Superliner trains' removal and restoration of cars 2024

[TinCan782]

I recall discussions a year or two ago that Amtrak was pulling sleepers out from under passengers with notice just a month or so prior to travel.
I just booked, with points, the SWC this fall and for my outbound leg on #4, we were assigned a room in the 431 car.

Thinking about the the activities just mentioned, I decided to be proactive and get us moved to the 430 car to avoid any possible future problem.
Talked to Craig at the AGR Select+ number and he was able to switch us to a room in the 430 car. Took a few minutes as he was trying to avoid a fare increase (he was sucessful).
The return trip was ok as we were assigned the 330 car.

Been noticing on the cameras recently that the SWC only has one sleeper plus a trans dorm.

 

[trimetbusfan]

I recall discussions a year or two ago that Amtrak was pulling sleepers out from under passengers with notice just a month or so prior to travel.
I just booked, with points, the SWC this fall and for my outbound leg on #4, we were assigned a room in the 431 car.

Thinking about the the activities just mentioned, I decided to be proactive and get us moved to the 430 car to avoid any possible future problem.
Talked to Craig at the AGR Select+ number and he was able to switch us to a room in the 430 car. Took a few minutes as he was trying to avoid a fare increase (he was sucessful).
The return trip was ok as we were assigned the 330 car.

Been noticing on the cameras recently that the SWC only has one sleeper plus a trans dorm.

Amtrak is planning on putting 23 superliners a back in service this year, which could allow them to bring the 31 car back. Also haven’t heard of any involuntary downgrades in a while. Regardless, always good to be proactive.

https://railfan.com/in-effort-to-resolve-equipment-shortages-amtrak-to-rebuild-63-cars/

 

[TinCan782]

Amtrak is planning on putting 23 superliners a back in service this year, which could allow them to bring the 31 car back.

I did figure that Amtrak may be putting more equipment in service but, just want to have my bases covered while there is time (and availability for accomodations).

 

[user 14106]

Any car assignment is subject to change when you buy way in advance for operational of business reasons - just like an airplane change can occur on a flight. Or they could pull a room out of circulation for training or crew or something. However what you are describing where they changed the capacity dropping a line from plan at the last minute affecting tons of people hasn’t happened in a while nor would I have anticipated it happening to your trip. In normal times if they make a change in capacity it’s done early enough so if people are in an affected car they just get their room reassigned.

 

[hmy1]

Thank you for starting this thread. I was going to responding to the 2023 thread that is pinned to the top of this forum, but it is locked.

I agree that it appears that Amtrak is better managing inventory so that cars are not yanked out at the last minute. However, all of the western long distance trains are still running one to two coaches and sleepers short (and without the SSL for the TE) compared to pre-pandemic consists. That results in a continuing adverse effect on pricing.

 

[MARC Rider]

And also no Sightseer lounge for the Capitol Limited.

 

[WICT106]

Note that Trains Magazine has yet another report on how Amtrak maintenance department in Chicago cannibalises cars that have returned from Beech Grove for parts.

 

[user 14106]

Yes. I get the impression from the report that inventory management has been a problem for quite a while at Amtrak shops. The pandemic, and its effect on supply chain which hasn't completely resolved yet, has likely laid this issue bare in that it has undoubtedly increased lead times for a lot of the parts so this is really affecting availability of equipment. So this report is timely - Amtrak is going to need to get its house in order on this issue because you can't just rely on getting anything, particularly less common custom parts for older equipment, in any kind of timely manner these days.

 

[user 14106]

According to a railfan report Second Seattle sleeper is back on Builder as of today.

 

[Amtrak25]

Glad that it is, but it is a little counter-intuitive that the sleepers in the consist of 7 & 8 outnumber the coaches, uhm, coach. Of course, there is no St Paul cut car anymore. That ceased with SPUD operation.

 

[user 14106]

Glad that it is, but it is a little counter-intuitive that the sleepers in the consist of 7 & 8 outnumber the coaches, uhm, coach. Of course, there is no St Paul cut car anymore. That ceased with SPUD operation.

According to report from a Trains article the second Seattle coach is supposed to return for summer plan. So hopefully that will get added in May.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Any car assignment is subject to change when you buy way in advance for operational of business reasons - just like an airplane change can occur on a flight. Or they could pull a room out of circulation for training or crew or something.

It's true that airlines will periodically downgauge a route or suffer a maintenance problem leading to an equipment swap, but I've never seen anything like Amtrak's last minute car yanking across dozens of airlines and decades of flying. Seems a little apples to oranges.

However what you are describing where they changed the capacity dropping a line from plan at the last minute affecting tons of people hasn’t happened in a while nor would I have anticipated it happening to your trip.

Now that off-season service has been whittled to the bone any further downgauging would leave the train without a reason for running.

 

[Siegmund]

Glad that it is, but it is a little counter-intuitive that the sleepers in the consist of 7 & 8 outnumber the coaches, uhm, coach. Of course, there is no St Paul cut car anymore. That ceased with SPUD operation.

Remember too that 27 and 28 must always operate with two coaches -- so 7/8 are only short of coach space west of Spokane; over the rest of the route there are guaranteed to always be at least 3 coaches and 2½ sleepers year round whether they are needed or not.
(That one coach DOES sometimes sell out between Seattle and Wenatchee in the offseason, and I am happy to see the second coach come back in the summer.)

 

[BlackDiamond]

27 and 28 must always operate with two coaches

Why is that?

 

[railiner]

Why is that?

I am just guessing that they need a coach with accessible lower level seating, and one with a baggage room if no baggage car on train?

 

[Siegmund]

Yes. The Superliner trains without baggage cars and transdorms (Portland Builder, Texas Eagle, Capitol; in happier times the Pioneer and Desert Wind) need a coach-baggage for checked bags and a coach for handicapped seats. On one particularly slow winter day five years ago I counted 14 passengers total in the two coaches, when I walked from the sleeper up to the lounge car to get my boxed breakfast halfway from Spokane to Portland.

 

[uncleboots]

Hey Gang, It’s been a while since I’ve been on the forum so if this has been already discussed I apologize. Has anyone mentioned that Amtrak will be putting 23 Super liners back in service between now and October 1st. 5 Transition Sleepers, 5 Superliner Lounge Cars and the other type of Superliners weren’t mentioned. I believe it is 63 Single Levels that will be put back into service also.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Hey Gang, It’s been a while since I’ve been on the forum so if this has been already discussed I apologize. Has anyone mentioned that Amtrak will be putting 23 Super liners back in service between now and October 1st. 5 Transition Sleepers, 5 Superliner Lounge Cars and the other type of Superliners weren’t mentioned. I believe it is 63 Single Levels that will be put back into service also.

Yes, but no deployment plan has been seen.

For all we know an equal amount of equipment is going to be mothballed. Ok probably not, but no announcement on where or when the equipment will be available. Might be waiting to see if a derailment occurs before the equipment is ready. Or like the Viewliner 2 roll out just padding the spare equipment pool.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

For all we know an equal amount of equipment is going to be mothballed.

That would be a very Amtrak way of doing things. What I find surprising is that they cannot figure out how to create a long term car building contract when they know Amtrak rolling stock will be damaged or destroyed by commercial vehicles on a fairly regular basis.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Maybe since the budget officially was not cut (much) by Congress this past week we might see the ball start rolling more aggressively. Unfortunately since the last Trump administration wanted to eliminate the national network I wouldn’t be surprised to see the status quo til after the November elections.

I like some people here and other places feel that management is waiting as long as possible to pull the trigger on the LD order and mothballed fleet deployment plans in hope of Congressional budget cuts that would allow them to cut multiple long distance routes.

Regardless of congressional mandates and funding the national network will never thrive under this BOD and CEO. Expect management to drag their feet as long as possible.

 

[blueman271]

That would be a very Amtrak way of doing things. What I find surprising is that they cannot figure out how to create a long term car building contract when they know Amtrak rolling stock will be damaged or destroyed by commercial vehicles on a fairly regular basis.

I would counter that every car building contract Amtrak signs is a long term one since it regularly takes 10 years or longer for cars to be delivered and put into service once the contract is signed. I understand what you mean I was just pointing out how snake bitten/incompetent Amtrak is when it comes to procuring rolling stock.

 

[jis]

I would counter that every car building contract Amtrak signs is a long term one since it regularly takes 10 years or longer for cars to be delivered and put into service once the contract is signed. I understand what you mean I was just pointing out how snake bitten/incompetent Amtrak is when it comes to procuring rolling stock.

Actually, most purchase contracts that Amtrak has signed in the recent past had significant number of options in them for additional orders, but unfortunately the funding needed to do so never materialized. Indeed, even the original order for Viewliner 2s was structured for a significant number of additional cars options to the ones that actually materialized, but no funding materialized for them. Maybe things will be different, but I am not holding my breath about it since I prefer not to expire due to self imposed asphyxiation. Afterall money not yet spent can all be rescinded by misguided folks.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Unfortunately since the last Trump administration wanted to eliminate the national network I wouldn’t be surprised to see the status quo til after the November elections.

This is why they better get as much done as possible with what's remaining in this fiscal year. There is nothing to be gained by dragging feet.

 

[uncleboots]

Yes, but no deployment plan has been seen.

For all we know an equal amount of equipment is going to be mothballed. Ok probably not, but no announcement on where or when the equipment will be available. Might be waiting to see if a derailment occurs before the equipment is ready. Or like the Viewliner 2 roll out just padding the spare equipment pool.

I mention in my post the equipment will be put into service between now and October 1, maybe you missed that.

 

[user 14106]

Most of the cars being taken out of storage are non revenue food service, baggage, and lounge types. For the revenue cars the most numerous type exiting storage are Horizon. There are also transition sleepers and Viewliner 1 sleepers in the mix. There are also a number of wreck repairs being done. For Superliners all the pandemic stored regular sleepers and coaches have returned to service, but returning to pre pandemic capacity has been stymied by additional wrecks, the need to run Superliners on the Illini/Saluki, and high Bad order shop counts.

I wouldn't put on the conspiracy hats just yet. There seems to be a fair amount of bipartisan support. I also really don't think there is any desire at Amtrak for congressional budget cuts to discontinue service. An anti Amtrak administration/congress could just as likely cut NEC and state supported routes. I suspect Amtrak is going to be rooting for "four more years."