Lake Shore Limited discussion 2023 Q4 - 2024

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mldev said:
Just want to follow up on the bus substation from Boston to Albany. The bus did have an Amtrak attendant and he handed out snacks and water at the start of the trip. Thanks to this site I also brought food and glad I did. It made the trip bearable. I don't recommend this route though and I would look to circumvent it in the future.
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Just as a matter of interest, did all passengers receive snacks, or just sleeper passengers?
 
mldev said:
Just want to follow up on the bus substation from Boston to Albany. The bus did have an Amtrak attendant and he handed out snacks and water at the start of the trip. Thanks to this site I also brought food and glad I did. It made the trip bearable. I don't recommend this route though and I would look to circumvent it in the future.
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The Boston - Albany bustitution route is certainly a disappointing experience and one that I will plan to avoid if possible. The train route, however, when it runs, is usually a pleasant experience and I always look forward to the nice run along the Westfield River in western Massachusetts.
 
mldev said:
Just want to follow up on the bus substation from Boston to Albany. The bus did have an Amtrak attendant and he handed out snacks and water at the start of the trip.
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I am curious about this…
Do you know if it was an OBS attendant, who normally would staff the train, or could it have been a station employee who just boarded the bus to pass them out, and then exited before departure?🤔
 
I don't know what OBS means. The person wore an Amtrak uniform and remained on the bus throughout the journey. He collected the tickets and seemed to be in touch with a dispatcher regarding additional passenger pickups etc. The bus driver announced at the beginning of the trip that the bus was a private coach under contract with Amtrak.
 
mldev said:
I don't know what OBS means. The person wore an Amtrak uniform and remained on the bus throughout the journey. He collected the tickets and seemed to be in touch with a dispatcher regarding additional passenger pickups etc. The bus driver announced at the beginning of the trip that the bus was a private coach under contract with Amtrak.
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OBS stands for On Board Service. However, the person you describe would seem to be a Conductor or Assistant Conductor who would be part of the T&E (train and Engine) staff. They are the only ones authorized to collect tickets, and typically the only ones who would be wearing a fancy cap (and uniform)
 
jis said:
OBS stands for On Board Service. However, the person you describe would seem to be a Conductor or Assistant Conductor who would be part of the T&E (train and Engine) staff. They are the only ones authorized to collect tickets, and typically the only ones who would be wearing a fancy cap (and uniform)
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Seems odd to have a conductor on a bustitution. I have never been on a regular Thruway or a bustitution where there has been a conductor or T&E crew. The last Amtrak bus I was on was a normal scheduled Thruway codeshare with Cantrail. The Cantrail driver scanned the ticket. The one time I was on bustitution from point of origin was LA-Santa Barabara on a Starlight bustitution due to bridge work at Montalvo. There was no conductor on the bus, and I seem to recall someone just looked at the boarding pass when boarding the the bus. I think it didn't get scanned until I got on the train at Santa Barbara.
 
zephyr17 said:
Seems odd to have a conductor on a bustitution. I have never been on a regular Thruway or a bustitution where there has been a conductor or T&E crew. The last Amtrak bus I was on was a normal scheduled Thruway codeshare with Cantrail. The Cantrail driver scanned the ticket. The one time I was on bustitution from point of origin was LA-Santa Barabara on a Starlight bustitution due to bridge work at Montalvo. There was no conductor on the bus, and I seem to recall someone just looked at the boarding pass when boarding the the bus. I think it didn't get scanned until I got on the train at Santa Barbara.
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Ah, if it was on the bus it would be the responsibility of the Bus Operator to collect tickets if it was a Thruway. but on a bustitution usually there is an authorized Amtrak person to do that. I am not sure if that is just someone from the OBS side deputed with that authority or it is a T&E crew. AFAIK when I was bustituted between Albany and Buffalo on the LSL the ticket was checked when boarding, and then it was a nonstop run to Buffalo Depew, except for one rest stop. So, yeah, I don;t know for sure and it probably varies a lot from one bustitution to another.
 
On our New Orleans to Jackson bustitution in 2019 I don't believe any Amtrak employee was on our bus. We were on the thru New Orleans to Jackson bus. There was another bus which handled the stops between New Orleans and Jackson and perhaps there was an Amtrak employee on that bus.

A few days later on our Albany to Boston bustitution, there was a conductor on board. I don't recall whether he scanned tickets or not. Aside from handing out a small package of snacks to each passenger as they boarded, I did not see him interact with the passengers and he remained at the front of the bus. There were two blind women on the bus and they had to depend on the assistance of strangers. I assume that the Amtrak passenger list had flagged the fact that there were blind passengers on board but if it did, it didn't have any effect on our conductor. Rather disappointing.
 

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