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- Aug 15, 2013
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The superliner I has a “couch” in the women’s lounge just to the left of the door. It’s about as wide as one of the booth seats, but you’d have to scrunch up pretty good to lay down.
Superliner trains' removal and restoration of cars 2024-2025
- Thread starter TinCan782
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So, in the video a post or two back, shows pedestal stools in that room. Did the Superliner 1 have a couch, and the Superliner 2 have the pedestal stools? Were some of the coach cars modified over the years so they are all a little different? Either way, it is my favorite room on a Superliner Coach.
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I can't recall if I've seen pedestal stools in the Superliner 1. I know for a fact that the couch is feature of the Superliner 1 and that it was omitted in the design for the space on the Superliner 2. Honestly though, these things have been around so long, each one is a bit of a hodgepodge if you look hard enoughSo, in the video a post or two back, shows pedestal stools in that room. Did the Superliner 1 have a couch, and the Superliner 2 have the pedestal stools? Were some of the coach cars modified over the years so they are all a little different? Either way, it is my favorite room on a Superliner Coach.
Kind of like anything old…vehicles, houses, etc. Thru the years, mechanics, electricians, carpenters, and plumbers doing repairs often have to be “creative” and use whatever they can find to make repairs, and any way that works…I can't recall if I've seen pedestal stools in the Superliner 1. I know for a fact that the couch is feature of the Superliner 1 and that it was omitted in the design for the space on the Superliner 2. Honestly though, these things have been around so long, each one is a bit of a hodgepodge if you look hard enough
Sightseer Lounge Returning To Eagle
By Jim Mathews / President & CEO
Some good news for passengers on the long-beleaguered Texas Eagle – we learned this week that Amtrak’s Spring 2025 consist plan includes putting a Sightseer Lounge back on that train after a very, very long absence.
The car should be back on the Eagle consist by March 3.
“That’s confirmed,” an Amtrak manager told me this week. “That’s good news, since it’s been such a long-standing request.”
It’s part of a larger effort this Spring to add as much capacity and as many amenities to the network nationwide as possible, responding to all-time record-high ridership and demand that far, far outstrips supply. The Eagle also got some attention last Summer in time for the Fall schedule, when Amtrak was able to scrounge up a Sleeper and a Coach as dedicated Sunset Limited through-cars.
In Amtrak’s five-season schedule, “Spring” runs from March through mid-May.
Another big and very welcome change is coming courtesy of the California Zephyr, which will be operating a third full Sleeper and a third Coach. It’s a much bigger consist than Amtrak has been able to operate in previous years, and it should make a difference since last year that train was sold out more often than not.
These and a few other additions are all possible thanks to Amtrak finally catching up with the backlog of laid-up coaches and Sleepers parked during the COVID pandemic. There are still 33 more cars that need to be put back in service, but those are all either coming back now or will be re-entering service during the Spring season. And importantly, Amtrak notes, the COVID-era mothballed cars are all back in play.
In other Spring additions, the Cardinal will get a third coach, the Floridian will get a third sleeper, the Coast Starlight will get a third coach, and Empire Builder gets a fourth coach, and the Southwest Chief will get a second sleeper and a third coach added to the consist. Also, as is typical, the Heartland Flyer will get its third coach as the season begins.
By Jim Mathews / President & CEO
Some good news for passengers on the long-beleaguered Texas Eagle – we learned this week that Amtrak’s Spring 2025 consist plan includes putting a Sightseer Lounge back on that train after a very, very long absence.
The car should be back on the Eagle consist by March 3.
“That’s confirmed,” an Amtrak manager told me this week. “That’s good news, since it’s been such a long-standing request.”
It’s part of a larger effort this Spring to add as much capacity and as many amenities to the network nationwide as possible, responding to all-time record-high ridership and demand that far, far outstrips supply. The Eagle also got some attention last Summer in time for the Fall schedule, when Amtrak was able to scrounge up a Sleeper and a Coach as dedicated Sunset Limited through-cars.
In Amtrak’s five-season schedule, “Spring” runs from March through mid-May.
Another big and very welcome change is coming courtesy of the California Zephyr, which will be operating a third full Sleeper and a third Coach. It’s a much bigger consist than Amtrak has been able to operate in previous years, and it should make a difference since last year that train was sold out more often than not.
These and a few other additions are all possible thanks to Amtrak finally catching up with the backlog of laid-up coaches and Sleepers parked during the COVID pandemic. There are still 33 more cars that need to be put back in service, but those are all either coming back now or will be re-entering service during the Spring season. And importantly, Amtrak notes, the COVID-era mothballed cars are all back in play.
In other Spring additions, the Cardinal will get a third coach, the Floridian will get a third sleeper, the Coast Starlight will get a third coach, and Empire Builder gets a fourth coach, and the Southwest Chief will get a second sleeper and a third coach added to the consist. Also, as is typical, the Heartland Flyer will get its third coach as the season begins.
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Management has made more positive announcements and presentations the past 3 days than they have made in the last few years. Interesting how things change when you’re about to go under a microscope.
The only thing that has kept Amtrak alive all these years is that they have Senators in 46 states with constituents that care.
Let's hope it is just a microscope and not an ax.
These changes have been in the works for quite a while. The timing is a mere coincidence.
One of Gibba' Rules.... I don't believe ib coincidences...
Some folks would rather believe that a bunch of cars magically got repaired and overhauled in the past four weeks than to believe that this slow-but-steady process has been ongoing for a couple of years now.
Now if we could just bring back decent food and service...
You are undoubtedly correct. Four SSLs for the Eagle is no simple feat. I wonder, however, if some of the "modernizations" may have gotten the axe in order to expedite things. Frankly, I saw nothing wrong with them, but of course have no idea of the running gear and innards. We had some setbacks along the way with a couple of derailments, labor shortage at Beech Grove, etc.
However, there seems to have been a great uptick in productivity at Beech Grove and elsewhere as the realities of DOGE began to sink in.
Whatever the cause, I for one am grateful.
Do you have any data to support this “seems to have” increase? As I and others have mentioned, this has literally been in the plans for a while. You can even find RPA notices from 2023 showing Amtrak’s plans to rebuild cars and put them back into service, along with capacity improvements made last year.
This very thread is over a year old.
And if you need any more proof: Amtrak’s board meeting presentation from December 2024 has a slide that literally says “Texas Eagle - Sightseer Lounge (March 2025)”
I don’t know how it can be more clear that this has nothing to do with DOGE.
I can tell you with near certainty the election and DOGE has nothing to do with it. Consist planning is based on a combination of equipment availability (Shop counts, etc.) and where the demand is. Typically the plan for summer would be being finalized about now. Like any transportation provider they will typically do a fiscal year plan and then the final plan for each of Amtrak's "seasons" is finalized when they get a couple months out. Amtrak's "Spring" starts next week so they would normally be finalizing "Summer" now. They typically have an idea of what they'd like to do from the beginning of the fiscal year and then tailor the final plan for a season based on equipment availability realities and sometimes also changes in demand. They may originally foresee adding a car on one train for the summer but then as they get closer bookings may be hotter on another route (and equipment realities make it impossible to do both) so they shift gears - or equipment realities alone may also force changes. There was also a Trains article that came out today about this exact subject. https://www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...-other-long-distance-trains-to-gain-capacity/
