Amtrak Capitol Limited Thread

[ToledoRailFan]

There are usually 1 or 2 outlets per car for housekeeping to use when cleaning... they are hard to find, however.

I haven't taken another SuperLiner trip since I have started riding the NEC with some regularity... I tend to think that the lack of outlets would be bothersome to me. I have GPS in my phone, and I like to plug it in and use the power hungery GPS to see where I am (it helps in getting prepared to deboard the train early).

[quadrock]

I did find one outlet but it was so tight against the seat it was next to that it was impossible to use. I'm guessing they probably remove that seat when using it.

Are there any plans for an outlet program for Superliners like there was with Amfleets?

[AlanB]

So none of the coach Superliners have outlets, correct?

Also, I read previosly about Superliner I and Superliner II cars? Do these refer only to sleepers...as in are all coach class Superliners Superliner Is?

Thanks.

No, there are a few Superliner coaches that have outlets at every seat, but they are few and far between. Your odds of getting one are not good, unless you are a very frequent rider. I'm not sure how many have been retrofitted, but I don't think that it's more than 2 dozen, if that.

And there are both Superliner I coaches and Superliner II coaches, 129 and 36 respectively.

[gprimr1]

I think with Amtrak's growing popularity, this is a chance to really change this. This outlet thing could really boost Amtrak's popularity, especially in certain demographics (professionals able to use cell phones and computers, parents never worrying about dvd players dying, laptops that never die).

[jp1822]

Reading this about the Capitol Limited got me thinking about Amtrak's "proposed" purchase of new equipment. I bet there may be plans to revert the Capitol Limited back to a single level trainset - since Amtrak hopes to procure new slngle level sleepers, diners, and baggage cars. Yes the new sleepers would augment the current system of single level sleepers, but if the Capitol Limited reverted back to a single level train set, it would also free up Superliner Sleepers and Superliner Trans/Dorm sleepers. The only thing missing in such a conversion would be fiding Amfleet II coaches and an Amfleet Lounge/Cafe. However, again, the Capitol Limited would suffer, like the rest of the eastern single level long distance trains from offering a descent cafe/lounge car (i.e. the equivalent of the Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car). This could also tie in the transfer of "through cars" between the Pennsylvanian from Pittsburgh/Chicago, even though such could be done now if Amtrak was inclined to do so. But knowing both would be a single level train sets would perhaps make things more "obvious." I personally would hate to see the Capitol Limited revert back to a single level train set. However, the Capitol Limited was converted to a Superliner train set due to the receipt of Superliner II equipment, which put Amtrak sort of over the top with excess Superliner equipment. Now the tides may turn. Should be interesting. Course I think the 25 single level sleepers could be used on current single level long distance train sets as well as restoring sleepers to those trains that lost them (i.e. NEC trains #66/67) as well as establishing additional frequencies (night time trains) on current routes.

[realtype]

Hi All,

Here's the funny thing, the longest delay I encountered was on the Northeast Corridor. I found it unbelievable that the Capitol Limited arrived into Washington, DC about a half hour early and even more amazing that I can't recall a single time during the trip that it was running late. I can't speak for the time I was sleeping, but during all my waking hours, we were early, and had to wait at many stations for a longer period of time then scheduled, just so we didn't leave early. Is this a sign of how things are going to be with the freight railroads? Or did I just get really lucky?

To tell the truth, I'm really shocked. I often see the Cap. Ltd. since it uses the same tracks as MARC's Brunswick Line and parrallels Metro's Red Line, both of which I use to commute, and I have never seen it on time. Just last week Friday I was riding the Metro home early and saw it pass through Rockville @ about 1:20pm, not too bad, but at least 30min late (the earliest I've seen it) into WAS. It must be improving though, since I don't pass it on my 5:15pm MARC train anymore, but up to a year or two ago it wouldn't be unusual to see it 5 or 6 hours late. Count yourself really lucky, CSX must have been really kind giving a passenger train priority like that. Either that or freight traffic must have been unusually light.

Reading this about the Capitol Limited got me thinking about Amtrak's "proposed" purchase of new equipment. I bet there may be plans to revert the Capitol Limited back to a single level trainset - since Amtrak hopes to procure new slngle level sleepers, diners, and baggage cars...

I once saw the Cap. Ltd. with Horizon cars at Union Station about three years ago (the only time I've ever seen Horizons). I felt sorry for the passengers, who IMHO deserved a refund. I definitely don't think the Cap. Ltd. should get single levels. It's one of the most viable and most important LD's, way more so than it's East Coast-Upper Midwest Cardinal and LSL siblings. Plus, it's the only train with Superliners that travels to the Northeast.

[emtpjimd]

I'll be on the northbound Capitol Limited tomorrow and was curious if the dining service had been reduced to the Cross Country Cafe (Limited)service? I traveled aboard it last year and we had full dining service and a lounge car w/ an attendant. I've heard different things on here, so I was curious....

[Gilbert B Norman]

Not that such is relevant to the Dining and Lounge cars assigned as "what goes out must come back", but I presume, Mr. EMT, you will be traveling on the Westbound Capitol Limited #29 (19).

[emtpjimd]

I guess you are technically correct Mr. Norman; I just recall most of my waking hours along it's northern route...I assume it's considered a westbound, so I am in err....

[Ken W2KB]

I'll be on the northbound Capitol Limited tomorrow and was curious if the dining service had been reduced to the Cross Country Cafe (Limited)service? I traveled aboard it last year and we had full dining service and a lounge car w/ an attendant. I've heard different things on here, so I was curious....

When I rode it from WAS to CHI a month ago it was a full service diner.

[Lucius Ameri]

It should carry a full-service diner...I remember reading here that once the Capitol's consist gets serviced in Chicago, it continues to Los Angeles as the Southwest Chief. Is this correct?

[jp1822]

Up until major Superliner shortages, the Southwest Chief and Capitol Limited Superliner trains were running as "same-day" run through equipment. However, that has since stopped, as far as I know. The Capitol Limited has its own separate train sets. And the last time I had heard, the Capitol Limited was running with technically a full service diner, but the interior was of the "Cross Country Cafe" model, as Amtrak seemed to have renovate "too many" of the "Cross Country Cafe" Superliner models. But again, despite the interior "look" it was still supposed to have the "full service" diner menu.

Can anyone confirm that the Capitol Limited is back to running with regular (i.e. pre Cross Country Cafe engineering thoughts and roll-outs) Superliner diners with of course full service menu? I know the full service menus were to stay, but it's just a matter of what the "interior design" is.

I only bring this up because I thought I read that one of the items noted on the $1.3B funding was converting the "diners" of the Capitol Limited train sets (through wreck-repairs of diners) back to regular booth styled diners and moving the "Cross Country Cafe" design running on the Capitol Limited to the Empire Builder. I know the crew was not very happy with having ths Cross Country Cafe design on the Capitol Limited Route.

To me the Capitol Limited is Amtrak's premiere Midwest to East Coast train - operating with Superliner equipment , diner, Superliner Sightseer Lounge, and having a pretty descent schedule between Washington DC and Chicago. It doesn't run with an Amfleet Diner Lite car like its counter parts - the Cardinal and Lake Shore Limited.

[subbuff]

i was on the cap march 29th was-chi, it had a full service dining car, but it was in the "cross country cafe" setting.

[jp1822]

i was on the cap march 29th was-chi, it had a full service dining car, but it was in the "cross country cafe" setting.

Thanks for the confirmation.

Again, based on reading the improvements Amtrak is looking to accomplish with the $1.3B it was allocated, the plan was to take 3 wrecked diners at Beech Grove, restore them to the traditional Superliner Diner setting of regular booth seating on both sides of the center galley if you will, and then take what's currently running as "diners" on the Capitol Limited (with the Cross Country Cafe setting) over to the Empire Builder route, for what ever service they have planned there. But it is to be "in addition" to the current full service diner the current Empire Builder is running with. Some have speculated that either this "Diner-Lounge" will either just be an addition to the "Portland section of the Empire Builder" or perhaps with two other "Diner-Lounges" serve like a Pacific Parlor Car and continue all the way from the Pacific Northwest to Chicago. Amtrak has already admitted they converted too many of the Superliner Diners into "Diner-Lounge" cars - like the Cross Country Cafe setting. I do not believe all are being used at present, even with what's presently running on the Texas Eagle and City of New Orleans (Diners with the "Cross Country Cafe" setting). Amtrak's also converted a number of Amfleet II Lounge cars into Amfleet Diner Lite cars - more than is necessary for operation (currently just running on the Cardinal and Lake Shore Limited Route).

But at least the Capitol Limited has signs of hope and is currently running with a full service dinning plan - just with the Cross Country Cafe setting. Let alone that the Capitol Limited, like the Texas Eagle, still retains its Superliner Sightseer Lounge car (unlike the City of New Orleans).

[Printman2000]

Actually, the CONO is the only train using the CCC like it was designed to be used. It is for dining and for a lounge. The other trains are using the CCC as a dining car in conjunction with a Sightseer lounge as a lounge car.