lounge hours?

[AKA]

I will be on CZ CHI to SFC in May. I know what Amtrak says about the hours of the lounge. 6:30 AM - 11:00 or 12:00 PM. I would like more recent information. More like real life times. I know breaks are at attendents choice. Good news bad news. Bad news train is late , Good news train is late. Thanks in advance.

 

[rile42]

Lounge hours refer to the time the attendant is manning the snack area. In my travels, I seem to think that the closing is usually around midnight in the local time. The car itself doesn't actually close, at least not in my experience. In fact, on a recent Capitol Limited trip, I went to the sightseer car very early in the morning and there were a couple of people there sleeping.

The best advise I can offer is to ask the lounge attendant what times the lounge would be open. Of course, there are many posters here better equiped to answer your question.

 

[jccollins]

It has been 6:00am to 11:00pm on all my trips on the longhauls. The lounge attendant usually opens at 6:00 to serve the earlybirds before the dining room opens up at 6:30am. The attendant will usually only take 3 45 minute to 1 hour meal breaks during the day and will remain open the rest of the time during the stated hours of operation.

 

[Amtrak OBS Employee]

It has been 6:00am to 11:00pm on all my trips on the longhauls. The attendant will usually only take 3 45 minute to 1 hour meal breaks during the day and will remain open the rest of the time during the stated hours of operation.

This is correct, and in case anyone is interested, the diner is open for breakfast starting at 6:30 AM (as jccollins posted) and open till 10:00 AM, then 11:30 AM till 2:00 PM for lunch, and then 5:00 PM till 9:00 PM for dinner. Some trains make resevations for individual dinner seatings within the dinner time hours, and the crews are paid till 10:00 PM while enroute in order to make a last call for dinner at 9:00 PM and begin clean up procedures and then finally bedtime!!! OBS...