Amtrak Auto Train Discussion

Mr. Lord, I think it safe assumption such is their marketing plan.

If they don't want to have Senator Blowhard breathing at them, you best not sell something for $537 for which someone else is willing to pay $1512.

That someone is simply not me.

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 07, 2021 3:15 pm Interestingly the 1/29 doesn't appear to be a blackout date as the $129 roomettes and $29 coach are showing - I'm wondering if the inventory of discounted rooms is limited and once they hit a certain ceiling boom no dice.

I found $29 coach, $198 room, $208 car. Friday June 10, I think, the fourth random date I tried, southbound.

I need to be booking an Auto Train trip soon for my annual Florida trip - sadly it's out beyond the time of the sale (next October.)

"auto and me in a Bedroom": no wonder it was expensive. That would be a huge bedroom.

Are they using V-I's or V-II's on the AT?

Jeff Smith wrote: ↑Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:03 pm Are they using V-I's or V-II's on the AT?

Superliners, for years...

It will be interesting to follow the trains today with the bad weather in Washington.

Southbound is posting at the moment (8pm eastern) an 11 pm departure, arriving 2:45pm tomorrow. That will surely back up check in at Sanford, with a big offload and smaller onload. I wonder how they handle two trainloads at the station in Sanford.

Northbound is posted for a late arrival after 2PM in Lorton, so similar problem, but big onload and small offload.

In forty years we have twice been stranded on an Amtrak train in Virginia with foot high snow.

That, and a lot of fallen trees. 6.5" up near BWI Airport.

The Sunday northbound got stuck shy of Lorton with a tree under it. Not sure when it eventually got in, but I suspect there was no food for 12 hours. The Monday southbound was eventually cancelled, and that meant today's northbound also cancelled. Today's southbound is listed as on schedule.

At 4 pm the Monday northbound was still held in Petersburg, with two other trains, and another two just north of Richmond. Not sure what happened to the regular trains held in Lynchburg.

Lots of delays. Amtrak is a mess, and given several stranded trains that made the news (although it's been overtaken around DC with a major highway...um...parking lot in Virginia)... glad I'm not going anywhere on anything.

NBC News reports that from Mile 110 (Caroline County) on I-95 to 152 (Prince William), I-95 was at a standstill for twelve some hours. Those motorists did not have food beyond a volunteer effort to pass out sandwiches and water and that many had run out of gas and no longer had heat.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ca ... -rcna10840

Wow. So the northbound train expecting to get in at 9am this morning moved to just north of Richmond and is stopped.

The southbound train, listed on time, is stopped in Fredericksburg but should be hundreds of miles south by now.

Southbound 53's running 4h45m late through Georgia.
Northbound 52 was canceled yesterday.

Northbound Autotrain on Thursday April 14 was 100% sold out, with 4 coach cars, one cross country lounge car, 9 sleeper cars, one lounge car, one dining car and over 500 passengers. Masks required except in the sleeper rooms

Icemakers are back in service in the sleepers but not coffee.

Sleeper meal service was all in-cabin. Breakfast was grab and go, but interestingly they had added a sausage/egg/cheese bialy combo. Coffee as bad as always.

zuluwarrior wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 4:42 pm Northbound Autotrain on Thursday April 14 was 100% sold out, with 4 coach cars, one cross country lounge car, 9 sleeper cars, one lounge car, one dining car and over 500 passengers. Masks required except in the sleeper rooms

Icemakers are back in service in the sleepers but not coffee.

Sleeper meal service was all in-cabin. Breakfast was grab and go, but interestingly they had added a sausage/egg/cheese bialy combo. Coffee as bad as always.

With 9 Superliner sleepers I suspect the mask mandates will need to end and mandatory communal dining able to return before they can consider table service again for dinner. Probably too hard to try to manage table service with that many sleepers when you can’t make parties eat together.