Does the Lake Shore Limited u-turn leaving Chicago?

[lrklrk]

Hey there, I will be taking the Lake Shore Limited from CHI to NYP in a few weeks.

Hoping to keep track of which side I'll be on while going down the Hudson River. Will the train leave Chicago "facing forward" (i.e., West-Facing side of train in Chicago is South-Facing in Cleveland, and then is West-Facing again on the Hudson River)?

Or does it need to turn around?

 

[OBS]

No u turn..

 

[zephyr17]

Hey there, I will be taking the Lake Shore Limited from CHI to NYP in a few weeks.

Hoping to keep track of which side I'll be on while going down the Hudson River. Will the train leave Chicago "facing forward" (i.e., West-Facing side of train in Chicago is South-Facing in Cleveland, and then is West-Facing again on the Hudson River)?

Or does it need to turn around?

The Lake Shore is not operated push-pull. The consist is turned at both ends, wyed in Chicago and turned on Sunnyside's loop in New York.

It always faces "forward" whatever that means.

 

[lrklrk]

The Lake Shore is not operated push-pull. The consist is turned at both ends, wyed in Chicago and turned on Sunnyside's loop in New York.

It always faces "forward" whatever that means.

Thanks, this is helpful.

Should I expect it to be wyed in Chicago before I board, or after? (I.e., after I board, will the train "turn around"?)

 

[OBS]

Before

 

[Big Iron]

The bedrooms and odd numbered roomettes will be on the Hudson side Eastbound, Train 48.

 

[lrklrk]

Thank you both!

 

[zephyr17]

Thanks, this is helpful.

Should I expect it to be wyed in Chicago before I board, or after? (I.e., after I board, will the train "turn around"?)

They wye it as part of servicing before spotting it on the platform.

 

[lrklrk]

The bedrooms and odd numbered roomettes will be on the Hudson side Eastbound, Train 48.

Is this reliably/always true? I've heard that it's hard to predict because the train cars might get loaded either direction?

 

[Cal]

Is this reliably/always true?

No

I've heard that it's hard to predict because the train cars might get loaded either direction?

Pretty much.

Just hope for the best.

 

[lrklrk]

No

Pretty much.

Just hope for the best.

Thanks! I'm in an even roomette; sounds like I shouldn't bother calling to try and change it .

 

[Trogdor]

Is this reliably/always true? I've heard that it's hard to predict because the train cars might get loaded either direction?

While Amtrak seems to put Superliners on a turntable and spin them around like the wheel of fortune before putting them into consists, Viewliners are going to, 99% of the time, face the same way.

Single-level long-distance equipment only has end doors at one end of each car, and they are (almost always) arranged in such a way as to ensure that there’s a door between each pair of cars. Therefore, unless something really out of the ordinary has happened, the Viewliners should be positioned with doors forward, which puts the bedrooms and odd-numbered rooms on the right side of the train, and even-numbered rooms on the left.

Coaches, I believe, are arranged with doors to the rear.

 

[zephyr17]

Is this reliably/always true? I've heard that it's hard to predict because the train cars might get loaded either direction?

On Superliner trains, orientation of sleepers is random. Not so much on the eastern single level trains. Viewliners are almost oriented with the vestibule next to the food service car, particularly diners since diners do not have vestibules. Then any additional cars must also have the vestibule on the same end to ensure a vestibule between each set of cars. For the New York section of the Lake Shore, that will almost always mean having vestibules forward. That puts odd numbered roomettes and the bedrooms to the right relative to the direction of travel, even numbered roomettes to the left.

 

[lrklrk]

On Superliner trains, orientation of sleepers is random. Not so much on the eastern single level trains. Viewliners are almost oriented with the vestibule next to the food service car, particularly diners since diners do not have vestibules. Then any additional cars must also have the vestibule on the same end to ensure a vestibule between each set of cars.

Does this mean that if I go to the cafe car, I need to go while at a stop (i.e., there's no way for me to get there while the train is moving)?

 

[lrklrk]

A separate question about views: it looks like in this direction (CHI-NYP) during the winter (specifically: early Feb), you miss most (but not all) of Lake Erie before sunrise, and you miss most (but not all) of the Hudson after sunset.

Any recommendation on which side is more worth if?

 

[caravanman]

Does this mean that if I go to the cafe car, I need to go while at a stop (i.e., there's no way for me to get there while the train is moving)?

Any reference to the "doors" or "vestibules" in this context means the train entry/exit doors from the platform. The whole train is accessible to move through once you are aboard.
As you will note from the varied replies, it is hard to truly predict the consists, delays, etc, when using Amtrak.
If you are on the right hand side of the train when leaving Chicago, you will stay on the right hand side always until you alight.

On the LSL you can be pretty sure that the engine will be on the front... anything else is part of the excitement and mystery of Amtrak!