Auto Train discussion

[Exvalley]

Holy cow, I did not realize that it went up in price so much. I was just reading trip reports where it was $50 and for some reason I thought that it went to $60.

 

[disnycrayz]

On our Northbound trip on May we were the “lucky” (?) winners to be the last car off the train, it took almost 2.5hrs of listening to numbers being called to get our car. It was a bit frustrating knowing that I still had a 3hr drive ahead of me, but personally $95 each way is still too much for me. Somebody has to be last, so just remember it might be your turn.

 

[Stremba]

Like anything else, priority offloading pricing is about supply and demand. For obvious reasons, supply cannot be increased (at least not without devaluing the product). I’ve personally only take a handful of trips on AT but priority offloading has always been fully sold out on all of them. I suspect the demand is still there at the $95 price point.

 

[user 14106]

Why? In FY22, the Auto Train was #5 in ridership among LD trains, and took a heck of a lot of cars and their pollution off the road, which is certainly a major objective of public transit. Nobody rides the Auto Train to sightsee, they ride it to get from point A to Point B along with their cars.

And it’s #1 in riders actually riding long distances.

 

[dlagrua]

According to this, they did try one called AutoTrak to be run Indianapolis to a new station in Poinciana.
AutoTrak - Wikipedia
There is a link at the bottom of that article to a PDF from the Amtrak News announcing their plans for the service.

The Auto-Train ran a service from Louisville to Sanford from 1974-1977. This one did get connected to the Floridian towards the end.
The 1971 - 1981 auto-train

Don't want to get too far off topic but here is what the Midwest Autotrain was like at the Louisville, KY terminal.
https://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-facilities-louisville-terminal.htmAccording to what I have read there are more Florida snowbirds in the Midwest than there are in the NE so why did the route fail? Simple answer: Bad Track that kept speeds low and the train always hours off its 36 hr schedule. It ran standard Superliner equipment

 

[railiner]

Don't want to get too far off topic but here is what the Midwest Autotrain was like at the Louisville, KY terminal.
https://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-facilities-louisville-terminal.htmAccording to what I have read there are more Florida snowbirds in the Midwest than there are in the NE so why did the route fail? Simple answer: Bad Track that kept speeds low and the train always hours off its 36 hr schedule. It ran standard Superliner equipment

Wait….Superliners?
IIRC, the Amtrak Floridian, which in later life was combined with the private auto-train, ran Heritage equipment until it ended, and of course, the auto-train corporation never had Superliners….

 

[jis]

Wait….Superliners?
IIRC, the Amtrak Floridian, which in later life was combined with the private auto-train, ran Heritage equipment until it ended, and of course, the auto-train corporation never had Superliners….

You are correct. Amtrak converted the Auto Train to Superliners after the Superliner IIs arrived.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Don't want to get too far off topic but here is what the Midwest Autotrain was like at the Louisville, KY terminal.
https://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-facilities-louisville-terminal.htmAccording to what I have read there are more Florida snowbirds in the Midwest than there are in the NE so why did the route fail? Simple answer: Bad Track that kept speeds low and the train always hours off its 36 hr schedule. It ran standard Superliner equipment

Maybe you should have looked at the Roster page, too. The cars are single level cars.
https://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-roster.htm

 

[dlagrua]

Maybe you should have looked at the Roster page, too. The cars are single level cars.
https://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-roster.htm

I guess the correct answer depends on the era of the Autotrain. When Amtrak took over the Midwest Autotrain route they used Superliners. Reference Jis post two posts up. The original Autotrain Corp did use mainly single level equipment but they had full length dome cars too. Maybe with a new order of long distance cars, the midwest Autotrain and Floridian routes will be reconsidered.
We know that Amtrak and Via both issued feasibility studies for new long distance equipment to several potential train car manufacturers in December but I have not read anything about that since. If anyone can build new Superliners remains to be seen. Is the direction moving towards single level equipment perhaps something like modified Siemens NightJet cars? Proposals coming back to Amtrak may soon have the answer..

 

[jis]

I guess the correct answer depends on the era of the Autotrain. When Amtrak took over the Midwest Autotrain route they used Superliners.

No they did not. That is the completely verifiable fact. Amtrak never took over just the Midwest Autotrain. The Midwest Auto-train ceased operations in 1977 and the Floridian both operation in 1979 both before Superliners arrived. Autotrain Corp. ceased its service in 1981. Amtrak acquired most of its rail assets and reintroduced the Lorton - Sanford service using the assets acquired from Autotrain Corp upgraded to Amtrak Heritage Fleet standard, mixed with some cars from its own Heritage Fleet, 22 months later in 1983. These assets included several full length domes, but no Superliners at this point.

For reference here is a timeline of events during the existence of the Auto-train Corp:

https://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-timeline.htm
The Amtrak Auto Train service was introduced running thrice a week on October 30, 1983. It became daily a year later.

As discussed elsewhere in this thread, Amtrak did try to start its own AutoTrak service to compete with the Midwest Autotrain with Poinciana as its Southern terminal, but it never went beyond a few test runs and such, and was abandoned before any regular service was established. After that IIRC, the Midwest Autotrain ran attached to the Amtrak Floridian, but at that time the Autotrain operation was not an Amtrak one beyond being towed by an Amtrak train. And no, it did not have Superliners. There were no Superliners then.

As an aside, originally Amtrak had planned to use the Floridian as the Superliner introduction train, but the Superliners arrived after the Floridian ceased to exist, so that fell through.

Reference Jis post two posts up. The original Autotrain Corp did use mainly single level equipment but they had full length dome cars too.

That is true, but no Superliners. Superliners came many years later in the mid-90s after the Superliner II order was substantially complete. There were cars specifically targeted for the Auto Train included in the Superliner II order, including the Deluxe Sleepers in the Superliner II order.

Furthermore, in 2006 the old Autoracks were replaced by 80 new uniform height Autoracks. The equipment used has not changed substantially since 2006.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Maybe we can tack on a few of these Vert-a-packs (I think that was the same) to some LD routes (Autotrain Lite) for added revenue?

 

[UserNameRequired]

Maybe we can tack on a few of these Vert-a-packs (I think that was the same) to some LD routes (Autotrain Lite) for added revenue?

Oh, this looks like a really bad idea for roadworthy modern cars to me. Any of the fluids may be a problem, fuel tank and its venting, battery fluid venting, washer fluid tanks, motor oil seals and vents, plus all the random vintages and designs of cars. I looked up these railcars and they appeared to be special designed for the Vega, and the Vega was then designed to allow it to travel like that.

When I was a kid, they used to empty grain trucks on a hoist (generic internet picture below). We had to secure all the little items in the cab and sleeper and then get off so they could hoist the truck up to empty it. It never went close to 90 degrees, maybe 30 or 45 max, a log time ago.

 

[joelkfla]

Maybe we can tack on a few of these Vert-a-packs (I think that was the same) to some LD routes (Autotrain Lite) for added revenue?

View attachment 31934

https://www.gessato.com/vert-a-pack/

 

[dlagrua]

No they did not. That is the completely verifiable fact. Amtrak never took over just the Midwest Autotrain. The Midwest Auto-train ceased operations in 1977 and the Floridian both operation in 1979 both before Superliners arrived. Autotrain Corp. ceased its service in 1981. Amtrak acquired most of its rail assets and reintroduced the Lorton - Sanford service using the assets acquired from Autotrain Corp upgraded to Amtrak Heritage Fleet standard, mixed with some cars from its own Heritage Fleet, 22 months later in 1983. These assets included several full length domes, but no Superliners at this point.

For reference here is a timeline of events during the existence of the Auto-train Corp:

https://www.themetrains.com/auto-train-timeline.htm
The Amtrak Auto Train service was introduced running thrice a week on October 30, 1983. It became daily a year later.

As discussed elsewhere in this thread, Amtrak did try to start its own AutoTrak service to compete with the Midwest Autotrain with Poinciana as its Southern terminal, but it never went beyond a few test runs and such, and was abandoned before any regular service was established. After that IIRC, the Midwest Autotrain ran attached to the Amtrak Floridian, but at that time the Autotrain operation was not an Amtrak one beyond being towed by an Amtrak train. And no, it did not have Superliners. There were no Superliners then.

As an aside, originally Amtrak had planned to use the Floridian as the Superliner introduction train, but the Superliners arrived after the Floridian ceased to exist, so that fell through.

That is true, but no Superliners. Superliners came many years later in the mid-90s after the Superliner II order was substantially complete. There were cars specifically targeted for the Auto Train included in the Superliner II order, including the Deluxe Sleepers in the Superliner II order.

Furthermore, in 2006 the old Autoracks were replaced by 80 new uniform height Autoracks. The equipment used has not changed substantially since 2006.

Jis: I guess your research and that of AmtrakBlue is better than mine so I stand corrected.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

https://www.gessato.com/vert-a-pack/

Yup, I only know about it because I was reading up on Vega's (the worst little best car).

 

[west point]

Verta pack ?? Trashy idea. No way just think what will happen to all the car fluids especially gasoline. As well owner's belongings.

 

[railiner]

Oh, this looks like a really bad idea for roadworthy modern cars to me. Any of the fluids may be a problem, fuel tank and its venting, battery fluid venting, washer fluid tanks, motor oil seals and vents, plus all the random vintages and designs of cars. I looked up these railcars and they appeared to be special designed for the Vega, and the Vega was then designed to allow it to travel like that.

When I was a kid, they used to empty grain trucks on a hoist (generic internet picture below). We had to secure all the little items in the cab and sleeper and then get off so they could hoist the truck up to empty it. It never went close to 90 degrees, maybe 30 or 45 max, a log time ago.
View attachment 31935

Agree!
The former Cab-Over-Engine tractor’s employed 90° tilt cabs for maintenance, but the engines remained level…

 

[Exvalley]

Any advice on the best coach seats? I am leaning toward the lower level because the train only makes one crew stop and the view is not a primary concern. The lower level has greater ambient noise, but no need to worry about the door between cars opening and closing. You are also closer to the bathrooms, but have a door to separate you from them.

I noticed that the seats appear to be staggered somewhat, and I read that some seats have a 52 inch pitch whereas others seem to have a 50 inch pitch. Any advice on getting the best legroom - whether top or lower level?

 

[b243923]

The lower level seating is mainly for passengers in wheel chairs and I would not want to deprive one of them a seat by reserving a lower level coach seat.

 

[Exvalley]

When Amtrak says that you must arrive no later than 3:00 PM, are you okay if you are on the station grounds but waiting in a queue to get to the check-in booth?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Oh, this looks like a really bad idea for roadworthy modern cars to me. Any of the fluids may be a problem, fuel tank and its venting, battery fluid venting, washer fluid tanks, motor oil seals and vents, plus all the random vintages and designs of cars. I looked up these railcars and they appeared to be special designed for the Vega, and the Vega was then designed to allow it to travel like that.

I'm pretty sure the suggestion was at least half-joking but in addition to fluid, venting, and ransacking issues most modern vehicles would not fit into such a space. Smaller electric sedans and hatchbacks with sealed batteries might fit but would probably crumple under the weight a vertical battery pack.

 

[Palmland]

When Amtrak says that you must arrive no later than 3:00 PM, are you okay if you are on the station grounds but waiting in a queue to get to the check-in booth?

Maybe this will help- what we saw on a recent trip. Best to get there early, if possible, given uncertainty of highway delays, especially around Washington.

When we took AutoTrain last week there were a few cars that came after 3 to maybe 3:15. I don’t know if they were in line or just stragglers but apparently there is some wiggle room in the 3 cut off.

 

[Brian Battuello]

The Vert-a-Pack would never work on random cars, but it was a cool idea.

 

[Shanson]

What's the normal consist for Auto Train?

 

[disnycrayz]

It’s usually 2 engines, 16 passenger cars, and 30 autoracks. Sometimes an extra engine or extra passenger car and sometimes as many as 33 autoracks. Never more than 50 cars in total.

If you look at the Ashland Virginia Virtual Railfan YouTube channel, the train usual goes through between 8-9am and then 6-7pm. The people in the chat put in guesses on the consist. (Winners get free virtual cookies.)