Search results

I strongly suspect you got the response that you did because the conductor did not feel like he was empowered to actually do anything about the issue, he probably encounters it frequently, and it is frustrating to see it happen over and over knowing that it will continue to happen for the...

With all due respect, speaking as a native Miamian who railfanned and traveled into and out of this station for decades, the station at 8303 NW 37th Avenue is no Amshack. It may not be a historic depot and it is built in Amtrak's 1970s brutalist poured-concrete corporate style which isn't...

If engineering and cost considerations are a limiting factor, bilevel makes a lot more sense for corridors and other heavily traveled routes. In that regard the Siemens purchase is a missed opportunity in my opinion- much, much more capacity could have been added to those routes. There's a...

Okay, but stoned railroaders have demonstrated that they're not capable of keeping it off the clock. How would you feel if your child was a passenger on the Colonial?

I'm as liberal as they come on cannabis legalization, but when it comes to operating any heavy machinery, especially when potentially hundreds of lives are at risk, I have to agree. For the record, hair follicle tests don't amount to a lifetime ban from employment- they only go back about 180...

I'm sorry to see some people striking an apologetic or explanatory tone on behalf of Amtrak despite their inconsistent, lousy, and downright bizarre treatment of a customer in this thread. Amtrak doesn't have a bigger booster than me but I refuse to be gaslighted into accepting the ridiculous...

I will miss them. My first ever Amtrak trip was on the long-gone Silver Palm in 1985 when the Amfleet II cars were basically new. They were smooth-riding and quiet compared to the Heritage sleepers and diners that always seemed to have something rattling around. Was soundproofing even a thing...

Most cynical term in the history of corporate America (which is saying a lot). Slash employment, disregard safety, and generally run everything into the ground all while insisting on running nothing but slow 120-car trains guaranteed to turn off shippers. Best of all, its a win-win for the...

Too bad none of those things are up to him.

Just like the railroads and the airlines, the trucking industry was deregulated starting in 1980, and that was the beginning of the ugliness. Unlike the railroads and the airlines, however, the safety margins in trucking were already quite thin even before deregulation, and the working...

I absolutely understand that, but putting a divider between the two seats can be a double-edged sword: if the seat next to you is unoccupied, then it is nice to be able to stretch out. Kids and smaller adults can even lie down comfortably across two seats, which is nice (it wouldn't work for...

I don't understand why people are so squeamish about sleeping next to a stranger in coach, maybe its because I am a 46 year old male. I remember a Silver Meteor trip and the guy sitting next to me was part of a group of 3 and he kept asking the attendant if there wasn't some way he couldn't get...

Hi Everyone! I'm 46 and I am a computer programmer by trade. I have two lifelong passions: railroading (specifically passenger trains) and computers/electronics. Railroading was definitely the first, starting with a ride on the Silver Palm when I was 8 years old growing up in South Florida. I'm...

I was referring to those and the "BD" cars that preceded them. That would be really cool...I had moved out of Florida by the time those were in service and did not have occasion to ride the trains so I did not get to see their dorm section or the "smoking lounge" in the back half of the car that...

When I was a kid growing up in Miami, the Silvers always had Baggage Dorm (BD) cars on the head end. I was always curious what these were like inside, since we fare-payers obviously never got a look. On the outside they looked somewhat ragged and reports like this one confirmed my suspicions of...

Not really, the stops you are talking about are usually long enough that everyone who wants to get off and talk a walk has ample time to do so unless the train is running late and trying to make up time. In those cases they usually make an announcement about the stop being cut short though. If...

My old Heritage Fleet 10-6 HEP schematics have 5 roomettes sharing a 20-amp circuit for convenience outlets (attached). These cars have been out of service for decades now and I have no idea if this was a rule of thumb carried forward to newer designs or something that was never repeated. In...

Definitely better than a wider aisle at the expense of narrower beds. Just like on a plane or a ship, there are limitations. I always back up if there is someone already in the aisle or further down the aisle than I am and it is rarely an issue as long as you keep clear of the aisle while the...

“Sometimes we will re-route through Wyoming, but UP can’t support that at this time,” Generally, big yellow seems to be operating like a 40-mile short line these days. What's infuriating is that Amtrak supposedly just won a legal battle to get the Class 1s to deliver its trains on time more...

Siemens is quoting 70 to 74 seats per car from what I read. They will be cozier than an Amfleet II but not quite as much as an Amfleet I. A Spirit A320 isn't in this league...by airline standards it is still forward-cabin class room.