Number of Train Sets Used for Each Long Distance Train?

Does anyone know the number of train sets that are used on each of the long distance trains? I would like to know if Amtrak could be using their equipment more wisely to have a better LD network.

#1-2 - 3
#3-4 - 5
#5-6 - 6
#7-8 - 6
#11-14 - 4
#19-20 - 4
#21-22 - 3
#27-28 - 6
#29-30 - 3
#48-49 - 3
#50-51 - 2
#52-53 - 2
#58-59 - 3
#79-80 - 2
#89-90 - 2
#91-92 -4
#97-98 -4
#421-422 - 3
#448-449 - 3

Thank you. The reason I asked is because I've proposed three changes to long distance consists that would resolve the lack-of-equipment issue in implementing some of the long-time low-hanging fruit in long distance route improvements by using some of the new Viewliners combined with equipment that will be freed up when the new Midwest/California rolling stock is delivered, and by moving Superliners to routes where they're usage would make more sense.

The first change would be to make a third train set for the Cardinal so that train can go daily.

The second change would be converting the Capitol Limited to a single-level train and moving those Superliners to the Sunset Limited so that train can go daily as well.

The third change would be privatizing the Auto-Train to a vendor with their own passenger equipment, with Amtrak selling the auto racks currently used on that train to the new operator, so those Superliners can be freed up for long distance Superliner route expansion, like a revived Pioneer and/or Desert Wind.

Of course, infrastructure upgrades would still be needed to implement any of these changes. But equipment availability has ALWAYS been the biggest barrier to Amtrak expansion, and one of the most costly and time-consuming barriers to resolve.

Good luck convincing the railroads to up the frequencies on the Cardinal and Sunset.

Interesting. I've put this in a spreadsheet, and that gives us some quick statistics



Our champion train for utilization would appear to be the Zephyr, which if on schedule is on the move 86% of the time (not counting set-out cars are protect consists) and puts on 354,973 train miles per train per year

Our worst performers are the Capitol Ltd, which is in service only 49% of the time, and the Cardinal, which only puts on 178,776 train miles per year per train

Great chart (though not clear to me what all the columns mean).

What's depressing is the overall speed of most of those trains. Certainly would be nice if Amtrak could work to increase that.
Something like the LSL should be averaging over 50mph at least.

That is some serious analysis indeed.

bdawe wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 9:42 am Interesting. I've put this in a spreadsheet, and that gives us some quick statistics



Our champion train for utilization would appear to be the Zephyr, which if on schedule is on the move 86% of the time (not counting set-out cars are protect consists) and puts on 354,973 train miles per train per year

Our worst performers are the Capitol Ltd, which is in service only 49% of the time, and the Cardinal, which only puts on 178,776 train miles per year per train

Keep in mind that we're looking at this on route-by-route basis, and that's a very oversimplified method. Some trains do/did make turns. The 29 turned to 3 for a few years, and 58 is known to turn into 22, both at Chicago. Sometimes there just isn't a faster turn to make, so equipment has to sit a bit. The 371 is known to catch whatever spare something is laying around. The consists are often switched out and things like 90-day inspections are done at those times.

Overall it may look like 29/30 are laggards but they may be the structural looseness necessary to get a fleet of that size through the shops properly. It's no secret that Amtrak's locomotive utilization rates are very high for the industry, especially off-corridor, so maybe their car utilization is, too.

Also the chart (which is really interesting to look over) might be more useful if the mountainous segments are accounted for. The Rockies, Cascades, Sierras, and Appalachians present an obstacle that will never allow for much over 40-50 tops, which destroys the average. If those segments were accounted for, we could really see where the flat-land ooopsies are happening.

Not to take a thing away from the conscientious work Mr. Dawe has shared with the Forum, I must wonder if he holds a sixth sense that both The Canadian and the Ocean are "done for".

In short, if he chooses to ride any kind of LD train on this continent. he need venture "below the 49th" to do so.

When an Amtrak train takes 52 minutes to go 35 miles and is scheduled for 57 minutes there is a major problem. That is an example of the Crescent Slidell - New Orleans schedule and time to complete. Get rid of the slow sections and average speed will increase.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 6:59 pm Not to take a thing away from the conscientious work Mr. Dawe has shared with the Forum, I must wonder if he holds a sixth sense that both The Canadian and the Ocean are "done for".

In short, if he chooses to ride any kind of LD train on this continent. he need venture "below the 49th" to do so.

I've never gotten that impression, though I am by no means tuned into Via Rail.
There's no hew and cry to get rid of subsidy-hog Via services. No one has ever stood up in a party leader's debate to say we have to kill VIA or beloved children's television giant bird costume. There's no "micascope" complaining about this or that extravagance in parliament. When VIA was reduced down to the size where it could be drowned in a bathtub in the aftermath of the sequence of Trudeau the Elder cuts, the Mulroney Cuts, and the Chretien Cuts, it really ceased to be a big enough entity for anyone to really want to bother doing so. Instead it's in a state of fairly steady decay. Three days a week is now two. Some remote trackage rotted below passenger safety standards and another rural route is embargoed. But The Canadian and The Ocean are probably safe as long as VIA exists for the same reason Amtrak LD's are safe - it's not that much money in the long term and makes an otherwise highly regional-concentrated national railroad program seem vaguely fair. West because it's a major mainline that CN isn't going to let rust out, and they can't really complain about the 95-hour First-World-War level schedule degradation, and East because it's a disproportionately noisy constituency out yonder and they've already demonstrated willingness to bailout the very-not-busy Intercolonial Railway route form going the way of the Chaleur or the Malahat

west point wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:12 pm When an Amtrak train takes 52 minutes to go 35 miles and is scheduled for 57 minutes there is a major problem. That is an example of the Crescent Slidell - New Orleans schedule and time to complete. Get rid of the slow sections and average speed will increase.

This stretch requires crossing Lake Ponchartrain (?) on a very suspect single track bridge (at slow speed), and a back-up move (19 only) into the New Orleans terminal.

bdawe wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 9:42 am Interesting. I've put this in a spreadsheet, and that gives us some quick statistics



Our champion train for utilization would appear to be the Zephyr, which if on schedule is on the move 86% of the time (not counting set-out cars are protect consists) and puts on 354,973 train miles per train per year

Our worst performers are the Capitol Ltd, which is in service only 49% of the time, and the Cardinal, which only puts on 178,776 train miles per year per train

5/6 requires 6 sets of equipment, not 5. These sets spend overnight at each terminal, plus 2 nights on the road in each direction. Check the schedules; you will see that same day turns are not possible at either end.

Also note that (seasonally) 48 turns to 19 and 20 turns to 49. This allows for each set to "thaw out" in a warmer climate.

Mr. Laubenheimer, the reporting error within Mr. Dawe's graphics regarding sets for #5-6 is mine.

I originally reported five sets were required, but after a review of the post as submitted, I recognized the need for six, and edited the post accordingly.

The error is.mine; please accept my apologies for such.

John Laubenheimer wrote: ↑Wed May 20, 2020 1:03 am

west point wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 7:12 pm When an Amtrak train takes 52 minutes to go 35 miles and is scheduled for 57 minutes there is a major problem. That is an example of the Crescent Slidell - New Orleans schedule and time to complete. Get rid of the slow sections and average speed will increase.

This stretch requires crossing Lake Ponchartrain (?) on a very suspect single track bridge (at slow speed), and a back-up move (19 only) into the New Orleans terminal.

As a local, please allow me to interject here. That is the end of the run and we see lots of padding, just like many long distance trains. They're frequently late anyway. There is also the causeway to deal with. The backup move is optional. The train can proceed right into the station. The NS connection to NOUPT is a straight shot. If they decide to back in, it's because the train was wyed first on Amtrak property. I would assume the wye-first move is preferred if the train is early, so as not to require an extra yard movement.

Here is the Louisiana track map, NOLA is at bottom left.
http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/ ... _color.pdf