Recent content by Dental Wiz

Regarding this issue, I contacted Amtrak customer service through Amtrak.com. They promptly responded that the elimination of the sleeping car service on trains 91/92 from July 1, 2015 on was a computer "glitch" in the system and that they're working to restore it. They instructed me to check...

My understanding is that the FL service SCL was running by 1971 was not making money. They maximized what they had and kept the standards to a high level. Still, it was obvious to them that the passenger trains were marginal at best and the equipment was aging and would need replacement. This...

The June edition of Amtrak Ink focuses positively on the long distance network. Boardman's article is a good read although I still take issue with the "money losing" assessment and label attached to them by Amtrak and the media. That issue is in the hands of Amtrak's accounting which in itself...

Yes the wine and cheese reception is held upon departure eastbound from Chicago. You will be served a variety of cheese, fruit and crackers. I found the affair very well organized and quite enjoyable. Amtrak provides ample wine and snacks that will carry you well into the wee hours of the...

I enjoyed the report. The Chief is a nice train, I've taken my family out to the Flagstaff/Sedona area from Connecticut via 3/4. I'm sorry to hear of the dining experience. Ours was great and we had a diner-lite config going out. The crew hated the car, said it looked nice but was inefficient...

From all that I heard, the storm that hit the Mid Atlantic states was one of the worst that was recorded in modern times. I think we need to give the railroads including CSX and Amtrak a break here. Trees and power lines were downed by the heavy snowfall and wind. In addition, this area is not...

Ryan, With all do respect, I realize that if you paid for that room CHI to NYP, you want it between those points,no questions asked. However, please understand, that "little extra switching" is enormously expensive, the attendant coming off of the Superliner sleeper already made up all those...

In my opinion Amtrak did exactly what they were suppose to do in this situation and handled the issue quite well. The passengers had a comfortable train to ride which operated, I believe, on time. The sleeping car passengers had the sleeper for most of the portion of the trip and had a full...

I found this story to be an horrible tragedy. That said, I have to question how anyone can legislate this. Would anyone decide to cross an eight lane highway with cars whizzing by at 70 MPH? Of course not. Highways are not fenced in my state of Connecticut and I know no one who would attempt...

Well, I'm here in sunny Florida escaping the cold and snow of Connecticut. We arrived yesterday after a delightful trip on 91. The new dining car menu was excellent. The chef used his grill liberally. He even grilled the morning biscuits! The new steak option is very generous, tasty and tender...

The Horizen is on the Boston section as it always has been. Yes there are 2 lounges on this train. Remember, Amtrak plans to feature the Lake Shore as they did the Crescent and some others. They are trying to finally beef up the consist especially since they can finally offer a full diner.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I saw a video of the Lake Shore put up on U tube a few minutes ago. What I found interesting was that following the Boston section of a baggage sleeper, coaches and lounge; the New York section followed with coaches, then what appeared to be a dinette, then the...

I'm curious what they'll do with the eastbound schedule. Currently, 48/448 leaves CHI at an hour late enough so they do not need to serve dinner. As we all are well aware of, they do the wine/cheese reception for the sleeping car passengers. Only breakfast and lunch are served by the diner. In...

Based on the September mechanical report, it appears Amtrak has canceled any further conversions of Superliner diners and lounges into diner-loungers. It notes the program was canceled by corporate. This is not surprising based on the poor performance of these cars on the long distance trains...

This is my take on the situation for what it's worth: 1. Amtrak is free to sponsor events aboard a train. The wine tasting is a nice amenity and asking a nominal five dollar cover for the event is more than reasonable. Please note, this amenity is offered to sleeping car passengers only, who...