M
Mike
Guest
My wife and I will be tavelling on the Silver Meteor in January from Washington to Winter Hsven, FL. Does this train usually have a club or a lounge car?
It has a lounge car, and it is on the "coach side" of the dining car.My wife and I will be tavelling on the Silver Meteor in January from Washington to Winter Hsven, FL. Does this train usually have a club or a lounge car?
But (s)he is usually much stranger after spending some time with you, right?I usually can find a place to sit, if I want to - even if I share a booth with a stranger. In a few minutes, my table mate is no longer a stranger.
:lol: :lol: :lol:But (s)he is usually much stranger after spending some time with you, right?I usually can find a place to sit, if I want to - even if I share a booth with a stranger. In a few minutes, my table mate is no longer a stranger.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Are there any photos of these Amfleet II lounge cars available somewhere on the web? I don't think I've ever seen an Amfleet lounge.The beautiful Amfleet II lounge cars, and the even nicer Heritage lounge cars, are all gone. The Amfleet II lounges are all diner-lites now, with the ugly, cold blue-and-grey decor.
I'm not finding any photos of the interiors, but I have seen photos online previously that showed Amfleet food service cars denoted as "Lounge" cars, and I've ridden in them also. I don't remember them being "beautiful" by any stretch, though the ones I rode in were basically set up the way the last dome car is now - half the car was booths, the other half was individual chairs (and I remember them swiveling). They had that same brown and orange decor also.Are there any photos of these Amfleet II lounge cars available somewhere on the web? I don't think I've ever seen an Amfleet lounge.
Dave, that is what my relatives say. They accuse ME of getting stranger every year. :wacko:But (s)he is usually much stranger after spending some time with you, right?I usually can find a place to sit, if I want to - even if I share a booth with a stranger. In a few minutes, my table mate is no longer a stranger.
I still have night mares about the meals ???, and I say that loosely, that came out of the nuclear reactor in the "Am-dinette." I still would prefer the dome to Superliner equipment but a Heritage diner-lounge would have probably been a better fit.I vaguely remember the "classic" Amfleet Lounge from a trip about 17 years ago on the pre-Superliner CONO. At least they were "loungey." Of course I spent more time on that trip in the Dome
The only thing that the prices need to match is the demand, and they're doing a fine job.
If the trains were running empty, you'd have a point.
Ever hear of a monoply.The only thing that the prices need to match is the demand, and they're doing a fine job.
If the trains were running empty, you'd have a point.
There's a reason that those trains aren't around anymore.The only thing that the prices need to match is the demand, and they're doing a fine job.
If the trains were running empty, you'd have a point.
And the competition is? They are running with what is provided by Amtrak an no more, no less and do not represent the service the cost is based on. My guess would be that perhaps you've never ridden a class train from the past?
If you think you can to better, you're welcome to start a competing company.Ever hear of a monoply.The only thing that the prices need to match is the demand, and they're doing a fine job.
If the trains were running empty, you'd have a point.
We have had much better in the past. Other countries put Amtrak to shame, even Canada.There's a reason that those trains aren't around anymore.The only thing that the prices need to match is the demand, and they're doing a fine job.
If the trains were running empty, you'd have a point.
And the competition is? They are running with what is provided by Amtrak an no more, no less and do not represent the service the cost is based on. My guess would be that perhaps you've never ridden a class train from the past?
Try as I may, I can't make a logical thought out of the bolded portion. Care to try again?
If you think you can to better, you're welcome to start a competing company.Ever hear of a monoply.The only thing that the prices need to match is the demand, and they're doing a fine job.
If the trains were running empty, you'd have a point.
Yes, in other countries.Yep, and they did so well, they're thriving today, right?
Certain foreign rail systems do put Amtrak to shame. VIA Rail is not one of them. Canada's trains may be nice, but they are hardly an example of an efficient rail network. (Not saying that Amtrak is an example of an ideal rail system, but at least they try. And at least there's something to show for it — California service, for example.)We have had much better in the past. Other countries put Amtrak to shame, even Canada.
First of all, beauty is and always will be in the eye of the beholder. I loved those lounges, orange seventies eyesore colours included. They were nice and fun and I have fond memories riding in them.I'm not finding any photos of the interiors, but I have seen photos online previously that showed Amfleet food service cars denoted as "Lounge" cars, and I've ridden in them also. I don't remember them being "beautiful" by any stretch, though the ones I rode in were basically set up the way the last dome car is now - half the car was booths, the other half was individual chairs (and I remember them swiveling). They had that same brown and orange decor also.
There have been a lot of different lounge car configurations in Amtrak's history so there may have been some "beautiful" configuration that I haven't seen, but I think probably what I'm describing is what Green Maned Lion was referring to.
By today's standards these were better than what we have now, but at the time they seemed a poor replacement for the heritage lounge cars that were still in the system, if you got lucky enough to get a train with one still in the consist. Though I think the heritage lounges all basically got converted to be similar to the Amfleet configuration eventually, just with the food service area at the end of the car rather than the middle. So the car still felt a lot more open and free-flowing than the Amfleets.
VIA's corridor service is a bad joke. Corridor services should run hourly or better during daylight, period. Until they do they are regional rail systems with multiple frequencies. Which is what VIA has. The NEC is a corridor. The Keystone is a Corridor. Stretching my definition, perhaps the Empire service is. The Cascades, Lincoln, Wolverine, and even the damned Hiawatha are not corridors, end of discussion.A couple of points on Canada's VIA system:
First, I know I was not clear on this, but The Montrealer was an Amtrak train (WAS to MTR) that used Heritage equipment. I remember there being an actual piano on at least one of its lounge cars.
Secondly, VIA does a respectable, and in some ways better job with its 'corridor service' than Amtrak does in the NEC.
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