Cardinal Food Question

[SarahZ]

I looked at the menu and it looked pretty good. Definitely some items I never had (brisket and Italian sausage?) but my question is - will we be served dinner? We get on in Prince, WV (PRC).

Yes. Your SCA will make a reservation for you and give you the little reservation card when you board.

 

[henryj]

I rode this train last December from Chi to NY and I thought the food was just fine. I was in the viewliner sleeper so I had all three meals. Scenery is great. I spent most of the day in the lounge section of the car. I had a room on the left side and most of the scenery was on the right.

 

[Acela150]

I looked at the menu and it looked pretty good. Definitely some items I never had (brisket and Italian sausage?) but my question is - will we be served dinner? We get on in Prince, WV (PRC).

Yes. Your SCA will make a reservation for you and give you the little reservation card when you board.

Actully the SCA just asks if you're ready for dinner and if so you get sent to the AmLounge. If not they come back. When I rode 50 in February the LSA did do reservations but because he made sittings every half hour and only out two rooms or three at the most at a sitting it didn't last long.

April trip? Pending the flooding, EB timekeeping isn't all that bad during that time.

Having just ridden the Cap eastbound on Monday, I had forgotten how beautiful the scenery is on the morning run from PGH to WAS.

I was on the EB Cap a few weeks ago, and since we were three hours late the whole ride from PGH to WAS was in daylight. Most of which I was what's the term Lounge Lizard?? The scenery is very very nice on that stretch and it's a shame that the westbound run doesn't see as much of it. I can seriously agree that the scenery is nice PGH-WAS.

 

[me_little_me]

Two follow-on questions:

I was on the train from White Sulphur Springs to Hinton one time and the train was hours late. How late do they serve on this train? Anyone know of a nearby eatery in Prince? We'll be making a 4 hour drive up there to catch the train.

What about from Chicago back? Dinner served?

 

[Shawn Ryu]

I wouldn't count on it, and the food really isn't all that bad in my experience.

The food is awful compared to Empire Builder.

But getting a table isnt a problem if you go later.

 

[Ryan]

Having transferred directly from the Cardinal to the Empire Builder, I disagree.

 

[CoachSlumber]

April trip? Pending the flooding, EB timekeeping isn't all that bad during that time.

Having just ridden the Cap eastbound on Monday, I had forgotten how beautiful the scenery is on the morning run from PGH to WAS.

That is oft-forgotten. It's no river gorge, but it some gloriously wild country.

 

[Dave Van]

Never ate in the diner part of the cafe car on the Cardinal....so I can't speak of it. But I am sure it would not be the same as food on the SWC....so I skip it and take some snaks......most of the time should be spent sleeping on the CHI - WSS segment anyway!

 

[MARC Rider]

"AmCan" is one of my new, favorite terms. I'm going to use that from now on.

Not sure I get it, but I like it! :giggle:

The cars are called "Amfleet" and have a corrugated, rounded design, hence "Amcan". It has smaller windows, and that, combined with the rounded shape, makes you feel like you're in an airplane instead of a train. It's more comfortable than an airplane, for sure, but definitely not as comfortable as the other types of cars.

Here's a picture:

Oh, I don't know, having finally gotten the opportunity to sample the Horizon Cars at the recent Gathering, I think the Amfleet cars are quite nice. The coaches come in 2 versions, the corridor service with 80 seats and the Long-distance versions with ~60 seats. Their main drawbacks are the smaller windows and the fact that the corridor coaches don't have shades or curtains on the windows.

And having just sampled the Cardinal, the food service was fine. Not quite as many choices as a regular diner (certainly no steak on the menu), but otherwise served pretty much just like any other dining car in the system. And they did have a very good breakfast item, a cheese blintz with French toast sticks, and the French toast sticks were a bit crispy, too! Not sure how they pulled that off using reheated food-in-a-bag, but it was good. Also, they served my wine with dinner in a real wine glass, whereas the full diner on the Capitol Limited I rode a few days later used entirely disposable eating ware.

 

[Paull65]

*** Note that all posts prior to this one were made in 2013 ***

Hi all... First post ever. I have been reading a lot on this board and thank you all for the information that I have gotten about all things Amtrak. I rode the Cardinal from New Haven to Chicago and the Capitol Limited back last August with connections in Washington on Regional 67 and 66. It was my first long distance trip on Amtrak. My longest before that was the Vermonter from New Haven to Essex Junction. I was in coach on the Cardinal 51 to Chicago. I ate in the dining side for dinner. I would rate the food quality as very good and the service as excellent. I remember that I was seated for dinner while the train stopped at White Sulphur Springs. The view in the New River Gorge was fantastic. A beautiful white water river going by my window...try that in a jet from 35000 feet. Loved it.

I upgraded to a roomette on the way back on the Capitol Limited. That is so much better than coach. The food was excellent on the Capitol Limited and excellent service.

My wife and I are going out to Chicago this week taking the Capitol Limited in a bedroom out of Washington and coming back all the way from Chicago to New York on the Cardinal in a roomette.

It will be her first long distance train experience so I am hoping that everything will work out well so that she will want to go with me on a coast to coast trip sometime soon. I am hooked already.