Transcon in Coach with a 4 Year Old

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rmgreenesq

rmgreenesq

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
433
Location
Worcester, MA (WOR)
I've finished the trip report. You may view it here.

I've used standard HTML as opposed to Microsoft's single page HTML. I think that was the problem with the last trip report I posted. If anybody can't open this, let me know. I've also got a PDF version that I can post, but I would need to make space for it.

Rick
 
Great report, Rick, and thanks for it!! As to the "random" I.D. checks, I guess you had a couple of very unusual trains, where all of the tickets just happened to have the right last digit and therefore they all had to be checked.......
 
The "Heritage" cars you saw on the other train in Kansas City are actually Horizon cars.
 
Rick, thanks for the trip report. Works fine with a bleeding edge version of Camino, so no problems there.

With all that's going on at Amtrak concerning the dining services, I'm curious to get your thoughts on the matter. When you get around to it, natch.
 
rmadisonwi said:
The "Heritage" cars you saw on the other train in Kansas City are actually Horizon cars.
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The Horizon cars were built in the late 80's IIRC by Bombardier. There are short haul and long haul coaches, as well as Cafe Cars and Club Dinettes. The Horizon cars are generally found in the Midwest, although there is a set that works regularly as Surfliner 798/799. I believe they also continue to make a regular appearance on the Cardinal, but I'm not 100% on that. Also during the Acela crisis last year when Amfleets had to be shifted to the Corridor Horizon cars were put in service on routes like Empire Service that are traditionally Amfleet I only.
 
The Cardinal is usually taking Amfleet I and II coaches and viewliner sleeping cars. Occasionally a Heritage car will be in the consist, but most of the time they are making the run 'dead' from the Beech Grove shops up to Chicago.

Regarding the trip report....it was great! While I've never ridden coach overnight with a youngster (I've always book a roomette), my experience with my then five-year-old son was almost mirror that of your daughter. And on the next trip we took, my son was then showing my wife how to operate the doors, where the trash, the restrooms were located. They pick up and retain everything they see and hear.

Also, one reason that the locomotives stay running after the train has arrived at its desitination is that diesel (or in this case, diesel-electric) engines are actually very efficient while they idle. Adding to this, they can be very stubborn to re-start when the engines are 'hot'. Also, not long after you have departed, the train will be pulled away to be refitted for its next journey, so it won't be staying under the trainshed for long. I'm sure there is an 'expert' who can validate or correct this theory.

It was also nice to read your descriptions of the station(s) from which your journey began. I wish I had such a facility to depart from. Unfortunately, the closest 'station' to my house is Crawfordsville, IN, and we leave from one of the plexiglass 'huts' with an Amtrak sign hanging from the roof. http://snow.prohosting.com/usarail/crawfordsville.htm

I can report that the rather run-down station in the background has been slightly upgraded and is currently being used as a physical therapy center. Unfortunately, the tenants aren't railfans and have posted several signs on the property saying 'no parking for trains' and 'restrooms for patients only'.

I don't know that I could handle the length-trip that you took in coach, but it was great reading. Thanks!
 
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racer1735 said:
Also, one reason that the locomotives stay running after the train has arrived at its desitination is that diesel (or in this case, diesel-electric) engines are actually very efficient while they idle. Adding to this, they can be very stubborn to re-start when the engines are 'hot'. Also, not long after you have departed, the train will be pulled away to be refitted for its next journey, so it won't be staying under the trainshed for long. I'm sure there is an 'expert' who can validate or correct this theory.
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All statements are pretty much correct. Once a train has arrived at its final destination, generally the first thing that will happen is the HEP will go down. The Engineer is switching the HEP mode on the Engine from Normal to Standby. In Normal Mode HEP is generated using an Auxiliary alternator that requires the engine to run at 900 RPM's minimum. In Standby mode the HEP is generated using the Main Alternator that the traction motors usually use, but it only requires 720 RPM's to generate HEP. However, when the engine is in Standby the traction motors cannot be used because the main alternator is generating HEP. If the train is not going to be moved right away, usually the Engineer will put the engine in Standby to conserve fuel. However, if the road crew is yarding the train, or the yard crew is ready to yard the train right away this will not happen.


If the train is arriving at a major terminal (like Chicago, LA, etc.) generally they will go ahead and wye the train, park the cars, and move the engines down to the engine house. The engines then undergo a variety of tests and checks like the 1,000 mile inspection, load tests, etc. Once those are complete the engines are parked and shut down, unless they will be back on the road in a short period of time.. However if the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees and the engine would have to be restarted in temperatures below 40 the engines will be put in Standby to keep them warm. When an engine is being prepped to go back on the road after sitting, the crews will move the engine out in the open using batteries to power the traction motors. They will then go ahead and fire up the prime mover, I believe they try to give it about fifteen minutes to warm up before putting a load on the engine.

Also, as the engines undergo the current overhaul process an Auto-Shut down is being installed. If an engine has been left standing for greater than an hour the engine will automatically shut itself down to conserve fuel unless the ambient temperature is below 40.
 
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Thanks for all the replies guys!

WPK, imagine that everybody in the car had a matching number on their ticket! I think the matching series was 0 through 9.

rmadisonwi: Thanks for the correction. I'm relativly new at this. Those cars appeared to have the same shape as the single level diners on the silver serivce and Lakeshore which I though that they were oldies.

Sam: I'll put my comments on the food soon. Suffice to say that I got tired of it rather quickly.

Amtrak Fan: I'd do it again. I beleive that we were sufficiently prepared for the ride with kid that she was rather easy to deal with.

In fact we are thinking about making this run a family tradition around Christmas time. My daughter will be entering school, and Christmas is a slow time at work, so Christmas makes a better holiday to take the train to so Cal. I would do a few things differently. 1. I'd get a sleeper for at least one leg of the trip, preferly towards the end of the trip or book the lower level of the Superliner. I had some issues with my feet that were aggrivated from riding in coach for 3 days. It made climbing those stairs painful. 2. I'd take a different route home than out. Perhaps the SWC out and the Eagle or Sunset Ltd home.

Rick
 
Rick,

Thanks for a great report. I also enjoyed your recount of the Silver Star back in Sept.

I am booked on the Silver Star 12/21 from LAK (Lakeland, FL) to NWK (and 12/30) NWK to LAK) with my family of 4. (Wife and 2 grown kids).

Looking forward to the trip and your reports (and the forum) have provided me with the expectations for the trip.

I am looking forward to the trip and your insights helped me prepare my family on what to expect.

We are travelling coach both ways and surely dont want to be part of the 'herd' at the airport.

Regards,

Charlie Cacioppo
 
ccacioppo said:
Rick,
Thanks for a great report. I also enjoyed your recount of the Silver Star back in Sept.

I am booked on the Silver Star 12/21 from LAK (Lakeland, FL) to NWK (and 12/30) NWK to LAK) with my family of 4. (Wife and 2 grown kids).

Looking forward to the trip and your reports (and the forum) have provided me with the expectations for the trip.

I am looking forward to the trip and your insights helped me prepare my family on what to expect.

We are travelling coach both ways and surely dont want to be part of the 'herd' at the airport.

Regards,

Charlie Cacioppo
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Charlie:

Thanks for your comments. If you are interested, I have ridden the silver star back in September. I was a single traveler in a sleeper, but my trip report covers the route between Boston and Orlando. Read all about it here.

As a party of four, you will get your own table in the diner (unless you ditch your kids and become a party of two) and nobody gets to sleep with an abject stranger.

With your dates of travel, I think you can expect the train to be full or near full.

Welcome aboard and let us know if you have any questions.

Rick
 
Thanks for the great report. The SWC segment brought back some fond memories from our trip last May. Being a father of a 3 and 7 year old, I admire your bravery :) It sounds like your daughter handled the trip pretty well. We are hoping to take our boys on LD trip in another year or to. We might do a quick trip on the EB (1 hour or 2) and see how it goes. Thanks again!
 
Rick,

Thanks for the great trip report from your holiday trip. I much appreciated the new html format. I would love to be able to see some of your pictures in a larger size. Did you also post a picture gallery?

David Z

Chicago, IL
 
CHI_Amtrak_Fan said:
Rick,
Thanks for the great trip report from your holiday trip. I much appreciated the new html format. I would love to be able to see some of your pictures in a larger size. Did you also post a picture gallery?

David Z

Chicago, IL
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David Z:

Thanks for your kind words. One of the drafts had the ability to click on the picture and get a larger version. The problem with this is that it exceeded my avialable hosting space. I need to cajole my wife to remove stuff from the web server and re-post that version.

Rick
 
Thank you for a great report..I felt that I got a good idea about coach travel, and I enjoyed the pics, and "dry" humour. One thing I noticed was that your report start date was 2005, ending in 2006..a record even for Amtrak?

Ed B)
 
"We have just pulled out of Albany, and are now traveling over some of the roughest track we’ve encountered on this trip. I’m not sure if the track is just in bad shape or if the engineer is trying to make up time and traveling faster than these tracks can handle."

This first 12 miles is the track that Amtrak replaced in teh 70's or thereabouts. It is probably needing some serious maintenance. However, not to worry. A track can ride so rough that you can barely stand up and still be safe. Comfort levels are far inside the limits of safety. Given the current emphasis on rules observance the chance that the engineer was exceeding the allowable speed is almost nil.
 
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