Just took the Meteor to Florida and returned last night. They now have brand new dining cars, & they are really nice. Also a new menu which is super. Also note that Amtrak has no more time tables. They have done away with them. We were in Key West for 10 days. I will update the York countdown today.
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My wife and I will be taking it from Phila to St. Lauderdale on March 7.
Always some Amtrak EXPERT has to correct you. Very Sorry for that BIG mistake.
Also for the record on the S. W. chief from Chicago to Flagstaff last May had paper timetables. Also the Silver meteor had them last Jan.
Joe, Hope you are going 1st class. Order the delmonico steak medium rare.
eddie g posted:Joe, Hope you are going 1st class. Order the delmonico steak medium rare.
We are. My wife and I each have a roomette. I go to bed at 9:30 and get up at 5:30. She goes to bed at 2 am and gets up at 10. Also, I don't feel like getting up and down from the top bunk. This also gives us some space for luggage. We are flying home.
I have spent some computer time viewing the live feed from the Ashland, VA station. If the train is on time we will be passing it around 9:15 pm. I'd like to see that from INSIDE the train.
eddie g posted:Just took the Meteor to Florida and returned last night. They now have brand new dining cars, & they are really nice. Also a new menu which is super. Also note that Amtrak has no more time tables. They have done away with them. We were in Key West for 10 days. I will update the York countdown today.
Most likely you were in one of the new Viewliner Dining Cars. I was fortunate enough to eat in one of them (8400 Indianapolis) on a trip during Thanksgiving week 2016 when they had started running in revenue service.
And what is it going to take to get Amtrak to put a dinner back on the Silver Star? Trips of over a day with only one cafe car with food that would shame your neighborhood fast food outlet.
Scotie posted:And what is it going to take to get Amtrak to put a dinner back on the Silver Star? Trips of over a day with only one cafe car with food that would shame your neighborhood fast food outlet.
Amtrak just retired the Pacific Parlour Cars to much public outrage. It seems they won't stop cutting costs, more than likely they're in the hole more than we know.
645 posted:GenesisFan99 posted:Scotie posted:And what is it going to take to get Amtrak to put a dinner back on the Silver Star? Trips of over a day with only one cafe car with food that would shame your neighborhood fast food outlet.
Amtrak just retired the Pacific Parlour Cars to much public outrage. It seems they won't stop cutting costs, more than likely they're in the hole more than we know.
Well, those Hilevels are not getting any younger and parts availability also comes into play. It is amazing they have lasted this long really!
Do you or anyone you know still use a 1955 Chevy or Ford as a daily driver to this day? What would it take to keep such a car going? Rebuild and/or replace driveline, repair or replace sheet metal, keep interior up to snuff, etc. Yes, it can be restored but also sort of pointless after a while to do a full restoration then drive it year round including winters on salted roads. In Amtrak's case they don't have a choice to keep rebuilding stuff.
Amfleet I stock is still going strong thanks to Budd's use of stainless steel and being built in large numbers - 492 cars to be exact. So you get economies of scale when rebuilding/upgrading them as opposed to the six Pacific Parlour cars just removed from service due to high cost to continue maintaining same.
It's not a new story here - Amtrak does not get the proper funding for needed new equipment. It;'s all they can do to maintain service on the existing network let alone add more frequency on corridors and/or add new routes given constraints of available serviceable equipment.
And lest Eddie G thinks I'm an Amtrak AH EXPERT all I did was do a Google search for information:
Oh I know it made no sense to keep the Parlour Cars around, just an example of cutting costs and that happened to be one that is currently relevant. There are many others of course such as no more newspapers in roomettes. That used to be really nice.
And slight correction-there were actually only 5 Parlour Cars in service. #39971 was in the worst shape of all 6 Hi-Level "Top of the Cap" Lounges, so it was stored at Beech Grove and eventually sold into private ownership, around the time Amtrak was really starting to shed Heritage equipment. I believe this was in late 2000/early 2001. #39970 and #39972-39975 were rebuilt in 1995 for Parlour Car service with the intent of only having 4 on the road at a time and having one car on standby. Essentially makes both of our points even more valid.
I would pay a lot extra to ride in a observation car. Better yet, one with a platform you could sit on, all the way to Florida. An alternative would be a camera mounted on the engine front, with a live feed going to large screen TVs. The only draw-back to that is seeing the freight you are about to plow into.
My wife and I took the Silver Meteor to Fort Lauderdale 6 days ago (still here). It was a great trip, in part because we each had our own roomette. The red caps in Philadelphia were very helpful, and we waited in a private area (with free refreshments). Our red cap took us down in a elevator to our platform location. He and our porter took our bags to our rooms. Having 2 roomettes meant I did not have to climb into a top bunk, we had room for a suitcase in each room, and we each had our own toilet and sink. The porter kept asking if we needed anything. The dining car was beautiful, and the 3 meals (included) were very good. We never had to wait for a table. The trip was pleasant, although sleeping with the bumps and turns was not easy (even though the "bed" was comfortable). We arrived about 45 minutes late due to letting at least one freight pass. Although we are flying home next week, we will probably take the train again next year.
Joe Hohmann posted:I would pay a lot extra to ride in a observation car. Better yet, one with a platform you could sit on, all the way to Florida. An alternative would be a camera mounted on the engine front, with a live feed going to large screen TVs. The only draw-back to that is seeing the freight you are about to plow into.
You can enjoy the benefit of riding in an Amtrak sightseer lounge to Florida from Lorton, VA. Its on the Autotrain.
Eddie, Please give us an idea of what the new "Flexible Dining" looks/tastes like when you take the Meteor to Florida this month. Have they converted the previous dining car for this? Do you "order" the food, or is it cafeteria-style? Amtrak said this was for sleeping car passengers only. Are coach passengers physically kept out? (Not sure how they could do this and still have sleeper passengers be able to use the cafe car). Have a good trip.
Joe, I will let you know the whole story as soon as I return. Ed
Joe Hohmann posted:I would pay a lot extra to ride in a observation car. Better yet, one with a platform you could sit on, all the way to Florida. An alternative would be a camera mounted on the engine front, with a live feed going to large screen TVs. The only draw-back to that is seeing the freight you are about to plow into.
Amtrak actually had this on some routes in the 1970s. They had to discontinue it due to the frequency of grade crossing close calls or occasionally an impact.
Will be taking the Meteor this trip to FL rather than the Silver Star as that train still hasn't gotten the "new dinning experience" added yet. Web site says May 1. I'm looking forward to Eddie's report on what it's like after his trip this month.
Scotie posted:Will be taking the Meteor this trip to FL rather than the Silver Star as that train still hasn't gotten the "new dinning experience" added yet. Web site says May 1. I'm looking forward to Eddie's report on what it's like after his trip this month.
Funny, on 3/4, I'll be taking the Star rather than my usual Meteor. I know it's 4 hours longer, but I'm usually twiddling my thumbs waiting for the 4:54 Philadelphia departure. I may as well get on the Star at 12:35. Another reason is daylight, which only lasts until Baltimore on the Meteor. I'm missing most of Virginia's scenery. Also, I get to see new parts of Florida (Orlando to Tampa and back). And IF the train is on time, I arrive in Ft. Lauderdale 25 minutes sooner than the Meteor.
I'll report on this "switch" after I return on AA flight 1825. 
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