Chefs being removed off Capitol Limited

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I still wonder why Amtrak doesn't list the CL as a train operating with a CCC. The CONO and TE are proudly displayed not the site as using those cars, but not the Cap.
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The City and Texas were the 2 trains that actually got the CCC car as it was intended to be operated. This was about 10 years ago. They ran with a totally different menu, and it was a concept that lasted only a few months I think before they went back to business as usual with the full diner.

The CCC ad is probably leftover from that. The Capitol never got the full CCC treatment, just the physical cars operating as full diners.
 
They do have lie flat seats. In the roomettes.
which would be equivalent to first class on airlines.

business class on airlines has lie flat seats in a more usual seating configuration that should work on a train. If you could do it with 2-1 seating you would have an interesting product for long distance.

One of the LD trains in Australia replaced their sleeping cars with lie flat seats. I can see this being a good alternative to business class on LD trains (and 66/67).

https://youtu.be/wsX_GsYSdos
 
That's an awesome find!!! That's exactly what I was envisioning when I was typing but I didn't know it actually existed anywhere.
 
They do have lie flat seats. In the roomettes.
which would be equivalent to first class on airlines.

business class on airlines has lie flat seats in a more usual seating configuration that should work on a train. If you could do it with 2-1 seating you would have an interesting product for long distance.

One of the LD trains in Australia replaced their sleeping cars with lie flat seats. I can see this being a good alternative to business class on LD trains (and 66/67).

https://youtu.be/wsX_GsYSdos
Wouldn't this take up as much space as Amtrak's roomettes do, but with less privacy?
 
They do have lie flat seats. In the roomettes.
which would be equivalent to first class on airlines.

business class on airlines has lie flat seats in a more usual seating configuration that should work on a train. If you could do it with 2-1 seating you would have an interesting product for long distance.

One of the LD trains in Australia replaced their sleeping cars with lie flat seats. I can see this being a good alternative to business class on LD trains (and 66/67).

https://youtu.be/wsX_GsYSdos
Wouldn't this take up as much space as Amtrak's roomettes do, but with less privacy?
YES!!! This is what Amtrak needs for Business Class!!!! Especially on 66/67. If they did this, they may possibly get a few more Business People using the overnight service.
 
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They do have lie flat seats. In the roomettes.
which would be equivalent to first class on airlines.

business class on airlines has lie flat seats in a more usual seating configuration that should work on a train. If you could do it with 2-1 seating you would have an interesting product for long distance.

One of the LD trains in Australia replaced their sleeping cars with lie flat seats. I can see this being a good alternative to business class on LD trains (and 66/67).

https://youtu.be/wsX_GsYSdos
Wouldn't this take up as much space as Amtrak's roomettes do, but with less privacy?
YES!!! This is what Amtrak needs for Business Class!!!! Especially on 66/67. If they did this, they may possibly get a few more Business People using the overnight service.
Why would someone want this instead of a roomette?
 
They do have lie flat seats. In the roomettes.
which would be equivalent to first class on airlines.

business class on airlines has lie flat seats in a more usual seating configuration that should work on a train. If you could do it with 2-1 seating you would have an interesting product for long distance.

One of the LD trains in Australia replaced their sleeping cars with lie flat seats. I can see this being a good alternative to business class on LD trains (and 66/67).

https://youtu.be/wsX_GsYSdos
Wouldn't this take up as much space as Amtrak's roomettes do, but with less privacy?
YES!!! This is what Amtrak needs for Business Class!!!! Especially on 66/67. If they did this, they may possibly get a few more Business People using the overnight service.
Why would someone want this instead of a roomette?
Because roomettes are anachronistic to most travelers? The traveling public knows seats like these, and equate them as being a high-end product; they really don't know what a roomette is.

From a business standpoint, Amtrak can't afford the extremely heavy conversion process to put roomettes in an AmFleet/Horizon/Superliner Coach. They can, however, put lie-flat seats into those cars for a fraction of the cost and completely standardize the hard product nation-wide.
 
I don't see the appeal. Less space than a roomette with absolutely no privacy. Maybe as kind of super business class daytime run.
 
It's not instead of a roomette. We are talking about 2 different products. Why does anyone want a Roomette when they can have a bedroom?

As Blackwolf mentioned... these seats could be installed in existing cars without any major changes. (Roomettes require walls, doors, emergency exits on every window, beds installed to ceilings and/or walls... ).
 
Having flown in Business Class on a Singapore Airlines 777, Delta 767, Delta A330, and an Air New Zealand 777, the comfort of these "lie-flat seats" reputation promises more than they deliver in my experience. Lying flat, my movement constricted by a seat belt, I was uncomfortable and got little sleep. On my most recent experience, the Delta A330, I put my seat into my often-used at home Lazy Boy fashion, I actually went to sleep and got some good rest even with my seat belt fastened.

Providing such airline type Business Class seating on Amtrak to replace Sleeping Car Roomettes is an idea that ought to find its way to the dust bin.

Incidentally, Air New Zealand provided my absolute best Business Class flight experience from their LAX Lounge to luggage retrieval in Auckland. Delta has been #2 (from which Amtrak's new CEO has come). Singapore was a disappointment, particularly for what it cost. A Flight Attendant whose English was only slightly better than my whatever she spoke. Helpful with a mal-functioning entertainment system: "I'll be back to help." We had a crew change and the system was re-set before it then worked. A "Book the Cook" dinner that disappointed (overcooked steak). A light Supper after leaving Hong Kong and the breakfast before landing in San Francisco only met the culinary expectations that I expected.
 
I think in the case of the Australia trainset, they wanted to reduce costs so they reduced the size of the trainset by removing the originally planned sleeping cars and dining cars. I dont know what the thought process was behind introducing these lie flat seats over a traditional room.

Really the only difference between this and a berth on the Canadian, is that at least the berth has a privacy curtain.
 
I am quite certain that a berth on the Canadian is much more comfortable.

I need to go up there and ride in one of the sections just to say I've done it.

While I still prefer the Amtrak Roomette over all in design, the via rail Roomette was by far the most comfortable bed Ive slept in on a train (and that includes the iowa pacific Pullman sleepers!)
 
Having flown in Business Class on a Singapore Airlines 777, Delta 767, Delta A330, and an Air New Zealand 777, the comfort of these "lie-flat seats" reputation promises more than they deliver in my experience. Lying flat, my movement constricted by a seat belt, I was uncomfortable and got little sleep. On my most recent experience, the Delta A330, I put my seat into my often-used at home Lazy Boy fashion, I actually went to sleep and got some good rest even with my seat belt fastened.

Providing such airline type Business Class seating on Amtrak to replace Sleeping Car Roomettes is an idea that ought to find its way to the dust bin.

Incidentally, Air New Zealand provided my absolute best Business Class flight experience from their LAX Lounge to luggage retrieval in Auckland. Delta has been #2 (from which Amtrak's new CEO has come). Singapore was a disappointment, particularly for what it cost. A Flight Attendant whose English was only slightly better than my whatever she spoke. Helpful with a mal-functioning entertainment system: "I'll be back to help." We had a crew change and the system was re-set before it then worked. A "Book the Cook" dinner that disappointed (overcooked steak). A light Supper after leaving Hong Kong and the breakfast before landing in San Francisco only met the culinary expectations that I expected.
I was NOT talking about replacing the Bedrooms or Roomette's, this would be a separate product. I prefer a roomette as well, but in the situation of train 66/67, and in Business Class trains on the LD routes, this would provide a option for those who don't want to pay the higher price for the roomette or bedroom, but still would have the comfort of being able to lie flat and sleep. This would also be a lot easier for Amtrak to install in the existing cars that they have. I just would like to see another option on Train 66/67, since they don't have the spare sleepers (yet), where I could have a comfortable nights sleep on a 9 hour ride from New Haven to Richmond.
 
Other than 66/67, are there any other trains currently w/o any sleepers at all where an option like this is desperately needed? Does anyone see any way that sleepers would get added back to 66/67 once the next VLII order is completed?

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I can almost guarantee you that Amtrak wouldn't add a new type of car for just one (relatively) short round-trip per day (i.e. 66/67).

As for the other trains, as has been noted, the seats appear to take up as much (or almost as much) room as a roomette. Amtrak is also unlikely to be buying new seats and retrofitting them onto 30-year-old (or 40-year old) cars.
 
Other than 66/67, are there any other trains currently w/o any sleepers at all where an option like this is desperately needed? Does anyone see any way that sleepers would get added back to 66/67 once the next VLII order is completed?

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I could see this option as a good ad-on to a few of the other NE Corridor trains, such as any of the ones that depart NYP, WAS or BOS between 3am and 6am. Also the Auto Train, and maybe even the Palmetto, due to its 15 hour run.
 
I can almost guarantee you that Amtrak wouldn't add a new type of car for just one (relatively) short round-trip per day (i.e. 66/67).

As for the other trains, as has been noted, the seats appear to take up as much (or almost as much) room as a roomette. Amtrak is also unlikely to be buying new seats and retrofitting them onto 30-year-old (or 40-year old) cars.
All of the Amfleet 1's are getting a refresh with new seats, restrooms and remodeled Cafe cars as we speak. Not as fancy as lie-flat beads, but it's a start.
 
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Reading fliers comment on the lie flat seating, it appears there are some better than others. The more recliner type flat seat seamed to be preferred for resting and for some sleep with an angle and rise for the legs. Length wise it seems that 7 feet in length is needed and a couple feet plus in width. So how many could Amtrak fit into a BC 2+1 configuration? 10 rows of 3? 30 seats? Would a dedicated BC Attendant be required to service this car before, during, after? To me marketing could really hit the Business travelers going from BOS to WAS with skip the airport hassle and security, get some rest after finish your repoorts, freshen up with a hot cup of coffee as arrive WAS, be at your 8:00 AM fresh ready to do business.
 
I can almost guarantee you that Amtrak wouldn't add a new type of car for just one (relatively) short round-trip per day (i.e. 66/67).

As for the other trains, as has been noted, the seats appear to take up as much (or almost as much) room as a roomette. Amtrak is also unlikely to be buying new seats and retrofitting them onto 30-year-old (or 40-year old) cars.
All of the Amfleet 1's are getting a refresh with new seats, restrooms and remodeled Cafe cars as we speak. Not as fancy as lie-flat beads, but it's a start.
No. They are getting new seat cushions, carpets, and LED lights. The seat structure is exactly the same. That’s how they’re able to do it for so cheap per car and complete a car during an overnight stop.

I haven’t heard anything about “remodeled cafes” so perhaps you can give me some details.
 
Shows the state of our minds. Must be very few places in the world that gets this excited about new seat cushions, and starts seeing them as all brand new seats! Is it nicer to have new seat cushions and carpets? Of course! But the level of excitement and anticipation about it is somewhat amazing.
 
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Refresh is precisely the term Amtrak is using, and restrooms (particularly floor replacement) and cafe cars are included, but the emphasis was on seat cushions and covers, and carpet first.

The refresh will take approximately nine months to complete and customers can expect a progression of upgrades during that time, with the approximate delivery schedule:

Fall 2017: Installation of Business Class carpets and cushions, Coach Class carpets and cushions, LED lighting, upgraded restrooms.
Winter 2017: Continued installation of carpets, cushions, and LED lighting. First installations of Business Class curtains, refreshed wainscoting and bulkhead, and refreshed café cars.
Spring & Summer 2018: Final installations of all items.

The car interiors look better, are a bit more comfortable since the cushions are new, the big question is how long will they be kept up?
 
so are the chefs being removed from the CL or not?
It is one of the many things under "consideration as a plan leading to the sustainability of long distance service" is being planned.
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I'd expect more information towards the beginning of summer but I'm personally hoping for the long distance vision to emerge prior to May.
 
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Just did a round trip to New York this weekend, refurbished Amfleet both ways.

Seats very nice. Also installed new water faucets in rest rooms which actually work instead of the former trickle type.
 
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