We have booked Charlottesville - Atlanta, roomettes each way, during Christmas time.
Will the roomette have the toilet in the compartment, or not? Is it just (no pun intended) pot luck at this point? I know they are phasing out those toilets, but am unclear how far along they are on that.
If I supplied the car numbers, would someone know, based on that?
Also, how is this train's timekeeping N of Atlanta?
Still in training.
It depends, trains on east coast use Viewliner coaches and they have toilets in the roomette. Farther west they use Superliner double decker coaches and they have no toilets, but there are a couple of them on same level or downstairs. I have only rode in a roomette on City of New Orleans, Capitol Ltd, and CA Zephyr so they do not have the toilets in the roomette, never been on an eastern one so I have no idea what trains that go to Atlanta on east coast does. When I rode Empire Builder and Coast Starlight to CA, I knew I would be on 3 days so I booked a bedroom with it's own toilet, which was much easier. Enjoy your trip
Lithonia OperatorWe have booked Charlottesville - Atlanta, roomettes each way, during Christmas time.
Aren't the railroads going on strike November 20th?
CMStPnP Lithonia Operator We have booked Charlottesville - Atlanta, roomettes each way, during Christmas time. Aren't the railroads going on strike November 20th?
Lithonia Operator We have booked Charlottesville - Atlanta, roomettes each way, during Christmas time.
If, and it is a big IF, there is a strike on Nov. 20, 2022, the likelyhood that it and/or its effects would carry through to the Christmas period is somewhere between slim and none.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
If there were a strike, could supervisory and management personnel run some of the trains?
If they did, what would be the likely outcomes?
The company I worked for operated 58 miles of railroad in East Texas. The mission was to haul lignite coal from the mine sites to the power plants. The train operators were members of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Go figure.
If the union guys went out on strike, the game plan was for supervisors and managers to run the trains. Thankfully, they never walked off the job, so the resolve of managment to continue running the trains was never tested.
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
PJS1If there were a strike, could supervisory and management personnel run some of the trains? If they did, what would be the likely outcomes? The company I worked for operated 58 miles of railroad in East Texas. The mission was to haul lignite coal from the mine sites to the power plants. The train operators were members of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Go figure. If the union guys went out on strike, the game plan was for supervisors and managers to run the trains. Thankfully, they never walked off the job, so the resolve of managment to continue running the trains was never tested.
As a practical matter - there are not enough supervisory personnel that are QUALIFIED to perform the required functions of operating trains for either Amtrak or the freight carriers. While the carrier may undertake efforts to train supervisory personnel to assume the functions of the contract personnel that actually do the jobs required to operate the company, when you consider that each supervisor supervises 10 to 30 to 50 contract personnel, how can one supervisor fill the job functions of 50 employees? How can a supervisor be MORE than one body in the operation - it takes bodies to operate trains.
The Class 1 freight carriers 'might' be able to operate selected high priority trains, with the being said all the underlying support that makes sure the freight carriers get paid for that train and all the other functions that are necessary to operate a railroad are nominally left behind.
During the 20 years I was a company official, we went through a number of strikes. Dispatching, Maintenance and Accounting functions are left in the dust in the rush to 'operate the train'. The thought being, move the train and the contract personnel will figure everything else out after the strike is over.
There is a big difference between management operating trains in the past and now. Now FRA requires both conductors and engineers to have an issued FRA license. That was not the way it was in the past. Now in Canada not sure what the rules are and have been.
So how many in management have licenses?
blue streak 1There is a big difference between management operating trains in the past and now. Now FRA requires both conductors and engineers to have an issued FRA license. That was not the way it was in the past. Now in Canada not sure what the rules are and have been. So how many in management have licenses?
The bigger difference in Supervision in the 21st Century - the carriers have been hiring 1st level supervision out of colleges, not out of craft employees. The supervision does not have the craft skills to fall back on.
Lithonia OperatorWill the roomette have the toilet in the compartment, or not?
You will have a toilet in your room if you get a viewliner I sleeper. But not if you get a Viewliner II
The Crescent is equiped with Viewliner and Amflleet equipment.
https://amtrakguide.com/2022/01/22/viewliner-trains-layout-routes/#:~:text=Viewliner%20I%20Sleeper%20Car%20Layout
The key difference between the two Viewliner models is that the Viewliner II roomettes do not have sinks or toilets. Otherwise, the layout is similar:
Tip: If you book your sleeper car tickets over the phone (1-800-872-7245), you can request a specific bedroom or roomette.
Note: All bedrooms and roomettes have private toilets and sinks, plus bedrooms have private showers.
Lithonia OperatorWill the roomette have the toilet in the compartment, or not? Is it just (no pun intended) pot luck at this point? I know they are phasing out those toilets, but am unclear how far along they are on that.
I looked at some recent videos of the Crescent (from this month). Seems to be running with two Viewliner-1 sleepers and a Viewliner-2 Baggage/dorm for the crew. Still have a couple months left, but I would figure on having the older viewliner 1 with the toilet as a guest in your room.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Railroads rarely go on strike and if they do does not last long a day or two. When WWII ended a strike was threated and Pres. Truman said if they struck , he'd put them all in the Army. No more strike talk. Dad was working during that time. Frisco went out one time for a day in 50's or 60's
, Dad walked picket line by the yard office where he worked, next day all over with.
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