# Typical consist for City of New Orleans?



## rms492 (Sep 27, 2011)

Hello, what is the typical non-peak consist for the City of New Orleans?

The CofNO is a train that always seems to have changing consists, i.e, sometimes I've seen one or two engines, sometimes no baggage car, sometimes no lounge, sometimes sleepers on the end, sometimes on the front.

So what is standard consist these days?

Thanks


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## Donctor (Sep 27, 2011)

rms492 said:


> Hello, what is the typical non-peak consist for the City of New Orleans?
> 
> The CofNO is a train that always seems to have changing consists, i.e, sometimes I've seen one or two engines, sometimes no baggage car, sometimes no lounge, sometimes sleepers on the end, sometimes on the front.
> 
> ...



P42

Dorm/Sleeper (5809/5909)

Diner (CCC)

Lounge —— replaced with a second CCC if the lounge is bad-ordered or otherwise unavailable

Coach/Baggage

Coach

Coach

Sleeper (5800/5900)


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## rms492 (Sep 27, 2011)

Oh, so if I'm in the 5800 sleeper, I have to walk through three coaches and the lounge to get food?

I hate that.

Why can't they put that last sleeper next to the trans. sleeper (5809)?


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## Amtrak George (Sep 27, 2011)

CONO CONSIST: I agree that the diner should be next to the sleeper. This was in fact the case when I rode in April, but earlier this month I had to walk through 3 coaches and the lounge to get to the diner. This was an interesting experience on rough track! The CONO shares equipment with the Eagle, so consists and arrangements thereof may vary.


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## Donctor (Sep 27, 2011)

rms492 said:


> Why can't they put that last sleeper next to the trans. sleeper (5809)?


The City's equipment is interlined with the Texas Eagle. The sleeper is at the rear so it and one coach can be taken off the Eagle consist at San Antonio and sent through to Los Angeles without having to switch the sleeper out of the middle of the consist. When the equipment goes through Chicago and on to New Orleans, the sleeper stays on the rear.


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## gatelouse (Sep 28, 2011)

Donctor said:


> P42
> 
> Dorm/Sleeper (5809/5909)
> 
> ...


When the train is set up this way, does the sleeping car attendant for the 09 sleeper work anywhere else on the train? Not a lot of effort involved in managing just the revenue space in the trans-dorm.


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## AlanB (Sep 28, 2011)

gatelouse said:


> Donctor said:
> 
> 
> > P42
> ...


Most likely that attendant also works one of the coaches. Alternatively they could also be the attendant for the 5800 car.


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## gatelouse (Sep 28, 2011)

That's a long walk from 5800 to 5809. I'd hope that a single attendant doesn't have to work both cars. Does the call button even work across cars, much less across 3 coaches, a lounge, and CCC?


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## AlanB (Sep 28, 2011)

Yes, it is a long walk. But there have been cases of attendants being tasked to do that on other trains. I believe that Amtrak quickly gave up on that idea, but again I can't rule out that it does happen.

And no, the call buttons do not ring in adjacent cars, much less across several coaches. They only ring in that specific car.


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## rogerVarland (Sep 28, 2011)

Just rode the CONO from Chi to Jackson last Saturday. I was in the trans/dorm and was looked after by the attendant from the first coach.(sleeper on rear) Yes, this meant she was back and forth through the lounge and CCC. With a large tour group on board, she didn't appear until we were 30 min out of CUS. A bad set-up, in stark contrast to two excellent sleeper experiences I had this summer: JXN-RNO and LAX-JXN


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## oldtimer (Sep 29, 2011)

AlanB said:


> Yes, it is a long walk. But there have been cases of attendants being tasked to do that on other trains. I believe that Amtrak quickly gave up on that idea, but again I can't rule out that it does happen.
> 
> And no, the call buttons do not ring in adjacent cars, much less across several coaches. They only ring in that specific car.


Alan, the call buttons on Superliner I & II's can be sent to the next car forward or rearward.


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## PaulM (Sep 29, 2011)

I might be a minority here; but I would trade the walk to the diner for a good nights sleep any time. With only one engine and no baggage car, that had to be the noisiest ride when the sleeper was right behind the transdorm.


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## Amtrak George (Sep 29, 2011)

PaulM said:


> I might be a minority here; but I would trade the walk to the diner for a good nights sleep any time. With only one engine and no baggage car, that had to be the noisiest ride when the sleeper was right behind the transdorm.


I agree; however, the best arrangement I have experienced was when they had the CONO arranged as follows from the head end: transition sleeper (dorm), coach baggage, coach, coach, lounge, diner (CCC), sleeper.


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## gatelouse (Sep 29, 2011)

That sounds like the most sensible consist to me from a crew and pax satisfaction point of view...except that those in the transition car really get the short end of the stick. Access to just half the car, right behind the engine, long walk to diner. The consist reported reduces the diner walk for these pax. Putting the coaches behind the transition car might result in a less harried attendant.


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## Railroad Bill (Apr 27, 2012)

Just finished our trip on the CONO #58 last week and the current consist is:

Genesis Loco

Dorm Sleeper

Regular Sleeper 5800

Regular Diner

Lounge Car

Coach

Coach

Coach/Baggage Combine

It was nice to have the diner just a few steps away from our Bedroom B Sleeper Room. :giggle:


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## MiRider (Apr 27, 2012)

I was on #59 and #58 this past week from CHI - NOL

I'm not well versed in sleeper or engine types but our consist on both trains was

Engine

Sleeper

Sleeper

CCC Diner

Lounge car that looked like a CCC to me

Coach

Coach

Coach

Nice railfan window on the last coach if you were so inclined.

NO Sightseer Lounge on either train - bah!

Surprised one of the new Conductors too - who announced its location.

When I laughed and mentioned it to him, he said 'What? That's the best part of the train.'

Not a fan of the lounge car at all but, it's better than nothing.


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## Donctor (Apr 27, 2012)

Yup.

Now to shamelessly plug my thread. If you're interested in what the line numbers (ex. "5800") are for all the cars, check out the consists/line numbers thread in the FAQ section.


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## PRR 60 (Apr 27, 2012)

Donctor said:


> Yup.
> 
> Now to shamelessly plug my thread. If you're interested in what the line numbers (ex. "5800") are for all the cars, check out the consists/line numbers thread in the FAQ section.


Plus, the consists shown in Post 1 of that thread are the most recent versions for each train - no need to search through replies to find the latest info.

Thanks to *Donctor* for all his hard work!

Consists / Line Numbers Topic


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## MiRider (Apr 27, 2012)

PRR 60 said:


> Donctor said:
> 
> 
> > Yup.
> ...


Wow! Thanks for the information.

I had no idea.

I will definitely use that thread for every trip.

I'm still kind of mixed up....

I saw a Sightseer lounge in a consist when we arrived in NOL (was hoping that would be my return train)

I read your disclaimer but....

Are you saying that right now, both the TE and CONO will/do not have SSLs?

I plan on taking the TE in the next month or so and I'm curious.

Looks like I'm good to go with a SSL on the CZ wednesday.... maybe


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## manchacrr (Apr 27, 2012)

JoanieB said:


> PRR 60 said:
> 
> 
> > Donctor said:
> ...


JoanieB,

The CONO/TE still has a sightseer lounge in the consist. The only reason it would not is if the SSL was removed for maintenance purposes.

The current consist for the CONO is as follows:

P40/P42

Trans-Dorm

Sleeper

CCC

Sightseer Lounge

Coach-Bag

Coach

Coach

This consist is in effect from October-May.

From June-September, the consist will be:

P40/P42

Trans-Dorm

Coach

Coach-Bag

Sightseer Lounge

CCC

Coach

Sleeper

This consist information is from one of the conductors aboard the CONO.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Apr 27, 2012)

Why do they switch around the consist?


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## MiRider (Apr 27, 2012)

manchacrr said:


> JoanieB said:
> 
> 
> > PRR 60 said:
> ...


Ah, thanks... that makes sense especially considering the fact that the new Conductor that entered the train through the last coach car was surprised at the fact that there was no SSL.

I appreciate your time answering my question, it helps make my train time so much more fun!


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## Trogdor (Apr 28, 2012)

manchacrr said:


> The current consist for the CONO is as follows:
> 
> P40/P42
> 
> ...


A conductor would not have any information about future consist changes. The "June-September" consist was tried several weeks ago, and didn't work out for various reasons. There's no operational reason that the City of New Orleans would have a seasonal consist rearrangement (it's not like the single-level trains that get switched around so that the Lake Shore can get its cars cycled to Florida during the winter).

It's possible the consist may get rearranged again in the near future, but it wouldn't be for any seasonal adjustments.


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## manchacrr (Apr 28, 2012)

Trogdor said:


> manchacrr said:
> 
> 
> > The current consist for the CONO is as follows:
> ...


I know it was tried several weeks ago. I live 30 miles from the route and go to school (SELU) two blocks from the Hammond train station. This train's consist is set by the team in San Antonio responsible for switching the through cars from the TE to the SL. The conductor was not the only one that I have head this from. I have also spoken to Amtrak's trainmaster down in New Orleans about it. He said that the test a few weeks ago was to see if it could work, especially for ease of switching in San Antonio during the summer months. According to the trainmaster and the conductor, the CONO will switch back to the other consist with the sleeper on the rear in June.


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## Bob Dylan (Apr 28, 2012)

Just rode the Eagles yesterday and my friends in the Crew confirm that the Eagles will return to the Sleeper on the Rear Consist, but they say it will happen when the new schedule starts for the Sunset/Eagle on May 7th., not in June and that it is done strictly for Switching Reasons in SAS, not Seasonal!? This should apply to the CONO also! :unsure:

BTW-The last few days the Eagles have run with a CCC inplace of a Sightseer Lounge, the crews told me that one was bad ordered in CHI and another is in for Inspection/Maintence etc.

I always find a CCC a poor subsitute for a "Real" Lounge!


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## Swadian Hardcore (Apr 29, 2012)

jimhudson said:


> BTW-The last few days the Eagles have run with a CCC inplace of a Sightseer Lounge, the crews told me that one was bad ordered in CHI and another is in for Inspection/Maintence etc.
> 
> I always find a CCC a poor subsitute for a "Real" Lounge!


That's what you get when Amtrak retires too many Hi-Levels and dome cars!


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## Donctor (Apr 29, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> That's what you get when Amtrak retires too many Hi-Levels and dome cars!


Yeah! And why'd they have to get rid of all the steam engines?


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## Gingee (Apr 29, 2012)

What's a dorm sleeper versus a regular sleeper? We are in car 5900 later this week.


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## manchacrr (Apr 30, 2012)

Gingee said:


> What's a dorm sleeper versus a regular sleeper? We are in car 5900 later this week.


Car 5900 is the regular sleeper. A dorm sleeper is the transition-dorm car that is mainly used for the crew with a few rooms on the upper level sold to revenue passengers. It is designed to connect the single-level cars to the double-level Superliners and has stairs on one end leading down to a single-level door.


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## abcnews (Apr 30, 2012)

You may already be aware -but I think that the Eagle and City of New Orleans are without a Sightseer Lounge more often than the other 4 LD Chicago trains, because of the "pecking order" established by Amtrak. If a train comes into Chicago - such as the California Zephyr or the Empire Builder, the SW Chief or the Capital Limited - and it has a Sightseer that needs work to be done in Chicago, and there is no spare SSL available, then they pull the Sightseer off of the CONO or the Eagle, and replace it with a CCC, since the other Long Distance trains take priority. Consider the scenic terrain that the three West Coast trains go through (SWC,CZ and EB), so they often will pull the SSL from the City of New Orleans or the Texas Eagle.

I think that the Capital Limited takes priority since it is both - the only East Coast connecting train with Superliner equipment, and it seems to be a bigger train than the CONO or TE, with more passengers. Perhaps the theory is fewer passengers are impacted when the CONO or TE runs without a SSL - verses the other 4 larger trains.


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## Shortline (Apr 30, 2012)

How does switching in San Antonio affect the CONO, which doesn't go to San Antonio? Hopefully whatever the reason, the sleepers will go back on the rear by late June when we take our next trip. The farther from the horn the better!


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## OlympianHiawatha (Apr 30, 2012)

Shortline said:


> How does switching in San Antonio affect the CONO, which doesn't go to San Antonio? Hopefully whatever the reason, the sleepers will go back on the rear by late June when we take our next trip. The farther from the horn the better!


The _*City*_ and _*Eagle*_ are actually the same train as the northbound _*Eagle*_ turns straight away into the southbound _*City*_ at Chicago and vice verse. So there's nowhere else on the routes the cars can be set to make SAS switching easiest.


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## Shortline (Apr 30, 2012)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> 1335803137[/url]' post='364351']
> 
> 
> Shortline said:
> ...


Interesting, I didn't know that. Cool, we'll be in the same car the whole trip, though different bedrooms.


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## Gingee (Apr 30, 2012)

I don't think I have ever seen a dorm sleeper. Have been on several Amtrak trains.


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## manchacrr (May 1, 2012)

Gingee said:


> I don't think I have ever seen a dorm sleeper. Have been on several Amtrak trains.


They are on every train that is equipped with Superliners. It is usually between the baggage car and the first revenue car. On trains such as the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle, which use a coach-baggage instead of a separate baggage car, it is the first car directly behind the engine. It is used so that the train crew can have en route access to the baggage car.

Also, if you are ever booked into a roomette with a room number >14, your room is in the dorm car.


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## George K (Nov 19, 2014)

Just booked our trip for next March.

Does anyone know what the current consist is?


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 19, 2014)

You'll have a consist like the Texas Eagle runs since they share run through equipment during parts of the year!

1 P.-42/Transdorm/Revenue Sleeper( may be on back on train if in Summer mode)/CCC ( Diner)/Sight Seer Lounge/ 3 Coaches( 1 Coach Bag, 2 Regular Coaches-1 probably dead headed if its a low passenger load)

You also may have the PVs from Iowa Pacific on the back if there is a scheduled CHI-NOL trip! If so I believe a 2nd P-42 is added???


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## George K (Nov 19, 2014)

Thanks, Jim!

So the sleeper is right behind the motive power? Isn't that unusual?


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## Bob Dylan (Nov 19, 2014)

George K said:


> Thanks, Jim!
> 
> So the sleeper is right behind the motive power? Isn't that unusual?


No, that's the usual Eagle/CONO consist during most of the year! From time to time ( usually in the Summer) SAS switches the Sleeper to the rear of the Eagle and it runs SAS-CHI-NOL-CHI on the rear of the Train.
The SWC, the Sunset Ltd( NOL-LAX), the Empire Builder ( SEA Sleepers only/PDX Sleeper and Coaches are on Rear) and the Cap Ltd all Run with the Sleeper(s) on the Front! The California Zephyr rotates depending on the time of year just like the Lake Shore Ltd and Silver Trains do!


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## George K (Nov 19, 2014)

Thanks for the explanation. When I went to PDX on the EB this September, we were, indeed at the rear in a roomette. On the Coast Starlight, we were somewhere in the middle, iirc, and the CZ had us at the end as well. I guess that explains my impressions that sleepers go at the rear. We have Bedroom D - departing 3/9.


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## manchacrr (Nov 23, 2014)

The CONO and the Texas Eagle no longer share equipment with each other. The CONO now runs in a permanent consist of P42 - Transition Sleeper - Sleeper - CCC - Sightseer Lounge - Coach/Baggage - Coach - Coach.

The Pullman Cars from Iowa Pacific now run a regular schedule as well. They are on the rear of southbound CONO #59 departing CHI on Thursdays and departing north behind #58 on Sundays out of NOL. Depending on the Pullman passenger manifest, there can be anywhere from one to five cars on the rear with the average being three. When the Pullmans run, there is a 2nd P42 added to the CONO.


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## manchacrr (Nov 23, 2014)

The



George K said:


> Just booked our trip for next March.
> 
> Does anyone know what the current consist is?


The good news is that the CONO and the Eagle no longer share equipment with each other.

The current/permanent consist of the CONO is now the following:

P42

Transition Sleeper

Sleeper

CCC/Diner

Sightseer Lounge

Coach-Baggage

Coach

Coach

Also, the Pullman cars from Iowa Pacific are on the rear of the CONO on Thursdays southbound out of Chicago and on Sundays northbound out of New Orleans. On these days a second locomotive, usually a P42 is added to the consist.


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## Thirdrail7 (Nov 11, 2015)

This train will have a full baggage car very soon. h34r:


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