Southwest Chief was held for an hour today leaving CHI... (11/13)

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justinslot

Service Attendant
Joined
May 25, 2014
Messages
165
...apparently for the benefit of people like me on the 6 hour delayed Capitol Limited. I'm grateful they did it, but also surprised they did because, I mean, I was under the impression they almost never held trains for connections. Apparently (after talking to the conductor) they did the math and (hotel costs) times (the number of empty seats the SWC was about to depart with) equaled holding the train for us, and maybe the Lake Shore Limited too, who was right behind us coming in.
 
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The SW Chief is the last of the Western trains to depart Chicago. How about the riders who had reservations on the Eagle,Zephyr and Builder? The timekeeping on 29 and 30 has been abysmal. I took 29 a week and a half ago into Chicago connecting with The Eagle. If I missed that connection my entire train vacation would have been ruined. I had three non refundable hotels and sleepers on every leg. If I had to be downgraded to Coach I would have been pissed. We are taking 29 connecting with 5 in April. I think I will arrive in Chicago the night before spend the night and take the next days train. I just dont trust 29.
 
The SW Chief is the last of the Western trains to depart Chicago. How about the riders who had reservations on the Eagle,Zephyr and Builder? The timekeeping on 29 and 30 has been abysmal. I took 29 a week and a half ago into Chicago connecting with The Eagle. If I missed that connection my entire train vacation would have been ruined. I had three non refundable hotels and sleepers on every leg. If I had to be downgraded to Coach I would have been pissed. We are taking 29 connecting with 5 in April. I think I will arrive in Chicago the night before spend the night and take the next days train. I just dont trust 29.
It used to be that for me, living in the Springfield MA area, #30 + 148 was the most economical route home from Chicago...and still is.  However, I've given up on connecting from ANYTHING from the west to #30.  #50 is not an option either.  Perhaps it was my last trip on #422 from LA where we were already 3-4 hours down and lost another between Joliet and CHI.  Fortunately, on that trip, I was booked on #448.  No problem making that 9:30PM connection. 

For what it's worth, I'm planning on a 449->7 connection next spring.  I'm 95% comfortable I'll make it.  Hopefully NS will have their dispatching problems straightened out by then.
 
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The SW Chief is the last of the Western trains to depart Chicago. How about the riders who had reservations on the Eagle,Zephyr and Builder? The timekeeping on 29 and 30 has been abysmal. I took 29 a week and a half ago into Chicago connecting with The Eagle. If I missed that connection my entire train vacation would have been ruined. I had three non refundable hotels and sleepers on every leg. If I had to be downgraded to Coach I would have been pissed. We are taking 29 connecting with 5 in April. I think I will arrive in Chicago the night before spend the night and take the next days train. I just dont trust 29.
Part of the reason why the timekeeping has been god awful this week is pretty simple.. NS has officially started using the dispatchers in Atlanta. All dispatchers are there now. And as part of the move The Chicago East and Toledo West desk were merged into one desk that is now the Elkhart Dispatcher. Which is a joke. I think it's something like 600 miles of Railroad that one desk now has to control where it was about 300 each before. Anything to save a dollar. Welcome to the Era of Corporate Greed. 
 
Part of the reason why the timekeeping has been god awful this week is pretty simple.. NS has officially started using the dispatchers in Atlanta. All dispatchers are there now. And as part of the move The Chicago East and Toledo West desk were merged into one desk that is now the Elkhart Dispatcher. Which is a joke. I think it's something like 600 miles of Railroad that one desk now has to control where it was about 300 each before. Anything to save a dollar. Welcome to the Era of Corporate Greed. 
:angry2: gross. *throw-up emoji* Is there any hope of performance improving in the future?
 
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The SW Chief is the last of the Western trains to depart Chicago. How about the riders who had reservations on the Eagle,Zephyr and Builder? The timekeeping on 29 and 30 has been abysmal. I took 29 a week and a half ago into Chicago connecting with The Eagle. If I missed that connection my entire train vacation would have been ruined. I had three non refundable hotels and sleepers on every leg. If I had to be downgraded to Coach I would have been pissed. We are taking 29 connecting with 5 in April. I think I will arrive in Chicago the night before spend the night and take the next days train. I just dont trust 29.
They held the EB yesterday. Apparently the CZ didn’t make it far before having return to CHI to swap out the lounge car.
 
It used to be that for me, living in the Springfield MA area, #30 + 148 was the most economical route home from Chicago...and still is.  However, I've given up on connecting from ANYTHING from the west to #30.  #50 is not an option either.  Perhaps it was my last trip on #422 from LA where we were already 3-4 hours down and lost another between Joliet and CHI.  Fortunately, on that trip, I was booked on #448.  No problem making that 9:30PM connection. 

For what it's worth, I'm planning on a 449->7 connection next spring.  I'm 95% comfortable I'll make it.  Hopefully NS will have their dispatching problems straightened out by then.
You live in a town directly served by 448/449 but you prefer to head all the way down to D.C. to take the Cap? Why? Doesn't even look like Amtrak lets you book the Capitol/NER combo from Springfield as one connecting ticket, and the price difference seems to be no more than $10 or $15.
 
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Ugh.  The Chicago dispatching situation is so complicated that there's no way one person can handle Chicago to Toledo.  Hopefully someone at NS mismanagement will get a clue.  But the long run answer is for Amtrak to seize the Chicago-Cleveland tracks through eminent domain.  If only they had the budget.
 
You live in a town directly served by 448/449 but you prefer to head all the way down to D.C. to take the Cap? Why? Doesn't even look like Amtrak lets you book the Capitol/NER combo from Springfield as one connecting ticket, and the price difference seems to be no more than $10 or $15.
Until somewhat over a year ago, #141/29 was offered as part of the options to/from SPG.  But no more.  It was often $100 or more less a roomette all the way in 449.  Many times, too, coach to ALB then a roomette in the NY sleepers was often $70-100 less as well.  So now, I book it as 'multi city' or book it from NHV to CHI (conjunctive fare if any) to have it offered (separately shuttle to NHV).  No big deal.  Given that my goal is to maximize train time at best price, I never had an issue going to WAS to catch the Capitol Ltd.  This was especially true when the full diner was pulled from the Lakeshore Ltd and 'diner lite' instituted several years ago.  At least I got full meals on the Cap.  Nowadays, it's moot.   Dog food on both trains.  Even the Cardinal food is superior to the boxed stuff.  For what it's worth, I've booked my AGR points vacation for next spring it's 'going' on 449 and returning via NOL on #20/176/476 to get decent food on the way home...if Anderson hasn't converted the Crescent to dog food, too.
 
Until somewhat over a year ago, #141/29 was offered as part of the options to/from SPG.  But no more.  It was often $100 or more less a roomette all the way in 449.  Many times, too, coach to ALB then a roomette in the NY sleepers was often $70-100 less as well.  So now, I book it as 'multi city' or book it from NHV to CHI (conjunctive fare if any) to have it offered (separately shuttle to NHV).  No big deal.  Given that my goal is to maximize train time at best price, I never had an issue going to WAS to catch the Capitol Ltd.  This was especially true when the full diner was pulled from the Lakeshore Ltd and 'diner lite' instituted several years ago.  At least I got full meals on the Cap.  Nowadays, it's moot.   Dog food on both trains.  Even the Cardinal food is superior to the boxed stuff.  For what it's worth, I've booked my AGR points vacation for next spring it's 'going' on 449 and returning via NOL on #20/176/476 to get decent food on the way home...if Anderson hasn't converted the Crescent to dog food, too.
Wow. I'm surprised because it's only around $40 more expensive to take the LSL from NYP-CHI in a Roomette than to take the NER/Capitol. And since low bucket Roomettes are actually slightly cheaper SPG-CHI than NYP-CHI, and the ride on the NER is twice as long from Springfield to D.C. than from NYP, my math indicated that the price should be virtually identical. Amtrak pricing is definitely odd.
 
Usually yes, if everything else is ready. If the incoming train is delayed further, enough to change the calculus, they want to be able to dispatch the outgoing train immediately.
 
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