Why is Amtrak not enhancing its first class products?

Seems like that was a lot more than was ever needed, or planned for service. I guess they felt there was no value to the lounge configuration?

If you compare passenger rail to restaurants, Amtrak would be like McDonalds. It’s the same thing in Illinois, as it is in Florida. McDonald’s has tried to offer some more upscale, and also healthier meals. This has been a marginal success.

The government keeps Amtrak running on a shoestring. This is unfortunate, since our highways and airports are all operated on government subsidies. They have tried upscale. I remember an article in Trains about a refurbished car with parlor seats, and specialty foods, and stewards ready to fulfill your any wish. Since I was born just under a year after Amtrak, I wish that I could have seen the real deal. In my native area, the New Haven was our railroad. I have heard from older friends about a fresh seafood meal, while riding along the Conn. coast. This just makes me wish that I had been born a generation earlier.

It is too bad that “First Class” is just some seat that may be 1” wider, with a complementary cup of coffee, and a WSJ. Too bad that there aren’t parlor cars, and free flowing booze anymore.

I remember when Amtrak offered "movies" to first class passengers on 66/67 in the late 1990s. What a joke! they were STILL using VHS Tape when the rest of the world was using DVDs. I remember watching U-571 where the tape would drag every 10 seconds or so. The picture would go out of horizontal sync and the audio would S.....L.....O.......W... Down. It was a real joke!!! Also, each compartment had its own screen (a 4 inch by 5-inch color composite video LCD screen). If I remember correctly, you had the choice of the movie or you could listen to an audio channel (that played a skipping CD all night long)! The problem with Amtrak is that they don't seem to care about quality. Now when they were demonstrating the X-2000 trains, that was a VERY different story! Quality and customer satisfaction was extremely important to the crews that operated those trains. I guess this is what happens when you have politicians making decisions about service! (soapbox mode on) BTW, I am a member of the Republican Party so I am blaming BOTH parties for this mess. (soapbox mode off).

n2cbo wrote:I remember when Amtrak offered "movies" to first class passengers on 66/67 in the late 1990s. What a joke! they were STILL using VHS Tape when the rest of the world was using DVDs. I remember watching U-571 where the tape would drag every 10 seconds or so. The picture would go out of horizontal sync and the audio would S.....L.....O.......W... Down. It was a real joke!!! Also, each compartment had its own screen (a 4 inch by 5-inch color composite video LCD screen). If I remember correctly, you had the choice of the movie or you could listen to an audio channel (that played a skipping CD all night long)!

Auto Train also showed movies in the lounge (open to all passengers). I recall reading these were "family friendly" movies. Was it like the airlines (and network TV) in which edited "PG" versions of theatrical R-rated films are shown (with language dubbed over and objectionable scenes cut or shortened)?

I'm fairly certain that I saw "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" for the first time on the Auto Train years ago.

Engineer Spike wrote:It is too bad that “First Class” is just some seat that may be 1” wider, with a complementary cup of coffee, and a WSJ. Too bad that there aren’t parlor cars, and free flowing booze anymore.

On my Acela first class trip, the wine was free-flowing. That is standard for airline first class so Amtrak has that right. Acela first class is the one category where Amtrak matches the airlines, in a good way.

ryanov wrote:I'm fairly certain that I saw "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" for the first time on the Auto Train years ago.

Ah the irony! Seeing a film about the 1940s/50s destruction of interurban rail lines on board a train carrying auto-driving motorists.