I'll find out the answer to the following question the next time I ride the Zephyr (in late February or early March), but . . .
Are LOCAL newspapers (such as the Omaha World-Herald) put aboard LD train sleepers each morning still, or has Amtrak standardized on USA Today?
What have you noticed in the last few months or a year?
Thanks!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Last April in Business Class on the Wolverine, EW it was the Chicago Tribune; WW from Detroit, The Times.
Auto Train last February, the Washington Post.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Tomorrow evening I'll be in a roomette on the northbound Crescent (en route Atlanta - Providence on AGR points). I'll keep my eye out for what newspaper offering we have Friday morning.
Posted by ColdRain&Snow (Member # 15381) on :
Just rode the CZ from EMY to CHI and the EB from CHI to SEA, and we had local papers on every morning. Papers from Salt Lake City, Omaha, Grand Forks, and Spokane.
Posted by sojourner (Member # 3134) on :
Just had the NY Times on the Capitol Ltd out of DC as well as on the Lakeshore Ltd out of Chicago, with the 2nd day's Times probably picked up in Cleveland (I was sleeping so I'm not 100 percent sure).
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
I don't recall any newspapers offered on the Silver Service trains, but then I travel coach. Is this a service only offered to Business Class, Sleeper Passengers, and on the Autotrain?
I rode the CZ five years ago in Sleeper, but I still can't say there were any newspapers offered en route. Maybe I just didn't notice, as I was too busy searching for the free coffee that was supposed to be available but wasn't.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Thanks to all. Local dailies reflect local idiosyncrasies much more than national newspapers do, and help the reader understand the country that is passing by. Papers do seem to be a sleeper-only perk on the LD trains.
Posted by MontanaJim (Member # 2323) on :
On my sleeper trips, i have found the papers to be hit or miss. On one trip, i believe it was the coast starlight, i noticed passengers in another sleeper received newspapers but folks in my car didnt. i almost said something to our attendant but didnt get around to it. i would have liked a paper but it wasnt that big a deal to me.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
In my experience on the Surfliners papers are available in Business Class only. If the train originates in SLO you get the local paper from there. The same is true of San Diego or Los Angeles. If the train originates in Goleta you get USA Today. This probably has to do with the antipathy many locals have for the Santa Barbara News-Press and for its current owner, Wendy McCaw.
Frank in sunny and cool SBA
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Northbound Crescent got the McNewspaper (aka USA Today) loaded in Charlottesville, VA this morning. Full report coming in a few minutes.
Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :
Surfliner out of LA and San Diego gets USA Today Southwest Chief gets the Pueblo Chieftan in La Junta.
Chris
Posted by mr williams (Member # 1928) on :
Thank you Chris - perfect timing! As I was reading down the thread I was racking my brain as to the name of the place where we had a service stop on the SWC and they brought around the Pueblo Chieftain, and as you say it was La Junta, although given the distance from Pueblo to La Junta we Brits would find it a strange definition of "local"!
I remember we had a Denver newspaper on the CZ (but that was nearly ten years ago now) but only USA Today on the EB and CS.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
I wonder if there is any higher decision made regarding which newspaper is put aboard which train?
Something like "We've studied this and discovered that the majority of our passengers prefer USA Today as opposed to the Charlottesville whatever..."
Or, perhaps - "USA Today is a more consistent product than the Minot Daily whatnot....."
But probably it's more likely a matter of "We've cut this deal with USA Today and unless the Pueblo Chieftain can undersell McPaper, that's what's going aboard the train in LaJunta...."
Posted by CHATTER (Member # 1185) on :
Got the New York Times both ways on the Crescent last week. But then again, they were both Saturdays, when the McNewspaper does not print.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
But then again, they were both Saturdays, when the McNewspaper does not print.