12 replies to this topic

[jis]

Just curious..... any gratuitous Amtrak mileage collectors planning to do ABQ - KCY - STL - CHI on the ABQ - CHI leg? It is offered as an alternative routing by Amtrak!

[KevinKorell]

Just curious..... any gratuitous Amtrak mileage collectors planning to do ABQ - KCY - STL - CHI on the ABQ - CHI leg? It is offered as an alternative routing by Amtrak!

If anyone wishes to do that, be my guest. Or Amtrak's "guest", to use a Warringtonian term. It's not recommended for a few reasons. First of all, the connection from #4 to #314 isn't guaranteed, and you could end up waiting in KCY for the later Missouri River Runner (#316), which gets to STL too late to make a same-day connection to Chicago. Next, you're going to give up your sleeper and the meals that come with it for riding in coach or business class and paying for your meals. Finally, if you're collecting the dollar amounts needed to achieve AGR tiers or enough for a free trip, you'll do better paying for the sleeper on the Chief.

[saxman]

The eastbound Chief is already in the middle buckets for sleeping cars. I think I may use points for that leg. From Dallas, I'm offered routing of STL-KCY on the MORR or I can go all the way to Springfield and take the bus to GBB. I also thought of coming to ABQ from the west coast, but the SWC doesn't leave LAX on a Sunset Limited arrival day. The sleeper buckets for LAX-ABQ on July 17 are still on the low side.

[jis]

If anyone wishes to do that, be my guest. Or Amtrak's "guest", to use a Warringtonian term. It's not recommended for a few reasons. First of all, the connection from #4 to #314 isn't guaranteed,

So Amtrak reservation system offers connections in itineraries that are not guaranteed? How does one then tell which connection is guaranteed and which is not, when they appear in an offered itinerary?

Not that I care either way since I am not planning to take that detour myself.

[KevinKorell]

In this thread, Bill reported last Spring that the connection between #4 and #314 is "iffy". To me it's too much of a risk to take. Amtrak figures they can accommodate people on #316 if they miss #314, even though there is almost 8 hours gap between the two trains. Such a scenario would really foul plans. Now one would have to book a hotel in St. Louis, cancel their Chicago hotel for Saturday night, and get up in time for a 4:35 AM departure on Train #300 from STL in order to catch up to the original plan (even so, missing the first activities in Chicago).

The whole idea here is to be in Chicago already to force us to be able to ride trains in Chicago, not worrying about late arrivals or making connections to get there.

While it's true I've never ridden the Missouri River Runner, the risks aren't worth it to me. The safest way to achieve it would be to take the westbound Chief to KCY, plan a stay there overnight in the nearby Sheraton or Westin, and then be on the platform for the departure of #314 next morning. Then we don't care whether the eastbound Chief has arrived or not! Another plan for another Fest, another year.

[AlanB]

Actually since it is a guaranteed connection, Amtrak would have to deal with the hotel in St. Louis if the connection were missed. However, it would be far more likely that Amtrak would just call up the conductor and tell someone with such a connection to simply remain on the SWC if it was running late enough to miss 314. Of course considering such a detour under the circumstances would not be a good idea for many of the other reasons that you've stated.

[jis]

Yeah, as I said I was just curious, since it popped up as an alternative itinerary on amtrak.com. Besides many, including me, have already done the CHI - STL -KCY segments as part of travels in other contexts anyway.

[amtrakwolverine]

but the SWC doesn't leave LAX on a Sunset Limited arrival day.

yeah it does the SWC runs 7 days a week.

[KevinKorell]

I was scratching my head and adjusting my glasses on that one too. Perhaps they are not showing a connection in Los Angeles between the westbound Sunset and the eastbound Chief? Although they should, as there's ample time in between. Unless Amtrak has quietly decided to run all of its trains on the thrice-weekly Sunset/Cardinal model and lose more money, the Chief still runs every day.

[saxman]

I was scratching my head and adjusting my glasses on that one too. Perhaps they are not showing a connection in Los Angeles between the westbound Sunset and the eastbound Chief? Although they should, as there's ample time in between. Unless Amtrak has quietly decided to run all of its trains on the thrice-weekly Sunset/Cardinal model and lose more money, the Chief still runs every day.

Oh my fast typing said it all wrong. The day we are schedule to arrive in ABQ, July 18, which would mean I would leave LAX on July 17th. July 17th is not a day that the Sunset Limited arrives in LAX from the east. Amtrak.com does offer connections from the SL to the SWC for some city pairs. SAS to ABQ offers that routing, but DAL to ABQ does not. (Although I'm positive, when I searched a few weeks ago, DAL to ABQ was offered as a routing on the SSL to SWC)