Dinner out of CHI on #30

[sechs]

Do they serve dinner out of Chicago on the Capitol Limited, and, more importantly, if so, at about what time does service start?

Perhaps I should also be asking how late late into DC we need to be to get something for dinner....

 

[Midland Valley]

Two of the boys and I will be in the sleeper on the CL in March. They used to serve dinner and I'm sure they still do, probably shortly after leaving the station and tickets are collected. I don't think they plan lunch but maybe if we're late enough they will bring on box lunches.

 

[Sam Damon]

They do serve dinner out of CHI on #30.

I think the first seating is around 6:30, and the last seating is around 9:00. This may vary from crew to crew, and the sleeper load they deal with.

On my recent round-trip, #29 started serving breakfast at 6:00a local time, and quit around 7:15a. We were actually running on time that trip, and ended up arriving six minutes late holding for Metra trains. This is still OT according to Amtrak and DOT standards.

 

[sechs]

After watching the train for the last month, I've just come to rely upon something for lunch....

 

[Guest]

they serve dinner out of chi and lunch is only serve if they are more than hour 1 (of course it might of change since I left) late of Cumerland (Cumberland is only 3 hours runniung time from DC ).

 

[Guest_Amtrak OBS Employee]

This is not to be misconstrued (as each crew is different), however, a rule of thumb most of us crews go by follows. When the train is late and we are within the time period of 05:30 -- 22:00 (the time period most of us as dining car staff are actually on the clock), the company wants us to make every effort to serve any meal period where that time falls while the train is in operation. There are times when we just can't do that such as something happening ten minutes away from the destination terminal, etc. But anyway, if a train leaves the destination terminal and only half a meal period has past, the diner needs to open and make an abbreviated call for that meal period for the first class passengers, and if possible give the coaches a chance to use the diner with the remaining seating if any after first class are in there. The same is true when the train is close to arriving at the end terminal. If there is sufficient time before the time to clean up and start inventory (which is usually about an hour or hour and a half on Silver Service), the same situation falls into play there, too providing there is sufficient time to feed the passengers and get them moved out of the diner in order to begin clean up and stripping of the car. One thing to remember, is the majority of the dining car crew needs to be finished as other than two crewmembers, our timeclock stops as soon as we hit the bumper at the terminal (unless a manager has adjusted our time sheets and OKed it). And we are usually very tired and wanna get going, anyway!

Generally on train #92 we operate based on the train's location, and we have points we go by in route at each end. Heading into NYP, we are scheduled to arrive at 15:40. We will assume we are operating with an ontime train (HA HA HA HA). In this case we will have either started lunch a few minutes prior to WAS (if the crew opened when they are supposed to) or maybe we needed to wait and open departing WAS (we are supposed to leave there at 11:53-so in theory the HEP is down due to the engine change at 11:30 when we normaly open the car). Our arrival time into WIL is 13:40. The company allows us to close the diner either at WIL (15min or so early) or at 14:00 on time for the end of the meal period. We have to have all passengers OUT of the dining car by the time we arrive in PHL (which is about and hour and a half away from NYP) so we can begin clean up and inventory. We use the same "formula" so to speak when the train is operating behind schedule with a late meal. That late meal is technically supposed to be for the first class passengers, though most of the time (as far as my crew is concerned) we make a call to the coaches on a late meal, too.

Like I said in the beginng of this post, I have went through all this mainly to illustrate the way it supposed to work, but remember each crewbase, train crew, and to put it bluntly each trip (as none are ever the same) is totally different! OBS...

 

[Guest_Amtrak OBS Employee]

But anyway, if a train leaves the destination terminal

Just caught that, I wonder how a train does that?

I guess I need to sign in and remember to edit my posts! OBS... :lol:

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

Now I'm in. Quick question.

Anthony, Alan, or any of y'all, Does the system time out and log you out automatically over a certain amount of time or maybe is it the way I got my browser set in the "cookie" department? I seem to stay logged in about a week or two (I don't usually log out except once in a while or if someone else uses my computer. OBS...

 

[Trogdor]

Now I'm in. Quick question.
Anthony, Alan, or any of y'all, Does the system time out and log you out automatically over a certain amount of time or maybe is it the way I got my browser set in the "cookie" department? I seem to stay logged in about a week or two (I don't usually log out except once in a while or if someone else uses my computer. OBS...

I have occasionally been logged out of this board, but not too often.

One trick I learned is to go to "Control Panel" and pick "Skin and Languages." By changing the skin setting to dark blue, you will be able to tell when you are logged in (as the board will be blue) and when you aren't (the board will be white).

 

[musher]

It has got to be the way that you have your cookies set, because I almost never have to log in.

 

[Amtrak OBS Gone Freight]

One trick I learned is to go to "Control Panel" and pick "Skin and Languages." By changing the skin setting to dark blue, you will be able to tell when you are logged in (as the board will be blue) and when you aren't (the board will be white).

Thanks.....I'll try this awhile. It already easier on my eyes! OBS...

 

[Sam Damon]

This is not to be misconstrued (as each crew is different), however, a rule of thumb most of us crews go by follows. When the train is late and we are within the time period of 05:30 -- 22:00 (the time period most of us as dining car staff are actually on the clock), the company wants us to make every effort to serve any meal period where that time falls while the train is in operation.

Thanks for the insights, OBS.

Do the lounge car attendents follow the same schedule (i.e., they're on the clock between 0530-2200)?

Silly naive me, on #29 I expected the lounge to be open out of PGH. Then I started reading about some of the hours the OBS people keep, and I really felt silly for expecting that.

 

[sechs]

This train has a staffed lounge?

 

[Guest]

Yes. As person who used to work the train all the time .........trust me the cafe car is open until 12 mid and reopen at 6 am

 

[sechs]

This train has a cafe car? I thought that this ran the standard sightseer lounge with the downstairs snack bar.