Dinner on 448

[Rasputin]

Does anyone have experience with how dinner is being handled for passengers on the Boston sleeper on 448?  Does the café car carry a supply of selections from the Lake Shore contemporary dining menu or do sleeping car passengers order a selection from the café car menu (or do they have the option of doing either if both are available)?

Prior to contemporary dining, the café car on 448 and 449 seemed to some special items for sleeping car passengers which were not on the regular café car menu but the number of meals carried was limited.  They sometimes ran out and then allowed sleeping car passengers to order off the regular café car menu.  

And are the contemporary dining menu selections available for lunch on 449 leaving Boston?  Does the café car on 448 and 449 offer the beverage selections listed on the contemporary dining menu?

 

[cpotisch]

It's the standard "contemporary" menu.

 

[VTTrain]

It's the standard "contemporary" menu.

The train arrives into Albany at 2:31 PM and splits.  The dining car stays with the New York section.  The Boston section only has a cafe car.  Are the hot options available on 448 from the cafe?  If not, that would leave the antipasto plate.  

 

[cpotisch]

The train arrives into Albany at 2:31 PM and splits.  The dining car stays with the New York section.  The Boston section only has a cafe car.  Are the hot options available on 448?  

They can just heat it up in the Cafe car convection oven...

 

[VTTrain]

They can just heat it up in the Cafe car convection oven...

But do they?  Has anyone actually given a report?

 

[Acela150]

About 6 years ago I rode on 449. They provided us with a small menu after Worcester in the cafe. I know they had some type of lunchmeat sandwich on the menu. Perhaps a salad. I can't recall everything. 

 

[Triley]

About 6 years ago I rode on 449. They provided us with a small menu after Worcester in the cafe. I know they had some type of lunchmeat sandwich on the menu. Perhaps a salad. I can't recall everything. 

It's changed so many times since then. When I was working in Boston I'd glance at the stock for 449, and was surprised to see that they had a few hot item choices, just for the sleepers I believe.

 

[Acela150]

About 6 years ago I rode on 449. They provided us with a small menu after Worcester in the cafe. I know they had some type of lunchmeat sandwich on the menu. Perhaps a salad. I can't recall everything. 

It's changed so many times since then. When I was working in Boston I'd glance at the stock for 449, and was surprised to see that they had a few hot item choices, just for the sleepers I believe.

Of course it has.  

 

[cpotisch]

They can just heat it up in the Cafe car convection oven...

But do they?  Has anyone actually given a report?

 

[Rasputin]

Thanks for all the replies on this.  It would be good to have a report from someone who has recently traveled on the 448/449 sleeping car.  

The meal service on 448 and 449 has gone through many changes the past few years and has been rather unpredictable, even when the stub train was operating for a couple of years.  

The last time I was on 448 and 449 was about a year ago shortly before the arrival of contemporary dining.  On 449 leaving Boston, sleeping car passengers could order off the café car menu.  There were no special entrees for sleeper passengers.  A couple weeks later on 448 there were special entrees for dinner for sleeper passengers.  As I recall, the attendant had several packages of a pasta entrée and several packages of a beef entrée.  They were not on the café car menu.  There was not enough of these entrees for all sleeping car passengers and latecomers ordered a sandwich, wrap or pizza from the café car menu.  

I keep hearing that patronage on the 448/449 sleeping car has seriously declined.  Despite what the Amtrak website might say, I have some doubt that 448 and 449 carry the full panoply of the contemporary dining options for only a handful of passengers but I don't know for sure.

On 448, it would make sense for the sleeping car attendant to take dinner orders before the train gets to Albany and splits.  In that way the desired selections could be transferred from 48 to the café car on 448 so they would be available for dinner but maybe this would be too logical.  

I will be on 448 in a few months and will report back. 

 

[VTTrain]

That is dated and refers to the old (and cold) menu.  I am curious for a report with the updated menu.

 

[cpotisch]

That is dated and refers to the old (and cold) menu.  I am curious for a report with the updated menu.

That was the second iteration of the contemporary menu, which offered a hot option (the short rib).