Early Morning Lake Shore Limited

I’m standing on the bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 5 over the CSX Erie West Subdivision tracks west of Lake City, Pennsylvania, on April 27, 2008

Amtrak’s eastbound Lake Shore Limited is making good time as it heads toward its next station stop of Erie, Pennsylvania.

It is early morning and the rising sun is creating strong back lighting that mutes the colors, but provides a nice glint on the side of the passenger cars.

It is the type of image that when I made it I didn’t like how it turned out. Years later I decided to scan the slide to see what I could do with it.

Upon further review I decided that I liked the glint because it nicely draw out the profiles of the different generations of passenger cars on Train 48.

There are two Heritage fleet members, a baggage car and dining car, three Viewliner sleepers and a string of Amfleet coaches and a food service car.

The differences in how those cars were designed and constructed show up well here even if the image is not all that colorful. It almost appears to be a hybrid with elements of black and white and color photography.

Lake Shore Limited and Fall Foliage

It’s fall foliage season in the Midwest and I venture up to Goshen, Indiana, to catch the westbound Lake Shore Limited passing a colorful stand next to Oakridge Cemetery. No. 49 was running a little behind schedule as it came charging westward on the Chicago Line of Norfolk Southern.

Silver Meteor Returns, Service Resumes to Miami

Amtrak has begun reinstating its New York-Miami Silver Meteor and resuming operations of the Silver Star between Miami and Jacksonville, Florida.

The Star has been suspended south of Jacksonville due to damage caused by flooding during Hurricane Ian in the vicinity of Kissimmee, Florida. That track has since been repaired by host railroad CSX.

The first departure of the Silver Star from New York that will operate to Miami was Oct. 14 while the first departure from Miami of the Star for New York will be on Oct. 15.

The Silver Meteor was suspended last January with Amtrak citing a shortage of workers and serviceable equipment.

Trains magazine reported on its website that reinstatement of the Meteor will result in a net loss of one Viewliner sleeping car on the New York-Miami route.

The magazine reported that the Silver Meteor and Silver Star will each carry two sleepers. Since January the Silver Star has carried five sleepers along with four or five Amfleet coaches.

The Star and Meteor will each be assigned three sleepers apiece.

Before it was suspended earlier this year the Silver Meteor was assigned three sleeping cars while the Silver Star had two.

The first departures from New York and Miami for the Silver Meteor will be Oct. 15 and 16 respectively.

The reduction in sleeper capacity between New York and Miami with the reinstatement of the Meteor has resulted in some passengers who had booked sleeping car space being notified by Amtrak that the space they had reserved was no longer available, Trains reported.

One such passenger told Trains he received an automated voice mail advising him to contact Amtrak reservations about a “service disruption.”

He then learned that the car in which he had reserved space back in April would not be operating on his December dates of travel aboard the Meteor and no alternative sleeping car space was available for those dates or any nearby dates on the Meteor or the Silver Star.

The Trains report also said Amtrak plans to operate nine Superliner sleeping cars on the Auto Train starting Nov. 1.

Amtrak Overhauling Interiors of Passenger Cars

Amtrak has launched a media campaign to tout a $28 million project to overhaul the interiors of Superliner and Viewliner cars used by long-distance trains.

Some of the renovated cars are being placed in service this month.

The first overhauls are being made to Superliner cars with Viewliner sleeping cars expected to be overhauled next.

The project involves giving the cars new seat cushions and upholstery; carpeting; curtains; LED lighting; tables; bedding, linens, and pillows; towels; and updated toiletry dispensers with eco-friendly body wash, conditioner, shampoo and soap.

Safe Travels Redbird

It’s just another trip for Amtrak’s westbound Cardinal as it passes a signal south of Linden, Indiana, on the CSX Monon Subdivision. Train 51 had a clear here and was running on schedule. The image was made in late May.

There is a Conductor in There Somewhere

The westbound Lake Shore Limited had completed its station work in Waterloo, Indiana, and was on the move. But as the Viewliner sleeping cars rolled past the boarding platform, a conductor stood in a vestibule and watched the platform as No. 49 began rolling out of town. Presumably, he was making sure there were no late-arriving passengers.

Cruising Out of Crawfordsville

Amtrak’s Chicago-bound Cardinal is running two hours off schedule as it departs the station in Crawfordsville, Indiana, during the July 4th weekend. I don’t know why the train was running late.

The track here is the Monon Subdivision of CSX and the Amtrak boarding site it located by the former Monon passenger station, which is now privately owned and used by a catering company.

Sleepers to Return to Boston-Washington Route

Sleeping car service is returning between Boston and Washington on the Northeast Corridor starting April 5.

The Viewliner sleepers will operate on Trains 66 and 67 with a scheduled running time of nine to 10 hours depending on the direction and the day of the week of travel.

No. 67 operates as Train 65 on Friday and Saturday nights.

Passengers will receive a complimentary continental breakfast box in the evening and may either go to the train’s cafe car for coffee and juice in the morning or have the car’s attendant deliver it to their rooms.

Amtrak also will offer passengers one complimentary alcoholic beverage.

Passengers will be able to make use of first-class lounges in Boston and Washington.

However, the lounge in Philadelphia will be unavailable and New York passengers will need to board through Penn Station because the Moynihan Train Hall and its Metropolitan Lounge are closed overnight.

The Northeast Corridor has always had sleeping cars operating on long distance trains that continue beyond Washington.

But sleeping car service between Boston and Washington has been absent since 2003.

For many years Amtrak offered an overnight train between the two terminals named the Night Owl. That train had a New York-Washington “Executive Sleeper” that was dropped off or picked up at Penn Station.

That service ended when Amtrak ceased using Heritage Fleet sleepers.

Starting in 1997, the Boston-Washington sleepers operated south to Newport News, Virginia, when he train was renamed the Twilight Shoreliner.

Amtrak officials have said the resumption of sleeping car service between Boston and Washington is being made possible by the assignment of Viewliner II sleepers to the Silver Star and Silver Meteor between New York and Miami.

Sleepers that had been operating in Silver Service have been reassigned to the Northeast Corridor.

The intercity carrier said it has enough Viewliner II sleepers to cover the resumption of daily service on the New York-Miami run in late spring.

Viewliner II sleepers have already been introduced on the New York Miami route and will be maintained at the Hialeah Maintenance Facility in Miami.

Currently the Silver Service trains are running with just one Viewliner II sleeper, Amtrak plans to soon increase that to two of every three sleepers on each train.

Train 66 is scheduled to depart Washington nightly at 10 p.m., arriving in New York at 1:55 a.m. and Boston’s South Station at 7:58 a.m.

No.  67 leaves Boston Sunday through Thursday at 9:30 p.m. It arrives in New York at 2:30 a.m. and Washington at 7 a.m.

On Fridays and Saturdays No. 65 runs on a slightly different schedule.

Amtrak said fares between Boston and Washington for one person in a roomette could be as low as $288.

Travel Downturn Keeping Some Amtrak Fares Lower

Aside from fewer people traveling, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Amtrak has meant greater availability of fares at lower levels, an analysis by Trains magazine has found.

The analysis found that coach and sleeping car fares are at their lowest price level on most routes.

Amtrak fares vary depending on demand on a given day. The higher the demand the more likely that fares are to be higher.

Trains reported that passengers who believe they will be able to travel during historic busy travel periods will find sleeping car fares higher than what can be had now but still lower than what those fares would be under normal circumstances when sleeping car rooms are often sold out.

A roomette this summer on the Chicago-Washington Capitol Limited can be had for $310, which matches the current adult roomette fare.

On the Chicago-New York Cardinal, roomettes are selling for $595 whereas last year during the summer they sold for $900.

The Cardinal has long had less sleeping car space than other eastern long-distance trains and thus its sleeping car fares have tended to be higher and space is harder to get.

Nos. 50 and 51 typically operate with one Viewliner sleeper although in recent weeks sleeping car space on the route has increased slightly with the assignment of a Viewliner baggage-dormitory car to the train.

The Trains analysis spot check found that a sleeping car accommodation on the Chicago-Los Angeles Southwest Chief can be had this summer for $740 whereas it current is priced at $604.

The respective fares for the California Zephyr (Chicago-Emeryville, California) are $685 for the summer versus $547 now and for the Chicago-Seattle/Portland Empire Builder they are $900 versus $513 now.

The COVID-19 has resulted in sleeping car accommodations being sold out northbound on the Auto Train through March 23 whereas southbound plenty of space is available.

When demand for the Auto Train is strong Amtrak has the option of expanding sleeping car consists from seven cars to eight.

The Auto Train equipment pool includes Amtrak’s only two Superliner sleepers that have only bedrooms on the upper level.

Amtrak Previews Coming On-Board Service Changes

A service advisory posted on the Amtrak website on Wednesday formally announced the return of dining service for sleeping car passengers on the Silver Star as well as briefly described other coming changes including the inauguration of Viewliner II sleeping car service on eastern long-distance trains.

Amtrak did not give a date for when the Viewliner II sleepers will begin revenue service other than it would be “in the coming months.” Nor did it say which trains would get the new sleepers.

The announcement merely said they would be assigned to “trains on the East Coast” and would be the first addition to the Amtrak sleeping car fleet in more than 25 years.

The passenger carrier said sleeping car passengers will begin using upgraded bedding, towels and linens at an unspecified date.

This change will initially be made on the Auto Train that operates between the Washington area and Florida.

Also coming is the completion of renovations to Amfleet II coaches with new seating cushions, carpets, curtains and LED reading lights.

Since 2015 sleeping car passengers on the Silver Star have not received meals as part of their fare as is the case on all other Amtrak overnight trains with sleeper service.

The dining service being inaugurated on the Silver Star on May 1 will be the same as that provided on the Capitol Limited, Cardinal, City of New Orleans, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited and Silver Meteor.

Nos. 91 and 92 will receive a dining car reserved for the exclusive use of sleeping car passengers.

Amtrak said traditional dining service will continue to be offered on the California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, Texas Eagle and for sleeping car customers aboard the Auto Train.