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monorailfan

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This past winter I took the Kanas City mules - and both times, the consist was a Genesis and two Superliners. The opposing Ann Rutledge service trains were single level Amfleets I think.

Anyway, I find the Supers to be much better cars, but I took the Mules last week and now they are using Amfleets....

So, does anyone know if the Mules normally run Amfleets, and for some reason this past winter they were using Superliners? Or do they switch them back and forth between the Mules and Rutledge trains, etc?

Thanks!
 
Normally AFAIK, they are always Amfleets. Usually the only time that Amtrak might switch over to Superliners is during the winter months if things are really cold and they are having issues with equipment freezing.
 
Yes, they almost always run with Amfleets. Locomotive, business/cafe car, and usually 2 coaches. Just as Alan mentioned, the only time (usually) that Superliners are on there is during the winter months. No business class service on the times they run the Superliners though (if you happen to ride during the winter and want the upgrade to that).
 
Has anyone else noticed that the evening Missouri service no longer connects with the Southwest Chief? It's a shame, because I was planning a trip where I'd fly into St. Louis in the morning and catch the train out that afternoon to connect with the Chief to LAX...
 
Rafi said:
Has anyone else noticed that the evening Missouri service no longer connects with the Southwest Chief? It's a shame, because I was planning a trip where I'd fly into St. Louis in the morning and catch the train out that afternoon to connect with the Chief to LAX...
Click to expand...
I'm assuming that they stopped the ability of taking the evening train because of the unreliability of the timing of the arrival. Its scheduled in at 9:40 pm, but, rarely makes it. Kind of unfortunate that the scheduled 5hr and 40min trip always extends to well over 6 hours. So, you either have to risk missing the connection (non guaranteed, I'm assuming), or, spend 6 or 7 hours in KC waiting.
 
So this reply is all over the board and not all on topic...

Thanks for the replies and information. Good to know.

Rafi - It's not just the connecting service to the SWC, but the SWC itself. A few months ago, I was looking to book Amtrak from KCY to GJT. At the time, they had us stopping in Galesburg for a few hours to meet up with the CZ. Now there is NO option of KCY to GJT, unless you book multiple cities.

The schedules seem to work, but the website makes you do it via multi-city nowadays, which I interpret as AMTRAK saying 'Book it if you dare.

As for MO service, its encouraging to see the state pony up $5MM to lengthen two sidings between Lee's Summit and Jeff City, but most think that $ will only cover one siding, not both. With ridership up everywhere but in MO, it's all because the service is unreliable. When I take the Mules I am never in a hurry- but if I was, I'd drive where I was going....

I just wish they ran the Superliners more often. I used to see the Amfleets, then in the winter when i was on a Super I asked the conductor what was going on, and he said they always run Supers. Now it is summer, no Supers....hmmmm

StLouieLady - "So, you either have to risk missing the connection (non guaranteed, I'm assuming), or, spend 6 or 7 hours in KC waiting."

Not a bad place at all to wait. There is so much to see and do nowadays at KCY and the attached Crown Plaza and National WWI Museum across the street, great restaurantes, and two top notch hotels - all in walking distance and most of it climate controlled. I don't understand why Amtrak does not promote KC as a tourist destination in itself.

If I lived in CHI or St. L, I'd regulary ride to KC and enjoy a night or two getaway there....well, I kinda do, I just don't spend the night :->
 
AlanB said:
Normally AFAIK, they are always Amfleets. Usually the only time that Amtrak might switch over to Superliners is during the winter months if things are really cold and they are having issues with equipment freezing.
Click to expand...
Just one more question!!!??? Is the business class/ cafe car usually at the front of the trains or the back?
 
monorailfan said:
StLouieLady - "So, you either have to risk missing the connection (non guaranteed, I'm assuming), or, spend 6 or 7 hours in KC waiting."
Not a bad place at all to wait. There is so much to see and do nowadays at KCY and the attached Crown Plaza and National WWI Museum across the street, great restaurantes, and two top notch hotels - all in walking distance and most of it climate controlled. I don't understand why Amtrak does not promote KC as a tourist destination in itself.

If I lived in CHI or St. L, I'd regulary ride to KC and enjoy a night or two getaway there....well, I kinda do, I just don't spend the night :->
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I never implied that it was a bad place to wait. I was simply stating that, if you take the afternoon train, there's a possibility of missing the connection, and if you take the morning train, then there's a 6 or 7 hour wait in KC. I ride to KC on a regular basis myself, and have never had enough time to see everything available. So, really, no offense intended regarding Kansas City.
 
gaspeamtrak said:
Just one more question!!!??? Is the business class/ cafe car usually at the front of the trains or the back?
Click to expand...
All the trips that I've taken, business/cafe car is the first car behind the engine. Seating in the front, cafe secion in the rear of the car, with a curtain to separate the seating area.
 
monorailfan said:
This past winter I took the Kanas City mules - and both times, the consist was a Genesis and two Superliners. The opposing Ann Rutledge service trains were single level Amfleets I think.
Anyway, I find the Supers to be much better cars, but I took the Mules last week and now they are using Amfleets....

So, does anyone know if the Mules normally run Amfleets, and for some reason this past winter they were using Superliners? Or do they switch them back and forth between the Mules and Rutledge trains, etc?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Excuse me, what are the Mules? :unsure:
 
stlouielady said:
monorailfan said:
StLouieLady - "So, you either have to risk missing the connection (non guaranteed, I'm assuming), or, spend 6 or 7 hours in KC waiting."
Not a bad place at all to wait. There is so much to see and do nowadays at KCY and the attached Crown Plaza and National WWI Museum across the street, great restaurantes, and two top notch hotels - all in walking distance and most of it climate controlled. I don't understand why Amtrak does not promote KC as a tourist destination in itself.

If I lived in CHI or St. L, I'd regulary ride to KC and enjoy a night or two getaway there....well, I kinda do, I just don't spend the night :->
Click to expand...
I never implied that it was a bad place to wait. I was simply stating that, if you take the afternoon train, there's a possibility of missing the connection, and if you take the morning train, then there's a 6 or 7 hour wait in KC. I ride to KC on a regular basis myself, and have never had enough time to see everything available. So, really, no offense intended regarding Kansas City.
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Actually, my apologies! No offense was taken towards KC. I guess I just did a lousy job of wording my reply! :->
 
There were two trains, separately identified as the east bound St. Louis Mule and the west bound Kansas City Mule. Now they both go by the latter name. Their companion train is called the Ann Rutledge both ways, AFAIK.
 
Rail Freak said:
rail rookie said:
The names of the Kansas City-St. Louis Amtrak routes.
Click to expand...
Yeah And .... (why)?

Thanx
Click to expand...

Missouri mules have a proud history dating to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/uedivis/ue0081.htm

The Missouri Dept. of Transportation seems to be pushing rail travel. There are neon signs on I 70 advertising morail.org and as others have mentioned the legislature gave up the money for sidings and actually followed the Dept. of Transportation's recommendation. I ride between Jefferson City and St. Louis fairly often and the service is reasonably reliable. The Jefferson City to Kansas City stretch is where things get slow.
 
I'm sure Ann Rutledge was an important person, but since she and the Mule both have the same route, why not consolidate all Kansas City-St. Louis trains under one name? The duplicity of names has always confused me--which one goes where? Oh, they both go to the same place.
 
jackal said:
I'm sure Ann Rutledge was an important person, but since she and the Mule both have the same route, why not consolidate all Kansas City-St. Louis trains under one name? The duplicity of names has always confused me--which one goes where? Oh, they both go to the same place.
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No, the mules run only between St. Louis and KC. The Ann Rutledge runs between Chicago and KC, via St. Louis. Last year when the State of Illinois increased service and we got the "Lincoln Service" half of Ann's run sort of got rebranded as a Lincoln Service, but it is still a through train between CHI and KCS, with Ann still getting the bill between St. Louis and KC.
 
Amtrak doesn't market it as a through train o_O.

Ann Rutledge was the first love of Abraham Lincoln.

And please, Jackal, don't get Amtrak to remove another train name. Every train needs its own name!
 
Ah. See, you guys proved my point--it's confusing!

I'm all for named trains, but multiple trains serving the same route should have the same, or at the very least, similar names. (Similar's good enough: I can live with "Kansas City Mule" and "St. Louis Mule"--they're similar enough that I can remember that the Mules serve common stations. If a second train ever ran on the Coast Starlight's route, I could live with perhaps digging up the name "Coast Daylight.") Completely different names for what in effect is the same train confuses me--and if I'm confused, the non-train-riding Average Jill has absolutely no hope.

(And yes, I had read before that Mz. Rutledge was involved with Honest Abe, but I had forgotten. Kudos to MoDOT or Amtrak or whomever for keeping a minor historical character's name alive... :rolleyes: :lol: )
 
monorailfan said:
This past winter I took the Kanas City mules - and both times, the consist was a Genesis and two Superliners. The opposing Ann Rutledge service trains were single level Amfleets I think.
Anyway, I find the Supers to be much better cars, but I took the Mules last week and now they are using Amfleets....

So, does anyone know if the Mules normally run Amfleets, and for some reason this past winter they were using Superliners? Or do they switch them back and forth between the Mules and Rutledge trains, etc?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I took the Missouri Mule (316) from Jeff City to St. Louis on Thursday evening. It was 50 minutes late into Jeff City and arrived 40 minutes late into St. Louis. The consist was an Amfleet snack bar car and three Horizon coaches. The return trip on the Ann Rutledge had the same consist and was on time. Both trains were 75-80% full and many passengers commented on taking the train because of gas prices.
 
como said:
monorailfan said:
This past winter I took the Kanas City mules - and both times, the consist was a Genesis and two Superliners. The opposing Ann Rutledge service trains were single level Amfleets I think.
Anyway, I find the Supers to be much better cars, but I took the Mules last week and now they are using Amfleets....

So, does anyone know if the Mules normally run Amfleets, and for some reason this past winter they were using Superliners? Or do they switch them back and forth between the Mules and Rutledge trains, etc?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I took the Missouri Mule (316) from Jeff City to St. Louis on Thursday evening. It was 50 minutes late into Jeff City and arrived 40 minutes late into St. Louis. The consist was an Amfleet snack bar car and three Horizon coaches. The return trip on the Ann Rutledge had the same consist and was on time. Both trains were 75-80% full and many passengers commented on taking the train because of gas prices.
Click to expand...
I'll miss it this weekend, or better yet, the Mule will miss me. Amtrak has had to cancel the train from Jeff City to KCY due to the UP re-routing trains around the Iowa floods.

I had non-refundable tickets, but in a situation like this it appears that Amtrak would offer travel on another date. But in this case they are running motorcoaches in place of the train. Since I want to take the train and not the bus, I guess I just threw my money away for this weekend.

In a way, I guess I am upset at the UP. The Mules have terrible service due to this route being so congested. I wonder what the breaking-point is for UP to spend some capital $ and lengthen the sidings or double-track. But no worries, the MO taxpayer will pay instead for siding improvements.

Sorry - I'm just venting. It's not Amtrak's fault, and I am not losing too much money. But if anyone wonders why it always seems that the '3' trains are a weekly special, this is why. Without it, they'd have no passengers. Not me, anyway.
 
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