How was this done? Did you just choose a car and talk and then repeat in another car or did you just broadcast over the PA systenm. Tell folks to see you in the dinner when it was not in use?
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The new schedule does give me more time to get from Baton Rouge to New Orleans - the only benefit for me- other than that I still prefer the old schedule.
Some of all the above.
This whole thing in ridiculous and is up to the Congress and the President in the end. What is needed, in my opinion, is legislation with heavy fines for sticking Amtrak trains in a hole while freight train tie up the line. Safety is being affected by these long trains and enough. The "Crescent" needs to go back to its original schedule of leaving N.O. in the early morning.
west point
Engineer
"IF" Mobile and Baton Rouge finally start it may be Amtrak will make those and Crescent & Sunset crews all based in NOL. Then Crescent could return to old schedule or maybe 30 - 45 minutes earlier?
What is early in the morning. We were on it this past Thursday and Friday. Left at 0955. We had to eat all our meals in our roomette, that sucked. Not much scenery and no mingling with other passengers.
NativeSon5859
Conductor
The old schedule was also beneficial in the sense that you’re not arriving into NYP at rush hour. I liked getting there around 2.
Honestly I’d like to see 20 run two hours earlier, and 19 run one hour earlier.
Honestly I’d like to see 20 run two hours earlier, and 19 run one hour earlier.
west point
Engineer
There is a problem with 19 being earlier. As of now all Empire passengers make a connection to the Crescent at NYP on train #280 arriving at 1245. Crescent departs now at 1415 from NYP. A Crescent departure at 1315 or as late as 1344 would not allow for a guaranteed connection. 280 is the only way for passengers from SDY - Buffalo can get to stations south of ALX only on the Crescent.
280 already leaves BUF at the god awful 0445 so cannot see it leaving even earlier to make a legal Crescent connection. However, from the 1st of this year on 5 times has 280 arrived NYP more than 1 hour late or more and only 13 times 30 minutes late or more. Now a solution would be for NYP misconnects to be put on 1500 Acela to WASH and hold Crescent for connections. Or just hold 19 at NYP with a cross platform connection. Not very pretty.
As far as making up time------ At WASH arrived on time on 1/2 of time and arrived ATL 1/2 of time. WASH departures were again 1/2 of time. The WASH engine change certainly needs improving with a revised 1730 departure having to deal with VRE.
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fdaley
OBS Chief
I had many great rides on the Crescent over 30-plus years, but you couldn't pay me to ride it now. This weekend it will be four years since Amtrak killed the dining service, and the current single food-service car is just an abomination for a 30-hour run. Supposedly the diner might return with the next year or two, but this really proves that if you break things, it's not so easy to put them back together.
Agree with fdaley- never liked the scenery on Crescent until we were heading into DC- the food, service and association with other passengers was awesome- now I don’t ride and won’t ride it unless it’s an emergency and have not ridden in a while. I can probably do Birmingham or Meridian in coach but I’m not trying to do 30 hours anymore.
NativeSon5859
Conductor
I think the scenery between NOL and ATL is vastly underrated, and I still ride it even with flex meals. I don’t mind eating in my room (especially when I can snag a V2 Roomette, those are so very nice, I have another trip in one of those coming up) and I can always grab a cold one and hang in the cafe when I want to. I miss the diner, but it’s still a classic ride.
To each his own I guess.
To each his own I guess.
Are Crescent sleeper passengers allowed to have their meals in the cafe car? On a recent Cardinal trip, I was told it was not an option for dinner.
I've been a regular Crescent rider for the last few years. More times than not, we had no choice but to eat in our rooms for all meals. A few times we got to eat breakfast in the cafe. During breakfast, the cafe car was closed off to coach pax. I recall having lunch once, and dinner twice in the cafe car.
It all comes down to the crew working the train, and how they want to do things. Most of the time the crews have the cafe car basically turned into a rolling office. No place for pax to sit.
On the Carolinian, which only has coach and business class, has also been hit or mis as far as being able to sit in the cafe too.
Like a lot of rail passengers, we put up with the never ending shenanigans that is Amtrak.
NativeSon5859
Conductor
Last month, they brought the meals to my room as usual, and I took it to the cafe for one of the meals just for a change in scenery. No one told me anything. But I don’t mind eating in my room since I deal with the public face to face in close proximity five days a week, so I enjoy the peace sometimes.
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I did 20 ATL-ALX last friday night, I had the choice to eat in my room or the cafe car. My SCA who was fantastic (Lilian) gave me the choice for breakfast and lunch. I then did 19 return, and had no choice. In my room! So, the correct answer - "It depends".
NativeSon5859
Conductor
You can still take it and go sit in the cafe car. They can’t stop you from sitting in there and eating it. Some crews just don’t serve it in there.
To continue the discussion of the Crescent, please post your comments in the "current" thread on that topic:
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/crescent-discussion-2023-q4.86130/
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https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/crescent-discussion-2023-q4.86130/
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