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[quote user="Dakguy201"] [quote user="Sam1"] <snip> Amtrak releases Number 22 without the connecting cars from the Sunset Limited.  To protect the service it parks a coach and sleeper in San Antonio to be used in case the transfer cars from the Sunset Limited are not available.   [/quote] The existence of the "protect" cars is interesting.  What that implies is that there are very few passengers traveling from west of San Antonio to a destination on the Eagle -- passengers who don't arrive on a late Sunset need not be provided for on the Eagle yet the additional cars are still needed. [/quote] I don't know how many passengers ride from points west of San Antonio to points north of San Antonio on the Texas Eagle (Sunset Limited) through cars. Apparently there are enough that Amtrak considers the through cars worthwhile.  West of San Antonio the train is really the Sunset Limited with two Texas Eagle through cars.   The issue re: the parked cars (one coach and one sleeper) is an equipment issue for Number 22. If it does not get the through coach and sleeper off the Sunset Limited, it would not have a sleeper, except for the transition sleeper, and it would be light one coach (two rather than the three regularly assigned). Number 22 needs the sleeper for the first class passengers boarding in San Antonio and points beyond. There are not enough spaces in the transition sleeper to cover the service.  Moreover, it does not have any bedrooms. It probably could get by with just two coaches. On most days two coaches probably would be sufficient for the normal passenger load, at least south of St. Louis. The Sunset Limited has a transition sleeper, a New Orleans sleeper, etc., as well as an Eagle coach and an Eagle sleeper on the back of the train.  The coach and sleeper are dropped at San Antonio.  Number 22 then backs down and couples onto them.   I go to San Antonio approximately six to eight times a year.  On one occasion I noticed that the reserve cars were gone.  I assumed that they were used because Number 2 had been late enough to trigger a decision by Amtrak management to place the cars in service so that Number 22 could be released with the necessary equipment.
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