The special will then travel through New York to Philadelphia, arriving around 3:30 a.m. Thursday. In Philadelphia, two additional baggage cars that have been testing on the Northeast Corridor will be added to the train.
Around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, all 20 of the new cars will depart Philadelphia about two hours behind Silver Meteor train No. 97 through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The special train is expected to arrive in Hialeah around 9 p.m. Friday.
After arriving in Hialeah, the cars will go through a final round of inspections before being accepted. The baggage cars are expected to enter revenue service in early 2015 and will be used on any of Amtrak’s 15 long-distance routes.
The baggage cars are part of a larger order for 130 single-level, long-distance passenger cars, including diner, sleeper, and baggage-dorm cars.
Dining cars are now in service
I've used the checked baggage service a lot. I don't like getting my bags back wet or stone cold during winter time. The new heated baggage cars are welcome. As ticketing becomes more automated, station agents could retain work as baggage handlers, and it's time to restore some of that service at some stations that were destaffed.
Baggage cars don't increase revenue? Not directly, at least not most of the time, except for a few passengers who pay the extra fee to transport more than the stated limit of number of bags, and the passengers who travel who wouldn't otherwise travel because they can take extra bags, but would otherwise fly or drive. The old baggage cars are some of the oldest equipment in Amtrak's fleet. They won't last forever.
Lowering costs is good, increasing revenue is better.
Baggage cars do not increase revenue.
Dining cars, if removed, would hurt revenue but do nothing to increase it.
Bag/Dorms do not increase revenue but at least free up space in the sleepers for more revenue.
Sleepers are often sold out so more of them means more revenue. And that's more revenue from people who have already decided that existing baggage and dining car service is adequate.
Naturally, Amtrak spent most of their money on the ones that do the least to increase revenue.
I hope that the baggage cars track properly when empty … well, empty save for the Congressionally-mandated gun lockers. Would hate to see them ballasted like the Ed Ellis Mail & Express Empty Boxcar Specials were.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The baggage cars are probably coming first because they have the least in the way of interior fittings to install and inspect. Lights, heat, racks, gun lockers, bike racks. That's about it.
Mr. Aaron Bauman, Apology accepted with thanks ! I regretted the posting soon afterward, but tend to get caught-up with what I perceive as political cra- at times. I wish Happy Holidays to you and your family, and only the best to all of you !!!!
Good of Amtrak to get the enthusiasts involved. Compare that to the 1975 or so ferry move of Amcoaches to California for the San Diegans. A Trains lead editorial of the era lamented the lack of any publicity, when the move surely was an attempt by the carrier to "make the trains worth travelling again", the slogan of the day.
Mr Robert Klippel. My apology for sensitive. I meant to say outline.
Mr. Carleton, actually Amtrak once operated an as needed "freight train" CHI-TOL in the wee hours of the morning when no one but third shift train dispatchers and passing crews would notice. Remember when Amtrak was in the "freight" business under the Downs and Warrington administrations? #29, and for a short while #49, were picking up loaded MHCs at TOL. Some or all I imagine were destined for points west of CHI. Well, apparently this was loads west and empties east because Amtrak operated what the Conrail dispatchers called a "boxcar extra". I don't recall how often they ran or how many MHCs were the usual. Frequencies may have been as many as twice weekly.
Enough already about the paint- scheme on the cars ! It's beautiful ! The BIG question I have is, why are all these new cars being taken all the way to the southern most tip of the AMTRAK system for their final acceptance inspection ? Are they going to ship one of them by barge to Cuba for a public exhibition ?
Hey Aaron, maybe we should add black to the American Flag to show our country's weakness !!
Logo is nice and missing one color. A black line to show strong america.
Well, it's about time we need these new baggage cars so badly, the present ones are getting old & tired, plus these new cars are a lot more cleaner:-)
All they need is a rider coach on the rear and it's the 1960s all over again.
You know, I'd rather have the original "Helvetica" lettering on Phase III, but the current logo in blue doesn't look half bad! Now Amtrak needs to repaint all of their fleet like this! I like how the stripes perfectly match up with those on 822.
Jim, that is Amtrak 42 the Veteran's Tribute Locomotive. Very nice looking locomotive.
Amtrak #42 is the Veteran's Appreciation locomotive.
What is that paint scheme on the lead locomotive?
I think this paint scheme is ugly. Didn't like it before, don't like it now.
Maybe now my luggage will arrive at its destination dry instead of soaked . .
This is as close to an Amtrak 'freight' train as we are going to get.
The red white and blue stripping on the silver cars is striking! Amtrak made a mistake abandoning this paint scheme for the current.
Is that the famous Italian high speed train. the Frecciarossa, the Red Arrow? Very nice! And where are those not yet ordered coaches?
Lovely to see so many Viewliner II cars enroute, but where are the revenue cars, the sleepers and the more efficient new diners?