I ride this train quite a bit, and the first cafe car is a rebuilt dinette. The food is pre-prepared but it's not bad. There are two heritage diners being rebuilt to use on this train (one is ready as of 11-11-09) a third (the only Viewliner diner) will be on this trian too. Coming soon in 2010.
While I know diners will eventually (and not a moment too soon) I keep hearing conflicting specifics - so the only thing will be to wait and see! I can't wait to have REAL food back not this diner-lite SHIT.
What a junk pile of a train. Remember the 20th Century and all the rest? We sure have hit the skids with passenger trains. Those Amfleet cars don't make it on the long haul. I will never ride on Amtrak again. It is a zoo inside. Try sleeping on this water level route sewer train.
Unfortunately I think this will be the norm on the Lake Shore Limited now. I have seen the train twice in the past two weeks and both times it has operated with two lounge cars. What a shame.
indeed. despite all the other boo hoo hoo its not gone for good comments below - the WB 49 today 11/13 had the same two lounge car 4 coach consist. Also - people who work for AMTK are saying that the companies plan is to retire all heritage equipment period in the near future. Baggage service will be interesting.....
I don't know if the Heritage baggage cars will be retired, but I did see yesterday's southbound Crescent with and Amfleet I coach in place of the baggage car.
the new baggage cars will look like the viewliner cars. it will be half crew dorm half baggage. there is a Request for vender out for the viewliner 2 order which will include sleepers baggage diners
I don't quite agree with that - as if you look at VIA they currently have sixteen similar cars out for rebuild and once returned they will be around for at least another 15-20 years.... Any of those cars that is in any state of disrepair is not because of decay but rather inadequate or deferred maintenance.
It took Chicago a while to fix the problem, and so for about a month, one of the Lake Shore equipment sets looked like this. Because Amtrak's spare diner is for the Florida trains, whenever the LSL's diner is bad-ordered, it has to do this.
I received a confirmation email from a friend who is in the fleet management department for Amtrak at CNOC and according to him - this is the new assigned equipment for the Lake Shore - and that ALL diners are to be replaced by Horizon cafe cars by 2/1/2007. He also relayed sad news about some cutbacks related to the aforementioned change, but told me not to disclose the details.
He told me he would take measurements the next time he had the opportunity but as far as he knew - the seats in the Horizon Cafe cars feature about 1" less width per each seat (aisle was built with ADA in mind). He went on to mention how these cafe cars also have what he thinks to be less leg room - but he couldn't confirm that. Lastly - these cars do have harder suspension - built just the same as any bombardier car - not as smooth as the old diners (when properly maintained)...
Actually, the Heritage diners are still used. In late September the Lake Shore arrived with a defective diner. I saw them take the diner off the train, move the Amfleet II café up, and add a Horizon café. I talked to the yard manager, who said that the diner was bad-ordered.
Maybe the dining car was bad ordered. The first cafe car could be an Amfleet 2 car that was refurbished for "Diner-lite" service on the Cardinal. The Horizon cafe car was most likely just being used in place of the cafe car. It could just be a one time thing (for now.)
I don't think it was a fluke - this seems to be their new thing. Three out of the last five times I have seen 48 or 49 it has had an amfleet-II cafe and a horizon cafe - NO DINER. Way to go Amtrak.
I ride this train quite a bit, and the first cafe car is a rebuilt dinette. The food is pre-prepared but it's not bad. There are two heritage diners being rebuilt to use on this train (one is ready as of 11-11-09) a third (the only Viewliner diner) will be on this trian too. Coming soon in 2010.
manidig 2 years ago
While I know diners will eventually (and not a moment too soon) I keep hearing conflicting specifics - so the only thing will be to wait and see! I can't wait to have REAL food back not this diner-lite SHIT.
nhlives 2 years ago
those diners were nice inside, but outside they did look horrible, we lost another peice of history...
furryfurball1221 3 years ago
What a junk pile of a train. Remember the 20th Century and all the rest? We sure have hit the skids with passenger trains. Those Amfleet cars don't make it on the long haul. I will never ride on Amtrak again. It is a zoo inside. Try sleeping on this water level route sewer train.
cforssi 4 years ago
Unfortunately I think this will be the norm on the Lake Shore Limited now. I have seen the train twice in the past two weeks and both times it has operated with two lounge cars. What a shame.
sasilv1129 4 years ago
indeed. despite all the other boo hoo hoo its not gone for good comments below - the WB 49 today 11/13 had the same two lounge car 4 coach consist. Also - people who work for AMTK are saying that the companies plan is to retire all heritage equipment period in the near future. Baggage service will be interesting.....
nhlives 4 years ago
I don't know if the Heritage baggage cars will be retired, but I did see yesterday's southbound Crescent with and Amfleet I coach in place of the baggage car.
garginshmunkle 4 years ago
the new baggage cars will look like the viewliner cars. it will be half crew dorm half baggage. there is a Request for vender out for the viewliner 2 order which will include sleepers baggage diners
lexmarks567 2 years ago
yup
nhlives 2 years ago
the heritage fleet is old not worth rebuilding. there so old that they could rip apart if the engineer accelerates too quickly.
lexmarks567 2 years ago
I don't quite agree with that - as if you look at VIA they currently have sixteen similar cars out for rebuild and once returned they will be around for at least another 15-20 years.... Any of those cars that is in any state of disrepair is not because of decay but rather inadequate or deferred maintenance.
nhlives 2 years ago
It took Chicago a while to fix the problem, and so for about a month, one of the Lake Shore equipment sets looked like this. Because Amtrak's spare diner is for the Florida trains, whenever the LSL's diner is bad-ordered, it has to do this.
garginshmunkle 4 years ago
I received a confirmation email from a friend who is in the fleet management department for Amtrak at CNOC and according to him - this is the new assigned equipment for the Lake Shore - and that ALL diners are to be replaced by Horizon cafe cars by 2/1/2007. He also relayed sad news about some cutbacks related to the aforementioned change, but told me not to disclose the details.
nhlives 4 years ago
He told me he would take measurements the next time he had the opportunity but as far as he knew - the seats in the Horizon Cafe cars feature about 1" less width per each seat (aisle was built with ADA in mind). He went on to mention how these cafe cars also have what he thinks to be less leg room - but he couldn't confirm that. Lastly - these cars do have harder suspension - built just the same as any bombardier car - not as smooth as the old diners (when properly maintained)...
nhlives 4 years ago
Actually, the Heritage diners are still used. In late September the Lake Shore arrived with a defective diner. I saw them take the diner off the train, move the Amfleet II café up, and add a Horizon café. I talked to the yard manager, who said that the diner was bad-ordered.
garginshmunkle 4 years ago
Oh my gosh that's so cool. I'll have to go there sometime.
Ludden09 4 years ago
Maybe the dining car was bad ordered. The first cafe car could be an Amfleet 2 car that was refurbished for "Diner-lite" service on the Cardinal. The Horizon cafe car was most likely just being used in place of the cafe car. It could just be a one time thing (for now.)
Tom8201 4 years ago
I don't think it was a fluke - this seems to be their new thing. Three out of the last five times I have seen 48 or 49 it has had an amfleet-II cafe and a horizon cafe - NO DINER. Way to go Amtrak.
nhlives 4 years ago