I have seen several reports that the Cardinal will revert to low-level equipment so the Superliners can be used on the Auto Train. I've been on the Cardinal several times in the last few years & the equipment is not the best that Amtrak has. This should be quite a downgrade for the passengers on the Auto Train as they usually have the newest & best maintained cars in the fleet. Since they are going to low-level equipment it sure would be nice if they could scrounge up some dome cars to put in the consist. Since the train ends in DC, that should be possible. I'm not even sure if there are any dome cars still in Amtraks inventory. Last I heard they used them for a while between Chicago & Albany on the Lake Shore Ltd. Reggie
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Posted by Konstantin (Member # 18) on :
I would love to see dome cars come back. I rode in one on Amtrak's Super Chief in 1971. It was a great ride with a great view.
------------------ Elias Valley Railroad (N-scale) www.geocities.com/evrr
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Life is life, Mr. Atwell, and Amtrak must "do what they gotta do", even if the incident was not their fault.
The best we can hope for is that with now some 70 Superliners wrecked, that the current funding will include provisions to get those cars (or at least a good chunk of them) back in revenue service.
Likely since Rep. Mica (R-FL-7th) has been an Amtrak supporter (at least so far as the Corridor and Auto-Train go), the work could well be done at Sanford. The lounge cars (coach and First of identical design) were rebuilt at Sanford from S-I diners and are top notch to me (I'm a veteran of some 12 AT rides over the Amtrak years, plus one on the private-sector AT).
Thus far, nothing has come to my attention regarding Amtrak mishandling of victims (and hopefully their autos as well - most are not exactly used Yugos); the Superliner cars are testament as to why there are strict FRA crashworthiness standards, and from a major Amtrak incident, 96% of the "souls on board" walked.
Posted by irishchieftain (Member # 1473) on :
Low-level cars on the Cardinal again...? Hmm, maybe they'd extend it one step further and have them go to NYP again...? (I'm assuming single-level Amfleet/Horizon/Viewliner types and not something as revolutionary as, say, Talgo cars, which are truly low-level...?)
[This message has been edited by irishchieftain (edited 04-22-2002).]
Posted by Ken V (Member # 1466) on :
Funny (unusual - not ha! ha!). I was thinking about something like this earlier today.
Considering what VIA has accomplished with their fleet of '50's era Budd stainless steel cars, would Amtrak be better off refurbishing much of their Heritage equipment as opposed to purchasing new Viewliner or Superliner cars. Maybe even re-acquiring some cars from private owners or those stored by VIA.
All of this, of course, depends on Amtrak obtaining the capital funding needed for any of this.
------------------ Any time could be train time! Ken V.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
It's too bad that the Cardinal is reverting to low-level cars, but it's not the end of the world. I rode the Cardinal WAS-CHI in 1998, and on the day I rode it, there was no Sightseer lounge, since the lounge normally assigned to that train was being repaired somewhere, so I was pretty much stuck in my sleeper room for most of the trip, and could only see half the scenery. I tried sitting in an empty coach for a while, but due to the small "fold-down" tables at the seats, I didn't have enough room for my map books I always have with me and my video camera. And there was no replacement lounge car whatsoever -- they had a "smoking lounge" in the lower level of one of the coaches, which is a very small area with "park bench" type seating, the seats facing toward the center of the car -- not good for viewing scenery, and to say the least, the lounge was quite smoky.
So if the Cardinal goes low-level, OK -- I hope they use Viewliner sleepers rather than Heritage, and there has to be some kind of lounge car, maybe even an "Amcafe" or an "Amlounge" car like those used on the Silver Service Florida trains. Does AMTRAK still have any of their old single-level "Heritage" (?)lounge cars -- I used to enjoy sitting in them.
And if AMTRAK is "saving money" by going low-level with the Cardinal, what are the possibilities of making it a daily train then?
[This message has been edited by RRRICH (edited 04-25-2002).]
Posted by jp22661 (Member # 1579) on :
The new April schedule for the Cardinal is available at Amtrak and it lists the Ky Cardinal using viewliner equipment and the Washington-Chicago route using Superliner equipment.
Posted by Silver Star (Member # 1570) on :
Amtrak is obviously now reaccommodating passengers booked in the Cardinal's sleeper as sleeper space is now blocked for May dates (and probably beyond). A friend of mine is traveling in a couple weeks. Maybe he will have to show the attendant how the room works as it is different from a Superliner setup. It is too bad when equipment has to be stretched so thin.
Posted by Silver Star (Member # 1570) on :
The new timetable was printed before the Cardinal was forced to go to single level cars. This was not premeditated, but was necessary due to the AutoTrain accident putting so many Superliners out of service. The new nat'l timetable does include the Palmetto (ex Silver Palm) minus sleepers but that was decided upon awhile back.
Why do they always put photos of people on the timetable covers now? I'd rather have a pretty train scene as those attracted people to the route. Smiling people could be hired for the cover of a prison brochure if you paid enough but that wouldn't attract new clients (well, maybe it would if they were good looking).
Posted by trainman1 (Member # 1392) on :
quote:Originally posted by Silver Star: Why do they always put photos of people on the timetable covers now? I'd rather have a pretty train scene as those attracted people to the route. Smiling people could be hired for the cover of a prison brochure if you paid enough but that wouldn't attract new clients (well, maybe it would if they were good looking).
Or, if they're bound and determined to use people on the timetable covers, why not copy Southwest Airlines and use pictures of Amtrak employees, along with a brief bio of the employee and a short description of their job on the inside?
Posted by Ken V (Member # 1466) on :
quote:Originally posted by trainman1: Or, if they're bound and determined to use people on the timetable covers, why not copy Southwest Airlines and use pictures of Amtrak employees, along with a brief bio of the employee and a short description of their job on the inside?
trainman1 I like your idea. It would give the public a better understanding of what these people do and more information about rail travel and Amtrak in general.
Posted by irishchieftain (Member # 1473) on :
quote:along with a brief bio of the employee and a short description of their job on the inside
Aieek...no offense meant, but the phrase "on the inside" has some prison connotations...besides, government employees are of a different breed, at least on the management level (which is most likely one reason for surliness among unionized employees; sounds to me like they get treated worse than postal workers)...
Posted by Amtrak207 (Member # 1307) on :
I doubt there are any usable domes left around that Amtrak hasn't sold yet. Word is dome cars are getting scarce even in the private car area. I know I'm going to own one someday, but maybe I'll have to do what the Burlington did and buy a coach and cut a rather large hole in the top. I heard the last domes in service were on the Capitol and the Cardinal. Domes were picked off the Lake Shore in late 1994 for use on those trains. I wouldn't mind riding in a heritage coach again; they rode so much better than the Oldsmobile-Amfleets with their air springs. This has improved lately; I have to wonder if those wizards at the car shops have specified firmer shocks or something. My ideal timetable cover does not feature actors, but the ones they use are okay, I guess. People are an integral part of the ride, remember. Another reason I like train travel. Real people, not those androds they give you on airlines. If they had any incentive to put old domes into service, they would have spliced them in to the Lakeshore, which still makes the tunnel clearances on the Boston section. ------------------ F40PH #757099-8 March 29, 1976-November 18, 2001 P42DC #53063 November 18, 2001-???
[This message has been edited by Amtrak207 (edited 04-26-2002).]
Posted by Steve Dunham (Member # 924) on :
I road the Cardinal earlier this month and the Superliners appeared to be in good condition.
------------------ Steve Dunham Literalman@aol.com http://www.stevedunham.50megs.com/
Posted by trainman1 (Member # 1392) on :
quote:Originally posted by irishchieftain: Aieek...no offense meant, but the phrase "on the inside" has some prison connotations...
I meant that a little blurb about the person and his or her job should appear inside the timetable. From trip reports I've read, there are a few Amtrak employees who are probably more suited to be prison employees, but I fortunately haven't run across any of them.
I should point out that I agree with Silver Star that given a choice, I'd rather have a scenic train photo on the timetable cover, or even a return of the train/scenery illustrations they had in the mid-to-late 1980s.
Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :
The Cardinal never had a dome car. When it was low-level equipment it went through to New York. Dome cars & the tunnels don't mix well. The other Amtrak train with dome cars was the City of New Orleans before it went to Superliners. I rode one of the last runs of the CONO & had the pleasure of 2 dome cars in the consist. I guess they were bringing all the low level cars back to Chicago as all the trains out of New Orleans would be Superliner. Reggie
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Posted by Silver Star (Member # 1570) on :
Technically, Reggie Rail is right. The Cardinal didn't use domes to my knowledge but the route was served by domes in Amtrak's early years when the train was the James Whitcomb Riley (renamed from the George Washington). The dome operated on the Newport News,VA section which split from the rest of the train at Charlottesville,VA. It ran via Doswell,VA (the diamond north of Richmond and Ashland,VA) then headed south on a circuitous route into Richmond then eastward. In its later years the Newport News section was made up of only a vista dome coach; sometimes it was joined by a baggage-coach combine car. In Amtrak's early years I saw a former Great Northern full dome pass by on that train. The dome always went to Newport News as in those days only low level cars fit thru the Washington tunnel. Eventually, of course, the Newport News section was dumped and replaced by the Colonial/Virginian/Tidewater/Twilight Shoreliner.
Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :
Haven't heard recently, but I believe there are some full length dome cars being used on the San Diego trains. I saw one in a consist last November, looking inside it appeared to have a snack bar on one end of the lower level. That would be a neat trip in one of those, anyone know any more info on the current usage of them? Reggie
