Have taken the Southwest Chief from CHI -> LAX a few times, and one of those times we got one of the refurbished cars with the nicer sink, etc... made a huge difference to our trip! However the folks at Amtrak customer service tell me there's no way to request one of those cars. Is there, in fact, some way to make that happen outside of the "standard" channels?
many thanks!!
NewEnglandRider Have taken the Southwest Chief from CHI -> LAX a few times, and one of those times we got one of the refurbished cars with the nicer sink, etc... made a huge difference to our trip! However the folks at Amtrak customer service tell me there's no way to request one of those cars. Is there, in fact, some way to make that happen outside of the "standard" channels? many thanks!!
Johnny
Pull
Influence.
A short while after W. Graham Claytor died, his widow traveled on the Auto Train. The day before her trip, a sleeper was changed out so that she could ride in the car named for her late husband. I doubt thay Ms. Claytor would have made such a request because she was a very classy lady who would never resort to pushy, demanding, entitled behavior. I'm sure somebody in higher authority took it upon himself (herself?) to arrange this as a nice gesture. for a longstanding friend and supporter of Amtrak.
So I guess the answer is to become the President of Amtrak, or the President's spouse. Short of that, I have no idea.
The ticket agent certainly doesn't have that kind of influence.
Tom
Can't say it occurred to me that "pull" or "influence" would come into play here... if you book a hotel room, there may or may not be an official way to request a specific room, a certain view, or whatever... but, often, if you speak to someone at the hotel (as opposed to the reservation agent), they're more than happy to accommodate the request if it's possible. Figured the same might be true with a sleeper car (which is, for what it's worth, a *lot* pricier than any hotel I've stayed in!)
...am I missing something? Is a request like that a significant imposition? I'm hardly going to throw a fit if I don't get the specific car I want; it's not as if I paid extra for that and I certainly don't think I'm entitled to it. But if it's doable, it'll make my wife's and my vacation more enjoyable, and isn't that sort of the point?
What is in yard that days the Amtrak gives them. The Yard Crews makes up the trains.
The yard crew takes orders from much higher up. I don't know the actual chain of authority in the Mechanical Dept., but the yard crew has little or no freedom to make these decisions on their own.
Buy a compartment on the first floor and bring a battery powered drill (to remove flooring for the drain) and a nice sink basin with you packed away in your luggage.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.