I rode in the crew car once, from Chicago to Salt Lake City 2 1/2 years ago. It was ahead of the coaches, and, as well as I could tell, the attendant in the first coach took care of putting my berth up. I called once, and she came to me.
Johnny
Very interesting, Tom. Gives us a better sense of working life aboard a train. Thank you, and thanks to JBS1 for the questions.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
1. Once you get used to it, it's not bad. Most of the time, you are tired enough at the end of your shift that you can sleep just about anywhere. Passengers sit down and ride, but crew members are on their feet for most of their shift. They are constantly adjusting their balance against the motion of the train, and that is tiring.
2. Back in the days when Heritage cars were used as crew cars, we often had to share a room. Now that a trans dorm is used, it is not required.
3. The crew car has no attendant. Crew members make their own beds and clean up after themselves. On each trip, the person who serves as the all-night sleeper patrol checks the supplies on the crew car and is responsible for ordering whatever is needed.
4. Crew members do not pay for their meals, but they do pay for any extra snack items. Often, the meal is eaten concurrently with work, without any clear demarcation between the two. Theoretically, the crew member gets a meal break. In practice, it is often not much of a break. The food on the train is good, but the menu changes rarely. It can get pretty monotonous to have the same thing trip after trip, so some attendants bring their own food, either occasionally or regularly, according to their preference. They may not put "outside" food in refrigerators or freezers in the diners or lounges, so many bring their own small personal coolers. Meals at layover/turnaround points are not provided.
5. One soft drink per meal is permitted. Any more must be paid for.
6. I can think of five or six married couples who work on the Auto Train, or have in the past. Most of them met on the train. Most couples don't work directly together, although they almost always tend to stick to the same crew. For example, one might work in the diner and the other in a sleeper. At least two couples have served as teams in the diners for many years. In both cases, the husband was the chef, while the wife worked as food specialist (essentially the chef's assistant) or Lead Service Attendant (LSA) for the diner.
Tom
ACY,
How well did you sleep in the on-board crew quarters compared to home?
Do the crew members have to share a room?
Does the crew car have an attendant who takes care of the housekeeping chores?
Do the crew members pay for their meals while on duty or does Amtrak cover the cost of the meals?
If a crew member wants a soft drink from the lounge car, does she have to pay for it out of her pocket?
I take six cruises a year. I have met several crew members who met on the ship, fell in love and married. Have you know of any Amtrak crew members who met on the train(s) and subsequently tied the knot?
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
ROBERT WILLISON The sleeping car attendent ride in their respective cars.
The sleeping car attendent ride in their respective cars.
Yes.
Chefs, Food Specialists, other dining car personnel, coach attendants, lounge LSA's, and trainees have sleeping quarters in the crew car. Usually one or two of these, plus the chief (if there is one) will have accommodations in revenue cars.
The Auto Train's Transition dorm (52/5300) is not a revenue sleeper, so I didn't include it in the list of A-T sleepers. The train is the only one I know of that has such a large crew that all rooms in the Transition car are occupied by crew, and unavailable for use as revenue rooms. In fact, the car usually isn't quite sufficient for the need, and a couple crew members are normally accommodated in "revenue" space. Revenue passengers might ride in the Transition dorm on other trains, but not on the Auto Train.
Going to be in lorton by 5...awesome....lots of rail fans enjoying a rare Saturday running of the train. Many taking pictures. If any did today be great if you could text me a copy.
Well now running 8 hours late. Scheduled arrival 5 PM barring any Unknown circumstances.
53 finally arrived 7 : 05. Carrying 7 sleepers, # 5300 being utilized as a dorm sleeper.
53 broke down south of Richmond around 10 PM. Wasn't moving again till 10 am.
ACY Robert, I don't know who you talked to, but here's the real deal: Typically, the sleeper portion of the Auto Train is set up like this (north to south): 52/5345 standard Superliner II sleeper 53/5343 standard Superliner II sleeper 52/5341 special Superliner II sleeper with 10 bedrooms on upper level Superliner Diner and lounge inserted between these cars 52/5340 special Superliner II sleeper with 10 bedrooms on upper level 52/5342 standard Superliner II sleeper 52/5344 standard Superliner II sleeper The six cars above operate every day. They are staffed by crew members who bid on those jobs and are contractually guaranteed full employment. When the demand requires it, a seventh sleeper has been known to be added, carrying the line number 52/5346, and is staffed from the extra board or someone making an extra trip. Normally, this is a standard Superliner II sleeper, but I think a special 10-bedroom car has been used once or twice. Its position in the train has varied a bit at various times. If you only counted four sleepers, I think you missed a couple. CSX locos don't have HEP, and Amtrak does not keep protect power in Florence. Tom I talked to the snack bar attendent, a 15 year a- t veteran. I also walked down the train and counted the cars my self prior to departure. The fifth sleeper was empty with a barrior blocking you from going down the platform. When I walked the train that evening the car attendent on the last sleeper told me I could not go any further since the car was not officially part of the consit. He told me our train South bound had 380 passengers and were expecting only 200 that night going back to lorton. Regular consit or not that was the actual physical count of the consit. This was also confirm by the train board listing where your car was found in the consit. I'll get an physical count of tonight's train tonite or tomorrow. I'll also verify the " normal" consit with the crew. Perhaps Amtrak is short a few sleepers for another train or they are bad ordered in DC. It was also mentioned here that many real late a-t trains have been cancelled and passengers rebooked to get a-t trains back on schedule. This has been confirmed by quite a few passengers today. Not the case tonight. This train is scheduled tonite to depart at mid night. So Tom, it appears the only thing consistent with auto train and with Amtrak is thier is no real normal. Most of us knew this all along.
Robert, I don't know who you talked to, but here's the real deal:
Typically, the sleeper portion of the Auto Train is set up like this (north to south):
52/5345 standard Superliner II sleeper
53/5343 standard Superliner II sleeper
52/5341 special Superliner II sleeper with 10 bedrooms on upper level
Superliner Diner and lounge inserted between these cars
52/5340 special Superliner II sleeper with 10 bedrooms on upper level
52/5342 standard Superliner II sleeper
52/5344 standard Superliner II sleeper
The six cars above operate every day. They are staffed by crew members who bid on those jobs and are contractually guaranteed full employment.
When the demand requires it, a seventh sleeper has been known to be added, carrying the line number 52/5346, and is staffed from the extra board or someone making an extra trip. Normally, this is a standard Superliner II sleeper, but I think a special 10-bedroom car has been used once or twice. Its position in the train has varied a bit at various times.
If you only counted four sleepers, I think you missed a couple.
CSX locos don't have HEP, and Amtrak does not keep protect power in Florence.
Tom I talked to the snack bar attendent, a 15 year a- t veteran. I also walked down the train and counted the cars my self prior to departure. The fifth sleeper was empty with a barrior blocking you from going down the platform. When I walked the train that evening the car attendent on the last sleeper told me I could not go any further since the car was not officially part of the consit. He told me our train South bound had 380 passengers and were expecting only 200 that night going back to lorton. Regular consit or not that was the actual physical count of the consit.
This was also confirm by the train board listing where your car was found in the consit.
I'll get an physical count of tonight's train tonite or tomorrow. I'll also verify the " normal" consit with the crew.
BaltACD ROBERT WILLISON Hey Tom only four sleepers last Sunday on 23. Their was a fifth sleeper, with no revenue passengers on board. One of the train men said it operated with up to 6 on s normal basis. They told me at the station the South bound train locomotive broke down a little north of Florence. It's expected to arrive between 530 and 6 PM. Not sure why they didn't bring it down the rest of the way with a freight locomotive. We are scheduled to board tonite at 10 PM and depart mid night. We shall see. Freight locomotives don't have Head End Power, if the engine issue was with the operation of HEP freight engines are of no value to the train as there would be no lights, heat or cooling without HEP. I don't know of Amtrak keeps 'protect' power at Florence. I doubt it.
ROBERT WILLISON Hey Tom only four sleepers last Sunday on 23. Their was a fifth sleeper, with no revenue passengers on board. One of the train men said it operated with up to 6 on s normal basis. They told me at the station the South bound train locomotive broke down a little north of Florence. It's expected to arrive between 530 and 6 PM. Not sure why they didn't bring it down the rest of the way with a freight locomotive. We are scheduled to board tonite at 10 PM and depart mid night. We shall see.
They told me at the station the South bound train locomotive broke down a little north of Florence. It's expected to arrive between 530 and 6 PM. Not sure why they didn't bring it down the rest of the way with a freight locomotive.
We are scheduled to board tonite at 10 PM and depart mid night. We shall see.
Freight locomotives don't have Head End Power, if the engine issue was with the operation of HEP freight engines are of no value to the train as there would be no lights, heat or cooling without HEP. I don't know of Amtrak keeps 'protect' power at Florence. I doubt it.
The train lost another hour. Should be a fun night.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
ACY Not "four to six sleepers". Actually, the Auto Train normally carries at least six revenue Superliner sleepers in each direction; sometimes seven. The train is running late today (Friday, 2/24) in both directions. The northbound train was expected to arrive in Lorton around noon; the southbound isn't expected to arrive in Sanford until about 6:00 pm. I don't know why. Tom Hey Tom only four sleepers last Sunday on 23. Their was a fifth sleeper, with no revenue passengers on board. One of the train men said it operated with up to 6 on s normal basis. They told me at the station the South bound train locomotive broke down a little north of Florence. It's expected to arrive between 530 and 6 PM. Not sure why they didn't bring it down the rest of the way with a freight locomotive. We are scheduled to board tonite at 10 PM and depart mid night. We shall see.
Not "four to six sleepers". Actually, the Auto Train normally carries at least six revenue Superliner sleepers in each direction; sometimes seven.
The train is running late today (Friday, 2/24) in both directions. The northbound train was expected to arrive in Lorton around noon; the southbound isn't expected to arrive in Sanford until about 6:00 pm. I don't know why.
ROBERT WILLISON Amtrak auto train seems popular. The train carries four to six sleepers. So the their seems to be a market for it. I can sleep any where, stationary or moving.
In 2016 the Auto Train carried 238,448 passengers, of whom 107,508 or 45.1 percent booked a sleeper. In comparison the long distance trains carried 4,655,599 passengers, of whom 698,629 or 15 percent had a sleeper.
The auto train carried 5.1 percent of the long distance passengers. It had 15.4 percent of the sleeping car passengers. Clearly, it draws a different clientele than the other long distance trains.
n012944 schlimm JPS1 I don't sleep well on trains. For long distance travel I fly and book a nice hotel. Given the miniscule fraction of the traveling public that chooses sleepers on LD trains, I suspect JBS1's sentiments are nearly universal. Most people want to get to their destination quickly and get good sleep in a hotel. Agreed. Just about everyone I know thinks the same way. Just get there.
schlimm JPS1 I don't sleep well on trains. For long distance travel I fly and book a nice hotel. Given the miniscule fraction of the traveling public that chooses sleepers on LD trains, I suspect JBS1's sentiments are nearly universal. Most people want to get to their destination quickly and get good sleep in a hotel.
JPS1 I don't sleep well on trains. For long distance travel I fly and book a nice hotel.
Given the miniscule fraction of the traveling public that chooses sleepers on LD trains, I suspect JBS1's sentiments are nearly universal. Most people want to get to their destination quickly and get good sleep in a hotel.
Agreed. Just about everyone I know thinks the same way. Just get there.
An "expensive model collector"
Heading back north tomorrow. See how this works out.
schlimm JPS1 I don't sleep well on trains. For long distance travel I fly and book a nice hotel. Given the miniscule fraction of the traveling public that chooses sleepers on LD trains, I suspect JBS1's sentiments are nearly universal. Most people want to get to their destination quickly and get good sleep in a hotel. Continuing to run LD trains (with or without sleepers) seems like a poor use of limited resources. I wish we had access to those Amtrak satisfaction survey to see the various age cohorts that ride the various trains.
Given the miniscule fraction of the traveling public that chooses sleepers on LD trains, I suspect JBS1's sentiments are nearly universal. Most people want to get to their destination quickly and get good sleep in a hotel. Continuing to run LD trains (with or without sleepers) seems like a poor use of limited resources. I wish we had access to those Amtrak satisfaction survey to see the various age cohorts that ride the various trains.
Amtrak sleeper is fine with me......no issues. Well except maybe they should replace the bedding just a little more often but last Christmas it wasn't as bad as the trip before. Also, should find a way to bring the ice drawer back.....maybe a built in Ice Dispenser like folks have in their refrigerator door.
Wikipedia Amtrak The Broadway Limited at Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1974. Amtrak's incorporators selected the Broadway Limited as the new company's sole New York-Chicago route. Amtrak operated a Washington, D.C. section via the Port Road Branch, which separated at Harrisburg. In the 1970s, the Broadway Limited experienced chronic lateness as the tracks it ran on degraded. Beginning in 1979, the route changed, as tracks were abandoned and downgraded by Conrail, Penn Central's successor. These changes included:[14] A minor re-route over the ex-New York Central in Gary, Indiana in 1979. A major re-route over the ex-Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in Indiana and Ohio, due to Conrail's desire to abandon part of the former Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway. This change took effect on November 10, 1990. Amtrak discontinued the Broadway Limited on September 10, 1995, in the face of significant funding problems. The Broadway Limited then earned $6.6 million against costs of $24 million. Amtrak replaced it with the all-coach Three Rivers, which would in turn be discontinued in 2005.[15]
Amtrak's incorporators selected the Broadway Limited as the new company's sole New York-Chicago route. Amtrak operated a Washington, D.C. section via the Port Road Branch, which separated at Harrisburg. In the 1970s, the Broadway Limited experienced chronic lateness as the tracks it ran on degraded. Beginning in 1979, the route changed, as tracks were abandoned and downgraded by Conrail, Penn Central's successor. These changes included:[14]
Amtrak discontinued the Broadway Limited on September 10, 1995, in the face of significant funding problems. The Broadway Limited then earned $6.6 million against costs of $24 million. Amtrak replaced it with the all-coach Three Rivers, which would in turn be discontinued in 2005.[15]
If it was a sleeper on the Broadway, it was a LONG time ago.
ACY Without context, the comment strikes me as somewhat gratuitous, and possibly irrelevant to the present discussion. Tom
Without context, the comment strikes me as somewhat gratuitous, and possibly irrelevant to the present discussion. Tom
It was on the Broadway Limited from New York to Chicago. I don't sleep well on trains. For long distance travel I fly and book a nice hotel.
I had a better experience in the Auto Train coach than I had in the sleeper on the Broadway.
My train travel is restricted to the NEC plus a couple trips a year on the Texas Eagle between San Antonio and Dallas or an occasional trip between El Paso and Tucson. Sometimes I book a seat in an economy room for the privacy, but I find the coach seats to be more comfortable.
On a recent trip from Dallas to San Antonio on the Texas Eagle, I met an older couple on their way to Tucson. They had an economy room. They told me that they don't make up the bed at night; they prefer to sleep sitting up. They find the beds hard, climbing into the top bunk a pain in the backside, and getting up in the middle of the night to use the toilet inconvenient. I am sure they are an exception, but I can understand where they are coming from.
In mid summer, the Auto Train's dominant clientele tends to be family vacationers because that's when the kids are out of school. Retirees mostly remain in the north, and won't be going south in great numbers until the fall. Once the fall comes, the retired snowbirds start going south in great numbers, but not many coming north. The reverse is true in the spring. So a lot depends on the direction of travel and the time of year. It can even vary depending on whether it's the middle or end of the week because most working people must start and end vacations on the weekends, while retirees are more free to travel mid-week. Nothing is 100% predictable, but retirees tend to be a major part of the Auto Train's clientele more often than not.
I'm not sure about the relevance of the comment about the horrible trip in a sleeper. It sounds like it wasn't on the Auto Train, and it may have been in a completely different type of equipment, and you don't say what made it so horrible. Without context, the comment strikes me as somewhat gratuitous, and possibly irrelevant to the present discussion.
CMStPnP JPS1 My impression is that many of the Auto Trains passengers are retirees
JPS1 My impression is that many of the Auto Trains passengers are retirees
JPS1My impression is that many of the Auto Trains passengers are retirees
He-he-he. Seriously, you came to that conclusion on your own given the non-stop train's Destination is Florida.
Yes, the Auto Train clientele has always been dominated by retirees. This was true in 1987 when I started working there, and it was true when I retired in 2014. It was true when Eugene Garfield started the service in the pre-Amtrak days, and it is true today. From year to year, we saw the same people time after time, and often got to know them by name. They knew us, too. Naturally, there was a certain amount of attrition every year. Knowledge of the Auto Train was often spread around the population of retirees by word of mouth. New retirees heard about it from neighbors in the retirement communities and Senior Citizen centers. They were referred by their doctors, relatives, and others. As older passengers passed on, there were always plenty of new retirees to take their place.
If the service can remain attractive and cost effective, there is no reason to think that shouldn't continue indefinitely.
Of course there are always other passengers besides the Seniors: People relocating; students moving to go to college; job transfers; family vacations, or any other reason you can think of. All the Kiddies want to go see Mickey Mouse.
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