Texas Eagle Sightseer lounge discontinued

[toddinde]

The apparent answer is that there is no solid leadership... just disjointed 'managers' running around in circles.

To put it another way... "Who's minding the store?"

You’re right. It’s the cost cutting mentality that rewards managers for cutting costs. I haven’t seen a salad on Amtrak since 2018. They’re always magically not available. It’s time for advocates to demand better service including a return of the Sightseer Lounge to the Texas Eagle. I’ll write a letter today.

 

[TrackWalker]

I’ll write a letter today.

Always the best action.

And then have two friends write.

And then they each have two friends write....

 

[tonys96]

The Eagle is my "home" train. Without a ssl, it will join the Eastern trains on my "no ride list'

 

[20th Century Rider]

Always the best action.

And then have two friends write.

And then they each have two friends write....

Yes, but is anyone listening???

I wonder if perhaps the entire AU gang got together with some kind of a group letter for Amtrak Joe... would that make a difference???

If all this unhappy service cutting is happening just as the promo folks are throwing the 5th anniversary bash... perhaps those who have some kind of influence may take note!

 

[20th Century Rider]

Yes, but is anyone listening???

I wonder if perhaps the entire AU gang got together with some kind of a group letter for Amtrak Joe... would that make a difference???

If all this unhappy service cutting is happening just as the promo folks are throwing the 5th anniversary bash... perhaps those who have some kind of influence may take note!

I mean't to say 50th Anniversary Bash. Guess I made that mistake because I am so overcome with Amtrak's deterioration!

 

[TrackWalker]

Yes, but is anyone listening???

I wonder if perhaps the entire AU gang got together with some kind of a group letter for Amtrak Joe... would that make a difference???

If all this unhappy service cutting is happening just as the promo folks are throwing the 5th anniversary bash... perhaps those who have some kind of influence may take note!

Activism is always more productive than simply grousing amongst each other on a website.

 

[Rasputin]

Yes, but is anyone listening???

If all this unhappy service cutting is happening just as the promo folks are throwing the 5th anniversary bash... perhaps those who have some kind of influence may take note!

This is brought to us by the same company which canned National Train Day which should be tomorrow. They just couldn't stand all the free publicity.

 

[Griffin T. Murphey DDS]

Sometimes it seems like they are on a planned path to destroy a useful National passenger rail service.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Where's the RPA on these cutbacks?

 

[20th Century Rider]

The Cafe is operated in the small end of the Diner ( CCC) that runs on the CONO and the Texas Eagle, but Coach passengers have to eat and drink in their Seats, they're not allowed to sit in the Crews " Lounge", which is where they hang out now that the Transdorms are also not operating on the Eagles.

The other bad feature of this "hybrid" car is that the LSA and SCA gets to make up their own rules as to whether or not SLEEPER Passengers can eat in the " Diner ",or have to pick up their " Meals" in a "To Go " Bag or have it delivered by the 1 SCA on the Train and eat in their rooms.

On my last 2 trips on the Eagle (Round trips)to Dallas and San Antonio, it was 50/50 as to whether we had a choice, and also the Cafe would be Closed for Hours as the Overworked LSA would be busy heating and packing up the Sleeping Car Passengers meals, sometimes assisted by the also Overworked SCA and the 1 Coach Attendant!().

Service deterioration is when they cut back on staff to the point that each is doing the work of 3, and then cut back on the services and amenities! Then raise the prices!

Seems like we're missing the train...

 

[Bob Dylan]

Can I please just clarify something about this? Being an Brit and a relative Amtrak 'newbie' (only have done one other LD trip before, on the CZ in 2019), does this mean that we will have to stay in our sleeper for the entire trip, with the exception of meal times (if of course, traditional dining returns by 2 July)?

You can "Walk the Train", ie go from one end to another,Visit the Cafe Car( Mask required)and get off during Fresh Air Stops( ask your Attendant before going too far from Trainside),and of course if there is a Sightseer Lounge, you can visit there.

Hopefully Traditional Dining will return by 2July !

 

[Cal]

You can "Walk the Train", ie go from one end to another,Visit the Cafe Car( Mask required)and get off during Fresh Air Stops( ask your Attendant before going too far from Trainside),and of course if there is a Sightseer Lounge, you can visit there.

Hopefully Traditional Dining will return by 2July !

I did that today on the Pacific Surfliner! Checked how many people were on, went to see the 'railfan window'.

 

[user 1215]

As service declines, pricing goes up. Is there any 'silver lining' anywhere?

Yet the subsidies are greater than ever.

The current status is

Superliner I original fleet 25, Currently active 19
Superliner II original fleet 25 Currently active 23

Total active 42.

What is the disposition of the 8 inactive? Scrapped? Disabled beyond repair? Or deferred railworthiness?

 

[Cal]

Yet the subsidies are greater than ever.


What is the disposition of the 8 inactive? Scrapped? Disabled beyond repair? Or deferred railworthiness?

This might provide a little bit of information, it hasn't been updated in a while and I'm not sure how reliable it is, I think it's pretty good. According to it, it says that 6 have been wrecked. Amtrak Superliner

 

[jis]

What is the disposition of the 8 inactive? Scrapped? Disabled beyond repair? Or deferred railworthiness?

Disposition of SSLs that are OOS as listed in David Warner's update to Amtrak by the Numbers web page augmented with information from Dan Aynsworth's Superliner web page:

• 33001 Stored Apr08 For Sale May19
• 33010 Stored Dec06 For Sale May19
• 33012 Stored Dec20
• 33013 Stored Apr04 For Sale May19, wrecked Flora Benton MS 4/6/04 estimated cost of repair over $2 million
• 33017 Stored May98 For Sale May19, shopped for overhaul, never returned from it, possible that some major structural defect was found.
• 33018 Stored Dec20
• 33032 Wrecked 2010, Fire in Oakland, unlikely to be fixed
• 33045 Retired 2016 Stored Dead since 2002, Kensington MD derailment, to be scrapped

Safe to say that 6 are not coming back. The two stored in 2020 might come back.

 

[Mailliw]

Amtrak is selling SSLs?

 

[jis]

Amtrak is selling SSLs?

Amtrak put up a whole bunch of cars for sale in 2019. There were four SSLs in the lot. They are all being sold as is, so many of them may not be any good without considerable additional investment. Some are wrecks for sale as junk too.

 

[Cal]

Amtrak put up a whole bunch of cars for sale in 2019. There were four SSLs in the lot. They are all being sold as is, so many of them may not be any good without considerable additional investment. Some are wrecks for sale as junk too.

Have any of them sold?

 

[jis]

Have any of them sold?

Specifically about SSLs I don't know. But in general, many have been sold. @Seaboard92 knows more about all that than I do. Even a bunch of Amfleet Is were acquired by a tourist operation.

 

[saxman]

Basically this is new Amtrak management being run again from out east. They don't ride these trains, but they think they know what is best. Since many managers were retired or asked to leave in some cases, many with years of institutional knowledge, this is what we are dealing with again. TEMPO was able to convince Amtrak to keep the SSL on the TE back in the mid aughts or so. Hopefully they can do so again, but I'm not sure how much power TEMPO has now. They had a lot of connections with those prior stated middle managers that are now gone. I'm not sure what is going on now since COVID put some dampers on meetings. One of the current managers of the Texas Eagle did post that we need to make our voices heard to the folks in DC though.

 

[20th Century Rider]

All this reminds me of when they took the Parlor Car off the CS... to the disappointment of the passengers! We wrote letters, signed petitions, and complained... only to find out they sold it to a private group... cutting costs.

We were angered at only having the SSC ... only to see those slowly starting to disappear.

As we 'enjoy' those flex puddle meals!

Gimme a break!

 

[Sidney]

The much maligned(and deservedly so) Richard Anderson rode on the PPC from Portland to Seattle and deemed them unnecessary. That's what I read. That's probably the only long distance train he ever rode.

 

[Mailliw]

Basically this is new Amtrak management being run again from out east. They don't ride these trains, but they think they know what is best. Since many managers were retired or asked to leave in some cases, many with years of institutional knowledge, this is what we are dealing with again. TEMPO was able to convince Amtrak to keep the SSL on the TE back in the mid aughts or so. Hopefully they can do so again, but I'm not sure how much power TEMPO has now. They had a lot of connections with those prior stated middle managers that are now gone. I'm not sure what is going on now since COVID put some dampers on meetings. One of the current managers of the Texas Eagle did post that we need to make our voices heard to the folks in DC though.

Part of me hopes Amtrak Pete schedules overnight inspection tours with baffled Amtrak senior management on long distancetrains; maybe it's not realistic, but it's still a fun image.

 

[20th Century Rider]

The much maligned(and deservedly so) Richard Anderson rode on the PPC from Portland to Seattle and deemed them unnecessary. That's what I read. That's probably the only long distance train he ever rode.

It seems that Anderson had no scruples when it comes to passenger service... the only thing he accomplished was cost cutting; nor did he understand that the rail system is a service to the tax payers... who pay for it!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Basically this is new Amtrak management being run again from out east. They don't ride these trains, but they think they know what is best. Since many managers were retired or asked to leave in some cases, many with years of institutional knowledge, this is what we are dealing with again. TEMPO was able to convince Amtrak to keep the SSL on the TE back in the mid aughts or so. Hopefully they can do so again, but I'm not sure how much power TEMPO has now. They had a lot of connections with those prior stated middle managers that are now gone. I'm not sure what is going on now since COVID put some dampers on meetings. One of the current managers of the Texas Eagle did post that we need to make our voices heard to the folks in DC though.

Wouldnt hurt for everyone that loves the Eagle from the States the Eagle serves ( IL/MO/AR/TX)to let Amtrak Joe, Mayor Pete and their Senators and Reps know how we feel about this latest idiotic idea from the Executive Suite in Sodom on the Potomac!