Sept 26th 30 Capitol Limited Cancelled

[Ryan]

 

[Thirdrail7]

This is a difficult thread to follow. I remember the beginning of this thread and it seemed as though we were talking about the cancellation due to track work around Labor Day.

Now, the title has changed and you're talking about a reroute and cancellation of the Capitol on the 26th.

The Capitol is not cancelled on the 26th, it is not being rerouted (although I'm sure Neroden will beg to differ) nor is it a sleeper only train. It is operating on a special time to accommodate an extremely large group (around 300) that is occupying coach. The reason why you're seeing sleepers available is because that is basically all that is left on the train.

This is the return portion of their trip as they traveled west a few days ago.

 

[districtRich]

This is a difficult thread to follow. I remember the beginning of this thread and it seemed as though we were talking about the cancellation due to track work around Labor Day.

Now, the title has changed and you're talking about a reroute and cancellation of the Capitol on the 26th.

The Capitol is not cancelled on the 26th, it is not being rerouted (although I'm sure Neroden will beg to differ) nor is it a sleeper only train. It is operating on a special time to accommodate an extremely large group (around 300) that is occupying coach. The reason why you're seeing sleepers available is because that is basically all that is left on the train.

This is the return portion of their trip as they traveled west a few days ago.

Thanks for the info!!

 

[TylerP42]

Wait, so if you have a big enough group they'll change the whole time and change station stops and everything for you?

 

[Thirdrail7]

Wait, so if you have a big enough group they'll change the whole time and change station stops and everything for you?

It happens every year, hence my comment the Neroden will disagree with me saying the train is "running."

Although it does have a different number and it says canceled on the website...so I guess this time he really has me!

 

[TylerP42]

Third, so these are safety patrol kids?

 

[Thirdrail7]

Negative, Tyler. I posted that link as an example to show that sometimes they do change times or schedules to accommodate groups.

As for the group that is traveling...well...I won't ruin the surprise!

 

[jis]

Well, the AU Gathering is not quite that large yet

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Well, the AU Gathering is not quite that large yet

And the 26th is too early for the Gathering. (Great minds think alike).

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Negative, Tyler. I posted that link as an example to show that sometimes they do change times or schedules to accommodate groups.

As for the group that is traveling...well...I won't ruin the surprise!

Congress?? Nah, guess not since they had to be in town for the Pope.

 

[TylerP42]

I really want to know, I might see some in Toledo...

 

[districtRich]

Negative, Tyler. I posted that link as an example to show that sometimes they do change times or schedules to accommodate groups.

As for the group that is traveling...well...I won't ruin the surprise!

They booked all the coach seats? I'm in a roomette so I'm sure I'll run into them over the course of the trip whomever they may be I'm actually glad the departure is at 10pm. I'm looking forward to passing through Pittsburgh in full daylight.

I do wonder about how many trainsets they use for the Capitol Limited though. Since this train leaves so late it arrives in DC after the Capitol Limited leaves DC to go back to Chicago on the 27th. I assume they have another full trainset in DC for this purpose, but everything I've read makes it seems they're always short on Superliners. I thought they just had two trainsets that went back and forth between the two cities. I guess they have some spares lying around and maybe when train 930 arrives in DC it will become the new spares?

 

[Ryan]

Nope, CL uses 3 sets. The set that arrived today will lay overnight and then head back out tomorrow.

The timing is just too tight to do otherwise.

 

[districtRich]

Nope, CL uses 3 sets. The set that arrived today will lay overnight and then head back out tomorrow.

The timing is just too tight to do otherwise.

Makes sense. I guess they have to do quite a bit of servicing and maintenance in between runs

 

[neroden]

OK! Well, at least they made it clear to the general public that the regular train was cancelled, rather than cancelling people's reservations out from under them...

Wait, so if you have a big enough group they'll change the whole time and change station stops and everything for you?

It happens every year, hence my comment the Neroden will disagree with me saying the train is "running."

Although it does have a different number and it says canceled on the website...so I guess this time he really has me!

Well, given that the CL usually runs with well under 300 customers in coach, probably Amtrak is making enough money off the charter to be worth cancelling the regular CL for the day. The problem with the safety patrol trains was not exactly that the regular train was cancelled, but that people were booking the regular train for that day for months, and then having their reservations cancelled out from under them on very short notice. So let's hope there was plenty of advance warning to put this train change into ARROW this time... or at least that the people kicked off were few and well compensated. Keeping the sleepers open for sale between some of the major markets does help with that. (Heck, for all I know the random list of cities being stopped at -- TOL, PGH, CUM, and WAS -- are precisely the cities where people already had reservations when the large group made their reservation! :giggle: That would be customer friendly. )

 

[railbuck]

It's not a "random list" of cities, it's the stations where the train has to stop for a crew change regardless of whether any pax get on or off.

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3287779

 

[TylerP42]

The problem with the safety patrol trains was not exactly that the regular train was cancelled, but that people were booking the regular train for that day for months, and then having their reservations cancelled out from under them on very short notice.

I once had a trip from CHI-SPI on the Texas Eagle. Got the tickets way in advance, and I got a phone call 2 weeks in advance with "your train has been cancelled, sorry." *hangup*

Apparently it was trackwork, which makes me upset since they know about that months in advance.

 

[Ryan]

Not necessarily.

 

[TylerP42]

My bad, the top of my post was a quote that got messed up.

 

[districtRich]

I posted my trip report in the trip report forum. This return is quite the special train. My attendant said 930 is about 13 cars long. The coaches were reserved by two marching bands (Howard is one of them) who were in Chicago for a football game. They even have their own dining car at the end of the train.

We are just about to leave Chicago.

 

[chakk]

The special, large group on the CL was the Howard University marching band a school located in Washington DC. They had traveled to Chicago to accompany the school's football team to a game played on Sept 26. The delayed departure from Chicago was to accomodate getting all parties back to the train after the sxheduled end of the football game.

 

[districtRich]

The special, large group on the CL was the Howard University marching band a school located in Washington DC. They had traveled to Chicago to accompany the school's football team to a game played on Sept 26. The delayed departure from Chicago was to accomodate getting all parties back to the train after the sxheduled end of the football game.

Morgan State too. The two marching bands traveled together.

 

[neroden]

OK, that's a pretty awesome special group.

Did they extend the train to 13 cars using Superliners (there must be more Superliner coaches available than I thought) or did they put single-level cars on the train? Curious minds want to know.

 

[chakk]

Photos I've seen on other forums show 11 Superliners sandwiched between two of the newly constructed baggage cars. The entire train pulled by two locomotives.

 

[districtRich]

Yeah it was entirely Superliners. It looked like they had a regular dining car too instead of the dining/cafe combo like the normal part of the train