SWC - Meals and connections

[TouchToneTommy]

Hi all!

Been reading the forum for a while, first post.

We will be taking the SWC at the end of October from LAX to CHI. Originating at Paso Robles (PRB), bus 4784 to Santa Barbara (SBA) where we will take the Surfliner 784 to LAX.

4784 is scheduled to arrive at SBA at 1:45pm, but is usually 20 to 30 minutes early (except for yesterday, the 6th, when it was 20 minutes late, 2:05pm) 784 leaves SBA at 2:00pm, but looks like it was held for the connection until 2:09.

784 is scheduled to arrive at LAX at 4:55, and is usually pretty much on time, but again on 7/31 it arrived 85 minutes late, at 6:24pm.

And the SWC leaves LAX at 6:45pm

Are we pushing our luck? Is the Surfliner 784 held if bus 4784 is delayed? Is that enough time at LAX to get on board the SWC?

And, finally, we are in a roomette, is dinner served out of LAX when departing, or should we pack a lunch for the 1st night?

Thanks!!

 

[RTOlson]

Good to see you on the boards.

I can tell you that departing buses have to wait for late trains to arrive, but trains almost never have to wait for late buses to arrive.

Good luck with your trip.

 

[AlanB]

What you've booked is a guaranteed connection to the SW Chief. So if something goes wrong, it is Amtrak's obligation to get you to the SW Chief or put you up overnight in a hotel and get you on the next day's SWC. So I wouldn't worry too much.

And yes, if 784 is running late they'll hold the SWC for perhaps as long as 30 minutes to allow passengers to connect. If something is wrong and you are late on 784, seek out a conductor and let them know that you do have connecting tickets to the SWC. That way they can not only find out what's being done for you to allow a connection, but they can also tell you what track to go to as soon as you do arrive into LA.

And yes, there will be dinner served out of LA, so no need to buy something ahead of time.

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Thanks for the info!!

 

[BlueJeanGirl]

Welcome aboard!

Again, your guaranteed connections pretty well assure you will get onto your connecting train(s) with few issues. I've worked 784 and had to wait for a bus or two to arrive (there's about a 12-minute window for that particular train to play with, to make a good meet with 769 at Seacliff.) Depending on the number of passengers and their connections, 4 may or may not hold for late buses or trains, but you will be accommodated either by a hotel or bus bridge (depends on the circumstances, I'm not entirely certain what the parameters are.)

The day 784 ar LAX 6.24p, keep in mind that passengers *and checked baggage* had to make the connection. True, the bag crews are generally waiting trainside to do bags, and I've seen them empty an entire baggage car in less than 10 minutes, but even 20 minutes is plenty of time. If you're worried, consider taking advantage of Red Cap service between platforms.

You will be offered a meal on departure from LAX. Remember that your Surfliner from SBA-LAX will have a stocked cafe car, with sandwiches and snacks, salads, candies and cookies, and beverages of all types. The Surfliner LSAs (cafe car attendants) are a wonderful lot!

Something to keep in mind: 784 is a primary mode of transportation for college students from UCSB. I don't want to worry you, but last Halloween we had a considerably higher number of college kids on Halloween night, and more than half of them were dressed in costume, on their way to SAN for the parties at SDSU (I heard from our sister train that day, 785 was SRO with costumed partiers headed up to UCSB...go figure!)

You'll be looking at 10.30 and 10.31 as the dates this year, Friday and Saturday night.

Enjoy! This forum is a veritable plethora of wonderful information.

Travel light!

~BJG

:::who likely won't be on 784 while you travel, but do say hi to your conductors anyway :lol: :::

Hi all!
Been reading the forum for a while, first post.

We will be taking the SWC at the end of October from LAX to CHI. Originating at Paso Robles (PRB), bus 4784 to Santa Barbara (SBA) where we will take the Surfliner 784 to LAX.

4784 is scheduled to arrive at SBA at 1:45pm, but is usually 20 to 30 minutes early (except for yesterday, the 6th, when it was 20 minutes late, 2:05pm) 784 leaves SBA at 2:00pm, but looks like it was held for the connection until 2:09.

784 is scheduled to arrive at LAX at 4:55, and is usually pretty much on time, but again on 7/31 it arrived 85 minutes late, at 6:24pm.

And the SWC leaves LAX at 6:45pm

Are we pushing our luck? Is the Surfliner 784 held if bus 4784 is delayed? Is that enough time at LAX to get on board the SWC?

And, finally, we are in a roomette, is dinner served out of LAX when departing, or should we pack a lunch for the 1st night?

Thanks!!

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Thanks for that!! We will be leaving on Wednesday the 28th, so we'll be spending Halloween in Chicago. Returning the following week on the California Zepher, so we're pretty excited!

I've been obsessing looking at the arrival and departures, but it looks like everything works out. This forum is great, and you have been very reassuring!

 

[Neil_M]

April last year I was waiting for 784 at Santa Barbara to connect with the SWC in LA and it was ages late due to a fatality north of Santa B.

There was 4 of us connecting with the SWC, so they arranged road transport to LA......

http://50031.fotopic.net/p50015632.html

Better than some scabby old bus! We made the SWC with ease as well, took about 2 hours by road.

 

[Bob Dylan]

April last year I was waiting for 784 at Santa Barbara to connect with the SWC in LA and it was ages late due to a fatality north of Santa B.There was 4 of us connecting with the SWC, so they arranged road transport to LA......

http://50031.fotopic.net/p50015632.html

Better than some scabby old bus! We made the SWC with ease as well, took about 2 hours by road.

Love the Name on the limo!Shouldnt it be "Highball by Night"?The traveler,wherever he is right now might not

like this name! :lol: Great way to get to the station!!!