Sunset Limited to/from San Antonio

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Appears Amtrak has positioned trainset here to begin service starting Sunday morning for #1.
I noticed that too. ^_^

For those who are unaware it's exceedingly rare to see anything more than a couple protect cars during daylight hours here in SAS. These are generally in the form of a Superliner Coach & Sleeper and are mainly used for 421/422 misconnects between the SL and TE.

But lo and behold today on my lunch break I see a big honkin' Amtrain sitting at the station. :blink:

IMG_0263.JPG

IMG_0266.JPG

IMG_0271.JPG

In typical Amtrak fashion both locomotives were left running despite the presence of hotel power. <_<
 
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Appears Amtrak has positioned trainset here to begin service starting Sunday morning for #1.
I noticed that too. ^_^

For those who are unaware it's exceedingly rare to see anything more than a couple protect cars during daylight hours here in SAS. These are generally in the form of a Superliner Coach & Sleeper and are mainly used for 421/422 misconnects between the SL and TE.

But lo and behold today on my lunch break I see a big honkin' Amtrain sitting at the station. :blink:

attachicon.gif
IMG_0263.JPG

attachicon.gif
IMG_0266.JPG

attachicon.gif
IMG_0271.JPG

In typical Amtrak fashion both locomotives were left running despite the presence of hotel power. <_<
Hope you didn't hurt yourself when you tripped and landed on your back (the last pic). ;)
 
Appears Amtrak has positioned trainset here to begin service starting Sunday morning for #1.
I noticed that too. ^_^

For those who are unaware it's exceedingly rare to see anything more than a couple protect cars during daylight hours here in SAS. These are generally in the form of a Superliner Coach & Sleeper and are mainly used for 421/422 misconnects between the SL and TE.

But lo and behold today on my lunch break I see a big honkin' Amtrain sitting at the station. :blink:

attachicon.gif
IMG_0263.JPG

attachicon.gif
IMG_0266.JPG

attachicon.gif
IMG_0271.JPG

In typical Amtrak fashion both locomotives were left running despite the presence of hotel power. <_<
Hope you didn't hurt yourself when you tripped and landed on your back (the last pic). ;)
I was bowled over by the sight of an Amtrak train at the station during daytime hours. :lol:

The (now removed) fourth photo looks right side up everywhere else but on the forum it's always flipped upside down. Not sure how to fix that when it looks perfectly fine in the editor. I also refuse to employ two wrongs to make a right. :angry:
 
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Seeing that Phase 3 livery on the second unit and baggage car tgives me hope one day Amtrak trains will look unified again as they were in the 80s and 90s.

Never got the full story why Amtrak moved out of the beautiful SP station to the Amshack.

Wouldn't make sense to continue the SL consist to and from Chicago as the TE? Better utilization of equipment
 
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Have just hated the platform and station at SAS. Boarding on track 2 is a real tripping hazard and appears not changed. Any idea why the red utility markers on the outside platform ? Do notice the new street lights on the east side of the train ( right side of train )
 
Never got the full story why Amtrak moved out of the beautiful SP station to the Amshack.
Amtrak was house rich and cash poor. In other words, although they were in charge of the station they could not maintain it properly. Over time it was falling into disrepair and nobody was benefiting from the deterioration. Amtrak was hard up for money and other parties were willing to spend big in order to bring the building back to its former glory, including the massive stained glass window that Amtrak had replaced with pink stucco featuring an arrow with its head up its ass. These days Sunset Station is mainly used for weddings, corporate parties, charity events, and senior prom. It's not an ideal situation by any means, but it is fairly representative of where Amtrak fits into the larger picture today. If Amtrak had the money and motivation they could have fixed it up themselves and be benefiting from an addition revenue stream when no passengers needed the station anyway.

Wouldn't make sense to continue the SL consist to and from Chicago as the TE? Better utilization of equipment
How would that help? Amtrak would have virtually no time to sell the additional seats, on a segment that people are just now realizing is running again, and it wouldn't even make it back in time to resume its primary role as the Westbound SL.

Have just hated the platform and station at SAS. Boarding on track 2 is a real tripping hazard and appears not changed. Any idea why the red utility markers on the outside platform ? Do notice the new street lights on the east side of the train ( right side of train )
The track closest to the station has been recently repaved. That's why it looks darker than the surrounding areas. There is nothing difficult about crossing it now. In most cases the train that is actively arriving or departing will be placed on the track closest to the station so you wont need to cross any tracks at all regardless of pavement quality. The broken patchwork of pavement and gravel are located where passengers never need to walk. Those areas are for the staff to reach their parking area and to get the train ready for departure. The station area in San Antonio has been undergoing improvements over the past year or two so it makes sense they'd get utility features marked as part of that process.
 
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Never got the full story why Amtrak moved out of the beautiful SP station to the Amshack.
Amtrak was house rich and cash poor. In other words, although they were in charge of the station they could not maintain it properly. Over time it was falling into disrepair and nobody was benefiting from the deterioration. Amtrak was hard up for money and other parties were willing to spend big in order to bring the building back to its former glory, including the massive stained glass window that Amtrak had replaced with pink stucco featuring an arrow with its head up its ass. These days Sunset Station is mainly used for weddings, corporate parties, charity events, and senior prom. It's not an ideal situation by any means, but it is fairly representative of where Amtrak fits into the larger picture today. If Amtrak had the money and motivation they could have fixed it up themselves and be benefiting from an addition revenue stream when no passengers needed the station anyway.

Wouldn't make sense to continue the SL consist to and from Chicago as the TE? Better utilization of equipment
How would that help? Amtrak would have virtually no time to sell the additional seats, on a segment that people are just now realizing is running again, and it wouldn't even make it back in time to resume its primary role as the Westbound SL.

Have just hated the platform and station at SAS. Boarding on track 2 is a real tripping hazard and appears not changed. Any idea why the red utility markers on the outside platform ? Do notice the new street lights on the east side of the train ( right side of train )
The track closest to the station has been recently repaved. That's why it looks darker than the surrounding areas. There is nothing difficult about crossing it now. In most cases the train that is actively arriving or departing will be placed on the track closest to the station so you wont need to cross any tracks at all regardless of pavement quality. The broken patchwork of pavement and gravel are located where passengers never need to walk. Those areas are for the staff to reach their parking area and to get the train ready for departure. The station area in San Antonio has been undergoing improvements over the past year or two so it makes sense they'd get utility features marked as part of that process.
What do you mean it would not be back in time? The trains exchange cars now. I am just saying keep the consists going through SAS.
 
What do you mean it would not be back in time? The trains exchange cars now. I am just saying keep the consists going through SAS.
I thought you were referring to the specific SL consist that is currently sitting here at the station. If it had left this morning as the Northbound TE it would not have been able to make it back again in time to become the Westbound SL as currently scheduled. The two trains are not provisioned the same so they are not casually interchangeable as-is. If you meant to say that the SL and TE should combine to become a daily train between Chicago and Los Angeles I'd agree. I'm not sure if Amtrak has the hardware for that but if they do I'd support such a move.

Texas and Florida are important states with large economies and substantial populations that travel in both directions. We share a lot of transplants and other cross pollination, but without a practical link between us much of the fundamental appeal of the Sunset East route is lost. Why is that important? Because TX and FL have far more wealth and tourists than LA, MS, and AL combined. If you doubt me just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey vs. Hurricane Katrina. Focusing on the TX and FL markets first and foremost and allowing the other states to piggyback on our needs is the best way to bring the SL East route back, assuming that's something Amtrak wants to do.
 
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What do you mean it would not be back in time? The trains exchange cars now. I am just saying keep the consists going through SAS.
I thought you were referring to the specific SL consist that is currently sitting here at the station. If it had left this morning as the Northbound TE it would not have been able to make it back again in time to become the Westbound SL as currently scheduled. The two trains are not provisioned the same so they are not casually interchangeable as-is. If you meant to say that the SL and TE should combine to become a daily train between Chicago and Los Angeles I'd agree. I'm not sure if Amtrak has the hardware for that but if they do I'd support such a move.

Texas and Florida are important states with large economies and substantial populations that travel in both directions. We share a lot of transplants and other cross pollination, but without a practical link between us much of the fundamental appeal of the Sunset East route is lost. Why is that important? Because TX and FL have far more wealth and tourists than LA, MS, and AL combined. If you doubt me just look at the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey vs. Hurricane Katrina. Focusing on the TX and FL markets first and foremost and allowing the other states to piggyback on our needs is the best way to bring the SL East route back, assuming that's something Amtrak wants to do.
Yes, but to be realistic it will not be daily. So tri weekly from SAS to LAX. It would free up a consist or two.

From a numbers point of view, when full service resumes. If Amtrak ran the SL consist as the TE to Chicago from SAS, and ran a stub two coach train to NOL, would Amtrak loose as much money on the route?
 
With Sunset terminating in San Antonio it is necessary to turn the train set. Pictures by Devils Advocate show train point in normal direction if it were to continue on to Houston. But to return west as #1 train has to be turned. There are two options. The first is to proceed to north yard where there is a reversing loop. The second is to back to a wye about 4 mile away. I have been on #21 Texas Eagle which came in on the east side of town normally used for north bound traffic that used this wye. For #21 this adds 30 minutes to your trip. Appears they are turning Sunset a day before departure.
 
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