Moffat Tunnel Closed?

[iowa train fan]

Just to expand a bit on Rafi's remarks, any detour of the CZ through the Rockies is out of Amtrak's hands. UP and UP alone makes the decision on when they're going to close the route for maintenance. And while UP typically does have some semblance of a master plan, that plan can go out the window on a moments notice.
Many, many UP projects either were delayed or cancelled entirely for this year thanks to the landslide in Oregon that closed one of their routes for several months. Work crews, supervisors, supplies, and money were all diverted to that catastrophe, rather than going to the places that were in the master plan.

And now, just having barely recovered from that major problem, now UP is looking at miles of rail under water. There are potential washouts, possible bridge damage, track cleanings needed, switch motor repairs or replacements, electrical work for cables and control boxes that went under water, all to be dealt with in the Iowa area. And it's still not even clear just how much damage there is, since much of the rails are still under water.

So until it is clear just how much damage there is, UP isn't going to commit to anything regarding possible detours through the Rockies. I'm certain that Amtrak would love to have a firm commitment, and frankly I think that UP wishes that they could give Amtrak such a commitment, but it's simply not possible or prudent for UP to do so at this time while in the middle of yet another major crisis this year.

I realize that this doesn't really help those who are worried about trips, but this is the reality. If you want someone to blame, then please blame Mother Nature, not Amtrak or UP.

My frustration comes in I don't really care where the train goes as long as it gets me to my final destination. I fully understand mother nature and running on some one else's tracks. I just want to take the train and if this detour does happen, hello bus!!! What then is the sense. Thanks for all the input and I will just hunker down and wait to see what happens next. My other problem is if I wanted to switch dates I am booked into a vacation cabin in GS and they need to know now if I want to cancel or change. Thanks again Don

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Yes, by accommodations I meant sleepers. I noticed that the sizes seem to vary by letter. Do they go from a to h? By cars, I was referring to Superliner vs Silverliner or Viewliner. I'm confused about that. There's just me and my wife, so we don't need a big bedroom. Good to know that this is a direct trip.

Silverliner refer to Ex-Pennsylvania Budd-built EMUs and their progeny run by Septa. I think you meant "Amfleet".

Just for the OP's clarification, Amfleet is a single-level Amtrak coach car. It is to a Viewliner what a Superliner coach is to a Superliner sleeper.

Try here for a run-down of the types of Amtrak cars.

And GML, were you arguing for or arguing against a Viewliner room being superior to a Superliner room? Just my own curiosity--I've never been in a Viewliner, so I was simply reporting what I thought was the general sentiment here. Maybe I'm wrong...

I thought I preferred the idea of the Viewliner with its in-room toilets to the Superliners until I rode on a Superliner. They ride better, and the Superliner I refurbished bathrooms are actually usable. However, I could easily see a smaller person than I who travels alone prefering the Viewliner. They have different advantages and disadvantages.

To simplify life for our LD poster, here is a break down of Amtrak's single-level rolling stock

Heritage: The cars Amtrak inherited from its previous owners and converted to Head-End-Power. At one time there was a bewildering array of them- coaches, sleepers, dome cars, lounge cars, dining cars, baggage cars, rear-end observation cars, dorm cars, RPO cars, and so on ad infinitum. Five types survived past the early nineties: the 24 duplex roomette, 8 double roomette 24-8 Slumbercoach, the 10 roomette-6 double bedroom 10-6 sleeper (reconfigured as a shower equipped eight roomette, 1 handicapped roomette, 6 double bedroom car called simply the "Heritage Sleeper"), the Dining Car, the Dorm-Lounge, and the Baggage car. Of these, Amtrak currently only runs baggage cars and dining cars. Almost all of them are ribbed stainless steel cars built by Budd.

Amfleet I: Amtrak's original single level coach cars, they originally came in short distance coach, long distance coach, and a few food service cars with different configurations of coach, club, and dinette seating and a snack bar in the middle. Following delivery of the Amfleet IIs, most Long Distance Amfleet Is were converted to short distance or "Custom Class"/"Businessclass" configuration. They have rounded sides, small slat windows, automatic vestibule doors at both ends with small fixed square windows in their center, and were built by Budd.

Amfleet II: A single level coach meant to be the long-distance version of the Amfleet I. It has much greater seat-pitch, significantly larger windows, and a manual vestibule door with one opening window at only one end. It came in coach and lounge configurations. The lounge had several iterations, the original being dinette-seating on one end, and lounge-style seating on the other, with a middle snack bar. The others are the more modern all-dinette lounge, the smoking lounge which has a enclosed smoking room, and the Diner-Lounge, which is intended to be partially or fully a table-service dining car. These were the last cars Budd built for Amtrak, like all Budd cars, out of shot-welded stainless steel.

Horizon: A stopgap car based on the Pullman-Standard/Bombardier Comet car, piggybacked onto NJ-Transit's Comet II order with Bombardier. They come in short distance coach, long distance coach, club-dinette, and dinette forms. They are boxy, made out of aluminum, usually filthy-looking, have tiny windows, and manual dutch vestibule doors at each end of the car.

Viewliner: Amtrak originally intended the Viewliner to become its standard car on overnight trains, planning Sleepers, Diners, Lounges, Baggage-Dorm, and Coach cars. In the end 1 prototype diner was built (now out of service) 2 prototype sleepers (ditto) and 50 production sleepers. Amtrak has a shortage of these cars. Such a shortage that several trains have been truncated or downgraded because of it. They have angled sides, some ribbing, two rows of windows per side, and a single vestibule door. They were designed by Amtrak and Budd, but built by Morrison-Knudson.