Car numbers

[RichardWSnow]

I was on 5(20) the past weekend. We were on time into Denver, so I had about 30 minutes or so to get some exercise walking loops on the platform. From the rear of the train (nearest the station), there were 2 coaches, lounge, diner, 2 sleepers, and transdorm. Of the four cars onto which passengers might board, only one had the correct car number! The coaches were numbered 611 and 610; the sleepers 531 and 632. Being train 5, the 6's should have all been 5's. I encountered 5 separate groups all the way forward near the transdorm looking for car 510 or 511. 3 of them were families with children and lots of baggage. They all looked quite forlorn when I told them they had passed their cars when they got on the platform back at the end of the train.

I know Amtrak has money problems, so many of its problems are nearly insoluble. However this kind of carelessness seems to me to be without any justification. As they say, "you only have one chance to make a first impression", so making people walk about looking for a car number they are never going to find is inexcusable. I assume someone walks the train before it departs. Either they don't have a checklist or it doesn't include ensuring the car numbers are correct. I very much want Amtrak to survive, but inattention to this small detail does not help that cause.

Richard Snow

 

[Ryan]

Your single data point notwithstanding, the sleeper numbers are almost always correct, because as you noted, they matter.

Coaches are rarely set right, bye cause they're irrelevant from a passenger perspective.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I think it's up to the car attendants to make sure they have the right numbers showing. On my first LD trip, I noticed my #5 sleeper had 6 instead of 5 for the first digit. I mentioned it to the SCA and he changed it.

It happens on the east coast too. When I'm at WIL I've noticed the numbers being wrong on the LD trains that come through. Some are even the wrong named trains numbers - such as having the Silver Star's number on a Crescent.

 

[zephyr17]

I cannot tell you how many times I've not seen the train number part of the line number not changed at turnaround.

 

[EB_OBS]

It happens on all the trains, especially the Super Liners.

The older style black & white numbers are manually operated with rollers behind the display. Many of them are so old they are nearly impossible to turn.

The panel to them are inside one of the bathrooms. They are supposed to have thumbscrews or wing-nuts to secure them but many have had actual screws put in them, some even with star drive heads. Attendants don't carry around tools to open these.

The newer LCD displays are changed from inside an electrical panel and are generally very easy to adjust. I have seen some with burnt out crystals but not many.

 

[FormerOBS]

Traditionally, it's the responsibility of the car attendant (coach or sleeper) to make sure those numbers are correct, although the terminal personnel do it for them at many locations. On some of the old Heritage cars, the numbers were pretty hard --- occasionally impossible --- to change.

Tom

 

[railiner]

It happens on all the trains, especially the Super Liners.

The older style black & white numbers are manually operated with rollers behind the display. Many of them are so old they are nearly impossible to turn.

The panel to them are inside one of the bathrooms. They are supposed to have thumbscrews or wing-nuts to secure them but many have had actual screws put in them, some even with star drive heads. Attendants don't carry around tools to open these.

The newer LCD displays are changed from inside an electrical panel and are generally very easy to adjust. I have seen some with burnt out crystals but not many.

I recall some of the original Heritage cars didn't even have the roller's....they had three or four vertical slots that you dropped cardboard numbers into...

 

[west point]

Yes heritage cars with slots. Before Amtrak each separate Pullman car line had a specific number. Example cars to southern RR would have SR45. SR10 , etc. So also needed 4 of each number and letters.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Yes heritage cars with slots. Before Amtrak each separate Pullman car line had a specific number. Example cars to southern RR would have SR45. SR10 , etc. So also needed 4 of each number and letters.

I think this system would have lasted longer. As previously noted. most of the units don't work, particularly on the AM2s.

 

[neroden]

K.I.S.S.

 

[OBS]

The one saving grace to the numbers not being changed is the fact that 90% (based on my experience) of the passengers don't look at that number. Instead they walk down the platform studying the numbers stenciled on the side of the car, and keep walking when they find the number doesn't match the one they are looking for.

 

[chakk]

The Official Guide to US railways, and many of the system timetables for railroads in pre-Amtrak days, would also publish the car numbers in their timetables, so passengers could see before purchasing tickets what car number they might be assigned to.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

K.I.S.S.

Amtrak loves to keep it simple. So simple that you can't pick your car, your car number doesn't show up on your e-ticket, and nothing would match the actual car you'll be traveling in anyway.

 

[niemi24s]

Maybe you're on Amtrak's s--t list...

Amtrak loves to keep it simple. So simple that you can't pick your car, your car number doesn't show up on your e-ticket. . .

... because the car number shows up on my e-ticket (as well as the room number).

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Maybe you're on Amtrak's s--t list...

Amtrak loves to keep it simple. So simple that you can't pick your car, your car number doesn't show up on your e-ticket. . .

... because the car number shows up on my e-ticket (as well as the room number).

Sometimes I get the car and room. Other times I get nothing. Seems to depend on the alignment of the stars and moons. Maybe I'm on Amtrak's confusion list.

 

[Ryan]

I've never not seen it as well.

Maybe you're just the unluckiest man in the world.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Though I don't think coach pax tickets have car #'s on them.

 

[zephyr17]

Maybe you're on Amtrak's s--t list...

Amtrak loves to keep it simple. So simple that you can't pick your car, your car number doesn't show up on your e-ticket. . .

... because the car number shows up on my e-ticket (as well as the room number).

Sometimes I get the car and room. Other times I get nothing. Seems to depend on the alignment of the stars and moons. Maybe I'm on Amtrak's confusion list.

Never, ever seen that on a sleeper ticket, and I ride quite a lot. My tickets/eTickets always have had the car and room number.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Though I don't think coach pax tickets have car #'s on them.

The crews use them for their loading plans. I don't think they are printed on tickets these days.

 

[StriderGDM]

I can't recall ever seeing the coach numbers match the train numbers. I do think it would be nice. Firstly it could be useful for boarding and secondly, it's a nice little attention to detail that I think shows a higher level of caring then now.

I can't recall ever NOT seeing the sleeper numbers match. This one is obviously very important.

As for on the ticket, every sleeper ticket I've had has had the room and car number, though in a few iterations it was harder to find than in others.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I've never not seen it as well. Maybe you're just the unluckiest man in the world.

*Shrug*

I seem to have higher expectations than many, sharper eyes than some, and a longer memory than others.

Never, ever seen that on a sleeper ticket, and I ride quite a lot. My tickets/eTickets always have had the car and room number.

I tried going back through my old tickets but it was taking my email provider a long time to spit them out. Too many Amtrak Unlimited emails apparently. h34r:

 

[Ryan]

Higher expectations?

I think we're all using the same standard here. Having the car/room number on the ticket is pretty black and white.

Sharper eyes and longer memory?

Since not having them on the ticket means a call to Amtrak to find out where you're supposed to go, I'm absolutely certain that this isn't a case of just not seeing that they weren't there or not remembering a time when it wasn't, since I'm sure I would remember having to call back.

Car and room assignment are the first thing I check when I get a ticket (along with end points and dates) to make sure everything is in order. So sorry, no. Not going to buy that it's happened to me and I'm too dumb to remember it.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Higher expectations? I think we're all using the same standard here. Having the car/room number on the ticket is pretty black and white.

I assumed you were passing judgement on my general view of Amtrak based on years of interactions and commentary here on this forum. Otherwise, the idea that the singular absence of a car number and room number/letter on a train ticket would somehow make me the "unluckiest man in the world" doesn't make any sense.

Sharper eyes and longer memory? Since not having them on the ticket means a call to Amtrak to find out where you're supposed to go, I'm absolutely certain that this isn't a case of just not seeing that they weren't there or not remembering a time when it wasn't, since I'm sure I would remember having to call back.

Sharper eyes and longer memory refers to seeing and remembering threads describing missing car and room information on this very forum. Also, this isn't about your tickets. I've never seen your tickets so I have no idea what you have or have not seen or remembered. I can only speak about my tickets and those of people who have expressed similar problems.

Car and room assignment are the first thing I check when I get a ticket (along with end points and dates) to make sure everything is in order. So sorry, no. Not going to buy that it's happened to me and I'm too dumb to remember it.

It doesn't really matter which side of the car you're on or if you're near the center or the end when you're riding along a route you've already seen dozens if not hundreds of times on every manner of transportation. Such are the routes which have formed the vast majority of my trips. My experience is impacted far more deeply by the attitude of the staff than whichever room or car I happen to be in. Over time I've migrated to the upper level in order to avoid sewage problems on the bottom floor but other than that I'm not very picky when it comes to specific rooms.

So far as I can tell the current emailed ticket template does not suffer from any problems with displaying cars and rooms. However, the previous template with the 1D barcode generated a significant number of documents that failed to display car or room information when purchased online at Amtrak.com. Tickets bought over the phone did not appear to suffer from the same problem or suffered rarely enough that I didn't notice. If room selection is critical and you were always calling-in your purchase to make sure you received exactly what you wanted then you might never have seen this particular problem.

 

[zephyr17]

So far as I can tell the current emailed ticket template does not suffer from any problems with displaying cars and rooms. However, the previous template with the 1D barcode generated a significant number of documents that failed to display car or room information when purchased online at Amtrak.com. Tickets bought over the phone did not appear to suffer from the same problem or suffered rarely enough that I didn't notice. If room selection is critical to you and you were thus always calling-in your purchase to make sure you purchased exactly what you wanted you might never seen this problem.

Well, I am one of those picky ones who always call in for sleeping car reservations. And I check the tickets/eTickets as soon as I get them. I know I've never had the problem, but if your theory is right, I wouldn't have because I have never bought a sleeper ticket using the website.

 

[Ryan]

Another post filled with bad assumptions, as I've never called to book a specific room. Just taken when the luck of the draw gets me.

You shouldn't assume that I'm commenting on anything more that I actually say - I only spoke about having the room/car info on your ticket, and couldn't care less about the rest.

Every "Where is my room assignment" thread I can remember involves either the person not seeing it on the ticket, but finding it, or not actually looking at a ticket. Maybe you can use your superior memory to bring up some threads where a real sleeper ticket somehow omits this information. Or not, since I'm not actually challenging that it happens. Whatever works for you.