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George K

George K

Conductor
Joined
Sep 7, 2014
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The Chicago Burbs
Looking at consists, it appears that neither the Lake Shore Limited nor the Capitol Limited have any kind of lounge that's equivalent to the SSL on the EB, CS or CZ.

Is that right?

Where am I going to hang out???? :blush:
 
George K said:
Looking at consists, it appears that neither the Lake Shore Limited nor the Capitol Limited have any kind of lounge that's equivalent to the SSL on the EB, CS or CZ.

Is that right?

Where am I going to hang out???? :blush:
Click to expand...
I rode the CL last July, and it had an SSL.
 
The CL is a superliner train. There is no such thing as a single level ssl.
 
Lake Shore and other single level trains have a "café" car, with tables, and a snack bar similar to what's on the lower level of the SSL in the middle. No big windows, but the tables are a nice place to get away to during the trip. The café will be a Amfleet car, with the café area in the middle, with tables at both ends typically. On other single level corridor trains, the Business class will be at one end, and the café and tables at the other.
 
During the "Temporary" Winter shortening of consists, Amtrak is taking Coaches, Sleepers, Diners and Sightseer Lounges off of Superliner LD trains!

They will use Cross Country Cafe Cars (CCC), a hybrid Dine-Lounge Car, that most of us don't care for except as a Diner! The Windows are Small and the Lounge Part of this Car is usually where the Conductor and OBS hang out when it is not being used as a Lounge!

The Cap Ltd. is included in these cuts, so there's a chance you'll have one of these in place of the Diner and/or Sightseer Lounge!
 
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The CL will get a CCC to replace the diner and lounge. It is the only route that will temporarily lose its SL car. As for the amfleet II lounge cars, they are horribly inadequate for a LDT and should all be replaced with the next order of viewliners.
 
Just to be sure, the official Winter Consist for California Zephyr and Southwest Chief is just for several weeks in January and February and regular service is restored early March for expected Spring Break travel. Also only the baggage car and the transitional sleeper and perhaps one coach car will be removed from these two trains. The SSL and Diner remain on both trains during the Winter Consist.

This information was posted by TRAINS magazine in their weekly email to subscribers a week or so ago. Since I'll be on the CZ #6 January 22 departing Emeryville to Chicago, I'll find out first hand and let you know if different.

The regular normal consists including the PPC will be back on all trains by March 15.
 
Yes , we are leaving this week on CL30 and were notified that a CCC was replacing the lounge and diner cars. :( Will be getting up early to get breakfast in case a line develops. It will be interesting to see how many coach passengers are going to eat breakfast on the diner side of the car since there is no lounge car available. Will report my findings :p
 
Shortline said:
Lake Shore and other single level trains have a "café" car, with tables, and a snack bar similar to what's on the lower level of the SSL in the middle. No big windows, but the tables are a nice place to get away to during the trip. The café will be a Amfleet car, with the café area in the middle, with tables at both ends typically. On other single level corridor trains, the Business class will be at one end, and the café and tables at the other.
Click to expand...
Questions; does the westbound LSL have its "cafe" Lounge Car out of NYP or is that added at Albany? I assume the main Dining Car originates with the LSL out of NYP; true?.
 
did you mean to say Johnny Foosball?

one of my favorite Ohio Jokes

last time they expanded the NFL Columbus was considering a team

but during the discussions they realized if they got one, Cincinnati and Cleveland would want one too
 
prech786 said:
Shortline said:
Lake Shore and other single level trains have a "café" car, with tables, and a snack bar similar to what's on the lower level of the SSL in the middle. No big windows, but the tables are a nice place to get away to during the trip. The café will be a Amfleet car, with the café area in the middle, with tables at both ends typically. On other single level corridor trains, the Business class will be at one end, and the café and tables at the other.
Click to expand...
Questions; does the westbound LSL have its "cafe" Lounge Car out of NYP or is that added at Albany? I assume the main Dining Car originates with the LSL out of NYP; true?.
Click to expand...
The NY Section of the LSL (#49/#449) has the Heritage Diner (sometimes #8400, the prototype Viewliner Diner) that serves the NYP- ALB passengers AND an Unmanned Cafe/Lounge.
The Boston Section ( #449/#448) has a Cafe/ Lounge Car that serves the BOS- ALB passengers as a Diner, Cafe and Lounge Car.

When the sections are joined in Albany, the NY Cafe/ Lounge is dead headed to CHI and back to NY with the Diner and BOS Cafe/ Lounge serving the entire Train.

*Note: there is no dinner served between ALB and NYP on #48.*
 
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To be fair, the LSL is not much of a sight-seeing train and I remember spending a lot of my ride (in coach, it was a long time ago) blissfully asleep. The Boston section is like a typical northeast day train with that cafe car. Cafe cars make me happy unless they're totally sold out of the good stuff! I can only imagine with the very high ridership that train has now that the cafe car is packed solid so thank goodness for comfortable seats in coach.

My biggest gripe with LSL was ALWAYS Albany although the station they have now is worlds better than the glorified bus station mess they used to have down there. Back in the 1990s it seemed like a lot of Massachusetts passengers just boarded in Albany because the Boston section was always delayed somehow on CSX territory west of Worcester. It was always something. Plus, the bus or a car would beat you when you are crawling along a river bed at 30mph.

Ugh, just thinking about being stuck in Albany for hours with no heat and sparse updates is giving me flashbacks.
 
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