For those fans of Amtrak's last remaining Super Dome or King Dome if you prefer, I just saw it at 330 pm CST on SWC #3 heading towards LA. I was several blocks away but it was on the head end so I figure it was probably dead-heading to LA.
Super Dome spotted!
- Thread starter Mark
- Start date
Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:
- Status
Most likely on it's way home from Albany after running on the Adirondack for a while.
You'd think that if they were going to have that nice car on a LD train they'd let passengers use it as a special treat.
Crescent Mark
Service Attendant
Wouldn't you need a transition sleeper though? From the description the original poster, it sounds as if the Super Dome was the very first car of the train after the locomotives, and before the baggage car. Isn't the transition sleeper usually just for crew?
Sounds as if it's more effort than they'd want to put in, since Amtrak would have to stick it after the baggage car (more coupling/uncoupling/etc), and would have to deal with all the people going through the sleepers to use it, etc. Not sure how you'd implement the car that effectively on a long distance route.
Sounds as if it's more effort than they'd want to put in, since Amtrak would have to stick it after the baggage car (more coupling/uncoupling/etc), and would have to deal with all the people going through the sleepers to use it, etc. Not sure how you'd implement the car that effectively on a long distance route.
I don't think you would need a transition car. Pre-Amtrak domes-- even great domes,or super domes-- had the passage way between cars at the lower level, not upstairs as it is today. The El Capitan equipment may have had the passageway upstairs, don't remember even though I rode it way back then) but this is not from El Cap.
That's exactly why you *would* need a transition car. The Southwest Chief uses Superliner cars, which (like the Santa Fe Hi-Levels on which the Superliner was based) have the passageway on the upper level.
That said, the Southwest Chief should already have a Transition Sleeper at the front of the consist, as that is where the crew would sleep. The issue brought up, though, is one of having passengers pass through the crew's area.
Crescent Mark
Service Attendant
Right, but the Southwest Chief uses Superliners, and their passageways are upstairs. The Dome's passageway, according to you, would be downstairs (which makes sense if they're using it on the Adirondack). Therefore, a transition car would be needed. Right? Maybe I'm overlooking something.
EDIT:
Oh sorry I was a few minutes too late on posting, haha!
EDIT:
Oh sorry I was a few minutes too late on posting, haha!
Last edited by a moderator:
Why is home in LA, do we have any single level Amtrak trains out here?
the_traveler
Engineer
Good question! The Surfliners (other than 798/799) use bi-level equipment and the CS, SWC and SL are Superliners.
I'm honestly not sure why home is LA, but it is. Perhaps it has something to do with the weather, perhaps that's just a good place to park it where it's safe, I honestly don't know.
Hanno
OBS Chief
Does anyone have a picture of a Super Dome they would be willing to share?
wayman
Engineer
Maybe they're afraid that if they left it at WAS, PHL, or the like passengers would spot it and flood Amtrak with letters asking "why isn't that awesome dome car in use more often?" and "when're you going to get more of those?" and such.
(Er, or is there even a place they could park it at WAS or PHL--does the catenary preclude getting it to those stations and into their coachyards?)
Last edited by a moderator:
cpamtfan
OBS Chief
sky12065
Conductor
Go to http://capitalnews9.com/Default.aspx?ArID=127546. There's a video clip available here too!
My bad.
I was in a hurry to get to a concert and was not thinking straight. I think I was visualizing
the big dome as connected to single level equipment, as indeed it was when built. Guess I should have just gone on to the theatre and thought it through better later.
Haste makes waste,as they say.
sky12065
Conductor
So long as you enjoyed the concert, I say "C'est la Vie" to your bad!
I hope you and others enjoy the article and video anyway!
It says ridership is up 23 percent since they added the Dome Car to the route. Is that because of the car, or fall colors, or high gas prices, or ...? In other words, how does 23 percent compare to other similar trains the same period?
It also said they didn't advertise it much. If the car is supposed to be a draw, shouldn't they have been on TV at the beginning of the run, instead of the end?
Very nice interior shots in video.
the_traveler
Engineer
The Superliners from the CL get to the coach yards at WAS!
I'd say that it's a combination of the fall colors and the dome being on the train. Gas prices have plumeted here in the NY area, now almost half what they were just a few months ago, so I don't think that's had as much impact as before.
As for how this compares to other trains, we'll have to wait until Amtrak puts those numbers out in a few months.
sky12065
Conductor
The only question I can answer is that the rise was most likely because of the fall colors. Many areas of the Adirondacks, encompasing 5,821,257 acres, are absolutely breathtaking around the end of October or beginning of November. I've driven through much of it over the years especially the years when my son was attending the University of New York at Potsdam. I even got the only speeding ticket I ever received enroute to Potsdam! :unsure:
Unfortunately, I have not been able to ride the Adirondack train, so perhaps someone else who has taken this train at this time of year can comment how what they thought of it!
Added after seeing Alan's post: Your right about the car itself being part of the attraction. That skipped my mind while I was writing the above!
Last edited by a moderator:
Hanno
OBS Chief
Thanks for providing the link!
I have question regarding the doom car. If this is one of the last remaining doom cars, what happened to the others?
Thanks,
Bob
cpamtfan
OBS Chief
Sold, scrapped, etc.. Amtrak is looking at rebuying one it sold to the American Orient Express, which has haled goodby from the rails. And by the way, it's dome car, not doom
.cpamtfan-Peter
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
Many of the Full Domes survive in private collections and I believe BNSF has 1 or 2 in their VIP fleet. And I think several are still running in Canada and Alaska on the "Land Cruise" trains. Right off the top of my head, Milwaukee, Santa Fe and Great Northern ran Full Domes and Southern Pacific ran an interesting 3/4 Dome Car.
sky12065
Conductor
I found this shot of the interior of the Dome car in a Google search!
AlohaI found this shot of the interior of the Dome car in a Google search!
Notice where the car is in this picture? The "LA River" is on the right.
Mahalo
- Status
Latest posts
-
Chicago - St. Louis Lincoln Corridor to begin higher speed running
- Latest: MccfamschoolMom
-
-
-
-
