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I had a pleasant trip on #22 (fri) and #21 (sun) from Austin to Fort Worth and back. Both ran about 2 hours late. #22 had 1 loco, 2 sleepers, cross country cafe, sight seer, and 4 coaches. #22 had 1 loco 1 dorm, 1 sleeper, cross country cafe, sight seer, and 3 coaches. Coaches were comfortably full both ways. I didn't go in the diner going north as I had a sandwich from Wholefood which is near the station here in Austin. Both times I visited the lounge for coffee there was none! #21 departed FTW 2 hrs late and maintained that through Austin. As long as they delivered me to Austin before 9:40pm, which they did, I was OK as that would be the last bus home for me on a Sun evening. I had a pleasant dinner (enchiladas) in the whatever-it-is on the way back. When we boarded the stewart said he had only a few places left for last call and he actually turned some folks away for reservations. At the time though, there were empty tables in the diner: curious. The "cafe" half of the diner was completely unused (except for staff lounging purposes) both ways. I don't understand this. I also don't understand how the train can used 2 1/2 hours to go the 80 miles from Austin to San Antonio, but it does. The train dropped me in AUS at 9:14 and arrived SAS 11:45. Go figure. But I have no complaints. Lovely trip, suited my purposes perfectly and the countryside was beautiful with lots of wildflowers still thanks to Lady Bird Johnson, may she rest in peace.
notelvis Member # 3071
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Is the downstairs portion of the sightseer lounge open to passengers? I know all food service is in the cross-country whatchamacallit car now so I'm just wondering how that has impacted the usage of the lounge.
For instance, are people buying sandwiches or whatever from the cafe counter and then crossing back into the sightseer lounge to eat......stuff like that?
Hoop Member # 4607
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I rode #22 a few weeks ago.
They spent MILLIONS to convert the diners into the "Cross Country Cafe's", and they're not even using them as intended.
The "Cross Country Cafe" is operated as a regluar diner car, just as it always has been. There is nothing different about it other than the look of it. And yes, the re-done "lounge area" is basically used by conductors and employees on their breaks.
They still have a separate LSA selling sandwiches/snacks/coffee downstairs in the sight-seer lounge.
We should all be grateful the experiments failed with the Cross Country Cafe, and that the Sight-Seer lounges are still operating.
We should, however, frown upon the wasted MILLIONS of tax payer dollars on this whole project that could have been put to better use, such as refurbishing sleepers and coaches that badly need refurbishment.
City of Miami Member # 2922
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Yes, just as Hoop says. The sightseer lounge was one of the converted ones - which change seems to be much more successful than the crosscountry cafe. The table half of the lounge car actually seems to be more used than the swivel seat half. The lower half is the same as before- except the guy couldn't seem to find time to make coffee. The diner is MUCH less efficient than the old ones; maybe it works out since they have less staff anyway. By the way, #21 seemed to be pretty clean to me: my seat, toilets, etc. Someone on the forum had said the Eagle got no cleaning or service in San Antone because there was no facilities. That train did not seem like it had come all the way from CHI and was heading back in the same condition.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Volks, isn't Congress considered more of Amtrak's friend than is the President?
I agree, Mr. Hoop, the X Country Cafe concept appears to be a waste of precious $$$ - especially if an attended Lounge car is assigned.
Lest we forget, the SDS initiative was started at the behest of Congress and brought to a "head" when "train hating" Rep. John Mica (R-7th-FL) started to burn dollar bills on a CSPAN televised hearing regarding Amtrak F&B.
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