Business class on Palmetto #89/90
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JAChooChoo
Service Attendant
Actually, right up to April 30, 1971, the B&O's Metropolitan listed that food can be purchased during station stops at Cumberland, Grafton or Clarksburg. Same for the Cincinnatian at Toledo.
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
Why is it $50 to upgrade on the Palmetto and only $25 on the Penny from PGH-NYP? The Palmetto can't be all that much longer than the Penny's ride--
battalion51
Engineer
Ah the beauty of supply and demand. :lol:
Um it's only 444 NYP-PGH, and 829 NYP-SAV, so I'd say that the Palmetto is a bit longer than the Penny. Almost double in fact, just like the upgrade price.
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ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
Ah but when I said "longer" I meant time wise, not rail miles. The Palmetto does its run in around 16 hours, the Penny in about 9... I guess I could see it that way, but a 16 hour run, is there another destination the Palmetto could go on to to make it an overnight train?
Sure, Miami. But then it would go back to being the Silver Palm and not the Palmetto.
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
Well-- who in hell cares then? "Palmetto" sounds like the young child of the "Silver Palm" anyway-- I'm sure they'd fill the seats... just need the diner and the sleepers which will be coming in the next couple years. The more Silver Service the better-- Around peak times they'll fill those trains to the brim!
I've no doubt that they can fill the seats. They used to fill them back when it ran, and ridership has only gone up since then. And I rode the Palm several times and only once during a peak period.
VentureForth
Engineer
The Palmetto would be about the only LD train with BC that I'd recommend paying $50 for. Its faux leather seats are still on some (if not all) of the trainsets. If you're travelling alone or with a partner, that is. If you're travelling with kids, I'd go in the back.
Do you plan on riding the entire length? When I rode it back in January, I was literally the only pax from Charleston, SC to Savannah. Not even the crew took advantage - they stayed at the tables in the back half of the car.
My ONLY gripe was that the vestibule door kept opening and closing. The baggage door was also open, so I spent a good chunk of time watching people's bags sliding back and forth and forth and back....
Long Train Runnin'
Engineer
VentureForth
Engineer
They will run out of drinks (Other than perhaps Coffee) by about Washington DC. You may get lucky with a drink or two after that. Note that you can only get a drink when the cafe is open.
Never mind what Amtrak says, it's all about what they have onboard, and the sodas are usually warm (Gotta keep the cold drinks for those paying cash, not those paying on a ticket).
Never mind what Amtrak says, it's all about what they have onboard, and the sodas are usually warm (Gotta keep the cold drinks for those paying cash, not those paying on a ticket).
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
And at this point it only helps Amtrak to fill seats up. The more riders they can shift away from airline travel, the better. During this time of fiscal anarchy, it is best policy that we get as many costumers as possible. That way when the recession ends there will be a strong base off of which to build.
I'd actually like to to see Amtrak pull away a small piece of the market share, maybe 3-5%..
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
They give you ice, y'know?
VentureForth
Engineer
You fail to understand my point. BC Pax are treated by the Cafe Car attendant (per policy) as free-loaders, not as the premium paying passengers that they are.
They give ice to people paying cash at the bar for a 12-oz refridgerated drink that doesn't melt the ice as fast, too y'know.
They give ice to people paying cash at the bar for a 12-oz refridgerated drink that doesn't melt the ice as fast, too y'know.
ALC Rail Writer
Engineer
They do not treat them as freeloaders. I'm sorry you only get 8oz instead of 12, but there are indeed unlimited drinks on at least the LD trains. I had a very long and detailed talk about this with the Café attendant on the Penny, he was very informative. Perhaps you should read what he had to say in my trip report? M'kay?
VentureForth
Engineer
OK. So that's cool that Penny is run right. I'm excited about that. But this thread is about the Palmetto, which I rode, which they ran out of just about everything (including newspapers and pillows) except for coffee. Despite having a cooler full of beverages, they were unable to provide the service advertised. I understand that they have regular stock and BC stock, but in my opinion BC pax shouldn't be shafted because of some poor logistics planning. There should be an allowance/empowerment for the Cafe car attendant to serve from the pay-at-counter pax stock without being threatened his job.
You can't drink enough to cover your BC upgrade fare (well, some may but that's a whole 'nother story). BC Pax should be treated as BC pax from terminal to terminal - not just when their allocated supply runs out.
In my humble opinion, I would rank BC service as follows:
1 - Acela (from reputation)
2 - Pennsylvanian (from ACL's experience)
3 - Pacific Surfliner (Simply OK)
4 - Palmetto (worse service but better accomodations than the Carolinian)
5 - Carolinian (better service but average accomodations compared to Palmetto)
I'm sure others would rank differently.
You can't drink enough to cover your BC upgrade fare (well, some may but that's a whole 'nother story). BC Pax should be treated as BC pax from terminal to terminal - not just when their allocated supply runs out.
In my humble opinion, I would rank BC service as follows:
1 - Acela (from reputation)
2 - Pennsylvanian (from ACL's experience)
3 - Pacific Surfliner (Simply OK)
4 - Palmetto (worse service but better accomodations than the Carolinian)
5 - Carolinian (better service but average accomodations compared to Palmetto)
I'm sure others would rank differently.
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As I posted earlier this week, I'll be on the Palmetto tomorrow morning from WAS to RMT in BC. The reason I went with BC is to avoid having to hunt for a seat in coach. I've had some bad experiences on a few LD trains with other passengers hogging space and filling up the luggage racks. Conductors seem to be reluctant to do anything when it comes to having people sleeping across seats or just lazy and placing their stuff on unoccupied seats when the overheads racks are empty. I figured this time I'll pay extra for a little piece of mind. If I don't get a paper it's no big deal. However, if they have no pillows or no soft drinks other than coffee I'll speak up about it. When one pays a higher fare for extra amenities and those amenities aren't available then I complain. But if the amenities are there and the service is good I will compliment and provide a proper tip to the attendant.
VentureForth
Engineer
NC, not BC, I hope! Otherwise, you'll be headed the wrong direction! 
You should be OK. I rode it from just South of Rocky Mount to Savannah and it was crowded but quiet until about Charleston, when it became empty and I was the only BC passenger. Hopefully you'll get your fill of BC service in the first couple of hours out of WAS.
Please let us know how it went. I'm considering the Palmetto for a ride in June, but would like to know if the service has improved.
You should be OK. I rode it from just South of Rocky Mount to Savannah and it was crowded but quiet until about Charleston, when it became empty and I was the only BC passenger. Hopefully you'll get your fill of BC service in the first couple of hours out of WAS.
Please let us know how it went. I'm considering the Palmetto for a ride in June, but would like to know if the service has improved.
As promised here's my experience. The attendant helped me get my suitcase on board which was the last thing he did for me without having to be asked. In fact he did little for anyone. Although that might be because he apparently was also the cafe attendant. BC has leather seats arranged 2-1. I was easily able to able to snag a single seat. The newspaper was in complete disarray. What pillows I saw were taken by the other occupants. I found the pillow stash, found the covers and assembled one for myself. The attendant never once walked though BC to ask if anyone needed anything. The only times he did pass through was to enter the baggage car which he did quite often. At Richmond he stepped off and enjoyed a small cigar while ignoring passengers. I was permitted 2 small cans of soda but I had to fetch ice on my own. I took more cans and distributed to other BC passengers who were unaware that the drinks were included in the fare. If he saw me he said nothing but I didn't care because I wasn't the only one disappointed with the lack of service. I was not expected a personal servant but it would have been nice if he would have made some sort of effort toward those who paid a higher fare for that service. The seats were comfortable, the car was clean and quiet. There are only 15 seats in BC. I'd still recommend BC for this train only for the higher level of comfort. Needless to say I offered no tip.
On my return north I was on the Carolinian which was vastly superior in every aspect. BC was the entire car with seats arranged 2-2. The attendant was very welcoming and showed real concern for our comfort and needs. He brought me a fresh pillow and newspaper. He walked the aisle a couple of times with a drink cart. Due to unusual high temperatures all trains were running on slow orders According to my GPS we never exceeded 60, with an average speed of 53. Arrived WAS almost 2 hours late. The attendant volunteered updates to everyone on a regular basis. When I alighted in WAS I gave him a nice tip and complimented him on the service.
On my return north I was on the Carolinian which was vastly superior in every aspect. BC was the entire car with seats arranged 2-2. The attendant was very welcoming and showed real concern for our comfort and needs. He brought me a fresh pillow and newspaper. He walked the aisle a couple of times with a drink cart. Due to unusual high temperatures all trains were running on slow orders According to my GPS we never exceeded 60, with an average speed of 53. Arrived WAS almost 2 hours late. The attendant volunteered updates to everyone on a regular basis. When I alighted in WAS I gave him a nice tip and complimented him on the service.
Cmthru,
You were correct in your assumption, on the Palmetto that wasn't your car attendant, he was the cafe attendant. That is his job, attending to the cafe, not catering to those in the BC section. That is not to suggest that some of the better, smarter, attendant's don't try to do more for the BC pax in the hope of a tip, but again it's not their job to deal with the BC pax.
On the other hand the Carolinian, which is a State sponsored train, has an attendant assigned to the BC can and their sole job is that car and taking care of the passengers in said car.
You were correct in your assumption, on the Palmetto that wasn't your car attendant, he was the cafe attendant. That is his job, attending to the cafe, not catering to those in the BC section. That is not to suggest that some of the better, smarter, attendant's don't try to do more for the BC pax in the hope of a tip, but again it's not their job to deal with the BC pax.
On the other hand the Carolinian, which is a State sponsored train, has an attendant assigned to the BC can and their sole job is that car and taking care of the passengers in said car.
That certainly explains the difference in service. Maybe the description of BC for the Palmetto ought to be changed to read "BC passengers may obtain soft drinks, coffee/tea in the Cafe at no additional charge". When the description in the schedule states that passengers are offered such one would think an attendant would occasionally walk through and offer the beverages. No wonder the BC on the Palmetto is so small. If I should travel back to NC the Carolinian will be my choice both ways. The extra fare was worth it.
VentureForth
Engineer
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