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43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

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Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#51

Post by IIAOPSW »

escapecharacter wrote: post #34
CalRobert wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As discussed at https://www.theonion.com/murder-mystery-on-train-not-so-fun-...

I would totally pay a +30% add on to any train ticket to add a cool murder mystery to my ride.

Hear me out, I had a genius idea. Take one of the platforms at Grand Central in NY (they have more than the current railroad needs), load it up with a bunch of historic Pullman sleeper cars, and open it as a novelty hotel. Maybe roll out the red carpet to give that 20th Century limited feel. For an extra 30% add on, a bunch of actors will come along and play out a mystery crime on a train interactive theater cliche, with a script based loosely on that time John Wheeler lost a brief case of nuclear secrets on a sleeper train to DC.

Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#52

Post by IIAOPSW »

voidfunc wrote: post #26

Are these niche Amtrak routes profitable or just political pork necessary to get politicians on board with funding Amtrak?

Do you judge any other form of transit by its standalone profitability? Are you holding road construction and public airports to the same standard?

Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#53

Post by IIAOPSW »

runarberg wrote: post #45
voidfunc wrote: post #26

Are these niche Amtrak routes profitable or just political pork necessary to get politicians on board with funding Amtrak?

I wouldn’t call them niche, but no, the long distance routes are not profitable and never will be. They were introduce by the Rail Passenger Service act of 1970, and probably were initially requested, for better or worse, to serve as political pork for Amtrak funding as they serve rural communities as well as tourists. One could also argue that Amtrak is kept hostage, and can never offer high quality service (prior t…

You're right in that the long distance routes don't really make sense on their own, but if you view them as a bunch of shorter commuter routes which happen to be there anyway, then connecting them up tip to tip with a daily "long distance" route makes a lot of sense. To the commuters, it doesn't matter that one of the trains they might board on a given day will continue going long after they get off. But the benefit (aside from connectivity) is that the long distance sleeper car passengers are the most profitable customers the railroad has. Those people in the front of the train with their private rooms and chef made meals effectively subsidize the daily coach class commuters in the back of the train. The trick to it is getting the long distance route time table lined up so that it is coincident with its second purpose as a commuter service when it gets to whatever metro area.

Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#54

Post by oxfeed65261 »

AlbertCory wrote: post #24

My obligatory reminder of what we lost when Stevie went to the great club car in the sky, where he's playin' cards with the old men, ain't nobody keeping score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4ztWNJYFrU The greatest train song of all time. Arlo Guthrie talking about how Steve came to him with that song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZx7xCK6yfo . (at 2:09)

It’s been a lot of years since I listened to “City of New Orleans.” My sincere thanks.

Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#55

Post by Weryj »

I took the 2 day train from Vancouver to Winnipeg, on the first night I had some Of the next conversations and ended up with a friend for the whole journey. All while sailing through the snow capped mountains. I would do it again I’m a heartbeat.

Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#56

Post by aidenn0 »

AlbertCory wrote: post #24

My obligatory reminder of what we lost when Stevie went to the great club car in the sky, where he's playin' cards with the old men, ain't nobody keeping score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4ztWNJYFrU The greatest train song of all time. Arlo Guthrie talking about how Steve came to him with that song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZx7xCK6yfo . (at 2:09)

I've only heard the Arlo Guthrie version; thanks for sharing!

Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#58

Post by funkaster »

I did the SF - Truckee train with my son during the summer. We got a roomette type of accommodation. The food was OK, the trip overall was pretty nice. But for the price, I'm not sure I would do it again. The train was "not clean" (there was a dirty used towel inside the bathroom), the room had some crumbles and overall it was not dirty, but it was clearly not properly cleaned. At least not to the level that I would've expected for the cost.

I might try other route just to give trains a shot again. I like the concept and the space and how comfortable is the ride, but SF - Truckee, I'm not sure I would do it again.

Re: 43 Hours on the Amtrak Southwest Chief

#59

Post by kylehotchkiss »

serf wrote: post #19
kylehotchkiss wrote: post #2

"enjoying comforts like ... the airport lounges." Hah! The credit card rewards ruined these. Now they're all crowded and it's just as hard to find a seat as it is outside the lounge. Plus the food in them isn't that great anymore. The best benefit is usually a better view out the window. Real frequent fliers just get PreCheck+Clear and arrive at the airport closer to departure time. I did this same train journey myse…

>2) Single riders should be given both seats on these journeys. I was like 19 when I did this journey and an unusual middle aged lady was placed next to me. She kept asking me for medicines and fell asleep on my shoulder. on one hand, I get it -- that experience would drive me nuts and I have had similar stuff occur. On the other hand , I've had a few good conversations with row-mates in planes. the forced interactio…

I had a few positive interactions with strangers on long distance trains - observation car and dining cars are really nice for that!
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