The Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle Daily Service

[rtabern]

I just got back from a trip on the Coast Starlight and got a tour of the LA crew base office in LA Union Station earlier this week. I did chat with a couple of managers and the topic of the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle came up (imagine that!) The managers I spoke with confirmed that in early April 2010 there will be a daily train running from Chicago to Los Angeles via Little Rock-Dallas-San Antonio-El Paso-Tucson. The train will be LA crew base staffed thru San Antonio OR Dallas-Fort Worth (undecided yet) at which point the Chicago crew will take over. From the chat with the managers, it seems like a lot of details still have to be worked out. It's not clear if this "new" daily train will retain the Texas Eagle or Sunset Limited name for the whole route. I was a little surprised by this because that "could" mean the Sunset Limited would come to Chicago. WOW. But it did sound like they would keep the Texas Eagle name all the way CHI-LAX.

Things seemed very sketchy for service from San Antonio to New Orleans... or Orlando?

The managers I spoke with say they believe whatever happens SAS-NOL or SAS-ORL... that train... will no longer be Los Angeles crew-based... that route will probably be taken over by a New Orleans-based crew.

They also say the SAS-NOL run will be a day-train with no full-service lounge or diner. There was some suggestion there could be 2 seperate day trains being established... one SAS-NOL and then another NOL-ORL.

Just some insight I got on my visit at LAUPT.

 

[MattW]

Interesting indeed. While I personally would prefer a daily Sunset Limited LAX-ORL, I guess I can live with daily CHI-LAX via SAN and a daily SAN-NOL train. If anything, I'm being selfish because one of my career goal-options is to work for the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK and this would likely give me daily service ATL-NOR.

Whatever happens, it means that Amtrak is one again on people's minds and can only really get better from here short-term!

 

[cpamtfan]

This service has been discussed for a while now. From my stand point, I don't see how/why Amtrak is making another daily CHI-LAX, and why not a daily NOL-LAX Sunset? I mean the Sunset has never really been a "daily" train, and now they somehow comeup with a daily CHI-LAX train on a longer run? It is a very confusing idea.

My idea is to atleast have through cars from the NOL-SAS stub train bound for LAX (like what the TE does now), and possibly a future extension of the CONO, Sunset Stub, or new, unknown train.

Name probably won't be Texas Eagle, maybe a former name (i.e. Golden State, etc.), although the current TE+SL route uses up a good bit of Texas for their journeys .

 

[amtrak51]

How about naming it "The Sunset Eagle"

 

[DET63]

Combine Golden State with Texas Eagle and get Golden Eagle.

 

[rolfecms]

The managers I spoke with confirmed that in early April 2010 there will be a daily train running from Chicago to Los Angeles via Little Rock-Dallas-San Antonio-El Paso-Tucson.

I don't recall this route possible being part of the Amtrak review of extending the Sunset to Florida. Did someone at Amtrak just think this up?

 

[haolerider]

The managers I spoke with confirmed that in early April 2010 there will be a daily train running from Chicago to Los Angeles via Little Rock-Dallas-San Antonio-El Paso-Tucson.

I don't recall this route possible being part of the Amtrak review of extending the Sunset to Florida. Did someone at Amtrak just think this up?

This concept has been discussed for months and there are several threads on this board discussing the change. I don't have the time to look them up this moment, but this is not a new idea and has nothing to do with the study to extend the Sunset to Florida.

 

[Agent "X"]

The managers I spoke with confirmed that in early April 2010 there will be a daily train running from Chicago to Los Angeles via Little Rock-Dallas-San Antonio-El Paso-Tucson.

I don't recall this route possible being part of the Amtrak review of extending the Sunset to Florida. Did someone at Amtrak just think this up?

This concept has been discussed for months and there are several threads on this board discussing the change. I don't have the time to look them up this moment, but this is not a new idea and has nothing to do with the study to extend the Sunset to Florida.

Umm....wasn't there alot of "buzz" about the Sunset, Texas Eagle, and/or service east of NOL a few months ago? And there were too many threads containing new/additional/expanded service, some of which people swore was going to take place imminently. Where are those users now, and better yet...where is that extra service/stub train, service east of NOL...etc? Nuthin's changed. Too often I've seen individuals here get caught up in rumors and read too much into the slightest details. Most recently, there was yet another thread discussing soon to be service east of NOL (a favorite topic within) and that was based on some conductors or engineers being hired with Jacksonville as a crew base.

"I'll beleive it when I see it"

 

[henryj]

I know it's going to happen because Nostradamas predicted it.

 

[NetJetAmtrak]

Well, I do wish they would start a Tucson-Phoenix-Flagstaff service....That would be cool and make my railfanning more fun here in TUS. Start off with 4 trips a day and offer full dining and sleeper service...LOL. Tucson is a great place for a base! In fact, they should move Beech Grove, IN work all to Tucson! Fixing trains in 80 degree wheather and sunshine in November has got to be more fun!

 

[ScottC4746]

I was a little surprised by this because that "could" mean the Sunset Limited would come to Chicago. WOW. But it did sound like they would keep the Texas Eagle name all the way CHI-LAX.

Perhaps what they could do with the name is Sunset Limited 1/2 LAX-NOL and Sunset Ltd. with a similar number LAX-CHI much like the EB 7/8 CHI-SEA EB 27/28 CHI-PDX

 

[Donctor]

I was a little surprised by this because that "could" mean the Sunset Limited would come to Chicago. WOW. But it did sound like they would keep the Texas Eagle name all the way CHI-LAX.

Perhaps what they could do with the name is Sunset Limited 1/2 LAX-NOL and Sunset Ltd. with a similar number LAX-CHI much like the EB 7/8 CHI-SEA EB 27/28 CHI-PDX

But the "Sunset Limited" name doesn't tell new riders anything about the train. The "Texas Eagle" name does. I know this isn't a major issue, and is based heavily in personal preference, but I still wouldn't like the "Sunset Limited" to be running CHI-LAX. Not that I'm opposed to the train itself; it's the name I mind.

 

[O'Neal Hart]

havn't this been established for a while now?

 

[had8ley]

WOW !!! And away we go AGAIN !!! Only thing I see in the latest rumor mill is the crew change somewhere mid-stream. I can hear the howling now when the LA crew gets on and the Chicago crew didn't do what they wanted done and vice-versa. Besides, the lodging and labor costs are going to sky rocket with two different crews for one train. The old Sunset (for those of you who remember when it went to Miami) had an LA crew that stayed on the train for a whole week. If you left LA Sunday night you didn't get back to LA until the following Sunday, IF you were lucky!

 

[had8ley]

I was a little surprised by this because that "could" mean the Sunset Limited would come to Chicago. WOW. But it did sound like they would keep the Texas Eagle name all the way CHI-LAX.

Perhaps what they could do with the name is Sunset Limited 1/2 LAX-NOL and Sunset Ltd. with a similar number LAX-CHI much like the EB 7/8 CHI-SEA EB 27/28 CHI-PDX

But the "Sunset Limited" name doesn't tell new riders anything about the train. The "Texas Eagle" name does. I know this isn't a major issue, and is based heavily in personal preference, but I still wouldn't like the "Sunset Limited" to be running CHI-LAX. Not that I'm opposed to the train itself; it's the name I mind.

Well you are right about the name meaning something. Only thing is "Texas Eagle" went from St. Louis to El Paso via Mopac/T&P where you had to change to the Sunset, Golden State or a mail train. From El Paso west it was Sunset Limited territory.

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Combine Golden State with Texas Eagle and get Golden Eagle.

This is no yay or nay here, just my memory responding.

I think Golden Eagle has been used before, but not for trains, for buses. Yeah, I think Trailways (long distance) bus used that for some of it's schedules eons ago.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Nothing really new here, except for the crew change issue. Amtrak is negotiating with Union Pacific to establish daily service along the LA-NO route. The Texas Eagle would run from Chicago to Los Angeles via San Antonio, while a coach (with either a sightseeer lounge or a CCC, depending on the rumor) from San Antonio to New Orleans. Start time will depend on the UP negotiations. I've heard at the end of September, I doubt if there would be anything sooner. Sunset East is a separate issue, largely unresolved.

 

[jis]

Nothing really new here, except for the crew change issue. Amtrak is negotiating with Union Pacific to establish daily service along the LA-NO route. The Texas Eagle would run from Chicago to Los Angeles via San Antonio, while a coach (with either a sightseeer lounge or a CCC, depending on the rumor) from San Antonio to New Orleans. Start time will depend on the UP negotiations. I've heard at the end of September, I doubt if there would be anything sooner. Sunset East is a separate issue, largely unresolved.

Just curious.... so does this imply that the Sunset Limited name will be retired for the time being? Or will there be some drop off cars, perhaps a through coach at least that would continue to carry that moniker?

 

[alanh]

Well, I do wish they would start a Tucson-Phoenix-Flagstaff service....That would be cool and make my railfanning more fun here in TUS. Start off with 4 trips a day and offer full dining and sleeper service...LOL. Tucson is a great place for a base! In fact, they should move Beech Grove, IN work all to Tucson! Fixing trains in 80 degree wheather and sunshine in November has got to be more fun!

Yeah, but fixing trains in 105F degree weather in July isn't. :blink:

As cool as it might be, the FLG-PHX service over the Peavine would pretty slow. Slow running Flagstaff to Ash Fork is why the mainline was rerouted to the north, and the Ash Fork - Wickenburg line got the Peavine name due to all the curves. The last passenger service was in 1969, though Prescott was bypassed in 1962.

According to a 1963 timetable it took 8-8½ hours, with a half to one hour layover at Williams Jct. Average speed between Phoenix and Williams was 38mph.

 

[daveyb99]

WOW !!! And away we go AGAIN !!! Only thing I see in the latest rumor mill is the crew change somewhere mid-stream...

OK, so what is the advantage of this.

The extended Texas Eagle route is only ~2750 miles longer than CZ.

Why could one crew not take the who trip, spend a day in LA, then return - kinda like a flight crew.

Or is this some kind of experiment on improving crew usage.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Here we go again. This post contains no information we haven't bandied about a long time ago. Such as in November of 2009, which is when this post died before O'Neil inexplicably brought it back from the grave.

Second, I assume you guys ALL know that nothing is happening with this next schedule change, which will happen fairly soon. They lack even an agreement with UP, they have no pure logistics figured out, or any of that.

 

[Donctor]

Disclaimer: I know this horse has been killed, beaten, and subsequently picked apart by buzzards.

When UP agrees and Amtrak begins running the Eagle and Sunset (or whatever the hell they'll be called), there will finally be a good use for two of the CCCs. The SAS-NOL day train can actually use them in an appropriate setting. An "appropriate setting" being a situation where people don't ***** about the lack of a full diner.

 

[AlanB]

Disclaimer: I know this horse has been killed, beaten, and subsequently picked apart by buzzards.
When UP agrees and Amtrak begins running the Eagle and Sunset (or whatever the hell they'll be called), there will finally be a good use for two of the CCCs. The SAS-NOL day train can actually use them in an appropriate setting. An "appropriate setting" being a situation where people don't ***** about the lack of a full diner.

They won't be "bitching" about the lack of a full diner because they'll be too busy crying over the loss of their sleepers on this route.

 

[rtabern]

Disclaimer: I know this horse has been killed, beaten, and subsequently picked apart by buzzards.
When UP agrees and Amtrak begins running the Eagle and Sunset (or whatever the hell they'll be called), there will finally be a good use for two of the CCCs. The SAS-NOL day train can actually use them in an appropriate setting. An "appropriate setting" being a situation where people don't ***** about the lack of a full diner.

They won't be "bitching" about the lack of a full diner because they'll be too busy crying over the loss of their sleepers on this route.

I'd be crying too... I wouldn't take a train from NOL-SAS without a sleeper!!!

(Part of the reason I did Train #1 NOL-LAX on my trip in March... I doubt it will be around in 2011)

 

[MikeM]

Disclaimer: I know this horse has been killed, beaten, and subsequently picked apart by buzzards.
When UP agrees and Amtrak begins running the Eagle and Sunset (or whatever the hell they'll be called), there will finally be a good use for two of the CCCs. The SAS-NOL day train can actually use them in an appropriate setting. An "appropriate setting" being a situation where people don't ***** about the lack of a full diner.

They won't be "bitching" about the lack of a full diner because they'll be too busy crying over the loss of their sleepers on this route.

I'd be crying too... I wouldn't take a train from NOL-SAS without a sleeper!!!

(Part of the reason I did Train #1 NOL-LAX on my trip in March... I doubt it will be around in 2011)

I think the most appropriate use for a CCC is on a train I'm not riding...