Sightseer Lounge etiquette

[OmahaRoad]

Good question. I would guess that for several years, Amtrak wanted to keep their options open, to have the ability to staff it if warranted. When that apparently didn’t happen, it may have been simply that they considered it too costly to modify…

I would bet you're right! Once things like this (somewhat bespoke, detailed changes to a relatively small number of
cars) get to a certain point, I'm sure the calculus is that spending $$ to modify on something that isn't directly revenue producing (more seats for pretty views!) is clear. Not to say I wouldn't like more space!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Good question. I would guess that for several years, Amtrak wanted to keep their options open, to have the ability to staff it if warranted. When that apparently didn’t happen, it may have been simply that they considered it too costly to modify…

There were 16 years between the SL1 and SL2 orders and 29 years between the SL1 order and the first SL1 refurbishment. If three decades is not enough to figure out why an unused bar is taking up valuable lounge space then it's not an accounting issue so much as a cab-up-caboose problem.

 

[Willbridge]

The upstairs bar has been used by the volunteer guides. If it wasn't there, I'm sure that they could work something out.

It's been a surprise that it is not used for a second attendant on the Winter Park Express. A lot of sales are missed due to the line downstairs.

 

[cirdan]

I disagree. The Crew should not be permitted to take up any tables. The cars were traditionally called "lounge cars" - which meant that passengers should be permitted to lounge with or without food and drink.

The alternative would be to design the cars to have a private office where the crew can retreat to do their paperwork or have their coffee break behind a closed door.

If that happened we would probably be here now moaning over crew who disappear and cannot be found when needed and are unapproachable.

I think I prefer the present situation.

 

[Rasputin]

The alternative would be to design the cars to have a private office where the crew can retreat to do their paperwork or have their coffee break behind a closed door.

If that happened we would probably be here now moaning over crew who disappear and cannot be found when needed and are unapproachable.

I think I prefer the present situation.

Back in the day, pre-Amtrak and pre-VIA, and in the early days of those entities, it was customary for the conductor, usually accompanied by a trainman, to set up shop in a set of seats in one of the coaches and they took care of their paperwork there. The other benefit is that they tended to be always available to the passengers as opposed to today when they sometimes do a disappearing act.

I don't recall how the dining car stewards did their paperwork but I assume they did it in the dining room between meal hours.

I assume the sleeping car conductor (anyone remember them) did his paperwork in his room.

Some dining cars were exceptionally busy. I am thinking of a trip on the Southwestern Limited in 1978. I can't imagine the crew was occupying any space in that car during mealtimes.

 

[Bill Nash]

Perhaps they are using it as a location for their Wifi hot spot. Before Amtrak provided outlets most everywhere, that bar was a place to charge cell phones.

 

[trimetbusfan]

Just saw a post on the ‘Friends of California Zephyr’ Facebook page. Looks like there is an LSA staffing the upstairs bar.

 

[zephyr17]

Just saw a post on the ‘Friends of California Zephyr’ Facebook page. Looks like there is an LSA staffing the upstairs bar.

Yeah, I saw that, too.

 

[trimetbusfan]

Yeah, I saw that, too.

And according to the comments it was only staffed from CHI-GBB

 

[Devil's Advocate]

And according to the comments it was only staffed from CHI-GBB

Sometimes I wonder if Amtrak has a definable business plan or if it's just following the whims of random coin flips and dice rolls.

 

[lordsigma]

Sometimes I wonder if Amtrak has a definable business plan or if it's just following the whims of random coin flips and dice rolls.

Upon closer inspection of the comments they talked to the staff member and it sounds like it's a new happy hour pilot program that they are experimenting with on that leg of that route. The new long distance equipment is talking about having a bar in the lounge as a major concept so maybe they're trialing this out to implement it sooner.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Upon closer inspection of the comments they talked to the staff member and it sounds like it's a new happy hour pilot program that they are experimenting with on that leg of that route. The new long distance equipment is talking about having a bar in the lounge as a major concept so maybe they're trialing this out to implement it sooner.

That would be good news. I never understood why the rolling bar concept was abandoned in the first place. Everyone seems to have fond memories of the trains that had them previously. The PPC equipped Coast Starlight was my favorite train by far and I enjoyed them on every CS trip before Anderson killed them off. The only problem was ordering a single drink on the way out of LAUS only to be told that this had used up all the whiskey that was stocked for the entire trip. On the plus side the regional wines stocked on the PPC were surprisingly good back then and much better than anything I've had on US airlines.

 

[zephyr17]

On the plus side the regional wines stocked on the PPC were surprisingly good back then and much better than anything I've had on US airlines.

Brian Rosenwald was a wine aficionado and that really came from him. He made arrangements with several Napa and Santa Ynez (Paso Robles) Valley wineries.

He started up the Pacific Parlour service when it was "his" train as part of Amtrak West which was a major organizational division for awhile in the 1990s. The Starlight belonged to Amtrak West, not whatever the division handling the rest of the LD trains was called at the time. He set out to try to prove he could improve financial performance on "his" train by improving the quality of service rather than mindless cuts. He corralled an all Superliner II fleet for the Starlight when they were brand new, saved the Hi Level lounges for service as PPCs when they were being retired as a result of the Superliner IIs arrival, instituted completely independent menus on the Starlight's dining cars, and the video game cars (not one of his best brainstorms in retrospect). It was the whole "Coast Starlight Superior Service" branding plan, and it was his. The Starlight was a noticeabley different train from the other, generic Amtrak LDs at the time ( I seem to recall it even had better, fluffier bath towels). The only remnant of it now is the Starlight's logo with butler-like guy with the napkin over his arm

Of course, he was booted after Amtrak reorganized and the Amtrak West organization eliminated. He should have become Amtrak’s president.

The wine thing and PPCs held on for a surprising long time after their sponsor, Brian Rosenwald, was gone.

 

[Palmland]

It was the whole "Coast Starlight Superior Service" branding plan, and it was his.

And it really was superior service. I especially liked the special PPC menu and service and being able to sit at a table of your choosing for just the two of us and sitting across from each other.

 

[zephyr17]

Complimentary champagne flutes for the complimentary champagne

 

[crescent-zephyr]

The new long distance equipment is talking about having a bar in the lounge as a major concept so maybe they're trialing this out to implement it sooner.

This is the kinda thing that makes my head hurt... the bar is right there and they won't staff it! Why wait for new equipment - staff the ones you have. Maybe they will see this can be a good thing.

 

[railiner]

This is the kinda thing that makes my head hurt... the bar is right there and they won't staff it! Why wait for new equipment - staff the ones you have. Maybe they will see this can be a good thing.

I would agree with you, but, only if warranted by a fairly large amount of bookings on a train to support it. Some of the shortened current consists couldn’t do that, even if full…

 

[lordsigma]

This is the kinda thing that makes my head hurt... the bar is right there and they won't staff it! Why wait for new equipment - staff the ones you have. Maybe they will see this can be a good thing.

Well hopefully they’ve realized that too and that’s why they’re trying out bringing it back and hopefully it will expanded across the route and to other routes as well.

 

[Railspike]

Brian Rosenwald was a wine aficionado and that really came from him. He made arrangements with several Napa and Santa Ynez (Paso Robles) Valley wineries.

He started up the Pacific Parlour service when it was "his" train as part of Amtrak West which was a major organizational division for awhile in the 1990s. The Starlight belonged to Amtrak West, not whatever the division handling the rest of the LD trains was called at the time. He set out to try to prove he could improve financial performance on "his" train by improving the quality of service rather than mindless cuts. He corralled an all Superliner II fleet for the Starlight when they were brand new, saved the Hi Level lounges for service as PPCs when they were being retired as a result of the Superliner IIs arrival, instituted completely independent menus on the Starlight's dining cars, and the video game cars (not one of his best brainstorms in retrospect). It was the whole "Coast Starlight Superior Service" branding plan, and it was his. The Starlight was a noticeabley different train from the other, generic Amtrak LDs at the time ( I seem to recall it even had better, fluffier bath towels). The only remnant of it now is the Starlight's logo with butler-like guy with the napkin over his arm

Of course, he was booted after Amtrak reorganized and the Amtrak West organization eliminated. He should have become Amtrak’s president.

The wine thing and PPCs held on for a surprising long time after their sponsor, Brian Rosenwald, was gone.

I seem to recall the PPC had its own china (or at least a Demi cup/saucer). There were only a limited number offered for sale to the public. I bought a set and sold it before the PPCs went away.