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I am traveling from London On to Louisville KY. I was wondering what I should be expecting from my ride? does any one know what kind of equipment is used on the "International" and the "Kentucky Cardnal"

Thanks all

Thomas
 
The International uses Horizon equipment, which is viewed as uncomfortable by many and are little more than glorified commuter coaches. I'm not completely sure about the Kentucky Cardinal, it uses Single Level Coaches, i'm not sure if its Amfleet II (Better than Horizon, more geared for long distance service) or Horizon. Both Trains offer food service, and depending on the day of travel, you can get meals in the Diner of the Kentucky Cardinal, (Indianapolis-Chicago) when the train is Combined with the Cardinal (Tri-Weekly Train).
 
The 2002 Amtrak travel planner says that the Kentucky Cardinal uses Superliner equipment and offers reserved coach and a cafe car. Of course, this information could be outdated, and I wouldn't really know since I live on the west coast. :rolleyes:
 
jccollins said:
The 2002 Amtrak travel planner says that the Kentucky Cardinal uses Superliner equipment and offers reserved coach and a cafe car. Of course, this information could be outdated, and I wouldn't really know since I live on the west coast. :rolleyes:
JC,

That is indeed outdated. Neither the Kentucky Cardinal nor the Cardinal currently use Superliner equipment.
 
I do want to add that 8 Horizon coaches have been referbished to lond distance standards. That includes only 60 seats per car instead of 80 (thus more leg room), foot rests, calf rests, and window curtains. Whether or not these turn up on your trains I don't know? B)
 
Thank you all for your replies

I was hoping that I migfht get to see the Superliners as I have only traveled on Via's single level cars. if there is some one out there that can get a superliner on the K-Card on the 27th of feb I would be really greatful! but I dont think that is going to happen!
 
If you're at Chicago at the right time, you may be able to see them on another Long Distance train though.
 
ltdoyle56 said:
I was hoping that I migfht get to see the Superliners as I have only traveled on Via's single level cars.  if there is some one out there that can get a superliner on the K-Card on the 27th of feb I would be really greatful! but I dont think that is going to happen!
Amtrak can't change the K-Cards equipment to Superliner without also changing the Cardinal to Superliner equipment. Since these two trains run part of their journey combined into one train, they both have to have the same type of equipment. Currently Amtrak does not have enough Superliner equipment to restore both trains to Superliner equipment.

Additionally since Amtrak plans to discontinue the K-Card, :( it's highly unlikely that you would see a sudden equipment change to Superliner cars in time for your trip.

You best hope would be to catch a glimpse of a Superliner at Chicago like Viewliner said. :)
 
hey guys thanks so much for the input!!!! it really does help! :) I was wondering if the platforms at Chicago are accesible at all times? like can I just sit on the platform and do some trainwatching? if not is there anyone I can talk to that might be of help me out in my watch? does anyone know if the car attendents are flexable with visitors looking through the trains? well thanks again all
 
The platforms used by Amtrak at Chicago are usually off limits, unless your train is boarding. They generally keep them roped off, especially on the south side. You might if luck is with you slip in on the north side, but even then I wouldn't want to bet on it. You should also note that there is more Amtrak action on the south side than there is on the north.

Now what you may be able to get away with is to venture out onto one of the platforms that Metra uses. I've never really paid attention to those platform areas, but I don't think that they are closed off.

Of course you may still find that employees and/or security may chase you out of either the Amtrak or the Metra areas even if you do make it in. Sadly 9/11 has caused a security increase, making it harder for us railfans to pursue train action.
 
Wait now Alan, when the equipment was removed from the Palmetto for the K-Card it was single level, and the Cardinal was still on its Superliner equipment. I believe they were going to use a Hi-Level Trans Coach to transition the two trains.
 
Only on the "off" days would the K-Card have single level coach when the Card was still Superliner. On the "on" days the K-Card would have a referbished high-level coach or Superliner coach. I believe the sleeper on the K-Card lasted less than a month.
 
Amtrak can't change the K-Cards equipment to Superliner without also changing the Cardinal to Superliner equipment. Since these two trains run part of their journey combined into one train, they both have to have the same type of equipment. Currently Amtrak does not have enough Superliner equipment to restore both trains to Superliner equipment.
I have been on two trains where there was both single-level and Superliner equipment. One was back when, for a short time, the Capitol Limited carried through cars from the Three Rivers (it was after the Broadway Ltd. had been suspended), and also after the "new" Three Rivers was made a New York-Pittsburgh train, requiring all to change between the Three Rivers and Capitol Limited at PGH. Because so many complained about the overnight layover and forced transfer, they began running single-level through cars from the Three Rivers to/from Philadelphia & New York on the rear of the Capitol Limited. The sections were joined by a Transition sleeper, which gave us Three Rivers passengers full access to the Superliner diner and lounge, albeit having to use a spiral staircase on the Transition car. I think since it was a Transition car, most likely used as a crew dorm, it did not disturb any revenue passengers.

The other case was on the Texas Eagle, which I rode just from St. Louis to Chicago. At that time when the Texas Eagle ran daily only as far as St. Louis before daily service was extended to Texas, they used Horizon equipment 7 days a week for the CHI-STL trains, the same as is used for the 300-series trains on that corridor. On the days that the parent train ran (it came from points south of STL 3 days a week) the Horizons were placed on the rear of the consist, and again there was a Transition car ( I believe that one was an ex-Santa Fe highliner) to give us access to the Superliners.
 
battalion51 said:
Wait now Alan, when the equipment was removed from the Palmetto for the K-Card it was single level, and the Cardinal was still on its Superliner equipment. I believe they were going to use a Hi-Level Trans Coach to transition the two trains.
No at that time of the demise of the Palm, the K-Card was still Superliner equipment. Through most of its life the K-Card was Superliner equipment, the problem was that they kept stealing the sleeper from the K-Card during the summer months. The loss of the sleeper left running only with coaches, which never saw all that much business.

The sleeper was the biggest moneymaker on the K-Card. In fact, they probably should have run the train with only a sleeper and forgotten the coach completely.

The Palm equipment didn't go to the K-Card, it went to the Cardinal. The K-Card never saw the Palm's diners nor it's sleepers. The K-Card got the sleepers from the Twilight Shoreliner for about two months. Then they decided that the Twilight made more money off the sleepers than did the K-Card, so they reversed that decision.

Additionally the Cardinal hasn't carried any trans-dorms since at least August of 2000. There just aren't enough to go around, and the Cardinal lost its trans-dorm since there are usually extra bedrooms on that train for the crew to use. Therefore there wouldn't have been any way to get from a single level to a bi-level.

Superliner Diner is correct that there have been cases where Amtrak did use a trans-dorm between bi-level's and single levels. However, I've not heard of it being done in the last few years at all. The crew doesn't like passengers traipsing through their car.
 
The Auto Train used to have two Transition Sleepers when the trian was using Superliner Sleepers (plus a Diner and Lounge for sleeper passengers) and Heritage and Amfleet equipment for Coach. That was my first overnight trip (I was 9 and the year 1996) and I remember begging my mom to get us in the "big cars", but we ended up roughing it out in Coach. On the return trip we did get a sleeper though. By 1997 the AT was all Superliner.
 
so is it then possible that there may be a superliner on the K card on thursday the 27th of feb when it is running with the Card?
 
The Kentucky Cardinal and the Cardinal currently use Viewliner equipment. I took a trip with my family in March of 2002 from Louisville to Chicago when the trainset was still the double decker Superliner. By May of 2002, when I took another trip on the same train, it had been switched to the single Viewliner equipment due to derailments in other parts of the country. On both trips we went First Class in the sleepers.
 
To Sum It all up:

The Kentucky Cardinal doesn't operate with Superliners due to a shortage caused by several recent derailments and not repairing the ones out of service until now. The Kentucky Cardinal Lost its Viewliner Sleeper to the Twilight Shoreliner, where it could make more money. That in turn left it with Amfleet II Equipment most likely, giving it a Coach. Thats usually how it runs, with no food Service I guess except when it hooks up with the Cardinal in Indy.
 
Just to add the K-Card may run with a Horizon Coach which is not the best place to spend an overnight trip, but it should be lightly patronized and spreding over two seats should not be a problem.
 
Viewliner said:
Thats usually how it runs, with no food Service I guess except when it hooks up with the Cardinal in Indy.
I think the K-Card still gets an Amfleet lounge car, so one can still buy some food. You just don't get dining car service unless you're riding on a day were the K-Card combines with the Cardinal.

Amtrak can't send passengers on an overnight journey without some sort of food service. :eek:
 
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