San Joaquins discussion

[randomguy65]

This has been puzzling me and I haven't figured it out yet.

Does anyone know why the San Joaquins bi-level consists have one non-revenue Comet coach added behind the locomotive?

I'd initially assumed it was for baggage but they're still using the cab cars for that.

 

[TheTuck]

They're used to meet a BNSF axle count requirement.

 

[MARC Rider]

They're used to meet a BNSF axle count requirement.

Oh, now BNSF has an axle count requirement? I thought that was just a CN thing.

 

[alanh]

Looks like there was a discussion about this in 2020.
https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/single-level-cars-on-the-san-joaquin.77554/

 

[homersimpson101]

Why does the Amtrak California San Joaquin terminate at Bakersfield? And the passengers have to board a bus to Los Angeles. Why didn't they make the trains go directly straight to Los Angeles?

 

[zephyr17]

Why does the Amtrak California San Joaquin terminate at Bakersfield? And the passengers have to board a bus to Los Angeles. Why didn't they make the trains go directly straight to Los Angeles?

1. Because UP (formerly SP) and BNSF (formerly Santa Fe) do not want to host passenger trains over busy, largely single-tracked Tehachapi Pass.
2. The rail route is very indirect, through Mojave and Palmdale, and slow on top of it, much of Tehachapi is 25 mph. SP's San Joaquin Daylight had a 5 hour running time between Bakersfield and Los Angeles per January 1961 Official Guide. Santa Fe's bus connection between Bakersfield and LA for its Golden Gate service was 3 hours, even detouring over to Pasadena. The current San Joaquin connecting buses are scheduled for 2:37 southbound, 3:12 northbound. A train today over Tehachapi would be no faster than the San Joaquin Daylight's 5 hours and very possibly slower.

Even if they could get UP and BNSF to agree, adding 2 hours to the schedule would make the service non-competetive. The only semi-serious proposal to extend rail service from Bakersfield to LA was to institute an overnight train up the Valley, where the long trip through Mojave would be done in the wee hours. Note that never did get very much traction.

 

[railiner]

In a nutshell, it’s because the rail geography between Bakersfield and Los Angeles makes trains take almost twice as much time as it does by highway…

 

[JWM]

Pre Covid, when the Coast Line was undergoing maintenance, the "Coast Starlight" would take the San Joaquin from L.A. north. When word got out, the bookings in coach went way up. Yes, it would be much slower, but what a ride.

 

[alanh]

That's why the proposed high speed rail is on a new alignment that requires lots of tunneling to avoid the climbing loops.
Bakersfield to Palmdale
Palmdale to Burbank

 

[Cal]

Pre Covid, when the Coast Line was undergoing maintenance, the "Coast Starlight" would take the San Joaquin from L.A. north. When word got out, the bookings in coach went way up. Yes, it would be much slower, but what a ride.

Not just Pre-Covid, a detour through the valley was going to happen for track work in 2021, but the burning of the trestle in NorCal just had them cancel instead of two different service disruptions.

 

[homersimpson101]

Is there still a cafe car on the Amtrak San Joaquins brand new Siemens Venture Coach train set? Or have they replaced the cafe car with multiple vending machines?

 

[Cal]

I believe they're just handing out high quality snack boxes to passengers. I think they're pretty similar to the ones on the Surfliner's business class.

 

[GDRRiley]

Vending machines will be coming. So far I don't believe they've been installed yet so its just snack boxes like they used on comets.

 

[zephyr17]

Ah, the resurrection of SP's "Automat" car. Biaginni lives!

 

[railiner]

Vending machines will be coming. So far I don't believe they've been installed yet so its just snack boxes like they used on comets.

Are the Comets gone now? If so where are they?

 

[Cal]

Are the Comets gone now? If so where are they?

They might be in LA. I'm pretty sure I saw them when I was there last week. When I'm back (within a week hopefully) I'll report back too.

 

[railiner]

Seems like they could be useful back East, somewhere…

 

[Willbridge]

Ah, the resurrection of SP's "Automat" car. Biaginni lives!

I can say from personal experience that a slice of white bread issued from an SP vending machine for DIY toast in a toaster where impatient customers have messed with the setting cannot be compared with anything else.

 

[Harmon Shay]

I thought the vending machine idea on the San Joaquins was killed a while back because of all the complaints and that there will now be some form of live food service on the Venture San Joaquins.

 

[zephyr17]

I thought the vending machine idea on the San Joaquins was killed a while back because of all the complaints and that there will now be some form of live food service on the Venture San Joaquins.

From your mouth to God's ear.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

The vending machines work fine on the Piedmont trains in North Carolina... don't knock it till you try it! haha.

 

[thefirewarde]

The vending machines work fine on the Piedmont trains in North Carolina... don't knock it till you try it! haha.

I agree, but that's a three hour schedule at worst. Vending cafes would make sense on, say, the Hiawatha or Piedmont, but aren't as good on longer runs like this or, hypothetically, the Borealis.

 

[GDRRiley]

Are the Comets gone now? If so where are they?

the comets are still around
1 set is in LA as a special event set for the surfliner the other is still in the bay
I'd perfer we use them for something better

I thought the vending machine idea on the San Joaquins was killed a while back because of all the complaints and that there will now be some form of live food service on the Venture San Joaquins.

Nope, doing so would require a cafe car to be built,
I'd like to see a half cafe, half business and a business car added but the only way that would happen is if the state gets 5 more sets like has been recommended

 

[Cal]

From your mouth to God's ear.

This is not a great source, but still *technically* an official channel, but it seems that the San Joaquins will hopefully get true cafe cars eventually.

 

[BCL]

I thought the vending machine idea on the San Joaquins was killed a while back because of all the complaints and that there will now be some form of live food service on the Venture San Joaquins.

I remember the last time I rode on the San Joaquins there was no cafe service and we got boxes with snacks for free. They were supposed to be featuring items from California although I'm not sure if they all were. I grabbed two, but I don't think anyone really cared. However, that was RIC-BFD and I think took about 6 hours or so. Ended up taking the bus to Anaheim, which had its own problems with OCTA's mechanics strike shutting down service. I ended up walking to across the street from Disneyland.