Silver Star/Silver Meteor combined train (Jan - Oct 2022)

[pennyk]

My attendant’s name is Claudett. She said there are 5 sleepers and they all have attendants.

Please tell Claudette that Penny says hello. I am assuming that this is the same Claudette that has been around for a while. If she looks at you as if she has no idea who Penny is, then it is not the same Claudette. I am happy to hear that all sleepers have attendants. Enjoy your trip. I will try to listen for you when you pass through Orlando. (I live within a mile from the tracks).

 

[Trained]

Please tell Claudette that Penny says hello. I am assuming that this is the same Claudette that has been around for a while. If she looks at you as if she has no idea who Penny is, then it is not the same Claudette. I am happy to hear that all sleepers have attendants. Enjoy your trip. I will try to listen for you when you pass through Orlando. (I live within a mile from the tracks).

Will do! But she just made up my bed and I probably won’t see her again until morning.

 

[joelkfla]

The agent told me 9211, 9212, 9213, 9214 were the available sleepers.

Maybe one sleeper is being taken off?

We'll have to monitor this, as all SuperStar consists up to now have had 5 sleepers. I think the first opportunity to verify online is when 92 passes the Plant City railcam around teatime.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The agent told me 9211, 9212, 9213, 9214 were the available sleepers.

Maybe one sleeper is being taken off?

More likely they haven't sold enough tickets to need the 5th sleeper.

 

[RebelRider]

More likely they haven't sold enough tickets to need the 5th sleeper.

Or the 9210 sleeper is already full and unavailable.

 

[pennyk]

Video of 91 taken from urban trail between WPK and ORL 1/21/22.
Special thanks to Betty who edited my large file that previously would not load. ❤

Edit to add that while outdoors this evening I heard 92 pass through Orlando. So today I either heard or saw all Amtrak trains pass through Orlando.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Video of 91 taken from urban trail between WPK and ORL 1/21/22.
Special thanks to Betty who edited my large file that previously would not load. ❤

Wow! That looks like a LD Train from the Golden Years of Passenger Trains!

 

[McIntyre2K7]

I was looking at the rail cam in Plant City (You can view it on the rail cam at 16:43 EST). I could not see the car numbers.

Todays consist for 92(in order)

2 Engines
Baggage Car
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Cafe
Diner
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Baggage Car

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I was looking at the rail cam in Plant City (You can view it on the rail cam at 16:43 EST). I could not see the car numbers.

Todays consist for 92(in order)

2 Engines
Baggage Car
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Cafe
Diner
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Baggage Car

Which train, 91 or 92? Penny posted a video of 91(20)

 

[McIntyre2K7]

Which train, 91 or 92? Penny posted a video of 91(20)

92 going into Tampa.

 

[neroden]

I was looking at the rail cam in Plant City (You can view it on the rail cam at 16:43 EST). I could not see the car numbers.

Todays consist for 92(in order)

2 Engines
Baggage Car
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Cafe
Diner
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Baggage Car

If the trains ran on time most of the time, I figure there would be enough demand to make many Amtrak trains this long.

 

[joelkfla]

I was looking at the rail cam in Plant City (You can view it on the rail cam at 16:43 EST). I could not see the car numbers.

Todays consist for 92(in order)

2 Engines
Baggage Car
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Coach
Cafe
Diner
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Sleeper
Baggage Car

Same sleeper order: 2, 1, 2, 1, 2

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Video of 91 taken from urban trail between WPK and ORL 1/21/22.
Special thanks to Betty who edited my large file that previously would not load. ❤

Thanks Penny! Great video. A friend of mine is an SCA on the 91 that left NYP this morning.

 

[OBS]

I wonder if Amtrak will do the sensible thing and increase staff to accommodate the additional sleeper passengers and improve table turnover? Perhaps one LSA to act as a host/steward for managing the seating, additional servers and another ‘cook’.

Anybody traveling care to comment on this? I am curious also....

 

[Oreius]

Anybody traveling care to comment on this? I am curious also....

When I rode 91 (“The Star-Lette) in September, there was only one attendant for the two sleepers. One lady working the lounge, and just one young man working the diner. I felt bad for the Diner Attendant; he was always hopping. Probably had one attendant for the 2 coaches, but I didn’t see one.

 

[Oreius]

Or the 9210 sleeper is already full and unavailable.

The train was 20% full according to the booking page on Thursday.I assume that is BOTH Coach and Sleepers.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The train was 20% full according to the booking page on Thursday.I assume that is BOTH Coach and Sleepers.

I believe the % full is just coach. People booking coach are more concerned about how full the train is than those of us who book private rooms.

 

[Zack]

Anybody traveling care to comment on this? I am curious also....

From what I could tell from my trip on 92 yesterday there was only one attendant for the dining car, but barely anybody actually sat and ate in the dining car. Most people ate in their rooms..

 

[Amtrak709]

I saw #91 on Virtual Rail cameras in Ashland VA one day this last weekend. Quite a consist!!! I can only wonder about the capacity and staff levels and service.!?
As a 74 year railfan, I find myself having become a little more cynical about Amtrak and its inconsistencies. I will admit to understanding that COVID has changed the "playing field" and my cynicism has been driven more by Crescent operations and NOT the silvers.

 

[Joe from PA]

I found this group when searching to see what happened to the Meteor (97). We take it from Philadelphia to Ft. Lauderdale (and fly home) every March. I have this ritual of watching 97 go through Ashland, VA most evenings at 9:15 pm (if it's on time). I wonder why Amtrak had not gone back to the previous "one train a day" that it had before...97 on Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, and 91 on Fri, Sat, Sun.
Not sure what we will do. We will still take the train since my Amtrak credit card points will cover our two roomette trip (I'm 80 and my wife is 78, so forget bunk beds). My concern is being in the 5th sleeper and making it, rocking and rolling, to the dining car. Also, we did one trip on the 91, but I have no desire to repeat 2 hours of rusty trailer parks and auto body shops as scenery. We may hold off and go on March 30.

 

[joelkfla]

I found this group when searching to see what happened to the Meteor (97). We take it from Philadelphia to Ft. Lauderdale (and fly home) every March. I have this ritual of watching 97 go through Ashland, VA most evenings at 9:15 pm (if it's on time). I wonder why Amtrak had not gone back to the previous "one train a day" that it had before...97 on Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, and 91 on Fri, Sat, Sun.
Not sure what we will do. We will still take the train since my Amtrak credit card points will cover our two roomette trip (I'm 80 and my wife is 78, so forget bunk beds). My concern is being in the 5th sleeper and making it, rocking and rolling, to the dining car. Also, we did one trip on the 91, but I have no desire to repeat 2 hours of rusty trailer parks and auto body shops as scenery. We may hold off and go on March 30.

You can make the reservations by phone at Amtrak customer service (or even better, Guest Rewards if you sign up) and request a specific sleeper car, if available. 9110 is next to the diner; 9114 is the furthest. Up to now, 9110, 12, and 14 have been the newer VL II cars, which have no toilet in the Roomettes.

 

[NYP2NFL01]

When I rode 91 (“The Star-Lette) in September, there was only one attendant for the two sleepers. One lady working the lounge, and just one young man working the diner. I felt bad for the Diner Attendant; he was always hopping. Probably had one attendant for the 2 coaches, but I didn’t see one.

Our SCA on 91 in September was also working the galley in the Dining Car. I called him a "renaissance man", to which he chuckled!

 

[Anderson]

Video of 91 taken from urban trail between WPK and ORL 1/21/22.
Special thanks to Betty who edited my large file that previously would not load. ❤

Edit to add that while outdoors this evening I heard 92 pass through Orlando. So today I either heard or saw all Amtrak trains pass through Orlando.

Many thanks!

[By the way, the random presence of a sleeper and a diner up front made me think of the old configuration of the Silvers, where IIRC they had sleepers on both ends since the train would be split.]

 

[Bonser]

Anybody traveling care to comment on this? I am curious also....

As others have reported this is probably a staffing problem. Just not enough to go around.

 

[jis]

Moderator's Note: A number of very interesting posts on various aspects of the history of Atlantic Coast Service was moved from this thread to a new General Discussion of Atlantic Coast Service thread at:

https://www.amtraktrains.com/threads/atlantic-coast-service-general-discussion.80969/