The Sunset I will be on wil NOT have a sighseer Lounge, instead it will have a crummy Snack-Coach!!!! Anybody got any advice on how to make the best of this trip since I will have to sit in my Roomette the whole time??
Posted by PaulB (Member # 4258) on :
Open the vestibule door and stick your head out. Just watch for the rocks that get kicked up
Why do you know your train won't have a Sightseer Lounge? They may scrounge one up in LA and put it on.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
There are a number of things you can do:get acquainted with your neighbor across the hall and that way you can both see both sides of the train,read a book ,look out the window and enjoy the scenery, take some pictures,bring a couple of games along,bring some music to listen to, go down to the snack coach for a short time you may find someone to talk to there. Are you traveling alone? If not bring some cards along and play some Gin. Also if you download the route guide you can watch for the places it tells you about.
Posted by CoastStarlight99 (Member # 2734) on :
How do you know this?
When I was on the SW Chief, I noticed one of the coaches had one of these...I think it was the old smoking room.
Posted by PaulB (Member # 4258) on :
The pictuers in the link above were from my trip on the TX Eagle back home to LA. That snack coach was the last car on the TX Eagle, and only went from Chicago to St. Louis. There were coach passengers in it, so it wasn't deadheading. However, the cafe downstairs was closed. This was right after Katrina hit, so we were only running with a dining car. Half diner, half lounge.
On my latest trip aboard the Sunset Limited, I don't think they were using the snack coach for regular seating. We still had 2 coaches plus one off the TX Eagle. I didn't see any seat checks above the people sitting in the snack coach seats, so I assumed it was one big lounge.
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Last year while waiting for Train 11 in Salem, Train 14 came in just a few minutes before. 14 had a snack coach on it. I'd never heard of such before, and I wondered what it was.
I remember back in 1974 when I first rode the Starlight, they had a "snack car" positioned in the middle of the coaches. It was a counter service diner with full kitchen serving light meals. I wonder if a snack coach is meant to serve a similar purpose.
Posted by PaulB (Member # 4258) on :
The snack coaches used to be assigned to the Empire Builder. The downstairs lounge would be open on the section going from Seattle to Spokane. The Sightseer Lounge was and still does travel on the Portland section.
Nowadays, the dining car that travels on the Seattle section doubles as a diner/lounge. The snack coaches now roam the system.
Posted by rtabern (Member # 4306) on :
The snack coaches have been running on the Ann Rutledge routes (CHI-STL-KC) this winter.
In the winter they run 3 superliner coaches and one has a snack car.
In the summer they run 3 single-level coaches and a car that's half snack car/half business class.
They said it had something to do with the weather and the Superliners running better.
I guess it's a trade-off.
You don't get the tables to sit at in the snack coaches, but you do get the Superliners which have more room and seem more comfortable than the single-level coaches
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Is Amtrak missing a revenue opportunity by putting these on trains unused and at random instead of selling food on select routes? Looks like they're just dead weight right now.
Posted by train lady (Member # 3920) on :
hey,people. I think you have gotten off the track (no pun intended,exactly) The question was how to make the most of the time in his roomette. While I think the discussion is interesting shouldn't we stick to the subject? I would be interested in others ideas
Posted by Ira Slotkin (Member # 81) on :
I am not confident that you want suggestions but I will take you at your word:
1) Bring a tape recorder and interview people, then write an article for your school or community newspaper about who takes trains and how come; 2) take lots of photos and keep notes on where and when so you can post them to your own website; 3)Read a couple of books of short stories; 4) listen to music and look out the window; 5) write some letters to relatives you haven't seen or friend who have moved away; ( a novel approach to things - ride a train and write a letter vs emailing); mail them from diffeent stations along the way - being careful of course not to strayt so far you miss the train. 6) get a book of magic tricks and practice them until you are proficient. Then put on performances for little kids and earn enough for another Amtrak trip. One on a train with the consist you prefer. 7) Bird and animal watch. 8) bring a game you can play with someone else and then invite them from their roomette to yours
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