Train Jam 2019: CZ (5) March 14-16, 2019

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Thirdrail7

Engineer
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
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4,542
Contrary to the hand wringing in the No more charters & special moves: 3/28 Memo fr Anderson, specials continue to ply the rails. I suppose if this train runs as a sealed train like it did during Train Jam CZ Feb 23 17 and Train Jam 2018: CZ (5) March 15-18, it could be deemed a special or charter.

In any event, Train Jam rides on!

Train Jam

March 14 - 16, 2019
Chicago to San Francisco

52 hour game jam…on a train!

2019 Time Table

March 13, TBD Pre-Jam Festivities
March 14, 9am Check-In opens at Chicago Union Station
March 14, 11am Kickoff announcements at Chicago Union Station
March 14, 2pm Train Leaves Chicago
March 14, 2pm Jam Kicks Off
March 15, 4pm Half-way!
March 16, 4pm Jam Wraps Up

The webpage needs updating.
 
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It would not necessarily be considered a charter, because they purchase EVERY seat and EVERY room on a REGULAR SCHEDULED train!
A regularly scheduled train that skipped 90% of its scheduled stops!
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The Train Jam tickets went on sale 11/27 at 7am and it has sold out. The good news is they allowed them to have the same consist as last year. The bad news is they allowed them to have the same consist as last year!

In their own words:

The Train


For Train Jam 2019, we have reserved the same size of train as the last year, which means that this is the very first time that we’re not growing in size (we’ve finally hit maximum train)! Our train consists of three coach class cars, three sleeper cars, one restaurant car, and two observation cars, and our maximum capacity is 340 people.
They always forget the baggage car! ^_^
 
I'm curious--what happens to the non Train Jam folks who had earlier booked that train?  The reason I ask is that I booked the CZ during my spring break, and just had a mild panic moment before checking my itinerary and seeing to my relief that I leave Denver on the 16th. But, if I had booked the day before, would I have gotten booted from my reservation?  It seems unlikely that no one had bookings on the Train Jam train at this relatively late date. 

Of course, I'm not sure how I would have felt if I was on a train mainly full of folks staring at their computers coding away. ..
 
I'm curious--what happens to the non Train Jam folks who had earlier booked that train?  The reason I ask is that I booked the CZ during my spring break, and just had a mild panic moment before checking my itinerary and seeing to my relief that I leave Denver on the 16th. But, if I had booked the day before, would I have gotten booted from my reservation?  It seems unlikely that no one had bookings on the Train Jam train at this relatively late date. 

Of course, I'm not sure how I would have felt if I was on a train mainly full of folks staring at their computers coding away. ..
Train Jam at this point is booking a full train before the ticket goes on sale to the public.  When it first started it was mixed passenger.  This is not the safety train out of Florida that can’t book into a few months before it’s departure.  This is a well sponsored gathering that sells out.  If you try to book on this date you would see a “Sold Out” message.
 
I assume, then, that this train was allocated for Train Jam long ago, because I booked my tickets a couple of months back when Amsnag gave me a good price on a bedroom. I didn't notice whether the day before was unbookable then, though, since I was so surprised and pleased to see  a low bucket fare on a bedroom in the CZ!
 
I hope somebody here takes the Train Jam train and reports back on it--it sounds like an awesome experience for coders!  I wonder if there are any extra perks or differences in 'normal' Amtrak service...
 
I hope somebody here takes the Train Jam train and reports back on it--it sounds like an awesome experience for coders!  I wonder if there are any extra perks or differences in 'normal' Amtrak service...
Doesn’t seem like it. Unless the fact that they charge way more than Amtrak normally does and if you opt for a sleeper, you have to pay for an individual berth instead of a room, counts as a “perk”. ;)
 
I hope somebody here takes the Train Jam train and reports back on it--it sounds like an awesome experience for coders!  I wonder if there are any extra perks or differences in 'normal' Amtrak service...
The first post in the thread contains links to previous trips. One of them (I believe the 2017 thread)  has a first hand account from a passenger who was reserved on the train prior to exclusive occupancy.  The gamers picked up the cafe car bill for the regular passengers.

The main perk is the train eliminates most of the stops and you have exclusive use of two lounge cars and a dining car.
 
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Hope they did the right thing and reserved the train *before* it went on sale to the general public.  (I still think it's scummy and possibly illegal business behavior to kick off paying passengers for someone who reserved later.)
 
Train Jam can legally run ahead of schedule for any station after departing Chicago. All 340 passengers board in Chicago. All stops thereafter are only made as necessary for crew changes or servicing.

Furthermore, I seriously doubt that any passengers were bumped from reservations on the CZ for the Train Jam date, which is 5(14) for March 2019. Amtrak most likely listed this train on their website as “sold out” before the first day that the Amtrak website and its ticket agents would normally open ticket availability for that date.

Trainjam.com shows what prices were charged for each coach seat and sleeper berth for 5(14) in March 2019. You do not need to purchase event tickets for the Game Developers Conference to ride the train. But tickets had to be purchased (quickly!) from trainjam.com instead of from amtrak.com. And tou could only ride from Chicago to Emeryville on that specific train.
 
Hope they did the right thing and reserved the train *before* it went on sale to the general public.  (I still think it's scummy and possibly illegal business behavior to kick off paying passengers for someone who reserved later.)
I have to agree with you on that note.   As for its 'legality', I am not sure.   I do know that some cruise lines, most notoriously Holland America, will sometimes charter a ship to an entity, well after bookings begin, and then forcibly reaccommodate those previously booked or refund them...they will usually include a generous bonus incentive, to those displaced...
 
Last year, they put an immediate hold on it for Train Jam.  I'm not sure if they put one a year in advance this time, but there was a hold since this thread since this start in July.  I'm not sure many people would have mid winter reservations 9 months out, but if a handful of them got through while the whole charter debate occurred, It is still probably worthwhile to favor Train Jam.
 
 
A regularly scheduled train that skipped 90% of its scheduled stops!
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But if a regularly scheduled train is sold out and all passengers are ticketed to the end point, is it “illegal” for said train to skip all intermediate stops?

Back in timetable & train order days, such trains could not pass a scheduled stop early. But there was no requirement that the crew open the doors at those stops, if no passengers were ticketed to detrain.

I’m certain that TrainJam would stop at an intermediate station (or even a highway grade crossing) if a passenger had a medical emergency and needed to be evacuated.
 
And, if any passenger was already booked to or from an intermediate stop before TrainJam scheduled the train and he did not accept being "bumped" (and assuming he wasn't force-bumped by Amtrak or the organizers; he might be), then he would show up on the conductor's manifest and they would still stop to let him on or off.
 
But if a regularly scheduled train is sold out and all passengers are ticketed to the end point, is it “illegal” for said train to skip all intermediate stops?

Back in timetable & train order days, such trains could not pass a scheduled stop early. But there was no requirement that the crew open the doors at those stops, if no passengers were ticketed to detrain.

I’m certain that TrainJam would stop at an intermediate station (or even a highway grade crossing) if a passenger had a medical emergency and needed to be evacuated.
You’d need permission from a written directive or the dispatcher for paragraph.

Paragraph two is the unofficial way of handling things although you still can’t leave early without permission.
 
The first post in the thread contains links to previous trips. One of them (I believe the 2017 thread)  has a first hand account from a passenger who was reserved on the train prior to exclusive occupancy.  The gamers picked up the cafe car bill for the regular passengers.
Sorry if it was unclear in my post, but the tab for regular passengers was not covered in the cafe. The TrainJam had several sponsors who were covering the Cafe tab for TrainJammers, but not for regular riders. I'm pretty sure that didn't cover alcohol, as booze is the one thing that wasn't sold out by the time we got to Reno. That was from 2015. 
 
Sorry if it was unclear in my post, but the tab for regular passengers was not covered in the cafe. The TrainJam had several sponsors who were covering the Cafe tab for TrainJammers, but not for regular riders. I'm pretty sure that didn't cover alcohol, as booze is the one thing that wasn't sold out by the time we got to Reno. That was from 2015. 
Sorry, were you a regular rider or TrainJammer?
 
Instead of just grousing about the complete selling out of all space on a westbound CZ for TrainJam, perhaps some AUer will step up and TEST the reservation system next year? The 2020 dates will be announced before Amtrak opens any ticketing on #5 for March 2020. So, this volunteer could attempt to book #5 for the departure date of the 2020 TrainJam and see what happens. The best (or would it be the worst?) that could happen is that you would ride this westbound CZ from end to end with hundreds of computer nerds.
 
Instead of just grousing about the complete selling out of all space on a westbound CZ for TrainJam, perhaps some AUer will step up and TEST the reservation system next year? The 2020 dates will be announced before Amtrak opens any ticketing on #5 for March 2020. So, this volunteer could attempt to book #5 for the departure date of the 2020 TrainJam and see what happens. The best (or would it be the worst?) that could happen is that you would ride this westbound CZ from end to end with hundreds of computer nerds.
If this is something you so desperately want checked, why can't you do it yourself? And considering we've got more than four months until Arrow will even show availability for mid-March of 2020, what even is your point? You're saying that we should just shut up now, stop talking about this, and then several months from now, check the reservation system? Sheesh.
 
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Sorry, were you a regular rider or TrainJammer?
Back in 2015 Train Jam did not fully book the train.  They have for several years now.  Heck 2015 might of been the only year that they did not book the entire train.  Very popular event, big backers, good underlining plan, and good people to shepherd it though.

Only negative is once a year the train is sold out from 11 months out.  Nobody outside of the railfan community would even think twice on why.  Heck most of the threads about TrainJam are by people who are asking why a single day in February or March was the train sold out after a AmSnag search.
 
If this is something you so desperately want checked, why can't you do it yourself? And considering we've got more than four months until Arrow will even show availability for mid-March of 2020, what even is your point? You're saying that we should just shut up now, stop talking about this, and then several months from now, check the reservation system? Sheesh.
Preeeety sure you've missed Chakk's point. He's been involved in all three thread involving this train and has witnessed certain members commenting on it being reserved out, people being booted off or pushed aside. So, as his first indicated, "instead of grousing (a nice word for complaining/whining), someone should test the reservation system."

I mean, why pollute the thread year after year, commenting about other people making reservations when if past practice was followed, the train is not opened to the public.
 
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