When I think of the NEC I tend to think of "Acela" and forgot that there is an overnight Northeast Regional Amtrak, DC to Boston. In trying to find timetables for such regional and commuter Amtrak trains, I see that the Amtrak website still won't let you download the schedules. I guess just LD train schedules, at least for now. I had to get out my 2015 hard copy of the Amtrak system timetable with an introduction by Joe Boardman.
Anyway, the overnight DC to Boston trains will be "spruced up" according to the following:
Richard
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Richard, from your immediate "Sen Tester..." miscellany topic:
quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: First, a BOS-WAS Sleeper line will be added to 66-67 effective April 3. The website is now accepting bookings. For travel BOS to WAS #67(15 APR) RM is $288, BR is $323.
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
I say, run it from Boston to DC to Chicago. Make it daily and delete the Cardinal. I guess you would have to add a number of sleepers.
Richard
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
quote:Originally posted by yukon11: I say, run it from Boston to DC to Chicago. Make it daily and delete the Cardinal. I guess you would have to add a number of sleepers.
Richard
I really doubt that would work due to length of run time. If you want to improve NY-Chi service, you should think of be setting up 3 trains on the New York Central route, I think a mid to late afternoon departure on both ends with a mid-morning arrival on the other, one scheduled for early morning arrival on both ends, and one for late evening departure on both ends. These trains should be looking toward early morning arrival at Buffalo westbound and early morning arrival eastbound at Cleveland. Should they ever reach to point where a 16 hour or less end to end time be reliable, then have a fourth train early morning departure on both ends, somewhat of a northeast equivalent of the old daytime City of New Orleans. (Why the NYC or Pennsy did not try an equivalent NY-Chi train on their routes I do not understand. If the City of New Orleans could consistently fill 10 coaches and up to 20 coaches on heavy travel days these trains could certainly have filled up with larger cities on both ends.)
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
Sounds like a plan!
Richard
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
quote:Originally posted by George Harris: These trains should be looking toward early morning arrival at Buffalo westbound and early morning arrival eastbound at Cleveland.
NYC 90-91 The Chicagoan
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: Richard, from your immediate "Sen Tester..." miscellany topic:
quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: First, a BOS-WAS Sleeper line will be added to 66-67 effective April 3. The website is now accepting bookings. For travel BOS to WAS #67(15 APR) RM is $288, BR is $323.
For these prices, you could, as was done in years past, have a drop off and pick up sleeper at New York for both directions, and at least to/from DC, and probably fill it given the cost of NYCity hotel rooms.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Mr. Harris, if there is any chance for any paying passenger to get some sleep, they will avoid having a pick up/set out Sleeper.
Back in the day, the New Haven had an All-Pullman GCT-Boston train, The Owl, which even into the '50's was some 10 Pullmans. The PRR & NH had The Federal, and the PRR had the NY-Wash "Edison". Plenty of business once upon a time - and maybe Amtrak can still fill 15 rooms a night - with a little help from that 17yo girl shaming people off Easy Jet and Ryanair "over there".
Since the car is to be added/cut at Wash, it likely will be on the head and handled with the engine. Since there are only about three grade X-ings in CT (some of those towns, such as Mystic, thought elevating the tracks would hurt their quaintness), and so long as the train is electric powered (it sometimes is assigned both a P-42 and an ACS-64 to allow overnight catenary maintenance - just fire up the P-42 to pass through the dead zones), the passengers paying what seems to be a reasonable price, should get what they paid for - sleep.
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Over at Amtrak Unlimited, Railforum member BRAtkinson has used the service and reported favorably on that trip.
However, there are two other reports, at that advocacy site (that, BTW, ran me off when they learned "I'm not exactly that") where the experience was less than favorable.
The adverse reports noted that train announcements were made through the night in the Sleeper, that the car at BOS was "less than spotless, an Attendant who apparently knew less than nothing about Sleepers ("I'm off the Extra Board"), no "Complimentary Beverage", and a "Continental Breakfast" fit for the trash barrel.
I'm glad, "obviously a railfan" from postings he makes, Mr. Atkinson had a good trip. That the others, fortified my view that Amtrak has just created another boondoggle.
The only positive coming to mind is that the fares for such are presently a bargain when compared with fare for other Sleeper (whoops, Private Rooms in the latest version of Amtrakese) services noted by our Moderator, Mr. Tabern, at another topic.
Posted by jp1822 (Member # 2596) on :
For this “RESTORED” service, they’ve Amtrak has placed a VIewliner I into rotation, not a VIewliner II, which is what the ORIGINAL marketing of the train would have led one to believe. It was as if you were getting the “next generation” of sleeper travel. Instead it’s a flashback.
They also deadhead the Viewliner in the consist (no sales made, sleeper not removed from consist) between Washington DC and Newport News. Amtrak would probably be better off leaving sales open, and contracting with a cleaning crew in Newport News, as it has been reported that northbound the sleeper is often not very clean. They did this before with the Twilight Shoreliner, AND THE SLEEPERS RAN AT THE REAR OF THE CONSIST! Can it really be that hard?
I believe they are using the LSAs that were displaced from the Capitol Limited to serve as the Sleeper Car attendants.
Supposedly bookings for the “private room” are pretty strong for this train. But the marketing was also pretty intense - at least on the East Coast...... Marketing did a great job I thought, but Amtrak operations really failed them by sticking a derelict Viewliner I in the consist. For a restored service, one should try to put a good step forward, as described and embodied in the marketing. I realize Boston Maintenance doesn’t like foreign or new equipment, but they really need to get over it. Or put a Viewliner II on the Boston section of the LSL so that they deal with Viewliner II’s now.
Amtrak also needs to segment the route so that if you board in Williamsburg, and are heading to Boston, you could see that coach is an option to Washington DC and private room is an option from Washington DC is an option from DC to Boston.
Nice try with this “restored service” but I think it will soon be part of history again.
I think some may be missing the intention of running the Cardinal all the way to Boston.....The idea of operating the Cardinal to Boston - it would hold in Washington DC till departure at 9 or 10 pm, and then it would be the overnight train from Washington DC to Boston. Intention would be to operate daily. Amtrak would just have to swap the sleeper out somehow in Chicago or Boston so that it could get back to Sunnyside Yard as an end of run - then switched out to a Florida based train. In general, the Cardinal would be the ultimate meandering LD Amtrak train.
PS - Actually, if the Cardinal arrived in Boston at 8 am, was serviced in Boston immediately, it could go out same day as the Lake Shore’s Boston section!!! Boston would then only have to service one Viewliner effectively! Amtrak would have to switch the sleeper out in Boston and then Chicago - in both directions. That sleeper would be seeing one big loop of trackage!!!! The private RR’s could have actually probably handled this maneuver, but not Amtrak.......
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
Wow, does "the pull of the closet railfan" Kennedys live on. For instead of simply becoming an "important feeder" such as is ALB-NYP, NHV-SPF, and PHL-HBG, NHV-BOS gets electrified and Acelas. Restoration of 448-9 as a BOS-CHI train, complete with a Sleeper, after the Gunmen wisely eliminated it, is just one more example of "pull", for "change at Albany" could not have been all that inconvenient.
Now that plus this latest Night Owl venture Mr. JP notes are all back, and it doesn't sound as if the execution of such is exactly "stellar".
Why they can't cut the Bagg and Sleeper at WAS along with the engine, escapes me. What Baggage there is could simply be transloaded into an otherwise closed off head Coach.
Sure seems as if the entire V-I fleet is in need of "heavys". Ideally, they would be "standardized" with the V-II's, but, oh, that was a prior regime's idea, so we must now have a "better idea".
Posted by jp1822 (Member # 2596) on :
For this “RESTORED” service, they’ve Amtrak has placed a VIewliner I into rotation, not a VIewliner II, which is what the ORIGINAL marketing of the train would have led one to believe. It was as if you were getting the “next generation” of sleeper travel. Instead it’s a flashback.
They also deadhead the Viewliner in the consist (no sales made, sleeper not removed from consist) between Washington DC and Newport News. Amtrak would probably be better off leaving sales open, and contracting with a cleaning crew in Newport News, as it has been reported that northbound the sleeper is often not very clean. They did this before with the Twilight Shoreliner, AND THE SLEEPERS RAN AT THE REAR OF THE CONSIST! Can it really be that hard?
I believe they are using the LSAs that were displaced from the Capitol Limited to serve as the Sleeper Car attendants.
Supposedly bookings for the “private room” are pretty strong for this train. But the marketing was also pretty intense - at least on the East Coast...... Marketing did a great job I thought, but Amtrak operations really failed them by sticking a derelict Viewliner I in the consist. For a restored service, one should try to put a good step forward, as described and embodied in the marketing. I realize Boston Maintenance doesn’t like foreign or new equipment, but they really need to get over it. Or put a Viewliner II on the Boston section of the LSL so that they deal with Viewliner II’s now.
Amtrak also needs to segment the route so that if you board in Williamsburg, and are heading to Boston, you could see that coach is an option to Washington DC and private room is an option from Washington DC is an option from DC to Boston.
Nice try with this “restored service” but I think it will soon be part of history again.
I think some may be missing the intention of running the Cardinal all the way to Boston.....The idea of operating the Cardinal to Boston - it would hold in Washington DC till departure at 9 or 10 pm, and then it would be the overnight train from Washington DC to Boston. Intention would be to operate daily. Amtrak would just have to swap the sleeper out somehow in Chicago or Boston so that it could get back to Sunnyside Yard as an end of run - then switched out to a Florida based train. In general, the Cardinal would be the ultimate meandering LD Amtrak train.
PS - Actually, if the Cardinal arrived in Boston at 8 am, was serviced in Boston immediately, it could go out same day as the Lake Shore’s Boston section!!! Boston would then only have to service one Viewliner effectively! Amtrak would have to switch the sleeper out in Boston and then Chicago - in both directions. That sleeper would be seeing one big loop of trackage!!!! The private RR’s could have actually probably handled this maneuver, but not Amtrak.......