Amtrak coach cars

I have seen the St Louis Mule and Kansas City Mule pulling different cars then amfleets are these comet commuters? I think the Ann Rutledge pulls the same number of cars as the mules 3 coaches and a cafe. If the Missouri House of Representives has their would one of the mules be dropped or the Ann Rutledge?

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

RE: Amtrak coach cars, Erick_Cantu, Feb-14-04, 04:31 AM, (1) RE: Amtrak coach cars, Tim Frost, Feb-14-04, 05:46 AM, (2) RE: Amtrak coach cars, shoskins, Feb-14-04, 09:05 AM, (4) RE: Amtrak coach cars, bnsf1959, Feb-14-04, 07:45 AM, (3) RE: Amtrak coach cars, bradhig, Feb-14-04, 12:27 PM, (5) RE: Amtrak coach cars, buzzbenz, Feb-14-04, 01:22 PM, (6) RE: Amtrak coach cars, ssw, Feb-14-04, 03:17 PM, (7) RE: Amtrak coach cars, bradhig, Feb-14-04, 05:58 PM, (8) RE: Amtrak coach cars, buzzbenz, Feb-14-04, 06:05 PM, (9) RE: Amtrak coach cars, buzzbenz, Feb-14-04, 06:08 PM, (10) RE: Amtrak coach cars, ssw, Feb-14-04, 06:13 PM, (11) RE: Amtrak coach cars, bradhig, Feb-14-04, 08:17 PM, (12) RE: Amtrak coach cars, sawblade5, Feb-15-04, 00:20 AM, (13) RE: Amtrak coach cars, bradhig, Feb-15-04, 00:31 AM, (15) RE: Amtrak coach cars, Erick_Cantu, Feb-15-04, 00:48 AM, (16) RE: Amtrak coach cars, Tim Frost, Feb-15-04, 03:05 AM, (17) RE: Amtrak coach cars, jdtrainman, Feb-16-04, 01:18 AM, (18) RE: Amtrak coach cars, Erick_Cantu, Feb-15-04, 00:24 AM, (14)

Conferences | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic

It's not nice to refer to Democrats that way...

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

They're not Comets, they're Horizons and are built more for distance. Some of the Amtrak horizons have seats spaced similar to Amfleets. I personally find Horizons FAR more comfortable than Amfleet coaches.Tim Frost

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

We had a major fleet of Horizon cars on the San Diegans just before the Pacific Surfliner fleet came in. The thing I disliked aboutthe Horizon cars was the bright interior lighting....there are times I'd want to sleep coming back form San Diego and the Amfleet cars were better in that regard.I also tend to ride in the Superliner car in the PS consist if one if there if I'm coming back later in the evenings....so I can sleep!! The best ones are the sightseer lounges....nice and dark upstairs.

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Actually it's the same train that leaves Chicago(Illinois;Ann Rutledge) to Kansas City(The Missourian). I rode on it last summer. I went from Summit, Ill. to Jefferson City, Mo. There is a one hour stop over in St. Louis to change crews and engineer. This goes for either direction. I think they only worked 6 or 7 shift per each crew. They use mostly the Amfleet and Horzion fleet cars for Spring, Summer, and Fall. From what I understand that one of the train crew told me that they use Superliner cars in the winter time cuz the pipe freezes up under the Horzion and Amfleet coach cars. The Superliners has the skirting on them to protect against cold elements.
Also, it depends what day of the week they might use more than 3 or 4 cars. For example; during the school year and on a Sunday, They would use abuot 5 or 6 cars per train.
I have a link here from when I post last summer after my trip and there is pictures; http://www.train-sim.com/cgi/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=5497&forum=DCForumID1&archive=Ken

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Kansas City Mule and St Louis Mule are the names of trains not a reference to democrats. Are the horizon cars going to be a replacement for the Amfleet cars?

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

The Horizon cars already replaced the Amfleets here for the most part. The Horizons allowed Amtrak to migrate the Amfleets back to the coasts, which is where they were initially intended to go.The Ann Rutledge keeps the same name all the way from Chicago to KC. It does stop over in St. Louis for a service stop. Not an hour though, about 20 - 40 minutes, depending on when it arrives.The Mule runs just between KC and St. Louis. This is the train they are talking of stopping. Funding was NOT approved, so unless something happens soon, we will lose this train, possible as early as March.Both the Ann Rutledge and the Mule (as well as the St. Louis - Chicago State House) use primarily Horizons. Most of the time the food service car will be Amfleet I. The coaches are rarely Amfleet. We do get a former Metroliner car that has been converted to a straight coach trolling around the area from time to time, and on exceptionally rare occasions an Amfleet II coach will find its way through here. Prior to Amtrak purchasing the Horizons in the late 80s, these trains were all Amfleet I, with an occasional Amfleet II coming around.Superliners are NEVER used for these trains nowadays, though in the past they very, very rarely ended up used for one of these trains. We used to have a Dome car that visited from time to time in the 80s and very early 90s, but not anymore - i think it was part of the River Cities. For those who don't know, the River Cities was a single car or two that piggybacked on the Mule. Once it reached St. Louis, the car would be split off, hooked up to a loco, and would then be run to Carbondale, IL, where it would become part of the City of New Orleans. Once the City went Superliner, the River Cities got replaced with an AmBus We do see Superliners in St. Louis every day though - the Texas Eagle comes through St. Louis daily. It heads south from St. Louis to Texas. For a while several years ago, it would only run tri-weekly. On the days it did NOT run to Texas, they would run just the "plain" Eagle (no "Texas" in the name) - this was 3 or 4 Superliners, and just ran between Chicago and St. Louis. That way, we always had 3 daily trains to Chicago, and 2 daily trains to KC.Well - not that anyone asked, but there is the True Story of Amtrak in St. Louis since sometime in the mid-80s to now! Hope you enjoyed it! ------ BUZZ

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

and now we have what I call the Texas "Eaglet" since Gunn stripped a P42, a coach and sleeper off of it. this bit them in the butt a few months later, as the sole P42 on #21 lost it's HEP ability about taylor, and they continued the train on into SAS with NO ventilation/air cond./power etc. I could say "I told you so" but I won't.

Bradley Linda
Waco, Texas

Paint Shop Department
Sounder Commuter Rail
Everett-Tacoma
Coming Fall/Winter 2004

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

I made a consist of the train with the cafe car up front and three coaches behind it. Is the cafe car usually the first car or the last?

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Usually the first...------ BUZZ

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

> they continued the train on into SAS with NO ventilation/air
> cond./power etc.That stinks!!
YEARS ago, a friend of mine took the Eagle back to StL from Texas. He saw the train pull up with a lone F40, and thought for sure they wouldn't make it back to StL. He was right - several miles out of St Louis, they ran out of fuel!The Eagle has been "jerked around" so much by Amtrak, i'm actually amazed that train has been able to survive...------ BUZZ

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

I don't look for the eagle to make it much longer. It's been on Amtrak's KILL list for years.

Bradley Linda
Waco, Texas

Paint Shop Department
Sounder Commuter Rail
Everett-Tacoma
Coming Fall/Winter 2004

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Just as long as Amtrak doesn't leave St Louis.

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Or leaves KC, I am hearing Rumors that they are getting rid of the Southwest Chief, but I think it is a bunch of BS. I would think that would be one of the most traveled trains out West. With it running from Chicago to LA and would think lots of people would take that corridor. In the Picture below was how last Monday's Eastbound Southwest Chief looked like when it arrived at Kansas City's Union Station. On Monday Feb 9th there was an Amtrak derailment in the BNSF Argentine Yard. I do not know what all happened but pictured below were the only cars that didn't derail. Luckily there was no major injuries and the passengers were moved to these cars. All the Passengers were unloaded here and another Superliner (Where in the world did those cars come from?) Southwest Chief came in to Union Station and picked up those passengers and sent them on their way to Chicago.

Chris Knight
I'm sorry but the Surfliner wont be out for a while but I got good news.
I just saved alot of money on my car insurance.

Attachments

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/402f003a2bb101e7.jpg

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Can't Amtrak keep it's trains on the tracks?

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Amwreck can't even keep money in their pockets...much less anything else where it need be...

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Actually Amtrak's safety record is roughly the same as most other railroads. BNSF and UP dump trains on the ground plenty. Tim Frost

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

The derailment was just east of AY Tower on the ATSF. Rails spread out due to temperature, if I remember the report correctly. The picture shown above is the deadhead train that ran on to Chicago later in the day. Passengers from #4 were transferred to the equipment normally used by #306 (Ann Rutledge) scheduled to leave KC after #4 (connection for passenger to St. Louis, etc.).The equipment from #4 was used for the following day's 306 train to reposition the equipment properly for the Annie rotation....306 and 301 were annulled KCY to STL/vice versa that day and equipment from one of the Illinois-only trains was rotated to cover equipment positioning.Sad part is that I COULD have caught that run and taken a ride on the Superliners from Warrensburg to Jefferson City and back later in the day.... Wish I'd have known that they were running the equipment this way earlier in the day, would have at LEAST run across the street to trackside to shoot some digipix... (I live about 100 yards south of the UP Sedalia Sub here)JBD

Jim Duncan
Midwest Rail Group

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

That was sarcasm...

Alert | IP

[ Home | MSTS Forum | MSTS FAQ | File Library ] Copyright © 2004 by Nels Anderson. All Rights Reserved.