Does anyone know what the numbers inside the black oval located on the side of most amtrak passenger cars mean. Sometimes I have ridden the Heartland Flyer and the number on the side of the superliner was 0821 or 0822 which are the two train numbers for the flyer. Some times they are just random numbers that don't match any of the the train numbers. It seems like if they were for the purpose of the train number, they would make it the correct number each time the car serviced the train. I also believe that there are the same type of numbers inside an oval on amfleets and horizon cars.
If anyone would like to comment about a similar situation or anwser my question, I would appreciate it!
, Heartland Flyer 1001
On the long distance trains, the train number is a one or two digit number, which is the first two digits that will appear in this oval (a zero preceeds a single digit train number). The third digit is the type of car, sleeper, coach, etc. The fourth digit is the sequence of these type cars in the train. For example, on my reservations for the Empire Builder, I had a full bedroom, and my car number was 0731. This is the number on the ticket and the oval on the side of the car. "07" is the train number (Westbound to Seattle), "3" is the car type (Sleeper to Seattle), and "1" for the first Sleeper in the train, I was in the first Sleeper behind the Transition Sleeper, used for a crew dorm.
On a short distance train like the Heartland Flyer, they may or may not change this number. Although they list it in the timetable as a reserved coach train, they may not assign you to a certain car when you make the reservations. This is likely since the cars have only the train number in these black ovals. You'd have to check you ticket or online reservations to see if the car number is on there.
Unless things have changed the Southwest Chief currently uses these numbers:
Westbound train #3
Dorm 0300, Coach 0311, Coach 0312, Coach 0313, Lounge (no #), Diner (no #), Sleeper 0330, Sleeper 0331.
Eastbound train #4
Dorm 0400, Coach 0411, Coach 0412, Coach 0413, Lounge (no #), Diner (no #), Sleeper 0430, Sleeper 0431.
I wonder why the coaches don't use 0310 or 0410?
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
Southwest Chief wrote: Unless things have changed the Southwest Chief currently uses these numbers:Westbound train #3Dorm 0300, Coach 0311, Coach 0312, Coach 0313, Lounge (no #), Diner (no #), Sleeper 0330, Sleeper 0331.Eastbound train #4 Dorm 0400, Coach 0411, Coach 0412, Coach 0413, Lounge (no #), Diner (no #), Sleeper 0430, Sleeper 0431. I wonder why the coaches don't use 0310 or 0410?
There should be no "zero car" in the revenue (paying passengers) sense. I'm surprised there's a revenue sleeper with a zero suffix. Remember something called "counting numbers" from elementary school?
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