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  1. Chris I

    Empire Builder Roomette for 6'7" adult

    6'5" here. I've tried both upper and lower berths. The lower works for me, and the upper just barely works. I think he will be okay on the lower.
  2. Chris I

    Cascades Help - Which Train Set is the Talgo Equipment?

    I believe they are running both of Oregon's Talgo 8s. The other cars are Horizons. You probably have about 50% odds of catching a Talgo, but I'm not sure if there is a pattern for dispatching.
  3. Chris I

    Amtrak Cascades Delays

    They've been using the chargers on Cascades for 4+ years now, and we can go back and see the schedule reliability numbers for the past few years when the fleet was all Talgo.
  4. Chris I

    Amtrak Mask Mandate - Practical Discussion

    Exactly. I got yelled at in Spokane for standing on the platform while the Seattle half of the EB passed by two tracks away from the platform on the mainline. Having ridden trains all over the world, I literally could not comprehend what the Amtrak employee was upset about until he explained...
  5. Chris I

    50th Anniversary promotion

    Can you do that? That wouldn't give us problems when we check in?
  6. Chris I

    Amtrak announces Siemens as preferred bidder for new equipment

    I think these will be a good option for services like Cascades, because of the door flexibility. We really should have high platforms at the major stations (EUG, PDX, TAC, SEA) to reduce dwell times. But it doesn't really make sense to upgrade some of the smaller stops.
  7. Chris I

    50th Anniversary promotion

    This sale doesn't really work out for families, at least from what I'm seeing. If I look for PDX-SEA for 2 adults, it comes out to $36 each way, which matches the sale. If I add the kids (2 under 12), the total is $81. So kids are more expensive than adults? Seems like a big oversight.
  8. Chris I

    Amtrak announces Siemens as preferred bidder for new equipment

    Agreed. I liked both the old and new Talgos, but the new ones were probably one of the nicest rides in North America. I'm not sure if they will retire the series VIII trains when the new Siemens cars arrive, but there's a good chance. I think we're all a bit peeved that WSDOT didn't work with...
  9. Chris I

    Amtrak announces Siemens as preferred bidder for new equipment

    We still have the two Talgo VIII ODOT-owned trainsets on the route. So you probably have a 50/50 chance of being on Talgo or Horizons.
  10. Chris I

    Amtrak announces Siemens as preferred bidder for new equipment

    I think the relationship definitely soured after WSDOT tried to deflect blame for their derailment onto Talgo. So I guess we keep our (2) Talgo VIII trainsets and a bunch of old Horizons for the next few years while we wait for non-tilting Venture cars. Oh, and they still have no estimate for...
  11. Chris I

    WSDOT retiring, selling Talgo trainsets, not acquiring "Wisconsin" trainsets yet

    Amtrak Cascades will be adding back 2 additional round trips starting May 24th, giving us 3x daily between PDX and SEA. I believe they are adding an additional trip to Eugene, as well, giving EUG-PDX 2x daily. Does anyone know the equipment plan? 2x Talgo VIII with Horizon consists making up...
  12. Chris I

    New Amtrak Proposed Routes Map has Dropped

    Oh, and it gets even better. Macon gets subsidies through the Federal "Essential Air Service" program. https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/bibb-county-feds-agree-to-extend-contours-macon-flights-through-2023/93-a983341c-997f-43c5-be4d-7075510025d9 So basically, the taxpayers subsidize flights...
  13. Chris I

    High-Speed Rail between Dallas and Fort Worth being discussed . . .

    This is a logical extension of the Dallas - Houston line. You have a stop in Dallas, a stop at DFW, and a stop in Fort-Worth. This way you can eventually eliminate domestic flights between DFW and Houston. Easy/fast rail transfer, similar to what you see in France.
  14. Chris I

    Amtrak employee meals

    I usually see flight attendants bring food to the cockpit on Transcon flights (5+ hours). Most domestic flights are under 3 hours, though, and I imagine that food is not brought to the cockpit.
  15. Chris I

    Railroad crossing accidents

    Free right on red, in practice, ends up being really dangerous for pedestrians. Drivers become used to turning right on red, and will only look left before rolling on through. So it is actually quite common to be walking through a crosswalk with the signal, to have someone fly through as you...
  16. Chris I

    Dedicated Sleeper Lounge/Waiting Area in Seattle?

    They have space in Seattle King Street, and it's a bit surprising that they didn't carve out some room during the remodel for a lounge. This is an important station for one, as it is the origin point of two long distance trains, and could also be offered as a business class perk for SEA-PDX...
  17. Chris I

    Amtrak Siemens Charger locomotive (SC44, ALC42, ALC42E) (2015 - 1Q 2024)

    That was due to composite structures used in the A300 series. They wouldn't have been able to achieve a full polished aluminum look. Both the 787 and A350 have fully composite fuselage, so I don't think we'll ever see the polished aluminum look again.
  18. Chris I

    Brightline Orlando extension

    It looks like that area would tie in well with existing ground transportation options at Disney Springs. Do we know if Disney is planning on extending either the Monorail or the Skyliner system to Disney Springs? It seems like an extension of the Epcot Monorail line along Buena Vista Dr would...
  19. Chris I

    Sunset Limited + Coast Starlight + Empire Builder in April

    Agreed on all accounts. About an hour for a transfer is really tight, since delays can really build up on the CS. You can see a lot more of Portland if you spend the night. The area around the station is well-served by public transit. April is a great time of year to walk the waterfront, or...
  20. Chris I

    Sunset Limited + Coast Starlight + Empire Builder in April

    Portland native here... take the CS and skip seeing Portland on this trip. Downtown is pretty quiet with Covid, and a lot of businesses are still closed. If you have a bit of time and want to walk around during your transfer, head West/NW from Union station into the Pearl District. There are...
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