Amtrak Empire Service (New York State)

Even when I worked slinging behind the counter slinging hot dogs I could never figure out why one earth you would run into the cafe car at PENN and ask if I was open. Normally I would be but at times depending on the turn I would still be putting away stock.
Are you open? Not yet.
When will you be open? As soon as I get this mess cleaned up.
When will that be? I'm not sure, people keep disturbing me while I'm trying to put my stock away.
Are you sure I cant just get a bottle of water? Yes when I'm open
Repeat

The stories I could share about people who were straight, medicated and self medicated during my time as a conductor could fill a book. Needless to say it is far worse today then it was then. Glad I am an engineer.

I think you should write that book.

scoostraw wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 9:48 am I think you should write that book.

We've always joke at work, if a book was ever written. No one would believe the stories..

The "no food service" status on NYP-ALB trains is the result of action a number of years ago by Congress, and was not by Amtrak's choice. If I remember correctly the bill prohibited food services on runs of less than 150 miles.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 12:34 pm

scoostraw wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 9:48 am I think you should write that book.

We've always joke at work, if a book was ever written. No one would believe the stories..

"The names were changed to protect the innocent."

Allouette wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 1:13 pm The "no food service" status on NYP-ALB trains is the result of action a number of years ago by Congress, and was not by Amtrak's choice. If I remember correctly the bill prohibited food services on runs of less than 150 miles.

So weird. Maybe there is another way to operationalize it. If you travel Thalys, the people who look after you (in first) check your tickets but also serve F&B. But here we don't have ticket inspectors and drivers, it's conductors and engineers - oh so lofty.

Maybe it's a business class thing which could be free - T&C in the mornings, happy hour 4-8 or something, and free water bottles and a snack basket like on the plan. Simple and a value add (cost $10 pp, add $15 to existing fares)

I believe it was actually due to NYS no longer funding it. Amtrak has made it clear in the past that if NYS wanted to step up and fund it, they'd provide it.

That said, soon after it was canceled there was an effort to replace it with Subway. That ended... poorly. Others can comment on the details of that.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 12:34 pm We've always joke at work, if a book was ever written. No one would believe the stories..

Don't work with railroads, but we have the same joke where I work - We could write it, but they'd file it under fiction in the library. Or make a reality TV series out of it, but people wouldn't believe it wasn't scripted.
"You can't make this s*** up."

Greg Moore wrote: ↑Sun Nov 20, 2022 5:25 pm I believe it was actually due to NYS no longer funding it. Amtrak has made it clear in the past that if NYS wanted to step up and fund it, they'd provide it.

That said, soon after it was canceled there was an effort to replace it with Subway. That ended... poorly. Others can comment on the details of that.

No not again.

I hope we will choose to respect, being a Passenger Engineer holding seniority over this territory, Mr. Junkie's sentiment. but otherwise, and hopefully only for historical review, "here beginneth":

post185523.html#p185523

If, in fact, the reason for the end of service was a 150 mile limit imposed by Congress, perhaps a conversion of Empire Service to push-pull and an extension to Jamaica would solve that particular problem. Yes, I understand that would also require a switch to full servicing at Albany or a complicated move from Jamaica to Sunnyside and back.

Ohh f' me here we go again....

No food service. The main players because you need a program
Joe Boardman
NYS
Rebuilt Turbos
David Gunn
Amtrak
Those were the main Players
Bit parts to the cafe car attendants in Albany who lost their jobs
Subway
High speed rail program that never ever came to use. See turbos, JUNK THANK GOD THEY ARE GONE.

Two of of happier days on the railroad passing that extra at Yonkers with the rebuilt sets going into the night never to see revenue service again. Seeing pieces and parts of them being trucked out of the old Stuper Steel Plant.

So in a nut shell Turbos can and did do 125mph first hand expierence with them. HOWEVER were they could is only good for 110mph. Amtrak David Gunn and NYS Joe Boardman argued over costs of upgrades. At that time NYS had partial maintenance of the high speed section and would be responsible for upgrades. NYS also owned the Turbos.

Gunn to force NYS hand spirited away (see above) the 3 sets of rebuild turbos late one night and held them hostage, Boardman in return said We can play that game too. As of this date no food service on all Empire trains, thus the commissary in Albany was shut down and the cafe car attendants had to seek the seniority most ended up in NY some quit. Subway was brought in to cater and though there was much said about threats and such I never once saw a Subway employee threatened in any way.
This is it I was there saw it with my own two eyes. Still see a LSA I hired out with who works out of NY going to Norfolk last time we talked.
I may have missed a few things but that about covers the main body of work can we now put it to rest.

@Railjunkie I don't understand your rant. What do the Turboliners (left service 2003 IIRC) have to do with the Subway food service proposed experiment (2005 IIRC)?

rohr turbo wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 7:14 pm @Railjunkie I don't understand your rant. What do the Turboliners (left service 2003 IIRC) have to do with the Subway food service proposed experiment (2005 IIRC)?

The rebuilds were there long after 03. I went to Choo Choo U in June of 03 didn't start qualifying till early fall and I do remember running them while qualifying to Boston on NY day a which would have been early 04 and I wasn't set up as an engineer late 04. I was on a regular job when they past me in Yonkers that night so it would have had to been in 05.

"Two reentered service in 2003 although a year later New York sued Amtrak over its unfulfilled promise of high speed rail service to the state" American-rails.com.
Hence the loss of food service, the trains sat in Albany UN USED for for quite a while during the law suit.

Now can we finally put this to sleep, shoot it, lethal injection, find it a comfy pillow and smoother it something anything just make it go away.

I think he's saying after Gunn took the NYS-owned rebuilt Turbos into hiding, Boardman's retaliation was that NYS stopped paying Amtrak for in-house food service and contracted with Subway instead.

Long story short, the lack of in-house food service is the result of a tit-for-tat battle between Amtrak and NYS.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just reading between Railjunkie's lines.