Meal service on the eastbound Lake Shore Limited out of Chicago

[railpost]

I am a long time train fan however I have never ridden the Lake Shore Limited out of Chicago on the current schedule and was wondering if dinner or any meal service in available out of Chicago on the current 9:30 pm departure out of Chicago and while I'm at it, is an early dinner served into New York or is it just breakfast and lunch that is served on the east bound Lake Shore into New York? G-d willing I will be traveling with 2 non rail fan friends from Chicago to New York on Saturday night June 13th.

One of these friends that I am traveling with have have recently discovered the advantage of traveling by train (as opposed to bus or airplane) when we recently traveled to West Glacier Park Montana within the last month and now will be traveling with me to New York in a few days. We will be traveling via coach.

Thanks for any information regarding the meals currently served on the Lake Shore Limited.

 

[amtkstn]

No dinner device out of Chicago. It best to plan on eating before boarding. Breakfast starts around six between Erie and Buffalo. Lunch starts around 11 am. I not sure about the second question because I have only rode the LSL eastbound to Erie. The train is known as the late shore limited due to it be late a lot.

 

[railpost]

Thanks for the information amtkstn.

 

[StriderGDM]

As the EB LSL is scheduled into NYP at 2:50PM, I can pretty much guarantee there's no early dinner.

(and even given how late it often is, there won't be a regular dinner either.)

 

[amtkstn]

Seems like I remember the cafe car does not go to to New York, instead it it switched to the Boston section at Albany.

 

[railpost]

As the EB LSL is scheduled into NYP at 2:50PM, I can pretty much guarantee there's no early dinner.

(and even given how late it often is, there won't be a regular dinner either.)

What are you talking about the east bound Lake Shore is due at NYP at 6:23 pm , not 2:50 pm.?

 

[railpost]

t

Seems like I remember the cafe car does not go to to New York, instead it it switched to the Boston section at Albany.

I could be wrong , however the I was under the idea that a separate Amfleet 2 lounge was either put onto the New York section of the train at Rensellaer for the trip to New York or a separate Amlounge was put on the Boston Section at Rensellaer. I believe that it was the New York section that gets the new Amfleet 2 lounge put on it while the Boston section keeps the Lounge that comes from Chicago.

 

[the_traveler]

Right now, due to track work at ALB, both the cafe and BOS sleeper go to NYP. Any BOS passengers change to another train at ALB. (The tracks do not connect due to construction.)

There is no meal service south of ALB. Thus the only meals on the eastbound LSL are breakfast and lunch.

 

[Manny T]

When taking the LSL eastbound from Chicago, there is an interesting and unpredictable chance for food in Albany. There is a layover of approximately 1 hour in Albany while the Boston cars decouple. During that time, it is quite possible to go up into the station and purchase almost anything from the cafe there (including beer and wine), as well as all the usual snacks from the newspaper stand.

Only problem: if the LSL is very late, they may shorten the time spent in Albany and there may not be enough time to go into the station.

More often than not, however, there is time. Your SCA will tell you.

 

[AlanB]

When taking the LSL eastbound from Chicago, there is an interesting and unpredictable chance for food in Albany. There is a layover of approximately 1 hour in Albany while the Boston cars decouple. During that time, it is quite possible to go up into the station and purchase almost anything from the cafe there (including beer and wine), as well as all the usual snacks from the newspaper stand.

Actually very often the don't pull into the station to pull off the Boston section. They often seem to stop north of the station next to the shops and do the cut there, rather than blocking a station platform. So by the time the NY section gets its locomotive and pulls up to the platform, most of the time is already gone.

 

[Manny T]

My experience is otherwise. There is almost always time to go up into the station, usually about 20 mins. to half an hour. But like I said, it's unpredictable until you get there.

 

[StriderGDM]

As the EB LSL is scheduled into NYP at 2:50PM, I can pretty much guarantee there's no early dinner.

(and even given how late it often is, there won't be a regular dinner either.)

What are you talking about the east bound Lake Shore is due at NYP at 6:23 pm , not 2:50 pm.?

My mistake. I typed in Albany by mistake.

Same point though, no dinner.

 

[mycalpal]

Greetings Railpost, I am also taking the Lake Shore Limited from Chicago next week Friday after I transfer from the California Zephyr that I will be taking from San Francisco. I take this trip a couple of times a year and I have also taken it from Boston to Chicago. There is no dining car dinner as the departure from Chicago is 9:30pm. Up to last year the sleeping car passengers were treated to a wine and cheese reception upon boarding at Chicago but the reception was cut last year. The Amtrak crew did start the breakfast service an hour earlier (at 5:00am) in response to this change. The cafe car does open upon departure from Chicago and does sell some food, and you can purchase food at Union Station and bring it on board. The breakfast and lunch service in the dining car is quite good and the Amtrak crew on this train does an amazing job. There is no dinner to NYC unless the train is many hours late (I have experienced this a couple times and the dining car tries to put together an light dinner. If you continue to Boston in the Boston Sleeping car you receive "Hot Lounge Car" dinner service in the cafe car and returning from Boston they do the same with a lunch service in the cafe car before you meet the rest of the train and dining car at Albany.

Usually, the Lake Shore Limited does split at Albany, NY with the a locomotive, a baggage car, one sleeper car, two coach cars and the cafe car heads to Boston, while another baggage car, two sleeper cars, the dining car and four or five coach cars head to New York City. Most trips there is plenty of time to stretch at Albany if I am continuing to either NYC or Boston. However, due to all the track work, the Lake Shore, with all three sleeper cars is heading to New York this month and Boston passengers are boarding a stub train at Albany to Boston. I learned this as Amtrak contacted me this week to refund my sleeper car charge for my trip from Albany to Boston the week after next. Hope you have a wonderful trip this weekend with your friends.

 

[andersone]

if you go to the FAQ section there is a link I built last year to the meal schedule for all LD's

 

[TylerP42]

Look out the window when you arrive in Toledo, you'll see me on the side of the tracks at the station recording the train.

 

[Cma]

Look out the window when you arrive in Toledo, you'll see me on the side of the tracks at the station recording the train.

At 3 in the morning?

 

[TylerP42]

Look out the window when you arrive in Toledo, you'll see me on the side of the tracks at the station recording the train.

At 3 in the morning?

Yes. Some days I'm there from 11:30PM-7/8AM (Depending on how late the #49 LSL is) I leave between trains and get food, but its once every few weeks to get some video/pics and hopefully catch some cool trains (Saw Anniversary train today, pics later). I'm going tomorrow to check out the consist, so I won't be there all night, just for the #48.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Look out the window when you arrive in Toledo, you'll see me on the side of the tracks at the station recording the train.

At 3 in the morning?

He's a teenager. They're nocturnal.