Cross Country Cafe vs Superliner Diner

[Long Train Runnin']

Oh I had forgotten that when I rode the ccc car the LSA sat me and two other coach passengers in the "lounge" portion. At the end of our meal our server cleared much of the table and left the checks and said the LSA would be back to check us out in a few min... Well the conductor comes by and tells us real grumpy that we are not supposed to be in this car. I was quite tempted to leave and not pay since it was Conducors orders!
Grumpy conductors are a real problem on amtrak, always have, probably always will. There really needs to be a chief of on board services again IMHO.

He told you you were not suppose to be in the dining car? That is odd. Did he think, perhaps, that y'all were just lounging there and not eating?

I concur that is odd especially if you had your meal checks on the table there. All though sounds like he was just having a pretty off day.

 

[TVRM610]

Oh I had forgotten that when I rode the ccc car the LSA sat me and two other coach passengers in the "lounge" portion. At the end of our meal our server cleared much of the table and left the checks and said the LSA would be back to check us out in a few min... Well the conductor comes by and tells us real grumpy that we are not supposed to be in this car. I was quite tempted to leave and not pay since it was Conducors orders!
Grumpy conductors are a real problem on amtrak, always have, probably always will. There really needs to be a chief of on board services again IMHO.

He told you you were not suppose to be in the dining car? That is odd. Did he think, perhaps, that y'all were just lounging there and not eating?

I concur that is odd especially if you had your meal checks on the table there. All though sounds like he was just having a pretty off day.

not just our meal checks, dessert dishes and napkins were also still on the table. Now we were the only table in that section, and we had been given the latest time, and they had run late so it was perhaps 11:00 or so, can't remember, my guess is he isn't used to people being seated in that section that late and he really didn't care to take the time and see we were paying to sit there!

Either way, "having a bad day" is no excuse.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Oh I had forgotten that when I rode the ccc car the LSA sat me and two other coach passengers in the "lounge" portion. At the end of our meal our server cleared much of the table and left the checks and said the LSA would be back to check us out in a few min... Well the conductor comes by and tells us real grumpy that we are not supposed to be in this car. I was quite tempted to leave and not pay since it was Conducors orders!
Grumpy conductors are a real problem on amtrak, always have, probably always will. There really needs to be a chief of on board services again IMHO.

He told you you were not suppose to be in the dining car? That is odd. Did he think, perhaps, that y'all were just lounging there and not eating?

I concur that is odd especially if you had your meal checks on the table there. All though sounds like he was just having a pretty off day.

not just our meal checks, dessert dishes and napkins were also still on the table. Now we were the only table in that section, and we had been given the latest time, and they had run late so it was perhaps 11:00 or so, can't remember, my guess is he isn't used to people being seated in that section that late and he really didn't care to take the time and see we were paying to sit there!

Either way, "having a bad day" is no excuse.

Oh okay that makes a little more sense I guess being grumpy is no excuse at least you weren't put off the train

 

[AlanB]

Whenever I've ridden the Texas Eagle, since there is a Sightseer Lounge, the crew has taken over the lounge side of the CCC, spreading paperwork everywhere and making certain Coach pax do not go back into the Sleepers. I am amazed at how many little glitches were already showing up in these cars as early as last spring.

I have to agree totally. On a recent ride on the TE, I only looked at the one of the lounge tables and got a "That's not for pax use." Well, just who is paying for that car to roll? If it isn't my train fare then it's Federal subsidy money.

I know there are many who hate to hear this BUT "Where are the managers who are SUPPOSED to ride trains?" It almost reminds me of an airline that tries to fly without anybody in charge in the cockpit.

Oh I had forgotten that when I rode the ccc car the LSA sat me and two other coach passengers in the "lounge" portion. At the end of our meal our server cleared much of the table and left the checks and said the LSA would be back to check us out in a few min... Well the conductor comes by and tells us real grumpy that we are not supposed to be in this car. I was quite tempted to leave and not pay since it was Conducors orders!

Grumpy conductors are a real problem on amtrak, always have, probably always will. There really needs to be a chief of on board services again IMHO.

Not that a COB would have anything to do with the conductor yelling at you, as the conductor didn't report to the COB. Only the service crew reported to the COB.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Right but thats part of the onboard problem some times. There are two hands the left and the right and they don't always no what the other one is doing. Since you have the On Board Service Staff and the conductors.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

A COB sounds like a good re-addition to me! The conductors wouldn't have to deal as much with OBS issues like complaints... leave them to make sure the train runs smoothly and safely.

 

[had8ley]

Whenever I've ridden the Texas Eagle, since there is a Sightseer Lounge, the crew has taken over the lounge side of the CCC, spreading paperwork everywhere and making certain Coach pax do not go back into the Sleepers. I am amazed at how many little glitches were already showing up in these cars as early as last spring.

I have to agree totally. On a recent ride on the TE, I only looked at the one of the lounge tables and got a "That's not for pax use." Well, just who is paying for that car to roll? If it isn't my train fare then it's Federal subsidy money.

I know there are many who hate to hear this BUT "Where are the managers who are SUPPOSED to ride trains?" It almost reminds me of an airline that tries to fly without anybody in charge in the cockpit.

Oh I had forgotten that when I rode the ccc car the LSA sat me and two other coach passengers in the "lounge" portion. At the end of our meal our server cleared much of the table and left the checks and said the LSA would be back to check us out in a few min... Well the conductor comes by and tells us real grumpy that we are not supposed to be in this car. I was quite tempted to leave and not pay since it was Conducors orders!

Grumpy conductors are a real problem on amtrak, always have, probably always will. There really needs to be a chief of on board services again IMHO.

Not that a COB would have anything to do with the conductor yelling at you, as the conductor didn't report to the COB. Only the service crew reported to the COB.

And you'd have to rattle the Chief out of his room first. Probably the reason the jobs got cut off.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Whenever I've ridden the Texas Eagle, since there is a Sightseer Lounge, the crew has taken over the lounge side of the CCC, spreading paperwork everywhere and making certain Coach pax do not go back into the Sleepers. I am amazed at how many little glitches were already showing up in these cars as early as last spring.

I have to agree totally. On a recent ride on the TE, I only looked at the one of the lounge tables and got a "That's not for pax use." Well, just who is paying for that car to roll? If it isn't my train fare then it's Federal subsidy money.

I know there are many who hate to hear this BUT "Where are the managers who are SUPPOSED to ride trains?" It almost reminds me of an airline that tries to fly without anybody in charge in the cockpit.

Oh I had forgotten that when I rode the ccc car the LSA sat me and two other coach passengers in the "lounge" portion. At the end of our meal our server cleared much of the table and left the checks and said the LSA would be back to check us out in a few min... Well the conductor comes by and tells us real grumpy that we are not supposed to be in this car. I was quite tempted to leave and not pay since it was Conducors orders!

Grumpy conductors are a real problem on amtrak, always have, probably always will. There really needs to be a chief of on board services again IMHO.

Not that a COB would have anything to do with the conductor yelling at you, as the conductor didn't report to the COB. Only the service crew reported to the COB.

And you'd have to rattle the Chief out of his room first. Probably the reason the jobs got cut off.

Hey, didn't say it would work-- just that its a good idea.

I have had several rides where somebody from Customer Relations was on board and those were easily my favorite rides (mostly on the CL). It was there job to make us happy and it kept the OBS crew in line. The conductors also seemed to enjoy it as whenever a complaint came up, she was always three feet away in a second to make the customer happy-- even if all she did was feed them lines of BS and tell a SA to get them a cup of coffee.

Bottom line: The conductor shouldn't have to whip the OBS crew into line. Somebody should-- and if a COB won't do that... then Corporate needs to do a few more hiring runs for some more CSR's on the trains.

 

[AlanB]

And you'd have to rattle the Chief out of his room first. Probably the reason the jobs got cut off.

Actually like everything else Amtrak, and pretty much everything else in the world, there were good and bad COB's. I met two excellent ones that quickly spring to mind. One was a very nice lady on the Capitol Limited on one of my first LD runs on Amtrak and my first run on the Capitol and the first time I was arriving into Chicago by train.

This lady was all over the train, checking on people, doing things that needed to be done, and making announcements. I found out about the Taste of Chicago, which just happened to be running on the day I arrived into CHI thanks to her announcement. I wouldn't have even known about it, much less where to find it, but for her.

And then there was the COB on the Silver Palm years ago, another excellent manager. I was boarding at the Hollywood, Florida stop at a point in time where major work was being done to support Tri-Rail's expansion. For this reason, unlike normally, they couldn't platform the entire train at once. I stood where I was supposed to stand, only to have the lone sleeper slowly roll past me. So I started chasing after my sleeping, walking about 3 or 4 car lengths until I could go no further due to the construction fence.

I then had to race all the way back to where the coaches had finally stopped rolling my luggage and my laptop. The conductor took my ticket and then the attendant tried to assign me a seat. I wasn't a happy camper by that time racing up and down the platform in the Florida heat. So I’m sure that my response to him wasn't all that polite, especially since I was now hot and bothered and still had to walk through 2 coaches, the lounge, and the diner to get to my room, while hauling my stuff.

I don't know where the COB was in all this, but he either must have seen me and/or heard me, because not 10 minutes out of HOL, he came by my room to apologize for the mishap and to explain what had happened. He was most gracious and apologetic and technically it wasn't something that he could have controlled nor was it his fault. He somehow even cajoled the conductor to come by my room and apologize for his mistake.

The COB told me that they had rehearsed the stop before leaving Miami and reminded the conductor that they had to make a double spot in HOL. But the regular conductor was out sick and this guy was a replacement who while qualified on the route, wasn't quite up to speed on things apparently. Remember that I said the sleeper rolled slowly by me? Well the engineer remembered the double spot, and he was waiting for the conductor to tell him when to stop. The conductor never did, at least until the coaches were properly positioned.

I saw that COB several more times during my journey and he even performed some magic that night in the diner, making one of my bottles of wine disappear from my bill. To this day I still don't know if he had the power to actually give away that bottle, or if he took the money out of his own pocket.

And then there is the other side, I have been on trains where I never even saw the COB except when they came out of the crew dorm to eat their meals. Thankfully I only met two or three of those. Most at least came out and did something, and then of course there were the truly outstanding ones.

 

[PaulM]

Right but thats part of the onboard problem some times. There are two hands the left and the right and they don't always no what the other one is doing. Since you have the On Board Service Staff and the conductors.

Right you are! Amtrak's org chart is Amtrak's business. But a conductor mistreating a passenger is a customer service problem.

 

[PaulM]

Bottom line: The conductor shouldn't have to whip the OBS crew into line. Somebody should-- and if a COB won't do that... then Corporate needs to do a few more hiring runs for some more CSR's on the trains.

I believe the issue here was a conductor telling a passenger that he didn't belong where the passenger obviously did belong. In other words, the conductor was overstepping his boundary. If he didn't like passengers being seated in a particular section, he should have taken up the matter with the LSA. In this case it sounds like somebody was needed to whip the conductor into line.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Bottom line: The conductor shouldn't have to whip the OBS crew into line. Somebody should-- and if a COB won't do that... then Corporate needs to do a few more hiring runs for some more CSR's on the trains.

I believe the issue here was a conductor telling a passenger that he didn't belong where the passenger obviously did belong. In other words, the conductor was overstepping his boundary. If he didn't like passengers being seated in a particular section, he should have taken up the matter with the LSA. In this case it sounds like somebody was needed to whip the conductor into line.

Actually I might argue that if, as they said, it was 11PM on the CL. They really didn't belong. Not that they had done anything wrong-- but that's the point where most people get kicked out. The conductor here just did it a little... heavy handidly. <_<

 

[ruudkeulers]

Actually I might argue that if, as they said, it was 11PM on the CL. They really didn't belong. Not that they had done anything wrong-- but that's the point where most people get kicked out.

And how are passengers supposed to know this? Is there a sign up saying: "This car must be cleared at ultimately 11PM!"

 

[Long Train Runnin']

COB can also be called an OBS Chief right? or they are differnt

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Actually I might argue that if, as they said, it was 11PM on the CL. They really didn't belong. Not that they had done anything wrong-- but that's the point where most people get kicked out.

And how are passengers supposed to know this? Is there a sign up saying: "This car must be cleared at ultimately 11PM!"

General common sense.

I've lingered in the diner myself a few times when everybody's abandoned it-- the conductor kindly reminds me of the time and I leave.

The issue here isn't whether they were doing something wrong but the conductor's response. And, actually, having a terse conductor is something you will encounter on Amtrak. Complain to Amtrak when you get home and move on... they have a lot of responsibility and IMHO should be given some leeway now and then on how they treat customers. Of course, the customer doesn't know this. Most people assume the Conductor is just a fancy SA or something-- this is why a COB would come in handy. Even if they have no authority over the conductor they do have the ability to assuage passengers and explain situations that the Conductor doesn't seem to have the time or want to do.

 

[PaulM]

Complain to Amtrak when you get home and move on... they have a lot of responsibility and IMHO should be given some leeway now and then on how they treat customers.

If conductors have such heavy responsibilities, maybe they should be relieved of the responsibility of hustling customers, who are waiting to pay the bill (or just want to savor the moment) out of the diner (oops, CCC), or at least delegate this to the dining car staff.

PS. I can sympathize with the dining car staff who would like to wrap it up if it is getting late. But NOT with the conductor in this case, with the usual qualification that we don't know all the facts (after all the customer could have insulted the conductor's mother for all we know).

 

[had8ley]

Complain to Amtrak when you get home and move on... they have a lot of responsibility and IMHO should be given some leeway now and then on how they treat customers.

If conductors have such heavy responsibilities, maybe they should be relieved of the responsibility of hustling customers, who are waiting to pay the bill (or just want to savor the moment) out of the diner (oops, CCC), or at least delegate this to the dining car staff.

PS. I can sympathize with the dining car staff who would like to wrap it up if it is getting late. But NOT with the conductor in this case, with the usual qualification that we don't know all the facts (after all the customer could have insulted the conductor's mother for all we know).

Again I warn these "Emperors of the North" conductors (a RR movie with Ernest Bourgnine as a mean SOB conductor) ~ VIA Rail runs with two engineers and no conductor; just a chief of on board services. If these conductor characters want their own private car they need to go rent one. Another thorn is the transistion car~ it is SUPPOSED to be for the crew including the conductor.(When there is light sleeper load there can be as few as 6 people in the entire car!) Taking up pax's revenue space for personal convenience in the CCC ought to be grounds for discipline.

 

[VentureForth]

Why is is that Amtrak would want to ban people from the diner or CCC after "hours"? Train life is 24/7. For a lot of pax, the middle of the night is close to the beginning or end of their trip, and it's natural to not be sleepy and want to look around.

On both the SWC and the TE, I've seen folks sleeping in the Lounge car! They generally aren't bothered unless they are obnoxiously taking up space (that is wanted to be used by others). Same thing with the cafe seating area of the lounge car.

But in those cases, the Diner is typically off limits (unless transitioning to lounge from sleeper). Maybe they are afraid of upsetting the dining room setup or vandalizing off-limit sections of the diner. Who knows?

I'm fixin' to take the Meteor and Star next month and both legs are going to be primarily in the middle of the night. If all they have is a CCC, can I not sit at a table after dining hours?

Ugh.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Why is is that Amtrak would want to ban people from the diner or CCC after "hours"? Train life is 24/7. For a lot of pax, the middle of the night is close to the beginning or end of their trip, and it's natural to not be sleepy and want to look around.
On both the SWC and the TE, I've seen folks sleeping in the Lounge car! They generally aren't bothered unless they are obnoxiously taking up space (that is wanted to be used by others). Same thing with the cafe seating area of the lounge car.

But in those cases, the Diner is typically off limits (unless transitioning to lounge from sleeper). Maybe they are afraid of upsetting the dining room setup or vandalizing off-limit sections of the diner. Who knows?

I'm fixin' to take the Meteor and Star next month and both legs are going to be primarily in the middle of the night. If all they have is a CCC, can I not sit at a table after dining hours?

Ugh.

Silver trains don't have a CCC they run single level equipment. A CCC is a modified Superliner Diner. On the silvers you will have a heritage diner and a full Amfleet Cafe.

 

[VentureForth]

Duh. Sorry. My brain has been crossed off this morning.

 

[ruudkeulers]

Why is is that Amtrak would want to ban people from the diner or CCC after "hours"? Train life is 24/7. For a lot of pax, the middle of the night is close to the beginning or end of their trip, and it's natural to not be sleepy and want to look around.

I've been wondering about that too: we'll be boarding the LSL in BUF to CHI next september at 11.59PM (if it's on time). I can't imagine us wanting to go to sleep immediately (we're in Coach), so where can we go for a chat and a drink without disturbing other (sleeping) passengers? Lounge? Cafe Car?

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Why is is that Amtrak would want to ban people from the diner or CCC after "hours"? Train life is 24/7. For a lot of pax, the middle of the night is close to the beginning or end of their trip, and it's natural to not be sleepy and want to look around.

I've been wondering about that too: we'll be boarding the LSL in BUF to CHI next september at 11.59PM (if it's on time). I can't imagine us wanting to go to sleep immediately (we're in Coach), so where can we go for a chat and a drink without disturbing other (sleeping) passengers? Lounge? Cafe Car?

Well the Cafe will be closed by that time but you could sit at one of the tables. Granted you can't consume private stock in public areas. Although enforcment of that varies. If not just fold you table down and enjoy your selfs

 

[frj1983]

I am taking the Capitol Limted (CL) in 51 days, but who's counting :lol: . I know that the Cross Country Cafe (CCC) operates as pretty much a regular diner on the CL. Can someone explain the car layout? I hear this stuff about 3 seat booths what are they like? Is the kitchen any differnt down below on the CCC vs. the Superliner Diner? Do you prefer the CCC to the Superliner Diner? Any other insights? Any guess on the staffing? What time should I wake up to get breakfast into Chicago westbound?

Aren't the 3 seat booths the ones in which you have to develop an eye in the back of your head to look out the window? :lol:

Yes, assuming that you want to look out the window on the side that you're sitting on. It's very easy to look out the other window across the aisle though.

But one thing that bothered me about the 3 seat booth, was the fact that you roll forwards and backwards with the train (rather than side to side). It made one lunch kind of "urpy" for me.

 

[TVRM610]

Bottom line: The conductor shouldn't have to whip the OBS crew into line. Somebody should-- and if a COB won't do that... then Corporate needs to do a few more hiring runs for some more CSR's on the trains.

I believe the issue here was a conductor telling a passenger that he didn't belong where the passenger obviously did belong. In other words, the conductor was overstepping his boundary. If he didn't like passengers being seated in a particular section, he should have taken up the matter with the LSA. In this case it sounds like somebody was needed to whip the conductor into line.

Actually I might argue that if, as they said, it was 11PM on the CL. They really didn't belong. Not that they had done anything wrong-- but that's the point where most people get kicked out. The conductor here just did it a little... heavy handidly. <_<

Just to clear things up... I don't remember if it was actually 11 yet or not... but I remember that I was not seated for my 8:00 Seating until after 9 (9:10 if I had to guess). I was seated with 2 other coach passengers, in the "lounge" section. All the sleepers were sold out for the train (which is why I was in coach in the first place! ) and the dinning crew must have gotten a late start for some reason because when I made the reservation the LSA told me that it was gonna be running late. Anyways...

I'm guessing all the "diner" section booths were full and since it was already an hour late for our seating the LSA sat us in the lounge... but apparently did not tell the server who was surprised to see us after we waited about 15 min. So our orders didn't even get taken until approx. 9:30. It took more than a while (as usual with only 1 cook) for us to get our entree's and by the time we were finished with our meals it was close to 11 (this is not unusual for dinner to take this long in SDS era in my experience.) As I said, the Server left our checks, cleared much of our table and told us the LSA would be along shortly.... Thats when the Conductor came through shortly after and said "You all should not be in here"

So I think that I have a strong argument that we did belong!

 

[TVRM610]

Actually I might argue that if, as they said, it was 11PM on the CL. They really didn't belong. Not that they had done anything wrong-- but that's the point where most people get kicked out.

And how are passengers supposed to know this? Is there a sign up saying: "This car must be cleared at ultimately 11PM!"

General common sense.

I've lingered in the diner myself a few times when everybody's abandoned it-- the conductor kindly reminds me of the time and I leave.

The issue here isn't whether they were doing something wrong but the conductor's response. And, actually, having a terse conductor is something you will encounter on Amtrak. Complain to Amtrak when you get home and move on... they have a lot of responsibility and IMHO should be given some leeway now and then on how they treat customers. Of course, the customer doesn't know this. Most people assume the Conductor is just a fancy SA or something-- this is why a COB would come in handy. Even if they have no authority over the conductor they do have the ability to assuage passengers and explain situations that the Conductor doesn't seem to have the time or want to do.

Please read my above comment and know that it would be nice if you tried to fully understand what happened before you post something like "The issue here isn't whether they were doing something wrong but the conductor's response." I've eaten in enough dining cars to know how long an appropriate time to "linger" is. Most people would argue that you should "linger" until you have paid the bill!

"Complain to Amtrak when you get home and move on... they have a lot of responsibility and IMHO should be given some leeway now and then on how they treat customers."

My apologies for discussing amtrak on a "Amtrak Discussion" forum. I didn't complain to Amtrak cause it's not a big deal to me... after 22 years of travel on Amtrak I've encountered many rude employees. I was just sharing a story and agreeing with some of the first posts that the Conductors seem to be WAY over-possesive about the "lounge" section of CCC car!

In case I didn't mention.. the actual DINER crew was fantastic... way more freindly then I'm used to, so I felt that I was owed a surly comment for the nice polite server and LSA!!