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Someone on an AOL board reports that three of the Pacific Parlour Cars are bad ordered and are out of service. Can anybody confirm this or have more info?
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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Wow, I hope not because I'm taking the Starlight for the first time in 15 days and I want to use the Parlor Car!
Posts: 93 | From: Batavia, IL | Registered: Apr 2004
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Wow! I'm on the Starlight tonight - first time in first class. I have to admit I'll be disappointed to find this report is true. JAG
Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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Hmmm. Nobody here knows anything, so unless something more solid comes in I'm going to chalk this one up as unsubstantiated rumor. I would think that if it were true, somebody here would be able to confirm it. Equipment changes tends to make the rounds pretty quickly among Amtrak railfans.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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I was in your wonderful country last week and on the Monday (May 3rd) I saw both the Northbound and Southbound CS go through Grover Beach and both had parlour cars. I was going to post a thread as I was surprised at the length of the Northbound consist: it had baggage, transition, three sleeper, parlour, diner, lounge and FIVE coach (although my experience is limited, I've never seen more than three coach on a LD train). The southbound was running about three hours late with three coach and the parlour car at the very rear behind the sleepers.
Posts: 395 | From: england | Registered: Sep 2002
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Mr Williams, The Starlight is one of Amtrak's most popular trains, and it is quite common this time of year to see five coaches and three sleepers. During the slow season, it tends to shrink to three coaches and two sleepers, which is typical of most LD trains.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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The post about Parlors out of service was from an as reliable source as you can get, and yes, most are badordered. They normally substitute a 2nd sightseer lounge as a "quasi" parlor, although one consist within the past week ran without a substitute, just sleepers, diner, lounge, coaches.
Posts: 114 | From: pismo beach CA | Registered: Jul 2003
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I noticed Wednesday while taking the Metrolink to work that there was a Parlour car parked toward the far end (furthest from Union Station) of the yard, and it had been in the same place for about a week. There was also what appeared to be a Coast Starlight consist made up with a Parlour car in it.
Whatever the problem is, they better fix it by next month when I'm scheduled to take the Starlight!
[This message has been edited by socalsteve (edited 05-14-2004).]
Posts: 5 | From: Corona, CA, USA | Registered: Apr 2003
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Each time I have taken the Coast Starlight, there's always someone who says - "you mean Amtrak doesn't have these types of cars [Pacific Parlour] on all its routes for first class passengers?" I sadly remark - "nope, this is the only train that has it." Even my father had that comment - he was in quite a shock, as we had just completed a trip across Canada on Via. He commented - "I am glad I had the best first."
Western travelers should consider themselves lucky with even the Sightseer Lounge - we only have Amfleet Lounges on the East Coast long distance trains (yuck!).
However, I am just glad Amtrak is still running the current system! Although a Viewliner lounge would be nice.
Hope the Parlour Cars get fixed! In November, the Pacific Parlour Car in my consist had temperature control problems, so I am not surprised to see them badordered. They need another round of tender loving care!
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If only there were more Santa Fe Hi-Level lounges. Six makes them quite rare, and if a few are out for servicing that makes them all the rarer. Oh well, my fav's the Southwest Chief and we have no such luxury. Kind of a shame to put them on the Starlight and not on their home rails (Santa Fe all the way )
Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote:Originally posted by pismobum: The post about Parlors out of service was from an as reliable source as you can get, and yes, most are badordered.
I actually don't have a "source" only a rumor on another board ("someone told me" sort of thing). He did say that the train he was on had no Parlour Car, but didn't say if a sightseer lounge had been substituted or not.
We still have no specifics. How many are out of service, why are they out of service, and when will they be back in service? From what I'm reading many if not most trains are still going out with Parlour Cars, and according to a previous post only one Parlour Car has actually been seen idle.
The person on the other board says three are out out of service. Can anyone confirm this? I remember about this time last year it was common to see sightseer lounges substituted for Parlour Cars because the spare was at Beach Grove. Perhaps that is the situation again?
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I sure hope the parlour cars are in service by mid-June. It's one thing I always look forward to on my Fla. to Ore. annual rail trip. And, late as it always is, I still enjoy the Sunset. Just have to adjust my ETAs.
Posts: 133 | From: Florida, U.S.A. | Registered: May 2004
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LOL notelvis, I'll bet there were some chagrined passengers traveling those CSX rails in April and early May. Glad to see the track repair, though.
Posts: 133 | From: Florida, U.S.A. | Registered: May 2004
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I just got back from my trip on the Starlight. NB on 5/13 had no Pacific Parlor Car. SB on 5/16 had no Parlor Car. SB on 5/17 had Nanette's Pacific Parlor Car (Yeeeaaaa!!) as did the NB on that day, since I saw it pass as we waited on a siding. Trip report later. Posts: 326 | From: San Antonio Texas USA | Registered: Dec 2003
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There is i believe 5 of these cars(not sure some1 out there must know).The cars are known for bad Boggies and electrical problems(mostly electrical probs). Last year 1 caught fire from an unprotected wire. The fill in Sightseer Lounge is a joke. It sucks. I dont know if its me but those have got 2 be the most unconfortable seats ever.
Posts: 98 | From: Bakersfield, CA, USA | Registered: May 2004
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I have a source who confirmed that 2 Pacific Parlour Cars have been operating recently with a 3rd returned to one of the train sets today (Tuesday). Thus 3 of the 4 sets of equipment now have one.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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The northbound CS from LA on 5/25 did not have a Parlour car. A Lounge car was in it's place. This would confirm the previous post that no more than three Parlour cars are in service. If you are travelling on the CS in the future just add 4 days to this train to see if you will end up with the consist without a Parlour car, or hope it is put back in service first.
Posts: 32 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Sep 2003
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The southbound Starlight, originating on May 27, did not have a Parlour Car (darn it!) which I guess makes sense based on previous posts, since the LA northbound on the 25 and the 29 would be the same trainset. The northbound on May 28 DID have a Parlour Car.
Posts: 93 | From: Batavia, IL | Registered: Apr 2004
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I have just returned and will post a trip report soon. But, I can confirm that some of the Pacific Parlour Cars are out of service. However, the #14 on 24 May had one (I didn't get the car number) and the #11 on 31 May had one car# 39975. Hugo, our car attendent on the #14 said that he had just made the trip earlier that week with a Sightseer Lounge in place of the PP.
Posts: 7 | Registered: Mar 2004
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