wholeman Hello. Normally I hang out on the Model Railroader forums, but I have some questions that I think would be more appropriately answered here. I am not a subscriber to Trains. 1. I would like to take an Amtrak trip in the near future. Being that I live in Kansas, there are some stations that are unstaffed. Does that mean that I can't purchase tickets? How would I receive a ticket if I order online? You have several options here. First, make your reservations by phone at 1-800-USA Rail. Trains sell out frequently and it is important to make reservations as early as possible after you know your travel date(s). Next, if it is convenient for you to do so, travel to a manned ticket office nearby (if one exists) and purchase your tickets there. Otherwise, you can have Amtrak mail your tickets to you when you make your reservations. Lastly, if you have a reservation, you may board the train at your unstaffed origination point and purchase the tickets from the Conductor, on board (there is no extra charge) or the Conductor will cal ahead and arrange for your tickets to be waiting for you at the next staffed station. In any case, you will need photo ID, your reservation/confirmation number and of course, suitable payment. 2. I am familiar with the way the superliner trainsets are set up. I have HO scale models of them. I know the Transistion Sleeper is for the crew. What about the single level trains. Where do they sleep? Single level trains usually carry a dormitory car or assign sleeping space to the OBS crew. Train crews change frequently to comply with Federal Hours of Service Laws. 3. I was wondering what is the number of crew members on a typical western train. I know there is a conductor and assistant conductor, lounge car attendant, dining car staff with 4 cooks. I was wondering if each coach car and each sleeper car have their own attendants. It depends upon the service level of each train, the number of revenue cars assigned to the train and so forth. Most coach attentdants handle more than one car. Thanks for helping fill my curiosity.
Hello.
Normally I hang out on the Model Railroader forums, but I have some questions that I think would be more appropriately answered here. I am not a subscriber to Trains.
1. I would like to take an Amtrak trip in the near future. Being that I live in Kansas, there are some stations that are unstaffed. Does that mean that I can't purchase tickets? How would I receive a ticket if I order online?
You have several options here. First, make your reservations by phone at 1-800-USA Rail. Trains sell out frequently and it is important to make reservations as early as possible after you know your travel date(s). Next, if it is convenient for you to do so, travel to a manned ticket office nearby (if one exists) and purchase your tickets there. Otherwise, you can have Amtrak mail your tickets to you when you make your reservations. Lastly, if you have a reservation, you may board the train at your unstaffed origination point and purchase the tickets from the Conductor, on board (there is no extra charge) or the Conductor will cal ahead and arrange for your tickets to be waiting for you at the next staffed station. In any case, you will need photo ID, your reservation/confirmation number and of course, suitable payment.
2. I am familiar with the way the superliner trainsets are set up. I have HO scale models of them. I know the Transistion Sleeper is for the crew. What about the single level trains. Where do they sleep?
Single level trains usually carry a dormitory car or assign sleeping space to the OBS crew. Train crews change frequently to comply with Federal Hours of Service Laws.
3. I was wondering what is the number of crew members on a typical western train. I know there is a conductor and assistant conductor, lounge car attendant, dining car staff with 4 cooks. I was wondering if each coach car and each sleeper car have their own attendants.
It depends upon the service level of each train, the number of revenue cars assigned to the train and so forth. Most coach attentdants handle more than one car.
Thanks for helping fill my curiosity.
Hi: I agree that in your situation it is best to go to the Amtrak website and have the tickets mailed to you. If you are only doing one train on your journey, show your e-mailed confirmation sheet to the conductor who will then hand-cut you a ticket. You can also start with a coach ticket and if there is sleeper space available when you board the train, you may upgrade with the conductor.
To answer your second question, on single level trains, off- duty crew will use space in a sleeper. Usually there is space that is purposely unsold to be used by crew. Some trains have a crew lounge/dorm car, usually placed at one end or the other of a train so that it can be secured from the rest of the train. Sometimes a coach attendant will grab an empty seat at the end of his car to sleep in.
Your third question has several possible answers, depending on budget cuts, routes & rules. If the train has a longer consist, there may be more than one assistant conductor. I believe the rule is 1 trainman for every 3 revenue cars. (revenue means cars where tickets are sold, coaches and sleepers. A diner or lounge is non-revenue since you can't buy a ticket to ride in those cars) That may vary by the route you are on and the rules affecting that line. Sleeping cars have their own attendant in each car since much work is required (making up and stripping down beds, handling luggage, bringing meals for room service, etc). On long distance trains coaches also have attendants. There used to be one attendant per car, but depending on funding, sometimes they are reduced so that 1 coach attendant will cover 2 adjoining cars. (By the way, coach attendant duties include handing out and collecting pillows, sweeping the carpet, checking the restrooms, assisting people and luggage as they board and disembark,etc) If the train has a baggage car, one of the trainman (a.k.a. assistant conductor these days) may handle baggage duty.
I can answer your first question. If you order online, you can have the ticket mailed to your house, or you can print out a reservation confirmation sheet that will be sent to you via email. There's a barcode on the confirmation which you can scan at a "Quik-Trak" machine. The machine will be at the station and it will print your tickets for you.
EDIT: Actually, looking at the station descriptions on Amtrak's website, it appears that not many of the stations in Kansas have the Quik-Trak machines, so having the tickets mailed might be your best bet.
Willy
Will
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