Silver Star Update

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My understanding is that Amtrak made a good-faith effort to accommodate everyone who was on the Star with a notification and the options above. That being said, I also understand that some people may have managed not to be contacted (didn't see the email, didn't recognize the phone number, etc.).
I was gratuitously notified even though I bought the ticket on the Star well after the announcement. They even offered to give me a lower fare, but of course they did not mean it since I had already bought the lower fare. :)
 
I've been wrestling with the question of how to manage the F&B situation on long(er)-distance trains. The best that I can come up with is some sort of "A-train"/"B-train" division:
A-Train: Operates with a full dining car and a separate cafe car, CCC, or SSL.
B-Train: Operates with an "enhanced cafe"/"diner-club" car. I'm thinking that this should generally be either (1) a single-level diner, but with only two OBS (a cook and an LSA) serving a menu including some full entrees (sorry, but a caesar salad or a panini doesn't count here).

Ideally, you'd have an A-train on most (if not all) LD routings alongside a B-train, with a difference in sleeper fares (and possibly a smaller one in coach fares over longer distances). We don't live in an ideal world, but this is what I'd shoot for. I'd also shoot for a LOT more sleeper space across the board (ideally most single-level LD trains would have no less than four sleepers outside of slow seasons), albeit at slightly lower fares than we're used to. I'd also shoot to make the really long-haul day trains (Adirondack, Palmetto, etc.) into B-Trains as an upgrade of their cafe-only status. The Adirondack in particular is really galling in this respect given the amount of end-to-end traffic on that train.

Realistically, something like this could only be done in the East: The demand appears to be there for a second LSL, and there's plenty of precedent for three daily trains NYP-MIA (if not the equipment right now). The Cap-Pennsylvanian operation would be a hybrid, and a re-extended Pennsylvanian could easily operate as a B-train CHI-PGH (alongside the Cap as an A-train). Worth noting is the fact that if you're willing to exchange equipment between trains (and sacrifice a bit of utilization optimization) you could have the "base sets" switch between the A-train and B-train while the "premium" equipment stays with the A-train. The best comparison at present would be the extra sleeper on the Meteor (the third sleeper and its attendant stay with the Meteor both ways while the rest of the crew alternates). West of Chicago, the only plausible routes for something like this are really fragments of the Zephyr, Builder, and possibly the Starlight as a whole.

There's one other option, which would be to disentangle the "included meals" line on most trains. Doing so would probably allow you to get another good chunk of capacity on the train before overwhelming the diner (e.g. 5-6 sleepers on one diner instead of a practical limit around 4 right now). I've mulled over ways to manage this, but a fair point to be had is that if you have more sleeper passengers per train there's a corresponding decrease in the number of times that diner service demands will behave oddly on a given run.
 
Another underlying issue is that the cafe car food on the 'national trains' kind of stinks. There is actually a better selection of higher-quality prepackaged food on the "corridor" trains. I'm sure this has something to do with commissaries and whatnot, but it seems like a no-brainer to fix it and have the cafe cars on the LSL and Star be as good at the cafe car on the Regional and Empire Service.
 
Another underlying issue is that the cafe car food on the 'national trains' kind of stinks. There is actually a better selection of higher-quality prepackaged food on the "corridor" trains. I'm sure this has something to do with commissaries and whatnot, but it seems like a no-brainer to fix it and have the cafe cars on the LSL and Star be as good at the cafe car on the Regional and Empire Service.
This would work as a stopgap measure (the salads aren't bad and neither are those sandwiches), but I do think you could do brisk business off of "upsold" meals even from there. Based on the amount of coach traffic in the diners there is evidently the demand, and if it is just a matter of OBS costs then I see no reason you couldn't work around part of that and still have a respectable hot meal of some sort available.
 
So another dinning car bites the dust.

The Silver Meteor that left NYC on 1 Aug 2015. The dinning car was bad order in Washington DC and was replaced with a cafe car. The swapping of cars was about 3.5 hrs.

I had a 1830 seating. It was quite rough riding. The staff was have trouble stay on there feet. This was north of DC so the track speed should of been 125 mph. After we arrived I was still eating and watch a blue hat walking on the track side duck under and inspect the equipment. After a bit a few more blue hats show up, follow by a whole bunch of white hats. Power was restored to the train in good order at 1915. We they sat thur our depart time and a hour after or at 2035 hrs we lost HEP again, with the SCA tell people were getting the dinner swap out. Over the next two hours HEP would come on and off for those in the sleepers. The coach passenger were report to be without HEP most of this time. We left 3.5 hours late. With one pax taking off the train by EMS.

So can not wait into the new dinners are on-line. It's too bad Amtral had to call the shortage of dinning cars a food service experiment, not just a end of life issue.
 
Speed limit on Heritage dining cars is 110 mph (or possibly less). With the dining car still in the consist north of DC, there's no way you were going 125.
 
Too blame the bounce, rattling and flying crew on track is SOP when on fright tracks. My point was you can not blame the track while on the NEC when the track is design for 125 mph running.

Smooth train, smooth track.
 
Sounds like the Heritage diners are dropping dead. Ouch. Here's hoping the revised pilot car for the dining cars makes it out of CAF soon, because Amtrak needs those dining cars ASAP.
 
Imagine how that diner would have ridden over the 60 mph ex-SAL between Cary, NC and Fairfax, SC.
 
Too blame the bounce, rattling and flying crew on track is SOP when on fright tracks. My point was you can not blame the track while on the NEC when the track is design for 125 mph running.

Smooth train, smooth track.
Actually the NEC track between BAL and WAS is in relatively sad shape and desperately needs to be undercut and rebuilt. They have done some of this work between BAL and WIL and the track is now markedly better there. May be BAL to WAS will get the treatment later this season or early next season.
 
So another dinning car bites the dust.

The Silver Meteor that left NYC on 1 Aug 2015. The dinning car was bad order in Washington DC and was replaced with a cafe car. The swapping of cars was about 3.5 hrs.

I had a 1830 seating. It was quite rough riding. The staff was have trouble stay on there feet. This was north of DC so the track speed should of been 125 mph. After we arrived I was still eating and watch a blue hat walking on the track side duck under and inspect the equipment. After a bit a few more blue hats show up, follow by a whole bunch of white hats. Power was restored to the train in good order at 1915. We they sat thur our depart time and a hour after or at 2035 hrs we lost HEP again, with the SCA tell people were getting the dinner swap out. Over the next two hours HEP would come on and off for those in the sleepers. The coach passenger were report to be without HEP most of this time. We left 3.5 hours late. With one pax taking off the train by EMS.

So can not wait into the new dinners are on-line. It's too bad Amtral had to call the shortage of dinning cars a food service experiment, not just a end of life issue.
I've been tracking the poor on-time performance of the Meteor recently (since we take it to and from Florida each winter). I wondered what happened yesterday, which was much worse. That's for the information. But I'm sorry you had such an uncomfortable trip.
 
So another dinning car bites the dust.

The Silver Meteor that left NYC on 1 Aug 2015. The dinning car was bad order in Washington DC and was replaced with a cafe car. The swapping of cars was about 3.5 hrs.

I had a 1830 seating. It was quite rough riding. The staff was have trouble stay on there feet. This was north of DC so the track speed should of been 125 mph. After we arrived I was still eating and watch a blue hat walking on the track side duck under and inspect the equipment. After a bit a few more blue hats show up, follow by a whole bunch of white hats. Power was restored to the train in good order at 1915. We they sat thur our depart time and a hour after or at 2035 hrs we lost HEP again, with the SCA tell people were getting the dinner swap out. Over the next two hours HEP would come on and off for those in the sleepers. The coach passenger were report to be without HEP most of this time. We left 3.5 hours late. With one pax taking off the train by EMS.

So can not wait into the new dinners are on-line. It's too bad Amtral had to call the shortage of dinning cars a food service experiment, not just a end of life issue.
I saw your train pass through Chester PA. It was going more slowly than normal but I figured it was track work in the region.

https://flic.kr/p/wy8DaW

https://flic.kr/p/wNqGaG

https://flic.kr/p/vTSDJT
 
Too blame the bounce, rattling and flying crew on track is SOP when on fright tracks. My point was you can not blame the track while on the NEC when the track is design for 125 mph running.

Smooth train, smooth track.
Actually the NEC track between BAL and WAS is in relatively sad shape and desperately needs to be undercut and rebuilt. They have done some of this work between BAL and WIL and the track is now markedly better there. May be BAL to WAS will get the treatment later this season or early next season.
Yes, people should not assume that because their train is on the NEC, that the trackbed and tracks are anywhere near to tip-top condition with smooth rides. Far from it. On some segments on the southern NEC and for that matter, on the New Haven line, have had rough rides for years. With tight maintenance budgets, all too easy to get behind on undercutting the trackbeds and track maintenance.
 
The dinning car was bad order and removed at Washington DC. That is a fact, why I don't know, but it was the trucks that everyone was looking at.

So yes I assumed the reason why the staff was flying around was a issue with the car, and not the track.
 
Oh I am sure the car had problems. However, I was just pointing out that the state of the NEC tracks are not that great specially in its very southern end, and that is acknowledged by Amtrak, and serious reconstruction is scheduled over the next several years. The state of the tracks in NJ, PA and DE are much better than those further south. The state between Ragan (Wilmington) and Perry (Perryville has improved significantly recently.
 
Checking pricing for Star-Meteor for Oct-Nov NYP to MIA.

BEDROOM

Star $1130

Meteor $1580

Either they are working very hard to "fix" the success of the

diner less Star

Or

Someone was paying $450 per person for

Breakfast

Two lunches

Dinner

This is pure BS even figuring in the cost of labor.

Vending machines are next for cold food - no rider microwaves - too much

Liability.

Train travel used to be fun.
 
Checking pricing for Star-Meteor for Oct-Nov NYP to MIA.

BEDROOM

Star $1130

Meteor $1580

Either they are working very hard to "fix" the success of the

diner less Star

Or

Someone was paying $450 per person for

Breakfast

Two lunches

Dinner

This is pure BS even figuring in the cost of labor.

Vending machines are next for cold food - no rider microwaves - too much

Liability.

Train travel used to be fun.
29% discount is in line with what was stated when the experiment was announced. With a capacity of three people, that's $37.50 per meal. Probably a slight discount, but not overly large given maintenance, fuel, and labor expenses related to the diner. Keep in mind that several revenue spaces are also opened up by the lack of diner crew, so you have to figure in the opportunity costs as well.

Also, if people could stop predicting doom and gloom for food and beverage over this, that'd be great.
 
The flipside is that someone paying over $1100 for a two-day trip is also having to shell out for a limited menu of convenience store food items, many of which will run out at some point during the trip. That's to say nothing of passengers' medical needs that may require regular meals, etc. (And non-railfans might also pay $450 to get to MIA a few hours faster.)

If the cafe car had sufficient inventory and some healthy-ish choices (the NEC cafes are better but still not ideal), it might be workable. If the run were reliably less than 18 hours or so, it might be workable--I remember riding the Three Rivers when it ran, and it arrived early enough in Chicago that I could have breakfast at the station instead. If stations all had great food choices nearby, that might work too. But this experiment lacks all three.
 
Apparently the current f/b service is workable for somebody or they wouldn't buy the ticket. With the dynamic pricing of today I doubt if Amtrak is hanging out $1100 tickets to dry. My motives and needs are not your motives and needs and yours are not anyone else's.
 
Saying that it works 'cause someone's buying the tickets is not the way to operate passenger rail. There are human elements to consider, such as dietary needs that café car offerings do not accommodate. The amount of disgust that this so called test has caused is well within reason to discontinue it and call it a failure. Passengers are using the Star mainly because the Meteor does not have enough available coaches and sleepers to pick up Star's carrying loads, and it serves towns that Meteor doesn't. Times are also different.
 
Saying that it works 'cause someone's buying the tickets is not the way to operate passenger rail. There are human elements to consider, such as dietary needs that café car offerings do not accommodate. The amount of disgust that this so called test has caused is well within reason to discontinue it and call it a failure. Passengers are using the Star mainly because the Meteor does not have enough available coaches and sleepers to pick up Star's carrying loads, and it serves towns that Meteor doesn't. Times are also different.
Times are actually a big issue on my end (NB, the Meteor arrives in Richmond at an obscene hour and I lose half a day in FL as a result; SB, the Star leaves Richmond at dinner time...ergo, I'm basically locked to Meteor South/Star North at this point).
 
According to some sources, because of shorter consist, the Silver Star is now being assigned a single P42 instead of two, starting today (8/12/15)
Well, that's just peachy. Add the SS to the list of trains (a la Heartland Flyer) that will now NOT have the redundacy of a second loco.

And they only took off the Diner, right? One less car warrants removal of a loco?

That seems loco.
 
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