#1 LAX Arrival

[PaTrainFan]

Number 1's scheduled arrival into LAX is incredibly early at 5:30 a.m., and it is not unusual for it to be early. Do they ever allow passengers, especially sleeping car customers, to stay on for any length of time after an early arrival? What the heck does one do at the ungodly hour?

 

[the_traveler]

They do not let you stay aboard, because as soon as it hits the bumpers the crew is off duty. And they take the train to the yard for servicing as soon as the passengers are off.

The Metropolitan Lounge opens at 6 am. Sometimes it’s a welcome relief to get your land legs back. I take the short (under 2 block) walk to Phillips for breakfast.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

A few years ago it was published in the timetable that sleeping car passengers could stay on board until like 7:30 am I think?  I never rode during that time so I’m not sure if it ever worked that way in actual practice. 

When I’ve ridden the sunset into LAX you are woken up very very early (45 minutes prior to arrival).  The Starbucks in the station is open, and it’s not too long of a wait until the first Surfliner if you’re heading elsewhere. 

 

[cpotisch]

I really don't understand why the Sunset has to arrive into LAX so early. I mean, why can't #1 and #21/421 leave their respective origination points just a few hours later?

 

[Bob Dylan]

It's called "slotting" which is up to the Host Railroads and their Dispatchers as well as not interfering with the Commuters into LAX!

 

[PaTrainFan]

Granted, I know little of the complexities of operations in a major railroad terminal, but it seems to me they could allow at least sleeping car passengers an opportunity to stay in their beds until 7 ish. It is appreciated that in most instances, sleeping car passengers can board early before the Sunset's late night eastbound departure.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Duplicate post.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

It's called "slotting" which is up to the Host Railroads and their Dispatchers as well as not interfering with the Commuters into LAX!

I don't think LAUS is busy enough that every single platform needs to be freed up immediately like with NYP.  Even if LAUS was twice as busy as it is today it's still a stub (in most respects) with platforms that significantly exceed most current train lengths and should be able to survive one or two cars being left alone on hotel power at the far end of the track.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

The Sunset Limited has always been scheduled to coordinate with the Texas Eagle and Coast Starlight so it got stuck with graveyard shift times in both LAX and SAS, two stations which should be the most popular stations. I have thought it would be better to break up the TE and SL and try to improve the connection between the Crescent and/orCONO and SL in NOL instead to get better times in SAS and LAX for the SL. The biggest downside I would guess would be you lose Dallas/Ft.Worth/Austin to Los Angeles/Arizona traffic. On the other hand, those passengers arriving in Los Angeles are getting woken up at or before 5:30am in LA anyway.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Keep in mind that the OBS on #1 do NOT get Paid after the Trains Scheduled Arrival time ( 0-Dark-Thirty) into LAX so you can't blame them for rushing everyone off the Train upon arrival.

Used to be that  Sleeping Car Passengers had until 630am to stay aboard, but with the Opening of the Metro Lounge in LAX , they can now head for the Lounge which opens @ 500am! 

 

[ParanoidAndroid]

Can't they at least allow people to stay until 5:35am? It'd be a bit mean to wake everyone up at 3:45am an early 4:30am arrival.

 

[cpotisch]

they can now head for the Lounge which opens @ 500am! 

I really don't get why the NYP ClubAcela has to open two hours later (7:00 AM), which prohibits anyone traveling on the Cardinal, Palmetto, or early morning Regionals/Acelas from using it. :angry:

 

[Thirdrail7]

I really don't get why the NYP ClubAcela has to open two hours later (7:00 AM), which prohibits anyone traveling on the Cardinal, Palmetto, or early morning Regionals/Acelas from using it. :angry:

Unless something recently changed, the NYP Lounge opens at 5:15am for 2103. That also covers the Cardinal, Palmetto on weekdays.  It opens at 700am on the weekends for 2203, While that doesn't cover the Cardinal or Palmetto, they probably don't want to expend the funds for the staff, hoping that a day pass holder, or rewards plus member shows up to justify the costs since most of the sleeping car/acela passengers aren't out and about, with the one day exception of 51 on Sundays.

 

[nti1094]

Also it is up to the sleeping car attendants to turn up and make the beds with new linen for the train so it has that ready to go for its turn. I guess the car cleaners do not make the beds.

 

[niemi24s]

. . . it seems to me they could allow at least sleeping car passengers an opportunity to stay in their beds until 7 ish.

Just pretend the train is continuing on to Hawaii on a magical set of floats and get off the train when it gets there - just like all the other sleeper passenger arriving at their destinations in the wee hours of the morning.

 

[PaTrainFan]

If I choose to go this route, I'll deal with it. Not much discourages me from a good long distance train ride.  

 

[crescent-zephyr]

at least the time changes work in your favor. The train gets in at 7:30 am New Orleans time. 

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Keep in mind that the OBS on #1 do NOT get Paid after the Trains Scheduled Arrival time ( 0-Dark-Thirty) into LAX so you can't blame them for rushing everyone off the Train upon arrival.  Used to be that  Sleeping Car Passengers had until 630am to stay aboard, but with the Opening of the Metro Lounge in LAX , they can now head for the Lounge which opens @ 500am! 

I can't sleep or shower in LA's undersized commuter clogged metro lounge.  Kicking me off the train at 5AM doesn't endear me to the staff's perspective.  If the OBS don't want to deal with sluggish and sleepy passengers maybe they should push for a more practical arrival time instead of giving paying passengers the bum's rush.

If I choose to go this route, I'll deal with it. Not much discourages me from a good long distance train ride.  

The people Amtrak needs to impress are the folks who live along the route.  If Amtrak can't do that this train may not be here when you finally get around to choosing it for your next joyride.

at least the time changes work in your favor. The train gets in at 7:30 am New Orleans time.

What good does that do?  Do all the station services open up because it's 7:30AM half a continent to the East?

 

[Dakota 400]

Having traveled on the Sunset Limited into Los Angeles, I really did not find the early wake-up time required to be troublesome.  I hit the sack earlier than I normally would have, slept well, and was awake when the SCA knocked on my roomette's door.  After arrival, I had the Red Cap deposit me at the Metropolitan Lounge, completed my morning routine, changed some clothes, and partook of the breakfast-type items that were available.  For me, no problem.

I found my arrival last month at Washington on #98 more stressful.  My morning routine was incomplete, I was still wearing clothes that I put on in Fort Lauderdale, no breakfast or coffee, it was rainy and cold standing on the platform waiting for the sole Red Cap, getting luggage, and then getting a taxi.  When I got to my hotel in Greenbelt, Maryland, a trip of about 15 minutes, the best words I had heard that morning was when the desk clerk said:  "Yes, we have a room available for you right now.  And, our restaurant is open until 9:30."

 

[crescent-zephyr]

“What good does that do?  Do all the station services open up because it's 7:30AM half a continent to the East?”

ummm I was saying it feels like 7:30 instead of 5:30 if you haven’t adjusted your sleep schedule since leaving New Orleans. 

What station services do you want? The Starbucks was open, that’s all that mattered to me! Ha.  I could have gone to the ML but I was catching the first Surfliner out so I didn’t bother. 

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I was saying it feels like 7:30 instead of 5:30 if you haven’t adjusted your sleep schedule since leaving New Orleans. What station services do you want? The Starbucks was open, that’s all that mattered to me! Ha.  I could have gone to the ML but I was catching the first Surfliner out so I didn’t bother. 

When I begin my trips in San Antonio the Sunset Limited boards sometime between midnight (sleeper) and 2:30AM (coach).  These times are highly undesirable for many people and are not conducive for a sleep cycle that provides a rested and productive arrival into LAUS at 5/7AM the next day.  Not to mention the staff will sometimes wake you up as early as 4:00AM with full volume PA reminders for everyone to get ready to be kicked off immediately upon arrival.  When they first changed the schedule sleeper passengers were allowed to sleep in and take a shower before disembarking and that was perfectly acceptable to me.  When they abandoned that solution and replaced it with earlier commuter lounge access they should have installed showers and day rooms.  The predawn bum's rush arrival service they currently provide is simply unacceptable IMO.  If you (or anyone else) wants to replace the half-dozen annual sleeper trips I used to take on this route before the schedule change be my guest.

 

[Rasputin]

Maybe the westbound Sunset should sit on a siding someplace for a couple of hours in the middle of the night to kill some time, just as the overnight Montreal - Toronto trains used to do, and then roll into LAX about 7:30 but I guess there is no slot available then.

When the Sunset used to allow passengers to remain on board after arrival in LAX I would think that it must have difficult to sleep with staff banging around, loud talking and other passengers leaving but maybe not so. 

 

[cpotisch]

Unless something recently changed, the NYP Lounge opens at 5:15am for 2103. That also covers the Cardinal, Palmetto on weekdays.  It opens at 700am on the weekends for 2203, While that doesn't cover the Cardinal or Palmetto, they probably don't want to expend the funds for the staff, hoping that a day pass holder, or rewards plus member shows up to justify the costs since most of the sleeping car/acela passengers aren't out and about, with the one day exception of 51 on Sundays.

Ah, I had seen the below post (in which they caught the Cardinal on a Sunday) and then looked up the hours this past Saturday, so (incorrectly) concluded that it always opened at 7:00. Thanks!

Arrived at New York Penn (NYP) station and already knew the lounge wouldn't open until our train left, so just stood out in the concourse watching the world go by and waiting for our train platform to be called. The station was busy even though it was early Sunday, many fellow travellers had bags too. Guess they were going somewhere for the holidays.

 

[cpotisch]

ummm I was saying it feels like 7:30 instead of 5:30 if you haven’t adjusted your sleep schedule since leaving New Orleans. 

Over the course of the two day trip, most people will have mentally switched over to Pacific Time anyway. In fact, that is often one of the big perks of taking the train long distance (no jet lag), but in this case, it's a bit of a curse.

 

[cpotisch]

If you (or anyone else) wants to replace the half-dozen annual sleeper trips I used to take on this route before the schedule change be my guest.

Wait, what time did it previously arrive?