Some of the details spelled out in that agreement are amusing (the bottles of water for the engine crew, for example). Of particular note is that the agreement is for daily service...if/when slots are available on all seven days (the lack of slots being at issue, of course). Also of note is the connecting bus service additions.
Hoosier State/Iowa Pacific Transition Thread
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On looking at the seats, it struck me that those are not Amtrak-standard seats. I cannot place them, but they seem to be of a slightly different seat design (and they're a good bit nicer than the coach seats I saw on Saratoga and North Creek)...they look like non-long legrest Sleepy Hollow seats, actally.
Yes, but Sleepy Hallow seats didn't have plastic backs and tray tables...
jis
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These structurally look similar to Amtrak seats but with different upholstery. Hard to tell more from photos.
Notelvis
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Dome Car.....
Must ride.
Must ride.
west point
Engineer
If the train is selling out why has IP not found any more rolling stock ( cars )
There are a couple of reasons for that:
-One is that, contrary to the occasional thought experiment, there isn't a magical Budd Fairy around to drop ready rolling stock on a line. At a bare minimum you're looking at a few days to move cars around, if not a few weeks (or more) to fix cars up. To be fair, IP might be able to move equipment from Saratoga in a few weeks. All of this is not free.
-A second is that IP isn't selling dome space yet. I have no doubt that they'll start ASAP, but until they do that likely means that they have extra capacity within the present set.
-Finally, the biggest concern is that IP isn't likely to want to spend a bunch of money moving a third coach into position and adding it only to find out that the sold out Hoosiers were an opening week fluke. They've had the route for less than two weeks, after all.
-One is that, contrary to the occasional thought experiment, there isn't a magical Budd Fairy around to drop ready rolling stock on a line. At a bare minimum you're looking at a few days to move cars around, if not a few weeks (or more) to fix cars up. To be fair, IP might be able to move equipment from Saratoga in a few weeks. All of this is not free.
-A second is that IP isn't selling dome space yet. I have no doubt that they'll start ASAP, but until they do that likely means that they have extra capacity within the present set.
-Finally, the biggest concern is that IP isn't likely to want to spend a bunch of money moving a third coach into position and adding it only to find out that the sold out Hoosiers were an opening week fluke. They've had the route for less than two weeks, after all.
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IP provides rolling stock and OBS. Amtrak provides Engineer and Conductors.
PerRock
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IP is using older Pullman & Budd cars. Nothing near that new. Although there is 2 Talgo sets sitting in Beech Grove they could look into buying.
peter
jis
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Pullman Rail Journeys had Coaches? I thought they were luxury Sleeper service, no?
Definitely not Talgo seats, at least not those on the Cascades sets.
We departed from CHI on the Cardinal yesterday to PHl. The train was about 11 cars long with the extra sleeper car and two engines: The Amtrak engine up front and the brightly colored Iowa Pacific on the rear. There were four vintage coaches in Iowa Pacific colors and the large consist was split in Indianapolis. Why both trains and their engines were all connected is a mystery.
The trip was pleasant but in WV we were held for an hour as we passed a CSX train that had been stopped when a pedestrian had jumped in front of the moving freight engine. Sad but true.
The trip was pleasant but in WV we were held for an hour as we passed a CSX train that had been stopped when a pedestrian had jumped in front of the moving freight engine. Sad but true.
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It is not a mystery. It is a regular deadhead move for the Iowa Pacific consist which has been previously discussed here, even in this very thread I think IIRC. Actually there should have been two IP engines and three cars in the back.
We have been away for two weeks so we got the news later than expected. I can say that the new combined train makes for a long walk to the sleepers. Come to think of it there may have been two Iowa Pacific engines but one looked like a generator car . It is very different seeing vintage private passenger cars on the rails. This evokes an image of years past. Maybe the people in Washington that oppose Amtrak will be happy about the new Hoosier State.
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Riding this train is a reason.
IPH has 16 of the full length dome cars? Who knew? Not me.
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Are you sure that all their dome cars are full length domes?
Notelvis
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I don't know if they have 16 full length domes BUT they do have more than a couple in use on their various scenic railroad operations. There is ALOT of other vintage passenger equipment sitting around (including 5-6 of the old Santa Fe Hi-level coaches from the El Capitan) in the yard in Alamosa, CO where IPH has a restoration shop just waiting for there to be a reason for a makeover. Here is a photo I took there back in June.
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