1) [I] "Yes, it can seem like a bargain depending on when you price your room. But pick the right time and I'm sure that you'll be able to find that same trip for far less cost than what you quoted.
Yesterday 8:53 pm"[/I

****Amtrak is primarily "bucket based fares" similar to a hotel. The rates open at a predetermined price and fluctuate based on vacancies. IE: When you go to book a long distance route, with all roomettes, and it just so happens that while making your reservation, one of your legs is a "bedroom" instead of a roomette. Out of curiosity, you change it back to a roomette, only to find out that the price is actually greater than if you had kept the, typically more expensive "bedroom" It is HOTEL101..... If all your economical rooms are filled and the suites are empty, you upgrade the economical rooms (which those guests are thrilled) and that frees up the cheaper rooms to sell to those who would otherwise find another property because of the price. That said, I am confident when I say, "the price for sleeper accommodations on Amtrak, are without a doubt, influenced by two things. 1)How many sleepers are vacant. 2) What specific types of sleepers are vacant. HENCE: The term----- "Peak Season"

2) Only actual paid travel on Amtrak earns "status" points.

Per the AGR website:
"BENEFITS OVERVIEW
Whether you're new to the program or a well-traveled member, Amtrak Guest Rewards has a program tier to enhance your Amtrak experience. By earning TQPs Tier Qualifying Points throughout a calendar year, you'll qualify for more points, more perks, and more rewards like free Amtrak travel.
Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) earned in a calendar year count toward your tier and are earned by traveling on Amtrak and during special promotions."

****Please note the "during special promotions" Does buying with their "partners" constitute a "special promotion"? Yeah.... Your guess was as good as mine... Especially because they don't even touch on it as it pertains to the [T&C's]

3) I would think that a train that goes more than 1,000 miles is a long distance train. And the Silver Star & Meteor, along with the Crescent & Cardinal, all cover more than 1,000 miles using Viewliner sleepers. Only the Lake Shore Limited has a run under 1,000 miles, but at 959 miles, I think most people would still consider that a long distance.

**** I was referring to the "consist of the train. Long distance trains [Superliners] have more cars in the consist. IE: Superliners will have a couple dome cars, dinner cars, etc....Thus suggesting, because Viewliners tend to be for short distance, it is quite common to not be able to get a reservation for dinner, unless you are in a sleeper. [They have a smaller consist] That was all I was saying.... I was not disputing the distance, I was just stating that the consist will differ as it pertains to "Superliner" and "Viewliner" Lastly, a Superliner could never go east because of their height. It would not be a friendly road to say the least.......

I appreciate your comments, but I think you took it all wrong. I was not being aggressive whatsoever. Moreover, I stand by everything I said, including my love for Amtrak. It is just a DAMN SHAME, like everything the government gets their hands on, fails miserably! Too many chiefs and not enough indians.... It does not take a nuclear physicist to comprehend how ... backwards their entire program is. Who in their right mind would buy a $1,000 dollar, all they way up to a $3,000 dollar ticket, when they can purchase the points and/or transfer the points from another program??? You can holler til you are blue in the face, but that still doesn't help the insanely overpaid morons who probably sit around a $50,000 dollar mahogany table "making decisions"