Stray Superliner in Albuquerque

[abqdave]

There was a single superliner in ABQ late this afternoon. Snapped 2 quick photos:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2675/376395...0f2b3c983_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3520/376396...84d617888_o.jpg

I think the locomotive it is connected to is the one that is always stationed here.

I guessed it might be a car with severe mechanical problems that had to be taken out of service. There were quite a few passengers in the Amtrak/Greyhound station, much more than normal when there is no Southwest Chief here, so I asked a few people why the car was there (wondering if any of them were on it), but no-one knew. Maybe there were just a lot of Greyhound and TNMO passengers and it was coincidence?

 

[RTOlson]

I don't know why it might be there or even on a long-distance route. According to this, car 35009 is a "snack-coach" -- a coach with a snack bar on the lower level.

I would think you would see those more on regional service, but I'm not as familiar with the southwest routes as I would like.

 

[Rafi]

Amtrak did a pretty interesting car shuffle today on the Chief's line...

1). Car 34029 was set off at Newton by 3(26) due to setting off way too many defect detectors; overflow passengers were seated in the lounge car.

2). 4(26) dropped off one of its coaches (35009) in ABQ for 3(26) to pick up to compensate for the coach it lost.

3). 3(27) carried an additional coach out of Chicago to KCY where it dropped it off.

4). 4(26) will pick up the coach in KCY in the morning and take it back to Chicago, using it as a replacement for the coach it dropped off in ABQ.

Rafi

 

[MikeM]

I don't know why it might be there or even on a long-distance route. According to this, car 35009 is a "snack-coach" -- a coach with a snack bar on the lower level.
I would think you would see those more on regional service, but I'm not as familiar with the southwest routes as I would like.

About a week ago, I saw the SWC come through Newton EB and the last car on the train was a snack coach also. Do they operate the snack coaches on the SWC, or do you think that was a deadhead move to get the car back east (as I recall, the train had three sleepers, obs, diner, and three coaches including the snack coach).

 

[printman2000]

I don't know why it might be there or even on a long-distance route. According to this, car 35009 is a "snack-coach" -- a coach with a snack bar on the lower level.
I would think you would see those more on regional service, but I'm not as familiar with the southwest routes as I would like.

About a week ago, I saw the SWC come through Newton EB and the last car on the train was a snack coach also. Do they operate the snack coaches on the SWC, or do you think that was a deadhead move to get the car back east (as I recall, the train had three sleepers, obs, diner, and three coaches including the snack coach).

No, the SWC does not operate with a snack-coach.

 

[cpamtfan]

I don't know why it might be there or even on a long-distance route. According to this, car 35009 is a "snack-coach" -- a coach with a snack bar on the lower level.
I would think you would see those more on regional service, but I'm not as familiar with the southwest routes as I would like.

About a week ago, I saw the SWC come through Newton EB and the last car on the train was a snack coach also. Do they operate the snack coaches on the SWC, or do you think that was a deadhead move to get the car back east (as I recall, the train had three sleepers, obs, diner, and three coaches including the snack coach).

No, the SWC does not operate with a snack-coach.

Well Amtrak has so many extra ones that they will usually have one in place of a regular coach.

cpamtfan-Peter

 

[printman2000]

I don't know why it might be there or even on a long-distance route. According to this, car 35009 is a "snack-coach" -- a coach with a snack bar on the lower level.
I would think you would see those more on regional service, but I'm not as familiar with the southwest routes as I would like.

About a week ago, I saw the SWC come through Newton EB and the last car on the train was a snack coach also. Do they operate the snack coaches on the SWC, or do you think that was a deadhead move to get the car back east (as I recall, the train had three sleepers, obs, diner, and three coaches including the snack coach).

No, the SWC does not operate with a snack-coach.

Well Amtrak has so many extra ones that they will usually have one in place of a regular coach.

cpamtfan-Peter

The times I have been on the SWC (6 times), it has never had a snack-coach.

However, what I meant is the SWC does not OPERATE the snack coach, even if it has one. As in the snack bar is not used in it.

 

[RTOlson]

^^

That makes sense — coach seats are coach seats after all.

Random snack-coach question — are passengers allowed to board and alight from this car? They generally aren't able to on the trains I've been on with lower-level snack counters.

 

[AlanB]

Well Amtrak has so many extra ones that they will usually have one in place of a regular coach.

I'd hardly call 9 snack coaches "so many extra ones". And of those 9, 4 of them were specially outfitted with MU cables for use on the Heartland Flyer and tend to see service only on that train. That only leaves 5 extra snack coaches.