Rumors on Facebook about Amtrak removing 530/630 car line number

[Steve4031]

I read a post on Facebook where someone was moved out if the 630/530 to the 40 car. Their reservation was messed up and they would not have found out if they had not checked their reservation.

I thought something like this might happen in the fall. Not the middle school f summer when ridership is increasing.

Has anyone noticed a recent consist of 5/6 and seen if there is a 530 car? Iirc it’s usually the car next to the diner.

 

[Jenizie]

I’m currently riding #6 and now that you mention it, there isn’t a 630 sleeper — just 631, 632, and 640. I hadn’t caught that earlier.

 

[Steve4031]

Thank you. Calling right now.

 

[Cal]

Is the 640 car in place of 630?

 

[Steve4031]

I’m still In the 630 car. Maybe it will be added in the next 2 weeks.

 

[F900ElCapitan]

Interesting. I thought 5/6 never had a 30 car but would normally number the sleepers 31, 32, 33, and 40 for the transdorm. When I rode it in 9/2019 we rode in the 533 car, which was the forward full sleeper of the 3.

 

[Steve4031]

I called and double checked with an Amtrak Guest rewards agent. He reassured me my ticket was accurate. I am not sure how to get an agent to actually check the consist of the train for a particular day, or if they can even pull up that information. I have tickets printed from the quick track machine so if something goes wrong I am hoping that would help. I could ask to be moved to the 631 car, but then we might lose our perfectly located roomettes that are across the hall from each other on the lower level. Frustrating.

 

[Cal]

For my upcoming Chief trip, I'm in car 332. The Chief usually only runs with 2 sleepers and a transdorm, does this mean I'll be in the transdorm?

 

[Jenizie]

The 640 was definitely the transdorm and placed accordingly behind the baggage car. I think the transdorm is always numbered x40 so 332 is not likely to be the transdor.

I can’t say for sure but I feel like it’s not uncommon to not have a 530/630 sleeper on the Zephyr. I ride it pretty often (every couple of years pre-Covid, and actually a couple of times during Covid), and unless my memory is playing tricks on me (entirely possible), I think it’s hit or miss whether or not there’s a 530/630 car.

 

[Willbridge]

The 640 was definitely the transdorm and placed accordingly behind the baggage car. I think the transdorm is always numbered x40 so 332 is not likely to be the transdor.

I can’t say for sure but I feel like it’s not uncommon to not have a 530/630 sleeper on the Zephyr. I ride it pretty often (every couple of years pre-Covid, and actually a couple of times during Covid), and unless my memory is playing tricks on me (entirely possible), I think it’s hit or miss whether or not there’s a 530/630 car.

In occasional bursts of attention to markets, they've run a CHI-DEN sleeper and I thought those numbers were used for the short-turn car. I checked an old consist and there was a short turn 0532 but no 0530. So, the mystery continues.

 

[jis]

Going back to various relevant threads in AU all the way to 2005 I find that 530/630 is often not on the train, and even if it is, sometimes it is at an odd location within the train like being the last car or something like that. 530/630 has always been a bit of a mystery on the CZ.

 

[Steve4031]

630 at the end with a rail fan window would be awesome. Lol.

 

[jis]

630 at the end with a rail fan window would be awesome. Lol.

Happened to us once on one of the OTOL or AU trips, I forget which. The same time my originally assigned room was unusable due to the previous passenger having had some sort of a biological accident in it, so they assigned me another room. Within minutes the door fell off its track, so they assigned me a third room which thankfully stayed together all the way to Chicago.

 

[Way2Kewl]

Interesting. I thought 5/6 never had a 30 car but would normally number the sleepers 31, 32, 33, and 40 for the transdorm. <snip>

My observations as well... 40 is the Trans Sleeper.

For reference, I booked a Zephyr trip a few months ago and was booked in the 0630 sleeper.
Trip coming up next week and my reservation still has me in the 0630.

 

[pennyk]

Happened to us once on one of the OTOL or AU trips, I forget which. The same time my originally assigned room was unusable due to the previous passenger having had some sort of a biological accident in it, so they assigned me another room. Within minutes the door fell off its track, so they assigned me third room which thankfully stayed together all the way to Chicago.

I was on that train and I remember your "luck" with rooms. I think it was 2014 and it could have been OTOL or AU since I traveled on 6 on both trips.

 

[jis]

You may find the following thread interesting. Specifically look at the last page for the CZ consist layout in 2017.

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/line-numbers-consist-listings.32610/
As I have mentioned before, in those days 5/630 if present was the last car of the train behind 5/632. 5/631 was adjacent to the Diner. This was in the season that the Sleepers were in the rear. In the Sleepers in the front season there was no 5/630 car.

I have no idea what goes on these days.

 

[Steve4031]

Looks like the sleepers might be in the back this summer. That has not been the case the past 3 summers iirc.

 

[Cal]

I've seen many videos of the CZ from A. Train on YouTube, and I'm always confused why the sleepers used to be at the back somtimes and not others, and why they were switched to the front (which is what I prefer)

If I'm understanding correctly, they were put in the back for summers and the front during other seasons. Why? And why did this not happen to other trains, or did it?

 

[Way2Kewl]

Zephyr 06 has been running Eng; Eng; Baggage, TransDorm, Sleeper, Sleeper, Diner, Observation, Coach, Coach every day for over a month. (ran short mid COVID). (Reference virtualrailfan Galesburg webcam DVR)

And has run this consist each of the last 3 Zephyr trips I’ve been on. I’ve been on 31(next to the diner) each time.

My upcoming trip first of Jul will be 0630. It will be interesting to see if they’re adding a 3rd sleeper or just renumbered Zephyr starting Sleepers with 0 rather than 1. It would be helpful if the trains stuck with a standard like 31,32,33 for Sleepers in order from the diner so I don’t have to look through my notes.

Having less foot traffic AND a Railfan window would be a plus but not hopeful we'll be in the back. Been a while since I've had sleepers in the back on Zephyr.

 

[jis]

The origins of the odd order on the CZ was that the 5/630 car was the high season Denver drop car. The regular year round cars were 5/631 and 5/632. Then they stopped dropping the car in Denver so it went all the way but was still numbered 5/630 and was still positioned in the train as if it could be dropped easily in Denver.

Of course now that hey have had a chance to reset everything as a result of the pandemic, maybe they can bring it into the standard numbering like every other train.

CZ has had such a checkered history what with being 5/25/35 and 6/26/36 for a long time in addition to having a Denver drop car in healthier days, that almost nothing was standard on it.

 

[Aegis]

I am on the #5 in November , 531 car..

 

[HenryK]

This has nothing specific to do with the 530/630 issue, but the phrase Sleepers on the Rear sounds as if it would make a good mystery novel (or movie) title. Like Snakes on a Plane.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

This has nothing specific to do with the 530/630 issue, but the phrase Sleepers on the Rear sounds as if it would make a good mystery novel (or movie) title. Like Snakes on a Plane.

Get to work on it, then. You can put a credit to AUers in the book.

 

[MGtrain]

Hi! This is my first post and first overnight on Amtrak! Looking forward to it but I am assigned to car 630 for a trip in August. The Facebook group insists that this car doesn't exist but Amtrak Rewards says not to worry. (I've called three times and have gotten the same answer each time.) Any advice on whether I need to keep calling? Thanks!!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hi! This is my first post and first overnight on Amtrak! Looking forward to it but I am assigned to car 630 for a trip in August. The Facebook group insists that this car doesn't exist but Amtrak Rewards says not to worry. (I've called three times and have gotten the same answer each time.) Any advice on whether I need to keep calling? Thanks!!

You should be OK, Facebook is full of BS and Rumors, you might want to call say a day or 2 before your departure just to be sure you're still in the same Car and Room.