Newbie Question re: Silvers Consist

[Porter20]

After wearing out the search function on this forum, I swear I read that at some point during the colder months the Silvers move their sleeper cars & baggage car from the front of the line to the back of the line. Today I watched the Silver Star cruise through Lakeland FL today with the sleepers at the front.

My questions are:

1) do they still do this?

2) if so when?

3) and finally, why?

Many Thanks!

 

[Trogdor]

During the winter, to enable equipment run throughs with the Lake Shore, which allows that train's equipment to thaw out.

 

[Guest]

When the Sleepers and Diner is the back. Do they move long-distance passengers in coach towards back(infront of the Lounge) or keep them in front(behind the engine)?

 

[the_traveler]

When the sleepers are on the front, the coaches AE on the rear. Wen the sleepers are on the rear, the coaches are on the front. The Dining Car is always next to the sleepers.

 

[Guest]

Yeah,...but do they change where they put the long-distance passengers? Like when sleepers and diner are in the front, the long-distance pass, normanly go in the first coach in consist. Does this change when the sleepers/ diner are on rear?

 

[the_traveler]

Yes, if the coaches are on the rear, ALL the coaches are on the rear of the train. So ALL the coach passengers are in the cars on the rear of the train!

 

[PRR 60]

Yes, if the coaches are on the rear, ALL the coaches are on the rear of the train. So ALL the coach passengers are in the cars on the rear of the train!

You did not understand the question.

When the coaches are in front of the consist, the guest's experience is that the first coach is used for passengers traveling longer distances and the others are for those traveling shorter distances. His question is, when the coaches are on the rear of the train, which of the coaches is used for passengers traveling longer distances? I have no idea.

 

[the_traveler]

When the coaches are in front of the consist, the guest's experience is that the first coach is used for passengers traveling longer distances and the others are for those traveling shorter distances.

i did not realize this, as I don't travel coach on that route. I don't know either, but I do know that all the coaches will be on the rear of the train if the sleepers are on the front.

 

[jis]

Mind you this is just a guess, but my guess is that when coaches are in the rear it is the rearmost coach that would have the longest distance passengers. My reasoning for this guess is as follows....

The Conductors generally hang out in the Cafe/lounge, and they like to open the doors closer to that car. Hence they prefer to keep the shorter distance passengers closer to them, so that they don't have to walk further to open doors for them at each stop. So in general short dfistance passengers will tend to be in cars that are closer to the Cafe/lounge car.

 

[Porter20]

Mind you this is just a guess, but my guess is that when coaches are in the rear it is the rearmost coach that would have the longest distance passengers. My reasoning for this guess is as follows....

The Conductors generally hang out in the Cafe/lounge, and they like to open the doors closer to that car. Hence they prefer to keep the shorter distance passengers closer to them, so that they don;t have to walk further to open doors for them at each stop. So in general short dfistance passengers will tend to be in cars that are closer to the Cafe/lounge car.

While that may only be a guess, that is an extremely well thought out & plausible response. And it makes perfect sense to me!!

 

[Notelvis]

I like the plausible response as to where the coach passengers are seated as well. To that I would add that the loading plan for where the coach passengers go is generally at the discretion of the conductors at the trains' point of origin.

The sleepers - The Crescent also moves the sleepers to the rear during the colder months...... at least they did last winter. I rode the train a week or so before Thanksgiving last year and the sleepers were still on the front at that point. When I next rode the train in early March 2012 the sleepers were on the rear BUT the car attendant told me that the sleepers would be moving back to the front within another week or so as the weather was getting warmer.

It is a weather related decision...... made in part because the 30-year old Amfleet cars (built by Budd) have proven to be pretty darned sturdy whereas the original Viewliners have not held up as well. Putting the sturdier cars at the front of the consist seems to 'clear a path' for the more delicate Viewliners.

For the record, when watching a train with Viewliners, I prefer to see the sleepers up front...... when riding I get a better night's sleep when the Viewliners are on the rear.

 

[Trogdor]

It is a weather related decision...... made in part because the 30-year old Amfleet cars (built by Budd) have proven to be pretty darned sturdy whereas the original Viewliners have not held up as well. Putting the sturdier cars at the front of the consist seems to 'clear a path' for the more delicate Viewliners.

Nothing like that at all ("clearing a path" ... whatever that means).

As I mentioned in the first reply, the reason is to make the consists compatible with the Lake Shore (New York section), which has its sleepers on the rear.

This enables the Lake Shore's cars to be rotated through to a train to the south (usually the Silver Star) without having to switch cars around in New York during freezing cold winter weather.

The other trains (Silver Meteor & Crescent) then have their sleepers moved to the rear to maintain the equipment in the proper order in case consists or individual cars have to swap with each other. This is important because the Amfleet IIs and Viewliners only have vestibules and doors at one end, so consists are specifically assembled to ensure a vestible/exit at each coupling. If the consists were in different orders, then the cars would face different directions, which would make car swapping more difficult and require more switching, which is exactly what Amtrak is attempting to avoid during the freezing winter months.

 

[Ryan]

It is a weather related decision...... made in part because the 30-year old Amfleet cars (built by Budd) have proven to be pretty darned sturdy whereas the original Viewliners have not held up as well. Putting the sturdier cars at the front of the consist seems to 'clear a path' for the more delicate Viewliners.

Nothing like that at all ("clearing a path" ... whatever that means).

I'm curious what Notelvis things an Amfleet would clear out of the way that hasn't already been brushed aside by the Big Freaking Locomotive on the front of the train (or the other BFL right behind the first)

 

[Porter20]

The sleepers - The Crescent also moves the sleepers to the rear during the colder months...... at least they did last winter. I rode the train a week or so before Thanksgiving last year and the sleepers were still on the front at that point. When I next rode the train in early March 2012 the sleepers were on the rear BUT the car attendant told me that the sleepers would be moving back to the front within another week or so as the weather was getting warmer.

For the record, when watching a train with Viewliners, I prefer to see the sleepers up front...... when riding I get a better night's sleep when the Viewliners are on the rear.

Thanks for your response. We are traveling next week for Thanksgiving; I also think I would travel better with the sleepers in the rear. I'm a light sleeper & the horn wakes me from time to time. I'm bringing earplugs to see if it helps - but I was hoping they would already be switched. Looks like I will be a week or two too early.

 

[Carolyn Jane]

For what it's worth, I lurk and stalk the Silver Meteor most nights when it passes through Walthourville, GA (just up the road from Jesup stop). I have never seen the sleepers on the rear. Occasionally it will look funny, with an extra sleeper or two between the engines and the baggage car, but I assume those are dead-heading. And then there was Monday night...Train was 2-1/2 hours late, and a car short. Usually a baggage car and nine others. This time it was baggage and eight others...and the last two were a sleeper and another baggage car...Which means it lost three coaches somewhere...CJ