There are only 44 remaining Superliner SightSeer Lounge cars with 6 lost in wrecks. There are not enough to provide a second remodeled SSL car for sleeper class passengers on the western LD train unless you want to take the SSL away from coach passengers. Remodeling the downstairs of a SSL into a full service kitchen is probably a major and expensive job, if it can be be done at all.
From some pics I saw a few years ago Coffee Creek was well into the restoration but I have heard nothing since. It has a longer glass enclosed Lounge on the tail and carries 8 Bedrooms. There were 6 Creek series Lounge Sleepers built for the Olympian Hiawatha sets.
Stock reports! The horror! (Actually, this is what I'd *expect*.)
Maybe getting the SSL swivel seats swivelling again? Most are broken.
My living room is better - and the seats are probably more comfortable.
Since Amtrak is issuing a service alert with a defined return date, the odds are pretty good that the plan is to keep the PPCs in service. For one, the cars are being removed during the slow season. If they were really seeking to permanantly drop the PPCs, I think they would be announcing that the cars are being "temporarily" removed for servicing and repair, but without providing a return date. Then a couple of months into the repair period, announce that serious mechanical problems had been found that would be too expensive to repair and that the funding situation was forcing them to retire the cars.
I wonder if they will marshal them all together and then move them at once, for example on the back of the Southwest Chief or just take them where they are on 12 JAN with some on the Builder and some on the Chief. Either way I would guess Cardinal after that?
Six were originally built for the Santa Fe El Capitan back in 1955 or 56. The orphan car is sitting on a "car lot" somewhere in Illinois last I heard.
That would make Paulus happy! :wacko:
In general when 5 are on active roster one would expect only 4 or as few as 3 or even just 2 to be in actual service, for cars this old with maintenance issues. That is part of the problem faced with in providing reliable PPC service.
The Coast Starlight requires 4 consists to operate. During part of the day, you will see two #11 and two #14 trains displayed on Amtrak Status maps. So once the first of five is shipped out, there are no protect PPCs. Which is probably the case much of the time anyway. I figure there must be people at Amtrak who really wish that the 6th PPC had been kept to support the CS.
