert and breakfast to the sleepers to save time!
 
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Amtrak doesn't really know how to run a diner, in my humble opinion. Somehow, they feel like they can bring in 60 people, take all their orders, prepare them at once, and kick them out in 90 minutes. I don't get why they don't try a more FCFS staggered approach? It's a diner for cryin' out loud. Not Hell's Kitchen!
 
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I don't know what sleeping car was son was in other than he had to walk thru four cars to get to the diner. I'll see if I can get more information from him and will pass it on when I get the same.

I'm interested as well because we will be taking the AT north in several weeks.
 
This was a AT consist in 2003

↑ Sanford, FL

P40 Locomotive

P40 Locomotive

Dining (Superliner II)

Lounge (Superliner II)

Coach (Superliner II)

Coach (Superliner II)

Coach (Superliner II)

Coach (Superliner II)

Sleeper (Superliner II)

Sleeper (Superliner II)

Sleeper (Superliner II)

Dining (Superliner II)

Dining (Superliner II)

Sightseer Lounge (Superliner II)

Sleeper (Superliner II)

Sleeper (Superliner II)

Sleeper (Superliner II)

Crew Sleeper (Superliner II)

Auto Carrier #1

Thru

Auto Carrier #18

6 sleepers 2 sleepers diners and a lounge? Looks like over the past 10 years they have targeting the so called first class passengers! They have taken a sleeper, a lounge and a diner, added a coach car and another coach diner. What the heck are they thinking? If I wanted to sit in the same seat overnight I would take a bus!

Next time I might as well just take the Hampton Jitney. The reasons for taking the AT are rapidly disappearing! http://www.hamptonjitney.com/cgi-bin/nav.cgi?page=ny-florida.html
 
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Considering everyone aboard Auto Train must get into a car and drive (or rely on a fellow passenger to do the driving), I'd think there would be a trend towards sleeper cars. More coach means more fatigued drivers on the road.
 
6 sleepers 2 sleepers diners and a lounge? Looks like over the past 10 years they have targeting the so called first class passengers! They have taken a sleeper, a lounge and a diner, added a coach car and another coach diner. What the heck are they thinking? If I wanted to sit in the same seat overnight I would take a bus!

Next time I might as well just take the Hampton Jitney. The reasons for taking the AT are rapidly disappearing! http://www.hamptonjitney.com/cgi-bin/nav.cgi?page=ny-florida.html
If you look at the current consist list for the AT in the FAQ forum (to be updated once the change is made I would expect), you will see that the AT has not lost any sleeper cars. It still has 6 sleepers. What Amtrak is doing is replacing the sleeper lounge car with a 5th coach car. The new consist will reportedly be crew dorm, 6 sleepers, diner, diner (table), coach diner, joint lounge car (for sleeper and coach passengers), then the coach cars..Amtrak is not going to drop a sleeper car because the sleeper sales are solid revenue. By adding a 5th coach car year round, they are increasing the total capacity, although whether the change will hurt sleeper sales remains to be seen.
 
Afigg, my bad, I though there was only 5 sleepers on my last trip. Although I have been told that the diners are not being grouped so the sleeper passengers have no place to wait until they are seated.
 
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Amtrak doesn't really know how to run a diner, in my humble opinion. Somehow, they feel like they can bring in 60 people, take all their orders, prepare them at once, and kick them out in 90 minutes. I don't get why they don't try a more FCFS staggered approach? It's a diner for cryin' out loud. Not Hell's Kitchen!
Yeah, there's something really inefficient about the "seatings" in the dining car operations. But trying to kick people out in 90 minutes simply isn't going to work. I am hoping that the current inefficiencies are partly due to paperwork and that "point of sale" implementation will allow Amtrak to switch to a more proper "restaurant-like" operation, seating people as soon as the previous table is cleared.
 
The problem with a restaurant style dinner seating with the new configuration is that there is no longer a lounge car to have people wait in. Are they going to have people wait in the sleeper hallway? I would think the people with the rooms right there would be a little upset.
 
So it will all boil down to whether they will make enough additional revenue from the additional Coach to cover for any incidental loss in Sleeper revenue due to a few upset Sleeper customers. My guess is that they will come out net positive, much to the chagrin of many here. And if they don't they can always reverse it. and make a big marketing noise about it as usual.

An additional revenue car is an additional revenue car, and it will be amazing if an additional revenue cars worth of sales will be lost in Sleeper. And an additional Coach is more than likely to generate way more automobile revenue too than one could conceivably lose out of disgruntled customers from Sleeper due to a relatively small change involving a slightly less convenient waiting place before being seated for food.
 
Sitting in waiting room at Sanford. I can confirm that the new consist is in effect, but with sleeper diner in its usual spot in the middle of the sleeping cars, and the lounge between the coach and sleeper sections. Coach diner and table car remain at the southbound end. This strikes me as a more sensible order than that proposed in the internal memo and widely quoted in the rail fan media.

I asked the lady at check in how the 90 minute turnaround was working for sleeping car dinner settings,, an d she said that shje had not been on the train since the new system began
 
Sitting in waiting room at Sanford. I can confirm that the new consist is in effect, but with sleeper diner in its usual spot in the middle of the sleeping cars, and the lounge between the coach and sleeper sections. Coach diner and table car remain at the southbound end. This strikes me as a more sensible order than that proposed in the internal memo and widely quoted in the rail fan media.

I asked the lady at check in how the 90 minute turnaround was working for sleeping car dinner settings,, an d she said that shje had not been on the train since the new system began
thank you. That lounge and diner position sounds a lot better then what they first proposed. I hope you will keep us updated with your observations as your trip progresses.
 
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That very well could explain the four seatings for First Class dinner. Since they don't have the ability to overflow into the lounge like they used to, in on peak periods where the sleepers are full they go to the four seatings to allow everyone to get through the Diner. This wouldn't effect the coaches since they still have the table car for their overflow.

This is also a good thing in terms of noise control, since moving the diners to the center of the train would have meant the coaches being right up against the engines southbound increasing the noise significantly for those passengers.
 
52(16) consist tonight - 2 engs, 16 Supers, 27 auto carriers = 43 cars

818 P40-DC

831 P40-DC

39000 transdorm

32114 sleeper

32108 sleeper

32505 sleeper

38067 diner

32501 sleeper

32092 sleeper

32107 sleeper

33104 A-T lounge

34128 coach

34131 coach

34127 coach

34118 coach

34129 coach

38054 diner

38045 diner

plus 27 automobile carriers
 
Amtrak doesn't really know how to run a diner, in my humble opinion. Somehow, they feel like they can bring in 60 people, take all their orders, prepare them at once, and kick them out in 90 minutes. I don't get why they don't try a more FCFS staggered approach? It's a diner for cryin' out loud. Not Hell's Kitchen!
Yeah, there's something really inefficient about the "seatings" in the dining car operations. But trying to kick people out in 90 minutes simply isn't going to work. I am hoping that the current inefficiencies are partly due to paperwork and that "point of sale" implementation will allow Amtrak to switch to a more proper "restaurant-like" operation, seating people as soon as the previous table is cleared.
And what TRULY SUX, is if they had proper staffing, Amtrak could "turn those tables" in WAY LESS than 90 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I like sitting in the diner as MUCH as anyone, but if efficency is the goal, (and it's NOT, IMHO, it's COSTS) passengers could be fed, and NOT FEEL RUSHED, in about 45-60 minutes. VERY EASILY! The menu actually lends itself to fast service, the problem is STAFFING. Period. Full stop. No bussers, no one to take drink orders, S.A.s must "do it all", and even at that, they are understaffed.
I saw a quote from the new LD director about "..........meeting customer expectations......." I guess if you dumb down the service you offer enuff, passengers won't expect much.... Then it's easy to meet expectations...
 
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And what TRULY SUX, is if they had proper staffing, Amtrak could "turn those tables" in WAY LESS than 90 minutes.
On average, with proper operations, yes they could. I go to one local restaurant which is ludicrously efficient at turnaround -- and they never rush anyone. Their kitchen isn't much larger than a Superliner kitchen, either. But they have a *lot* of staff, and they have computerized order tracking. (The computerized ordering can handle special orders and substitutions, too.)

Perhaps the lounge is unusually underused on the Auto Train due to its schedule. I would like to see reports of crowding levels in the lounge; maybe it was OK to reduce from 2 lounge cars to 1. On the other hand, if the lounge is constantly full, then it wasn't OK.
 
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While some may not be happy with the consist change for the AT, Amtrak is putting out a positive spin on the increase in coach capacity with a news release.

AMTRAK AUTO TRAIN ADDS MORE COACH SEATS

WASHINGTON – In response to growing demand, Amtrak Auto Train is expanding capacity by offering more coach seats in time for spring and summer travel.

Auto Train offers both coach and sleeper accommodations. Expanding capacity now means up to 60 additional coach seats are available for travel daily on Train 53 from Virginia and Train 52 from Florida.

“The Auto Train is the most enjoyable way to travel between the Northeast and Florida while passengers relax and enjoy the scenery,” said Amtrak Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Matt Hardison. “This service continues to grow in popularity and Amtrak is responding with more seats.”

To make a reservation, call 877-SKIP-I-95, go online at Amtrak.com or visit a staffed station.

Auto Train is a unique service that allows passengers to travel with their personal vehicles including cars, vans, SUVs, motorcycles, and even small boats or jet-skis. It is the only such service in the U.S. and eliminates nearly 900 miles of driving for travelers between the Northeast and all points in Florida. Auto Train is the longest passenger train in the world with two locomotives and 40-plus passenger rail cars and vehicle carriers.

Auto Train passengers can also purchase an upgrade to Priority Vehicle Offloading and their vehicle will be one of the first 20 offloaded from the train. Vehicle counts can total 200-300 per train, and this service helps passengers get to their destination sooner.

Auto Train departs daily from both Lorton, Va. (near Washington, D.C.), and Sanford, Fla. (near Orlando), with up to 600 passengers. Amtrak passengers travel in wide, comfortable seats, and their vehicles likewise enjoy the journey in enclosed vehicle carriers.
 
Corporate Spin is almost as full of it as Political Spin!

My favorite is the blurb about your vehicles will enjoy the trip in their enclosed car carriers while you enjoy the scenery in the dark!

They can't be serious!
 
So what exactly is inaccurate in that press release? Yes it does not mention that a lounge for Sleeper passengers is being replaced by a Coach for those that cannot Sleeper making it possible for those additional Coach passengers to travel at all, at the expense of a bit of inconvenience for the Sleeper passengers. :) I am glad they are not putting any spin on that and are just not mentioning it at all.

And where does it say anything about "enjoy the scenery in the dark"? Is it in some other advertizing blurb?
 
Guess you missed my sarcasm his but @ the top of blurb it does say that passengers can relax and enjoy the scenery between the NE and Florida while their vehicles enjoy the ride in enclosed vehicle carriers! Sounds like SPIN to me but YMMV!
 
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