Return of Baggage Cars

[John Bobinyec]

Some trains, like the Carolinian, have lost their baggage cars during the pandemic.

When will baggage cars, which were similarly removed, return?

jb

 

[me_little_me]

When they start having baggage service at more than a few stations.

 

[Cal]

I would assume when enough people check bags? I've seen some LD trains with baggage cars through it

 

[John Bobinyec]

How do you check bags when there's no baggage car?

jb

 

[jis]

The aggressive removal of Baggage Cars is a vexing mystery. How much exactly is saved by not running a baggage car? It always seemed to me like yet another spiteful Anderson move rather than something guided by rationality and logic.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

How do you check bags when there's no baggage car?

jb

Coach/bag car on the western trains. Not sure how on eastern trains.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Discontinuing counter to counter parcels was definitely a spiteful Anderson move. Granted it was peanuts to the bottom line but the fixed costs are already there. I actually sent a box on the SWC from Galesburg to Fullerton in the past. Served its purpose and was convenient. Too big to economically send via USPS or Fed Ex type issue. Those companies charge insane prices for anything bigger than an apple box or even suit case.

Staffed long distance stations with only a couple trains a day should be pushing for all the ancillary revenue they can get especially when it’s a win/win/win for all involved. Keeps employees busy, brings some extra cash to the company and provides a service to the customer.

Don‘t quote me on this but I’m sure there’s still a few staffed long distance stations that don’t even have the ability to sell customers tickets. That’s just insane and that was Anderson.

 

[jiml]

Coach/bag car on the western trains. Not sure how on eastern trains.

Are the Viewliner bag-dorms in service yet? They were on the Silvers seen on railcam awhile ago, but not sure if that was just testing.

 

[jis]

Don't know about regular assignments of Bag Dorms, but before COVID I had been on at least three Silvers Stars which had Bag Dorms with the Dorm part occupied by the train crew, thus releasing all Sleeper accommodation in the regular Sleepers for use by customers.

 

[Seaboard92]

The two trains that are regularly using the Bag/Dorms are the Cardinal and the Crescent. Each time I've been on those in the last year there has always been one of them.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Are the Viewliner bag-dorms in service yet? They were on the Silvers seen on railcam awhile ago, but not sure if that was just testing.

Duh, how could o forget those.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

97(11) had a regular baggage car

 

[Cal]

Are the Viewliner bag-dorms in service yet? They were on the Silvers seen on railcam awhile ago, but not sure if that was just testing.

Frequently seen on the Cardinal pre-covid, I think they are also in operation during COVID too.

I personally love the bag dorms, great use of space. I wonder if they could use those on the western trains and fully book the trans dorm.

 

[me_little_me]

I personally love the bag dorms, great use of space. I wonder if they could use those on the western trains and fully book the trans dorm.

Or make the upper level passenger-available with lower level for employees and bag-dorm be in front of that.

 

[City of Miami]

I see virtually every Cardinal pass by and the bagdorm is always at the rear and has been for a year or more. The consist has been 1 locomotive, 3 coaches, 1 food service, 1 sleeper, bag dorm for a long time with only very occasional variance. On Monday or Wednesday this week (I forget which) 50 did have 2 P42s for some reason.

 

[OBS]

Or make the upper level passenger-available with lower level for employees and bag-dorm be in front of that.

Except there are no rooms on the lower level other than the occasional Handicap room

 

[me_little_me]

Except there are no rooms on the lower level other than the occasional Handicap room

I did not intend for employee sleeping but since it has access to the baggage car and there is room there, it could be used as a place for them to hang out or for storage as well, of course, for use of the handicapped room as just an employee bedroom.

 

[jis]

I personally love the bag dorms, great use of space. I wonder if they could use those on the western trains and fully book the trans dorm.

There are only ten bag dorms. Assigning them to a single Western train (except the CONO) will essentially wipe out the entire inventory when shop and protects are taken into consideration.

 

[Cal]

There are only ten bag dorms. Assigning them to a single Western train (except the CONO) will essentially wipe out the entire inventory when shop and protects are taken into consideration.

True

 

[GaSteve]

Are the Viewliner bag-dorms in service yet? They were on the Silvers seen on railcam awhile ago, but not sure if that was just testing.

19 and 20 have bag/dorms

 

[jiml]

There are only ten bag dorms. Assigning them to a single Western train (except the CONO) will essentially wipe out the entire inventory when shop and protects are taken into consideration.

And they'd still have to follow them with a transition car of some sort to make them practical.

 

[Cal]

And they'd still have to follow them with a transition car of some sort to make them practical.

Yes, but they could sell those roomettes on the top level.

 

[Mailliw]

There are only ten bag dorms. Assigning them to a single Western train (except the CONO) will essentially wipe out the entire inventory when shop and protects are taken into consideration.

I didn't realize there were so few of them. Could regular baggage cars be rebuilt into bag dorms or is that just a pipe dream?

 

[jis]

I didn't realize there were so few of them. Could regular baggage cars be rebuilt into bag dorms or is that just a pipe dream?

Pipe dream

 

[Siegmund]

Yes, but they could sell those roomettes on the top level.

They already do, and have been doing so for a long time, at least on the Empire Builder. I don't know if this is the practice on the other western LD trains or not.