Amtrak LD trains always carry two engines

[GPSTraveler]

Yes,

This makes sense to me. On the Texas Eagle, maybe a bad sleeping car, then on the CONO maybe a bad HEP cable for the entire train. But wow, what a coincidence....

I am only thankful that the bustitution did not scare my family away from Amtrak. This was their first long distance trip. The Bus got us to New Orleans, right on time. They loved the trip back enough to do another trip in the future (mission accomplished).

 

[GPSTraveler]

The AC is a Seperate System from the Lights, there are alot of Problems on the Older Superliner Cars (UnRehabbed I's), basically the SCAs can only Reset Breakers or have a General Range of Warmer/Cooler to Try to Set the Temps in the Cars)), but in this Case I would Venture that there was Just an AC Problem, that it was a Different Car since they wouldnt have sent out a Sleeper with No AC from CHI!! Two Engines, which SHOULD BE on ALL LD Trains, Wouldn't have helped in this Case! :wacko:

Jim,

Maybe you can help me ID the Superliner sleepers we had. First (bad AC) superliner had the BLUE color nightlight in the family bedroom. Also the Shower had a multicolor RED ORANGE BLUE Dial. The Shower button only needed to pressed once for about 5 minutes of continuous water.

On Superliner family bedroom number 2 (coming back to chicago), the night light was regular yellow , the shower had no color code on the dial, just a bigger metal button, that needed to be held continously for water, button only lasted a few seconds for water.

So which one was the superliner I and which was the superliner II? or rehabbed? All interior colors on both cars were BLUE, not brown.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The AC is a Seperate System from the Lights, there are alot of Problems on the Older Superliner Cars (UnRehabbed I's), basically the SCAs can only Reset Breakers or have a General Range of Warmer/Cooler to Try to Set the Temps in the Cars)), but in this Case I would Venture that there was Just an AC Problem, that it was a Different Car since they wouldnt have sent out a Sleeper with No AC from CHI!! Two Engines, which SHOULD BE on ALL LD Trains, Wouldn't have helped in this Case! :wacko:

Jim,

Maybe you can help me ID the Superliner sleepers we had. First (bad AC) superliner had the BLUE color nightlight in the family bedroom. Also the Shower had a multicolor RED ORANGE BLUE Dial. The Shower button only needed to pressed once for about 5 minutes of continuous water.

On Superliner family bedroom number 2 (coming back to chicago), the night light was regular yellow , the shower had no color code on the dial, just a bigger metal button, that needed to be held continously for water, button only lasted a few seconds for water.

So which one was the superliner I and which was the superliner II? or rehabbed? All interior colors on both cars were BLUE, not brown.

Best way to Tell a Superliner I from a II is in the Roomettes the Small Coat Closet in the I has a Door on it, the IIs have an Open Recessed Space to hang a Couple of Garmets! A I that has been Rehabbed would probably have Nice Semi-Real looking Wood Paneling, the Good Remodeled Bathrooms with the Easy to use Faucets and Shower and More Room,and a Plaque Downstairs by the Entrance that says "Proudly Remodeled by Beech Grove Shops!" The IIs have NOT been Remodeled AFAIR. Sounds like to me you had a Remodeled I on the Way Down and a II on the way Back!

 

[Trogdor]

If you remember the car/line number display by the door when you boarded, if it was electronic, it was a Superliner II, if it wasn't, then it was a Superliner I.

Both Superliner Is and IIs have gone through various states of rehabs and refurbishments that it's hard to tell the type of car based on something like the color of the night lights (which can be swapped out in five minutes), or even something like showers, where I've probably seen four or five different types of shower controls in the various sleepers I've been in.

 

[DET63]

For a discussion (probably somewhat out-of-date, though) comparing Superliner I's and II's, click here.

As for the pros and cons of using two locos, running them elephant-style vs. back-to-back, I would think that since entire trains are wyed at the end of the line, rather simply being reversed, there is no useful purpose in running any locomotives backwards. Here's a discussion of the issue from Trainorders.com in April '03. One argument for doing so (to mitigate issues stemming from uneven wheel wear) seems weak, for reasons that appear in the responses.

I do recall years ago talking to my grandmother about locomotives running backwards. She said she didn't like it; it reminded her of a time when she was little and saw a mother dragging her son backwards by the ear!

 

[mflsjhs]

The other day On the sunset limited we had two engines and still ended up stuck in the desert for a couple hrs and needed a UP engine so 2 engines didnt help us at all