Was there ever a bar car on Amtrak? I was watching Silver Streak the other night which was a pretty good parody of Amtrak's early years. A popular scene was set in a bar car, and I wondered if there ever was actually a bar car in the early days of Amtrak. Also wonder what the economics would be to add one to the LD's again.
Bar Car
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I dont recall seeing a "Bar Car", but most Trains had Lounges that served as Bars and some Domes had a Downstairs Lounge that just added Frosting on the Cake! My earliest memory of sitting in a Lounge and having a drink was while I was in the Navy and rode on the old New Haven RR from New London to NYC, Beer was an outrageous $1 a Bottle as was a Pack of Cigarettes! :lol:
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the_traveler
Engineer
Not that I know of! The only car with a bar on Amtrak is the PPC. (Besides that was Amroad!
That road did have a bar - but you also get kicked off the train 3 times. And they kept running out of stations because their trains didn't stop!
And when thier engineers died on the job, they're not just talking about the hours worked!
)
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The Davy Crockett
Engineer
When Amtrak first took over pax operations, they inherited a rather rag tag mish mash of cars, plates, glasses, silverware, employees, etc. etc. There was an amazing variety of equipment by today's standards. I'm not exactly sure what you have in mind as a 'bar car' but even into the 1980s the Montrealer had 'Le Pub' which was pretty much a piano disco lounge on wheels with a real piano in it. From what I can remember :blush: :blush: :giggle: , it was a wild and crazy party from the time it left WAS until the very wee hours.
yarrow
Engineer
i remember in early 1982 my mom and i went rt from spokane to philadelphia. our first amtrak trip. all superliner equipment to chicago. then heading east, a weird mishmash of heritage equipment including what i remember as a bar car. didn't patronize it but walked through a few times to marvel at it.
Now that sounds like a good time!
They were usually actually called lounge cars, and there were and are lounge cars, even if the ones now on the single level LDs suck. "Bar car" was more of a colloquialism used by some passengers for any car that served liquor.
Note that there was NEVER any lounge car that looked precisely like the one on the Silver Streak anywhere. It was a set. The exteriors of the Silver Streak were the Canadian Pacific "Canadian" order Budd cars. The lounge cars on the Canadian didn't look like the Silver Streak, either.
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...Which is very interesting. Whereas almost every other aspect of the movie seemed to be close to reality (Did Amtrak ever use E or F units?), the lounge did seem to be a bit too wide to have a corridor outside the glass partition. I do differentiate between a Bar Car and a Lounge, though the symantics may be the same. When I think bar car, I'm thinking of top shelf liquors & hard mixed drinks. I suppose some are available in today's cafe, but hardly the same. THOSE were lounges. I know we're probably a lot more family friendly these days. I guess the PPC is the closest to what was shown in the movie as far as function goes.
But could a fully featured 21+ full bar and lounge pay for itself and add to the bottom line of long distance trains?
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The Autotrain has lounge cars that have a bar. It is open to 10 PM. While not called a "bar car" you can purchase adult beverages and soft drinks and take them over to a diner style table. They also serve adult beverages and soft drinks on the sightseer lounge cars which is in a more relaxed setting. The only problem on the Autotrain is that only coach passengers have access to the sightseer lounge as its on the side where the coaches are.
Actually, the Sightseer lounge on the AT is a pinch hit car. It doesn't always run and it can substitute for either the coach lounge or the sleeper lounge. In fact on my recent trip, we had the SSL in the sleeper section of the train. Going home, there were only regular AT lounges in the consist, no SSL at all.
However, if the SSL were in the coach section of the train, a sleeper car passenger could indeed visit it, assuming that you can find room to sit in the car.
However, if the SSL were in the coach section of the train, a sleeper car passenger could indeed visit it, assuming that you can find room to sit in the car.
rusty spike
OBS Chief
They used both, but mostly E8's and E9's from the U.P. and others. They survived with Amtrak until the late 70's when the F40PH became the diesel-electric workhorse of Amtrak.
NW cannonball
Conductor
I 'm not sure what train it was a decade or two ago on Amtrak - there was a piano (electric) in the lounge car. On the Builder more or less recently pax have played their guitars, flutes, native american musical instruments in the lower level of the SSL until nearly midnight while consuming "adult" beverages.
Shawn Ryu
Conductor
Kinda OT but does Amfleet cafe cars sell vodkas and other hard liquors? Better yet rum?
Would gladly overpay for some rum on the train.
Would gladly overpay for some rum on the train.
NW cannonball
Conductor
BYOB
SubwayNut
Conductor
There is one railroad in the US left that has bar cars, it's Metro-North's New Haven line, there quite modified M2s with quite different seating. There even going to modify some M8s on order to have bars in them to continue the tradition! (it was Cheever to buy just coaches and modify them then order bar cars streight from the factory)
I've never ridden it but know that the Long Island Railroad's Hampton Reserve service on the summer Friday afternoon cannonball advertises cocktail waitresses serving drinks at your seat. I believe the regular coaches on that train have their own bars too.
I've never ridden it but know that the Long Island Railroad's Hampton Reserve service on the summer Friday afternoon cannonball advertises cocktail waitresses serving drinks at your seat. I believe the regular coaches on that train have their own bars too.
NW cannonball
Conductor
The South Shore commuter line in Chicago ( was Randolph street - now Millennium) station - no booze service on train but you can, and many do, buy a six-drink carrier thing in the station to take on the train.
The EL, on the other hand, allows no beverages whatsoever even if capped and obviously non-alcoholic. Most other transit I've done in the US allows beverages with caps or coffee cups with covers -- eg SEA, MSP etc
NE933
Conductor
Well we need more good time everythings like the Le Pubs offer! Bring back them wild times that i missed.
The cafe cars on Acela most certainly offer rum @ $7 per bottle. I've never asked in a regular cafe car, but they do say that they have some hard liquor, just not sure about rum.
the_traveler
Engineer
Only in a sleeper can you "legally" BYOB!NW cannonball said:
Only the All Reserve cars have booze of any type on the LIRR; I'm not aware of any coaches that have it.
On the other hand, the LIRR does sell liquor on the platforms during the evening rush hour at NYP that you can then carry onboard for your journey.
NW cannonball
Conductor
True. But. I've seen many coach pax, including two Australian couples on the EB who had 3 gallon paper-plastic tanks of wine - and the attendant and conductor didn't care as long they behaved themselves. But it was amusing to see them reach for their passports when the Border Patrol was announced somewhere out there in Montana.Only in a sleeper can you "legally" BYOB!
I recall a bar within the Heritage Lounge car on the Broadway Ltd (Pre F40). I remember it because I ordered a Gin Martini with lemon twist
and they gave it to me with regular Olives (and poured in half the juice in the olive jar as well) :wacko: <_<
ehbowen
Engineer
A glance at the Dining Car menus indicates that they stock a fair assortment of hard liquor, including Bacardi rum. Since the same commissary stocks the lounge/cafe cars, I would expect that they would be provisioned similarly
ETA: Here's the list, from the Crescent's Dining Car menu:
Premium Spirits and Cocktails............................. $7.00
Spirits – Canadian Club Blended Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Black Label, Dewar’s Scotch, Absolut Vodka, Beefeater Gin, Bacardi Rum
Cordials – Bailey’s Irish Cream, Courvoisier Cognac, Kahlua
Mixers – Club Soda, Tonic Water, Ginger Ale, Bloody Mary Mix, Orange Juice
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SubwayNut
Conductor
Does anyone know if you can BYOB on the Keystone and Albany only bound Empire Service trains? These lack food service cars to buy AmLiquor in and there bar and beer stands all over New York's Penn Station for LIRR and NJT customers. I wonder what the conductor would say?
The LIRR Recently banned booze only from Midnight to 5am in the wee hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings.
The LIRR Recently banned booze only from Midnight to 5am in the wee hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings.
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