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  1. U

    Coast Starlight Business Class

    Original memo -- some adjustments have been made and hopefully passed on to crews: :The Coach Train Attendant will be issued a book of coupons. The $6.00 Food and Beverage Coupon can be redeemed in the Dining Car, Lounge or Parlour Car. Valid on the day of travel only. Wi Fi...
  2. U

    Coast Starlight Business Class

    "That is probably in reaction to the fact that when the original idea was put out there, the wine tasting was free/included." The wine tasting was always an extra cost for BC, same cost as for sleeper passengers.
  3. U

    Coast Starlight Business Class

    (Fairviewroad posted the press release with the "access to Parlour Car" text. If I recall the original memo correctly, it was made clear that access was *only* for the wine tasting -- so that's changed and for the better.)
  4. U

    Coast Starlight Business Class

    Service started 6/22/15, and was bookable on that date. Extra tariff is (for one example) $28 over coach for LAX-SJC, $51 additional SJC-SEA, $57 LAX-SEA (for travel July 2, one-way.) Oddly, I can't find the fares online but *can* find them on the mobile app. As observed and discussed with a...
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    Future of the Pacific Parlour Cars?

    Pacific Parlour Cars are coming off the Coast Starlight (11 and 14) by the middle of this week, will be gone until mid-March and unless a last-minute change occurs, will not be replaced in the trains' consists until they return in March. 11/14 new consist: Engines (2), Heritage baggage car...
  6. U

    In the spirit of silly rules...

    "- Instead of defusing the situation by letting passengers go outside and get out of the crowded station, we had to wait inside until 10 or 12 minutes before departure. - It was below freezing, but after letting passengers outside, Amtrak did not let them get on the train. Instead, we had to...
  7. U

    New Anaheim Station

    If you enter "Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC)" into any search engine -- say, Google -- it brings up images of the new station, news articles, maps (where you can see where the old station was and the new one) and oh, so many other wonderful things. I think now I...
  8. U

    San Jose and Burbank airports

    Also, note that ACE doesn't serve the San Jose airport; they stop at Santa Clara/University (three times morning-southbound to San Jose, evening-northbound to Stockton.) Santa Clara has direct, free VTA bus service (#10, Airport Flyer) to SJC terminals, with departures every few minutes (< 20)...
  9. U

    Any Advice on my first Cali trip?

    The Zephyr is a stunner; you'll be glued to the windows from Denver 'til EMY. Hopefully there'll be snow in the Rockies and Sierra...and don't begrudge us if it rains, we need every drop. I hope there's time for a Muni field trip in SF; the F line streetcars are beautifully restored, and the...
  10. U

    Any Advice on my first Cali trip?

    "BART machines are the most flexible in terms of adding a cash value to a Clipper card." Which (as I've said...twice now) is great if you're near a BART station. But BART doesn't come down our way just yet, and so until it does (as I've said...) those VTA machines are pretty handy. If you're in...
  11. U

    Any Advice on my first Cali trip?

    The Clipper Add Value machines at Diridon do not accept cash. The cash-insertion slots have been welded over, which makes the VTA machines pretty useful, if you're in the south bay and riding, you know, VTA light rail or something. Beats hunting down a drug store, anyway, or riding up to Fremont...
  12. U

    CS delayed both directions near Redding 11/11/14

    Thanks CH, I saw the 5 hour + delay, but no chatter about it on Trainorders yet...if you hear anything as to cause, update your post. I was going down to Diridon tis morning, guess I can wait until after lunch now!
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    Any Advice on my first Cali trip?

    Check out the evening rush hour(s) at San Jose Diridon: starting around 4:00 p.m., there's Caltrain limiteds and expresses leaving every ten minutes or so for SF; ACE trains at 3:35, 4:35, 5:35 and 6:38 for Stockton, a couple of Capitols for Sacramento...pretty busy, and all outdoors under the...
  14. U

    Fire at Weed, CA

    SF radio was saying this morning that the mill was destroyed, and quoting locals about how that was the chief employer in town, but now the Chron reports "The mill, which with 170 workers is one of the biggest employers in the town of 3,000 people, was undamaged except for a few outbuildings."...
  15. U

    Fire at Weed, CA

    Yes, 11 was held behind a UP freight when said freight struck a bear, severing air hoses on the engine and severing bits of the bear, too. Poor 11 is now running more than 7 hours late; at SJC the passengers who showed up/weren't proactively contacted by Amtrak were accommodated on the...
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    Are they holding 11 & 14 to check for track damage from the quake?

    14's delay was a lucky break. Had it been about 30 minutes less late, it would've been rolling across the Carquinez Bridge when the 6.1 earthquake struck. Not good. Bad day for the Starlights yesterday: 14's engine fire and motive issues up and over Cuesta Grade, and 11 suffered a "trespasser...
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    14 (5) Hits Trespasser

    Trespasser. The incident occurred at or near Drawbridge, which Coast Starlighters know well -- the cool, "sunken ghost town" jut north of Alviso/south of Fremont between Oakland JLS and San Jose Diridon. Remote, difficult to access except via train tracks. This didn't get much (if any) coverage...
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    the flagship of amtrak?

    Um. CS #11, on time 90% over the last year; #14 on time 83% same period. CL #29: 74% on time, #30: 81%. The old canard about the "Coast Starlate" is just that: old, and a canard. As for the poor ol' Empire Builder...#8 was only on time 31% over the last year. In June, 2013: 0%.
  19. U

    Coast Starlight current consist?

    That's odd; I saw 11 (22) come through SJC this morning (1/23, and on time, thank you very much) and there was no PPC. Standard off-season/non-holiday transdorm, 2 sleepers, Sightseer-subbing-for-PPC, diner, Sightseer, three coaches. Definitely no Parlour Car/ex-Santa Fe lounge in the consist.
  20. U

    Megabus returns to CA! Will Amtrak California suffer?

    Megabus's "station stop" in San Jose is a curb, in a traffic lane, next to the (very few) free 30-minute parking spaces in front of the Diridon Transit Center -- cars and VTA buses are forced to go around the Megabuses in the opposite lane of traffic. Their customers use the Caltrain lots but...
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