Pacific Parlour Car Temporary Withdrawal

[inspiration100]

Just boarded the coast starlight. No replacement car, just the diner after the sleepers.

 

[Ryan]

last year there was little if any maintenance done to the cars. it was evidently a cost cutting move. same this year i would guess

How exactly would you know what maintenance was done and what needed maintenance wasn't done?

 

[Lonestar648]

If the PPC needs maintenance, why can't they do two, then two more, sub in two SSL or if not available, 2 DC. Sounds like they take them all off, line the cars up, then work on the maintenance issues, car by car. A thought has just occurred that the parts have to be custom designed and manufactured, but wouldn't the Amtrak Maintenance Engineers know what they need and have the parts made before the cars come off regular service.

 

[inspiration100]

All the staff on board (multiple) have said it was removed due to budget and this is the lowest travel time of the season. No mention of repairs except in the email.

 

[yarrow]

last year there was little if any maintenance done to the cars. it was evidently a cost cutting move. same this year i would guess

How exactly would you know what maintenance was done and what needed maintenance wasn't done?

on the "train orders" board it was reported by several railroaders and people with more than the usual access to amtrak goings on that the cars were just parked in la during the hiatus last year. these posters have proven to have had good information in the past so, until shown otherwise, i tend to go with what they report.

 

[Ryan]

So what maintenance do these Internet Experts say was needed to be done and wasn't?

 

[yarrow]

ryan, i think i may not have been clear. it is a long tradition among passenger railroads to reduce consists in the winter due to decreased passenger load. both this year and last amtrak has removed the ppc for a couple months in late winter. the explanation given by amtrak to travelers on the cs is that the cars were removed for maintenance which must be done by taking all of the cars out of service for a couple months. this does not seem to be the case based on the reports of quite a few, what i regard as generally reliable, sources. i would rather amtrak say that the ppc is taken out of service due to reduced passenger load in the late winter. i might not like it but it, unfortunately, seems reasonable. i do think , though, that some compensation should be given sleeper passengers who expect this amenity based on amtrak's advertising who reserved in good faith expecting it to be offered.

as far as "internet experts", as in any mode of information sharing one must "consider the source". i find the sources i have for the removal of the ppc to be good until shown otherwise

 

[hmy1]

Here are two of the cars parked in the LA yards as we passed by on Saturday...

 

[Lonestar648]

First, these do not look like they are receiving any maintenance work. Also, wonder where the other two are parked.

 

[TylerP42]

First, these do not look like they are receiving any maintenance work. Also, wonder where the other two are parked.

The maintenence is on the inside, and the 2 other cars may be in the shops.

 

[CCC1007]

Aren't there five of them?

 

[TylerP42]

Aren't there five of them?

One had a fire and I haven't heard of where it's been since.

 

[R30A]

As a trainorders reader myself, I got the opposite impression- Many of the posters are reliable only in the sense that they will reliably consider any action done by Amtrak to be directly sabotaging passenger rail, if not a crime against humanity.

 

[yarrow]

just returned from a nice journey which included a pdx-lax rt on the cs sans parlour car. the train was nearly full(minus a coach and sleeper for the winter consist) and the ssl was always full. anyway, i called customer relations this morning and told the agent i had a good trip but wasn't happy at being notified a day and a half before departure about the loss of the ppc and about the lack of lounge space. i imagined he would commiserate with me and that would be it. instead, he gave me a $200 voucher. quite fair, i thought.

 

[Thirdrail7]

ryan, i think i may not have been clear. it is a long tradition among passenger railroads to reduce consists in the winter due to decreased passenger load. both this year and last amtrak has removed the ppc for a couple months in late winter. the explanation given by amtrak to travelers on the cs is that the cars were removed for maintenance which must be done by taking all of the cars out of service for a couple months. this does not seem to be the case based on the reports of quite a few, what i regard as generally reliable, sources. i would rather amtrak say that the ppc is taken out of service due to reduced passenger load in the late winter. i might not like it but it, unfortunately, seems reasonable. i do think , though, that some compensation should be given sleeper passengers who expect this amenity based on amtrak's advertising who reserved in good faith expecting it to be offered.

as far as "internet experts", as in any mode of information sharing one must "consider the source". i find the sources i have for the removal of the ppc to be good until shown otherwise

I just want to make sure I'm following this. If cars need maintenance (and there are certain tests that are federally required during the year), you think it is better to remove them little by little during the year (at which point they may not be available during a peak period) instead of blitzing them during the slowest time of the year,?

This may not be what you're saying, which is why I'm asking for clarification.

BTW, congratulations on your 200 voucher.

 

[yarrow]

last year and currently are the only times, afaik, that all ppc have been taken out of service since they were introduced on the cs. so, imho, either amtrak has decided that the cars now need 2 months of work each year(which evidently they didn't need before last year)or amtrak is removing them as a cost saving measure. there have been numerous reports of the cars sitting in la during last years' hiatus and i have seen 2 of them sitting there this year. there have also been reports, of which i can add mine, that nothing looked to have been done to the cars during the break last year. very possible that 2 months work of internal work and inspection were done but nothing visible to amtrak pax.
it is fine with me if they remove the car during low ridership times to "save money"(though on my lax-pdx rt last week we had a nearly full train and a big lack of lounge space and much complaining from sleeper pax)but i doubt the honesty of amtrak management in their explanation for why the cars are gone.
i may be right, partially right or totally wrong. i have, as others have, gathered my evidence and come to my conclusion.

 

[Thirdrail7]

last year and currently are the only times, afaik, that all ppc have been taken out of service since they were introduced on the cs. so, imho, either amtrak has decided that the cars now need 2 months of work each year(which evidently they didn't need before last year)or amtrak is removing them as a cost saving measure. there have been numerous reports of the cars sitting in la during last years' hiatus and i have seen 2 of them sitting there this year. there have also been reports, of which i can add mine, that nothing looked to have been done to the cars during the break last year. very possible that 2 months work of internal work and inspection were done but nothing visible to amtrak pax.
it is fine with me if they remove the car during low ridership times to "save money"(though on my lax-pdx rt last week we had a nearly full train and a big lack of lounge space and much complaining from sleeper pax)but i doubt the honesty of amtrak management in their explanation for why the cars are gone.
i may be right, partially right or totally wrong. i have, as others have, gathered my evidence and come to my conclusion.

So, your sources know how to spot the work performed during a 92 day, 184 day, 1472 day brake inspection and C,O,T and S tests? They must have one heck of set of eyes. I wish I had them. Additionally, I'm sure you know about the glazing issues that have been raised over the last few years? Of course they are sitting in LA because that is their maintenance base.

However, this still doesn't answer my question: There are tests that need to be performed. Do you think performing the tests and maintenance during the year, necessitating some of their removal during peak season is better than benching them during the down time, blitzing them and thus allowing them to (hopefully) work uninterrupted during peak season (excluding another possible 92 day)?

 

[SarahZ]

i have, as others have, gathered my evidence and come to my conclusion.

That word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

 

[ain't no Metroliner]

I have no idea what maintenance they are doing now on the cars, or if they are even really doing any maintenance on them. But it does seem at least a little bit fishy that not only are they taking all four of the cars out of service all at once for TWO whole months, they ALSO are not replacing them with other lounge cars to offer somewhat comparable service in the interim. Some part of this does sound like an unannounced cost-savings measure.

 

[andersone]

spin the smoke and mirrors a little faster please

 

[yarrow]

i have, as others have, gathered my evidence and come to my conclusion.

That word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

yeah, i know what the word means. we can and do, evidently, disagree on the issue. that's fine. i don't engage in personal attacks on this forum

 

[Ryan]

Unless the person you're attacking is Amtrak management, then it's weapons free.

 

[valkyrie]

Unless the person you're attacking is Amtrak management, then it's weapons free.

Expressing an opinion about Amtrak management is hardly a personal attack and I would think is fairly commonplace on this forum. I believe yarrow was referring to posts that ridicule another member, such as yours.

 

[Ryan]

Yarrow has gone far beyond merely expressing opinion about Amtrak management.

 

[jebr]

Enough with the sniping back and forth. Let's get back on track on the topic at hand, which is the removal of the PPC for maintenance.