Lake Shore Limited

Railjunkie wrote:That was a special train showing off the new super liners maybe late 80s. There have been super liner trains in Albany a few times but that is as far east as they have gone.

Railjunkie is right. It was an Amtrak demonstration train. They ran it up the Post Road and back. I rode it twice - once in a coach and the other time on the head end.

The Lake Shore's future dining program:

https://media.amtrak.com/2018/04/new-co ... ak-routes/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

No indication that it's a pilot program either. Just when you thought the converted lounge was the worst they could do with it...

bostontrainguy wrote:The Lake Shore's future dining program:

https://media.amtrak.com/2018/04/new-co ... ak-routes/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm a bit confused by this Amtrak release: it seems to discuss providing pre-made meal offerings only for sleeping car patrons. Will there also be a diner (eg, one fresh out of CAF?) providing sit down meals to order for coach passengers? Or will there be just a dinette providing microwaved snack bar food (a la NE Regional trains)? Thanks.

It seems like the new diners will become "First Class Lounges" and coach passengers will be left with the cafe as their food source although it appears coach passengers can purchase the new packaged meals if available. I believe they would eat them in the cafe car or take them back to their seats.

So what to do with the new VIIs Diners? Convert them to something else? Is that even possible, though its a "modular" design?

I don’t think there will be any conversion. This sounds like Amtrak will just use the new V-IIs as a first class lounge and extra-large cold storage.

I’m disappointed in Amtrak. When even coffee shops make a good profit on hot food (prepared breakfast and lunch sandwiches, bagels, and quiches), to eliminate all hot food from eastern LDs is an insult. I wonder if this will be a temporary move: reducing the number of OBS employees, then introducing a new heated menu once one or two OBS personnel and the first class free food are permanently eliminated from these trains.

I don't think hot food is leaving the cafe cars.

Cafe cars frequently sell out of things, in my experience, and have the same menu all day long, and isn’t particularly complete or nutritious, and is even more limited if you happen to be vegetarian. Eating 3 meals in the cafe is flat out not first class.

From what I heard and what people at Amtrak have told me is the new Viewliner diners will now be used as crew dorm cars.. Sorry folks.. The slow dismantling of the long distance network by Anderson and his henchman begins..

Want change?? Then write Anderson, the BOD and Congress.. Some of congress MIGHT listen.

This doesn't make much sense since there are 15 bag/dorms already in line to be coming.

What doesn't make sense the dismantling of the long distance network or the dorms??
You can always use extra dorms if others are OOS for maintenance, deadheading crew etc.

blockline4180 wrote:From what I heard and what people at Amtrak have told me is the new Viewliner diners will now be used as crew dorm cars.. Sorry folks.. The slow dismantling of the long distance network by Anderson and his henchman begins..

Want change?? Then write Anderson, the BOD and Congress.. Some of congress MIGHT listen.

That is in error. Amtrak has stated that the new diners will be used as sleeper lounge cars. I won't be shocked if some of the tables are used as office space, though.

I know this is hard to take for some of us. The "dinner in the diner" experience is unequaled in today's travel environment. But for me, the train ride itself is the most important thing and I appreciate the opportunity of still being able to travel by train from Boston to Chicago or elsewhere in this vast country.

I suggested long ago that in order to make lemonade out of these rotten lemons (removal of the dining cars), serve sleeping car passengers in their rooms and tout it as "First Class Room Service". The attendant could have a microwave somewhere to heat things up. Make it nice with a table cloth and real silverware and maybe even a fake flower or two.

But now it is important to note that at the very least the new diners will not be stored and unused, which would be a real debacle. I will still be able to ride in that beautiful new car as a first class lounge. It is rather ironic that one of the first problems that the diners had was that the A/C vents were positioned in such a way that the food on the tables would get cold! Seems like that would have been an advantage in this new plan .

But let's assume that somewhere in the future the diners will be used a bit more, and certainly some food items could be heated up. For now let's be happy that the cars will be used at least.

I know this isn't perfect, but I want the ability to travel by train above all else. I'll deal with the food situation somehow. Just make sure the coffee is still plentiful and hot.

At least Amtrak could have been honest in their rollout of this new "service". Something along the lines of "As a federally subsidized transportation service, we have been directed by congress to eliminate food and beverage economic losses. As such, this summer we are eliminating the dining cars from these trains. While Amtrak continues to strive to meet the needs of our passengers, we hope you will all help us understand your needs by means of expressing your feedback to us directly and/or to your congressional representatives."

This "Fresh Choices" nonsense smacks of the kind of crap I have come to thoroughly despise about modern corporate America. Everything is highly spun up and you have to parse every sentence - plus see what has been omitted - to tease out what is actually being said.

Myself I am in favor of having food vendors meet Amtrak trains at designated stops enroute - just like they do in other 3rd-world countries.