Will CZ have 2 or 3 sleepers in Jan 2015?

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BeckysBarn said:
According to the SCA on west bound CZ this week, they will be dropping one sleeper car & one dining car attendant. I can't imagine one person waiting on both sides of the dining car.
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Normally the Zephyr runs with just 2 Sleepers during the Winter as it is off season. If there is a 3rd one on this week it is because of Thanksgiving travel.
 
There is a third sleeper on the #6 that I'm on now. I was told by the crew that it is indeed there due to thanksgiving week.
 
Probably the CZs that depart on the 3rd of January will have two sleepers, plus the dorm sleeper, two coaches, a diner, a SSL, and one baggage car. Total of 40 axles on the hotbox detectors.
 
BeckysBarn: your source is correct. 5/6 will only have one sleeper beginning January '15. This is confirmed by Big A management. Also, the rumor of one server for the whole diner is also correct. The reason is likely a poorly thought out approach to reducing dining car losses. The way Big A counts beans, sleeper revenue actually weighs a dining car's budget down. Literally, elimination of the revenue producing 2nd sleeper amounts to tripping over a dollar to pick up a dime.

All this because some idiot thinks dining cars need to make money.

They are an amenity, to attract ridership. Eliminate ridership to eliminate amenities will only further eliminate ridership, revenue, and if not stopped, everything else might be gone too.
 
There will be only one sleeper beginning January 2015. And it'll be on the headend, as the attendant will work it and the crew sleeper also.
 
BeckysBarn said:
According to the SCA on west bound CZ this week, they will be dropping one sleeper car & one dining car attendant. I can't imagine one person waiting on both sides of the dining car.
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I can't either....what are there, 70 or so, seats in a Superliner diner? How can one person possibly do that?

I remember when a Hi-Level diner on the El Capitan had around six waiters, and a steward....
 
One person doing two persons job! Is this allowed by the Contract with the Union? There's another current thread about the Sleepers on the CZ that says there will be only one Sleeper and it will run on the front behind the Transdorm and that One SCA will handle both cars! Does this mean that the other SCA and Food Service person with less Seniority will be furloughed or will they bid out jobs on other routes or go on the extra board?

Just gotta say it, another poorly thought out " cut" by the suits that, if they ride on trains at all, cruise around in Beech Grove or the theater car with their own food and staff!

"Here's a Great Idea to Save Money Boss! Let them eat cake!"
 
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Inthegauge said:
The way Big A counts beans, sleeper revenue actually weighs a dining car's budget down. Literally, elimination of the revenue producing 2nd sleeper amounts to tripping over a dollar to pick up a dime.
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Can you expand a bit upon that and how it works?

They are an amenity, to attract ridership. Eliminate ridership to eliminate amenities will only further eliminate ridership, revenue, and if not stopped, everything else might be gone too.
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But do they attract enough ridership to outweigh their costs? F&B losses on the Zephyr, even with the sleeper revenue allocation, were equal to 37.3% of all sleeper revenue in FY12. That doesn't leave much room for profit.
 
Inthegauge said:
BeckysBarn: your source is correct. 5/6 will only have one sleeper beginning January '15. This is confirmed by Big A management. Also, the rumor of one server for the whole diner is also correct. The reason is likely a poorly thought out approach to reducing dining car losses. The way Big A counts beans, sleeper revenue actually weighs a dining car's budget down. Literally, elimination of the revenue producing 2nd sleeper amounts to tripping over a dollar to pick up a dime.
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[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]To be honest, I tend to doubt "guest" posters who make "authoritative" statements such as this. I'll actually be a sleeper passenger on #6 departing Emeryville January 22. I'm booked on car 631. I am booked on #5 in car 632 in May 2015. So I just find out for myself.[/SIZE]
 
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I cannot see a train as important as the CZ being cut to 1 Sleeper plus the Trans Dorm, even during the Winter; it would become another Cardinal with demand that cannot be filled. If this gossip came from someone with reliable Amtrak connections I might be a bit more worried.

Also the fact you are in the 32 Car in May means at least 2 Sleepers plus the Trans will be running then.
 
Where did Anderson write his analysis of seasonality of demand? I can't find it. Anderson?

(Hah! Found it: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/61959-oig-opportunities-to-enhance-decision-making-for-ld-equipment/page-1 )

Anyway, I believe the California Zephyr had *massive* seasonal variation. This might work out OK if it's just for January and February.

...and as I write this edit, I see it does. From Anderson's analysis of calendar year 2013, the CZ had the largest seasonal variation of ANY of Amtrak's long-distance trains. If we call the average month's ridership 100%, the peak month had 147.1% ridership, and the weakest month had 69.2% ridership. January and February were the weakest months.

So cutting off a car in January and February may make sense.

(Quick summary of Anderson's conclusions:

-- EB, CZ, and CS are extremely seasonal

-- SWC, CL, TE, and LSL are moderately seasonal, the LSL being most seasonal of them

-- Silver Service, Auto Train, Crescent, Cardinal, CONO, Sunset are not very seasonal

)

(My analysis of sleeper and diner economics was in the Viewliner II thread. http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/45804-viewliner-ii-production-status-photos/page-57 )
 
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Hey Tennesee and Ryan: I am an employee, and I have heard these rumors confirmed by management as recently as a week or so ago.

Just because I don't have endless time to foam on a site like this, hence the 'guest' doesn't mean I'm not directly in the know about this.

32 car is slated for elimination January '15, and the sleepers are already on the headend of the consist to facilitate the sleeper attendant also working the trans dorm.
 
It takes all of 30 seconds to create an account and actually establish some credibility. Anyone can claim they work for Amtrak, and I've heard plenty of things even from employees that are obviously false.

Sorry to be such a skeptic, but given how trivially easy it is to establish yourself, we'll just have to wait and see.
 
Inthegauge said:
Hey Tennesee and Ryan: I am an employee, and I have heard these rumors confirmed by management as recently as a week or so ago.

Just because I don't have endless time to foam on a site like this, hence the 'guest' doesn't mean I'm not directly in the know about this.

32 car is slated for elimination January '15, and the sleepers are already on the headend of the consist to facilitate the sleeper attendant also working the trans dorm.
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One question that continues to go unanswered is whether this is a new seasonal change or a permanent consist change that brings the CZ down to one sleeper? It is hard to imagine that it would be a year round change. Please let us know what your sources have said on that. Thanks!
 
Inthegauge said:
32 car is slated for elimination January '15, and the sleepers are already on the headend of the consist to facilitate the sleeper attendant also working the trans dorm.
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Count me as a skeptic regarding the elimination of 32. I'm booked in 531 on Jan 2. So I guess I will find out shortly one way or another.

On the other hand, the reason given for the sleepers up front does correspond somewhat to what a sleeping car attendant on 5 said recently.

On a day when MTP was unstaffed, we had positioned ourselves at the far (rear) end of the platform where we expected 532 to be. As the attendant opened the door, we realized it was a coach and had to hustle up to the front of the train to the sleepers. When I asked the SCA what was up, he said it was because of a cutback in staff.

Based on long experience, I've found that staff tend to answer questions based on their own agenda. This was undoubtedly the case here. But it seemed accurate based on the cutbacks of all kinds over the last year.

By the way, I appreciate getting straight scoop from someone who knows. So, is the elimination of 32 permanent or temporary?
 
From what I hear it is seasonal, but there is no specific date for reinstatement of the 32 sleeper as of yet.
 
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That's rather terrifying to be frank. I much prefer to take the CZ from Reno to EMY and SAC for shopping over being in coach, and with less sleeper space, that means higher pricing for sleepers.
 
Inthegauge said:
From what I hear it is seasonal, but there is no specific date for reinstatement of the 32 sleeper as of yet.
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If there is no date for reinstatement of the 32 sleeper, why am I booked and ticketed already for the 532 sleeper May 27 Chicago to Glenwood Springs? And again the 532 sleeper May 31 Glenwood Springs to Emeryville?
 
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