Superliner ex. Coach Smokers Being Renumbered

Reports from a few members at Trainorders who perform almost daily Amtrak spotting have found a couple ex. Superliner I Coach Smokers to be renumbered. Originally in the 315XX series, the cars are now being renumbered in a 310XX series. The change is being performed as the cars recieve light overhauls. The two cars spotted were; 31011 (ex. 31511) and 31014 (ex. 31514).

It should also be mentioned that both cars had the old smoking lounge replaced with the baggage room as they were originally built with. Also, the lower level windows were removed.

Are they going back to Baggage Coaches?

Add another one to the list. 31024 was seen passing through Milwaukee today on 28(23).

Yeah, I'm wondering if the motive to move back to Coach/Baggage configurations comes from the aging fleet of baggage cars that will need to be retired soon. With no hopes of ordering new equipment any time soon, I think they're going to need all the Coach Baggage cars they can get to cover the long distance trains. I thought it would have been smart to have the baggage be downstairs in the transition sleeper and having all the crew quarters upstairs. That way Amtrak would only end up with 1 non revenue car per train rather than 2. But then again nobody ever asked me about that first.

-Firebert

Firebert said:

Yeah, I'm wondering if the motive to move back to Coach/Baggage configurations comes from the aging fleet of baggage cars that will need to be retired soon. With no hopes of ordering new equipment any time soon, I think they're going to need all the Coach Baggage cars they can get to cover the long distance trains. I thought it would have been smart to have the baggage be downstairs in the transition sleeper and having all the crew quarters upstairs. That way Amtrak would only end up with 1 non revenue car per train rather than 2. But then again nobody ever asked me about that first.-Firebert

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Well remember the original intent of the Transition Dorm was for only half the car to be used for the crew. The other half of the car was always intended to produce revenue, by selling those bedrooms. The cars were specifically designed in such a way as to permit sharing it.

That idea lasted for only a few months after the cars entered service, before the cars became exclusively crew dorms. David Gunn however, thanks in part to the car shortages, has seen the light and returned the crew dorms back to their original split function on a least a few of the trains the Eagle and the City of NOL.

I suspect that this is a trend that may continue to spread to other trains. Therefore the lower level cannot be turned over to baggage. However with the elimination of smoking on most trains, the former smoking room can easily be returned to its original function, that of baggage. This makes more sense, since Amtrak can get higher revenues from selling those bedrooms, than they can from placing coach seats in the former smoking rooms.

Alan-

You're right, but the perspective I was taking is that if you eliminate an entire car from the consist you could run an entire extra sleeping car. (LOTS more revenue there.) Granted a superliner sleeper is going to weigh a whole lot more than an ex-ATSF baggage car, but hopefuly that's a trade off they can make.

-Firebert

Firebert said:

Alan-You're right, but the perspective I was taking is that if you eliminate an entire car from the consist you could run an entire extra sleeping car. (LOTS more revenue there.) Granted a superliner sleeper is going to weigh a whole lot more than an ex-ATSF baggage car, but hopefuly that's a trade off they can make.

-Firebert

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The limitation of cars, in most cases, is availability, not other cars in the consist. Getting rid of the baggage car wouldn't let Amtrak add a sleeper unless there was a sleeper to be added.

However, I would suggest a single-level baggage/dorm car, leaving the entire transition sleeper for revenue purposes. But that, of course, costs money.