Train Consist

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Bill Needles

Guest
How do I find out the current consist of a specific train, ie: the Texas Eagle which wrecked last week. There is a report that it now consist of a single Superliner sleeper car and the rest single level coaches with no diner. I am traveling it in 5 days for a long distance and want to find out...thanks, Bill
 
That report is most definitely incorrect. The derailed Eagle had the following consist:

P-42 54

Trans Dorm 39008

Diner 38030

Coach 34032

Coach Baggage 31026

Coach 34097

Sleeper 32057

The Consist looks about normal to me except for the absence of the Sightseer Lounge. I never heard of them losing the Lounge as the Sunset did, but either they did or it was blanked on this trip. Anyone know which is the case?
 
The Texas Eagle is currently operating with no Sightseer Lounge (just as the Sunset is).

In fact, shortly after Katrina hit, Amtrak tried to operate it all as one train (on days the Sunset Limited was to run, only trains 421 and 422 would operate, and they would run all the way through CHI-LAX with no switching), but Amtrak cancelled this plan due to unspecified operational difficulties.

Now, I'm not entirely sure why the train is operating with no lounge, but in any event, that's how it's running.
 
I think that you guys sort of missed the point here.

The original poster, Bill, is more concerned with what type of equipment he's going to see when he takes his trip next week. He wasn't so much concerned with what went on the ground, but rather the fact that one story has the Eagle operating northbound the day after the derailment, with only one Superliner Sleeper, and the rest of the consist comprised of Amfleet equipement.

To that end, Bill, there is no way for the average person to find out the actual car numbers for a train, before it departs the originating station. In part, becuase many times there is a last minute substitution for bad ordered equipment.

That said, I've heard nothing that suggests that the Eagle will be running single level equipment. Your train should be all Superliner cars. There is no way to know for sure that there will be a dining car, but I think that Amtrak has enough spares to replace the one damaged in the crash.
 
AlanB said:
I think that you guys sort of missed the point here.
The original poster, Bill, is more concerned with what type of equipment he's going to see when he takes his trip next week. He wasn't so much concerned with what went on the ground, but rather the fact that one story has the Eagle operating northbound the day after the derailment, with only one Superliner Sleeper, and the rest of the consist comprised of Amfleet equipement.
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I'd forgotten about that Alan. It was actually Horizon equipment headed back to Chicago from the Rita evacuation. It was supposed to deadhead back as part of the Eagle, but thanks to the derailment it ran as revenue equipment (good timing I guess). So it was a one time fluke that just happened to work out right.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Sorry to hear we will not have a Sightseerer lounge on the first leg of our trip but hopefully will have one on the Capital Limited...Bill
 
battalion51 said:
The Consist looks about normal to me except for the absence of the Sightseer Lounge. I never heard of them losing the Lounge as the Sunset did, but either they did or it was blanked on this trip. Anyone know which is the case?
Click to expand...
>> Info from Amtrak as of today.....

After further research, we have found that the observation cars indeed have been removed from the Texas Eagle until further notice.

Amtrak has made this decision due to shortage of equipment on other trains, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Sincerely,

Dorit

Amtrak Customer Service

>>THEN, after I asked when it might return:

Thank you for contacting us.

Unfortunately, we do not know when the observation car will be returned to the Texas Eagle.

Sincerely,

Yola

Amtrak Customer Service
 
I'm on the Texas Eagel about twice per month on average these days, and I've not seen a Sightseer car on the Texas Eagle since July. The snack bar is usually on the bottom level of one of the coach cars.
 
That is disappointing as the Texas Eagle is the longest of our three routes...oh well, at least it still has a diner and they won't serve me a box lunch...I guess I need to call and get a new car assignment since it wrecked last week and I assume they replaced all the derailed cars with spares? Bill
 
Bill Needles said:
I guess I need to call and get a new car assignment since it wrecked last week and I assume they replaced all the derailed cars with spares?   Bill
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No, Bill, your car number will remain the same. That number on your ticket is not the actual inventory car #. It's simply a number assigned to a sleeping car, any available car, for that train on that day. When that car reaches Chicago, it will then make a run on the City of New Orleans, and the number will change for that run.
 
AlanB said:
Bill Needles said:
I guess I need to call and get a new car assignment since it wrecked last week and I assume they replaced all the derailed cars with spares?   Bill
Click to expand...
No, Bill, your car number will remain the same. That number on your ticket is not the actual inventory car #. It's simply a number assigned to a sleeping car, any available car, for that train on that day. When that car reaches Chicago, it will then make a run on the City of New Orleans, and the number will change for that run.
Click to expand...
Few nit picks. "Inventory" refers to reservations, so that is what the ticket is for (but otherwise the message is generally correct, in that the ticket does not refer to any specific equipment number/fleet number, but rather a line/space, which could be protected by any compatible equipment in the fleet).

Also, the City of New Orleans-Texas Eagle run-through has been suspended for the time being (in fact, the City is running with a lounge but no diner). The reason is that the equipment for the City/Eagle was based out of New Orleans (for maintenance purposes). Even with trains returning to NOL later this week, I don't know if Amtrak will reopen the maintenance base right away. I'm under the impression that, for the moment, the Eagle's equipment is based in Chicago, thus no run through.

As always, this is subject to change on the whims of anyone that is so inclined to do so.
 

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