Superliner trains' removal and restoration of cars (2022-2023)

[zephyr17]

**Amtrak reading ridership report. “Decline in sleeper purchases. Guess we don’t need to hurry to get cars roadworthy”

Maybe the "invisible hand" of the market is reacting to the persistent high bucket prices. Helped along by the self inflicted sleeper shortage.
Hope Amtrak yield managers are taking note.

 

[jis]

Maybe the "invisible hand" of the market is reacting to the persistent high bucket prices. Helped along by the self inflicted sleeper shortage.
Hope Amtrak yield managers are taking note.

Unfortunately, maybe in their convoluted thinking they are delighted by all this. Tongue firmly placed in the cheek of course.

One thing is for sure, if the inventory available is smaller, all else being equal there will be lower ridership.

 

[lordsigma]

To summarize observations of summer consist changes:

- Capitol Limited - down one sleeper - most anemic train
- City of New Orleans - no change
- Texas Eagle - no change
- Sunset Limited - no change
- Coast Starlight - plus V2 baggage
- California Zephyr - plus one sleeper
- Empire Builder - plus one sleeper
- Southwest Chief - plus one coach

 

[AmtrakFlyer]

Pathetic summer consists again, the same or possibly worse than last summer. Definitely no significant improvement over last year. Was there a net gain from Beech Groove? I know a handful of cars came out of BG, but at the same time other cars were parked. Begs another question to me. What did Amtrak do with the money in FY 23 to maintain the fleet? Most of the mothballed equipment isn’t wrecked it just needs basic maintenance and checks that had been deferred during Covid. I’ve read transition cars are being parked now.

 

[zephyr17]

Pathetic summer consists again the same or possibly worse than last summer. Definitely no significant improvement over last year.

Well, the Builder is up a sleeper over what it's been the last two years (except maybe for a week or two last June), assuming it gets to keep it. It badly needs its second Seattle coach back.

The Starlight had been running a coach/bag and a standard sleeper instead of a transdorm and a baggage car. The report is unclear whether it got a transdorm back with the baggage car and kept the second sleeper. For reference, the normal summer consist on the Starlight before the pandemic was three standard sleepers and a transdorm.

 

[lordsigma]

It’s a mixed bag. The Zephyr is the same as last year. Builder is better than last two years. Chief is essentially the same though last year it was a transition sleeper and a regular which led to some of the downgrades - this year has two regular sleepers. Capitol is worse than last year. City of New Orleans is also better than last year though it got changes previously to this week.

 

[Bob Dylan]

AMManagement Logic:
We've hired more OBS and Craft Employees,, Congress gave us Lots of Money, and with the Summer Busy Season starting, let's cut the consists of the LD Trains so we can Max out Revenue by Pricing everything @ High Bucket!

Aren't we doing a Great Job of Managing!!!!

 

[lordsigma]

AMManagement Logic:
We've hired more OBS and Craft Employees,, Congress gave us Lots of Money, and with the Summer Busy Season starting, let's cut the consists of the LD Trains so we can Max out Revenue by Pricing everything @ High Bucket!

Well in fairness that really only applies to the Capitol Limited. Everything else is an addition. I didn’t mention single level observations as this is a superliner thread.

 

[trimetbusfan]

It’s a mixed bag. The Zephyr is the same as last year. Builder is better than last two years. Chief is essentially the same though last year it was a transition sleeper and a regular which led to some of the downgrades - this year has two regular sleepers. Capitol is worse than last year. City of New Orleans is also better than last year though it got changes previously to this week.

Cost Starlight is worse than last year. No business class and no 3rd sleeper.

 

[lordsigma]

Cost Starlight is worse than last year. No business class and no 3rd sleeper.

I think it’s supposed to get the third sleeper in a couple more weeks. Yes I did forget about business class. Kind of sounds like that’s going away for good - guessing when those cars go for refresh they’ll be made into regular coaches but we’ll see.

 

[zephyr17]

I think it’s supposed to get the third sleeper in a couple more weeks. Yes I did forget about business class. Kind of sounds like that’s going away for good - guessing when those cars go for refresh they’ll be made into regular coaches but we’ll see.

Well, reports indicates at least some are running in regular coach service on the Starlight. The only difference between the Starlight "business" class cars and regular Superliner coaches was the faux leather upholstery they had on the exact same seats. My guess is they'll stay in regular coach service as is until their turn comes to get "upgraded" to the new grey faux leather as opposed to their current brown faux leather.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

I think it’s supposed to get the third sleeper in a couple more weeks. Yes I did forget about business class. Kind of sounds like that’s going away for good - guessing when those cars go for refresh they’ll be made into regular coaches but we’ll see.

Why refresh a refreshed car? They already have the leather.

 

[zephyr17]

Why refresh a refreshed car? They already have the leather.

But its not grey! Horrors!

 

[lordsigma]

Well, reports indicates at least some are running in regular coach service on the Starlight. The only difference between the Starlight "business" class cars and regular Superliner coaches was the faux leather upholstery they had on the exact same seats. My guess is they'll stay in regular coach service as is until their turn comes to get "upgraded" to the new grey faux leather as opposed to their current brown faux leather.

I didn’t think the business coaches have the lower level seating - or am I wrong.

 

[zephyr17]

I didn’t think the business coaches have the lower level seating - or am I wrong.

I think they do/did, I seem to remember seeing lower level seats when I boarded Starlight's BC in Portland last August. But I could be mistaken. I don't think they are the ex-Game Room, exx-Children's Playroom cars where they removed the lower level seats in favor of initially a playroom, which they then installed video games in instead. I think those got their seats back, anyway. The Starlight BC cars definitely were/are not coach/bags.

 

[trimetbusfan]

I didn’t think the business coaches have the lower level seating - or am I wrong.

they do

 

[PaTrainFan]

- Capitol Limited - down one sleeper - most anemic train

a.k.a. the Crapitol Limited.

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

I saw the northbound Starlight at SLO today (14 of June 3rd) with only one sleeper, 32111, unless I "mis-saw" it. Can anyone corroborate?

 

[trimetbusfan]

I saw the northbound Starlight at SLO today (14 of June 3rd) with only one sleeper, 32111, unless I "mis-saw" it. Can anyone corroborate?

We'll see it go by on the Chehalis rail camera tomorrow to verify... I rode 14(1) yesterday and it was the regular consist w/2 sleepers + 2 coaches etc.

 

[lordsigma]

Amending this post as an additional change occurred to chief.

- Capitol Limited - down one sleeper - most anemic train
- City of New Orleans - no change
- Texas Eagle - no change
- Sunset Limited - no change
- Coast Starlight - plus V2 baggage
- California Zephyr - plus one sleeper
- Empire Builder - plus one sleeper
- Southwest Chief - plus one coach and V2 baggage