I'm back from 12 day / 11 train around the country trip

[AAARGH!]

I'm back from a loooong 12 day / 11 train trip. I will post a trip report next week probably.

A few interesting tidbits.....

From a source who probably knows what he/she is saying.... The Sunset Limited will start service to Orlando starting in August. The SSL East may be back!!! Now this person is likely in the know about this and had explicit information about it, so I trust what is being said. However, during the same 12 day excursion, I heard contradictory statements from others (not necessarily in the know) about the same thing (CONO extended to FL, stub train from NOL, etc...), so this ALL may just be rumors as always. We'll see.

Another rumor... The single level consist currently being used on the Pacific Surfliner (the only single level consist on the west coast I believe) will become the Coast Daylight, running from San Francisco (not EMY) to LAX. Again rumor.

Preview of trip report:

• Only two trains out of the 11 were late, but no later than 30 minutes. Remarkable on-time performace for the entire trip!
  
• No equipment failures - all bathrooms worked, no bad ordered equipment, no engine failures, etc...
  
• No bad Amtrak employees. Every single Amtrak employee we came across ranged from exemplorary to just doing their job, but not being rude, inefficient, hard to find, etc... I have nothing to call Amtrak to complain about.
  

More when I write up the full report.

 

[Steve4031]

Can you be more specific on the source? There has been many rumors out Sunset east. Why would this info supersede the other rumors. and plans. This is interesting info. Especially the train from San Francisco to LA.

I don't mean any disrespect, I just see the potential for another acrimonious thread about the Sunset limited

 

[AAARGH!]

Can you be more specific on the source? There has been many rumors out Sunset east. Why would this info supersede the other rumors. and plans. This is interesting info. Especially the train from San Francisco to LA.
I don't mean any disrespect, I just see the potential for another acrimonious thread about the Sunset limited

No disrespect taken. I know it sounds a bit dodgy.

I need to protect the source. Be that as it may, this source should know what is going on in that region. I do not know that he/she knows for sure, but what was said sounded like it was fact, not rumor. Some points of detail.... They have hired 30+ new crew in NOL and they are being trained. There will be (or has been) job bidding for the new/revised routes. Something is definitely happening.

As for the Coast Daylight, I have less reason to trust the source as he (a PPC attendant) may not necessarily know more than we know here. He may have heard a rumor, etc.

 

[PaulM]

Preview of trip report:

• Only two trains out of the 11 were late, but no later than 30 minutes. Remarkable on-time performace for the entire trip!
  
• No equipment failures - all bathrooms worked, no bad ordered equipment, no engine failures, etc...
  
• No bad Amtrak employees. Every single Amtrak employee we came across ranged from exemplorary to just doing their job, but not being rude, inefficient, hard to find, etc... I have nothing to call Amtrak to complain about.
  

Wow! Was this a statistical fluke, like getting 11 heads in 11 tosses of a coin, or a sign that things are improving. In 10 recent LD rides I've taken, the results were almost, but not quite, as good.

I especially noticed improvement in the third category. I hope the mechanical failure rate was not a fluke.

 

[Ryan]

I think that things are improving - I was 4 for 5 on my trip being early or on time, the one 3.5 late was due mostly to weather, so I'm pretty happy.

 

[John Bredin]

I need to protect the source. Be that as it may, this source should know what is going on in that region. I do not know that he/she knows for sure, but what was said sounded like it was fact, not rumor. Some points of detail.... They have hired 30+ new crew in NOL and they are being trained. There will be (or has been) job bidding for the new/revised routes. Something is definitely happening.

Clearly, those are concrete indications that something is happening. However, that something could just as easily be the daily Sunset/SAS-NOL stub train and/or extension of the City of New Orleans to Florida. The latter in particular would be consistent with any rumors and/or evidence of restored Amtrak service to Orlando.

As to the Coast Daylight rumor, does the rumor claim it would be a State of California-sponsored train (a really long extension of a Surfliner run?) or an Amtrak system train?

 

[AAARGH!]

As to the Coast Daylight rumor, does the rumor claim it would be a State of California-sponsored train (a really long extension of a Surfliner run?) or an Amtrak system train?

Nothing was said about the funding.

 

[gswager]

As to the Coast Daylight rumor, does the rumor claim it would be a State of California-sponsored train (a really long extension of a Surfliner run?) or an Amtrak system train?

If it's a state sponsored train, I doubt that it will happen due to budget crisis. It's been on the list for years.

 

[jis]

I need to protect the source. Be that as it may, this source should know what is going on in that region. I do not know that he/she knows for sure, but what was said sounded like it was fact, not rumor. Some points of detail.... They have hired 30+ new crew in NOL and they are being trained. There will be (or has been) job bidding for the new/revised routes. Something is definitely happening.

The news about hiring is not new. It has been reported on other boards 4 to 6 weeks back in connection with the preparation for daily service west of NOL. Fortunately, once hired they could also be used east, but Congress or the states have to come up with the money for the same, which could of course happen too. And they have to build a few stations on the Sunset East route or dump passengers at convenient grade crossing for the time being. <_<

 

[mfastx]

I think this is good news. It would be great to resume ANY kind of train service to Florida, regardless if it is the SL or a stub train. I will always welcome any train service additions in the US, however I am more concerned about the SL getting daily service, now THAT would be an upgrade.

Thanks for sharing those tidbits with us, BTW.

 

[leemell]

As to the Coast Daylight rumor, does the rumor claim it would be a State of California-sponsored train (a really long extension of a Surfliner run?) or an Amtrak system train?

If it's a state sponsored train, I doubt that it will happen due to budget crisis. It's been on the list for years.

At least the detail would lead you to believe it more as the Surfliner extension into San Francisco is what has been in the plan. Just change the 799 to 99 Surfliner becomes Coast Daylight, that too is in the state plan.

 

[zephyr17]

As to the Coast Daylight rumor, does the rumor claim it would be a State of California-sponsored train (a really long extension of a Surfliner run?) or an Amtrak system train?

If it's a state sponsored train, I doubt that it will happen due to budget crisis. It's been on the list for years.

At least the detail would lead you to believe it more as the Surfliner extension into San Francisco is what has been in the plan. Just change the 799 to 99 Surfliner becomes Coast Daylight, that too is in the state plan.

Yeah, the SLO Surfliner pair 798/799 train numbers were not chose at random. Look at their departure and arrival times in LA, too. Reasonably close to SP 98/99. Somebody's a railfan in the CalTrans rail planning office...

 

[Guest]

my sources tell me its going to be a monorail.

 

[Rob_C]

California is broke, and Amtrak/Feds aren't paying for it. 799/798 have been rumor mills for years. Would be great but maybe in 10 years if things improve when California gets some new equipment which is also on hold right now.

Rob

 

[Donctor]

The news about hiring is not new. It has been reported on other boards 4 to 6 weeks back in connection with the preparation for daily service west of NOL. Fortunately, once hired they could also be used east, but Congress or the states have to come up with the money for the same, which could of course happen too. And they have to build a few stations on the Sunset East route or dump passengers at convenient grade crossing for the time being. <_<

Maybe the knowing types of crew hired would point to the answer.

And who said the grade crossings had to be convenient?

 

[Donctor]

my sources tell me its going to be a monorail.

Don't be silly.

The plan is for the passengers to climb onto the back of a dragon for a speedier trip. Everyone knows that.

 

[leemell]

California is broke, and Amtrak/Feds aren't paying for it. 799/798 have been rumor mills for years. Would be great but maybe in 10 years if things improve when California gets some new equipment which is also on hold right now.
Rob

I think there is a a difference between a rumor and having something in the master plan and having the organization in active talk about it.

 

[hippyman]

I'm back from a loooong 12 day / 11 train trip. I will post a trip report next week probably.
A few interesting tidbits.....

From a source who probably knows what he/she is saying.... The Sunset Limited will start service to Orlando starting in August. The SSL East may be back!!! Now this person is likely in the know about this and had explicit information about it, so I trust what is being said. However, during the same 12 day excursion, I heard contradictory statements from others (not necessarily in the know) about the same thing (CONO extended to FL, stub train from NOL, etc...), so this ALL may just be rumors as always. We'll see.

Another rumor... The single level consist currently being used on the Pacific Surfliner (the only single level consist on the west coast I believe) will become the Coast Daylight, running from San Francisco (not EMY) to LAX. Again rumor.

Preview of trip report:

• Only two trains out of the 11 were late, but no later than 30 minutes. Remarkable on-time performace for the entire trip!
  
• No equipment failures - all bathrooms worked, no bad ordered equipment, no engine failures, etc...
  
• No bad Amtrak employees. Every single Amtrak employee we came across ranged from exemplorary to just doing their job, but not being rude, inefficient, hard to find, etc... I have nothing to call Amtrak to complain about.
  

More when I write up the full report.

Any idea when they might have some sort of press release about this? That would make me feel a lot more at ease.

 

[Eric S]

Any idea when they might have some sort of press release about this? That would make me feel a lot more at ease.

Press release about what in particular? Daily or extended Sunset Limited?

As of now, as indicated in every thread about this subject, it is only rumor and speculation as to if or when changes may occur to the Sunset Limited. If anything official is announced, there will almost certainly be a huge burst of discussion here.

 

[AAARGH!]

Well, my source said it would start in August, so if that were true, they should announce soon I would imagine. After all, they do need to sell tickets.