Texas Eagle cold meal service

[IceColdMintJulep]

I will be traveling on the Texas Eagle this summer for the first time and also in a sleeper for the first time. I noticed on the schedule that there is cold meal service between Fort Worth, TX and San Antonio, TX. My question is: why don't they have hot meal service on this portion of the route? The train departs at 4pm and arrives in San Antonio at 11:45pm, which should provide ample time to run the diner. There must be some logical explanation for this, but I haven't been able to figure it out. My only other assumptions are rough track, crew availability, past use, or can't store enough food from the last service point. Anybody know?

 

[AMTK@AUS]

A simple answer to your question is a lack of finances to support dining car service all the way to San Antonio. It was cut about two years ago, but plans are in the works to extend dining car service to Austin, which would allow for a hot dinner on 21, and a hot lunch on 22.

Hope this helps!

 

[Amfleet]

From what I've heard, full dining car service between Chicago and San Antonio is to return.

 

[IceColdMintJulep]

I guess more passengers need to eat in the dining car. I don't go until late June, so maybe it will change by then, but I won't get my hopes up. I doesn't really bother me; I am more concerned with the Sunset Limited 1 being somewhat close to on-time so I make my SF Giants ballgame. Thanks for the info.

 

[AMTK@AUS]

Here is the post where I read about meal service to Austin.

It seems more efficient to have the crew based in San Antonio, a regular Amtrak crew base. Is the game on the same day as your arrival? If so, you may be cutting it close, but hopefully you will be okay.

 

[Amfleet]

It doesn't matter where the Texas Eagle OBS crew terminates in Texas as Chicago is their true crew base (where they live). When they finish up a run in Austin, Ft. Worth, or San Antonio (whereever the diner crew terminates nowadays) the OBS crew is put up in a hotel for the night and works the Texas Eagle back to chicago the next day.

 

[IceColdMintJulep]

I arrive in Oakland on Sunday night and the game is Monday evening. If the Sunset keeps up its lateness, I will surely miss the Starlight. I would have to be put on a San Joaquin either that night (which would be ok) or if as late as it has been the next day. Traveling with three small children will be much better on the Starlight than a San Joaquin/bus.