texas eagle 421/21....
 

was looking to make a reservation for a short trip (dallas to cleburne, 3h2m), and on the 21 is only $9, and on the 421 is $11, both are reserved coach seats.

what's the difference? why is one $2 more than the other (difference gets larger on other destinations of course). i know its only $2, but my inquisitive mind wants to know

Amtrak's reservations system, ARROW, is not the newest system on the block. The Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited's practice of hooking up in San Antonio and selling through seats on the days that the Sunset runs would confuse the heck out of it, so the simplest solution is to create virtual train numbers that represent the number of through seats (i.e. seats from CHI all the way to LAX).

I don't know the exact numbers, but my guess is that 21 is the "virtual" train for the portion that ends in San Antonio and 421 represents the "virtual" train whose cars are attached to the Sunset Limited and continue on to Los Angeles. (That's just a wild guess; Alan or someone probably knows for sure.)

Now, because the computer system thinks that it is two separate trains, it prices them separately. The base fare is identical for both "trains," but
Amtrak sells fares in a strict, linear bucket system, where the more seats are sold, the higher the fare goes. (See my epic post here for info on how the bucket system works.) The answer to your question, then, is that more seats have been sold on "train" 421 than on "train" 21.

In your case, it doesn't matter, because you're getting off before San Antonio. The seats in both "trains" are identical, and you receive the same amenities (access to the Sightseer Lounge car, the lounge cafe, paid meals in the dining car, etc.), regardless of which "train" you book. So, you can, obviously, book the cheaper one!

well.. thanks for the informative post. it makes sense with the way you've explained it.

and yes, i will go with the less expensive one of course (and save a whole $2^, lol).

Another thought--the only time it would make a difference is when you're traveling west of San Antonio.

I just attempted a test booking from Los Angeles to Dallas. The first option is train 422 from LAX-DAL for $205. The second option is from LAX-SAS on train 2, connecting to train 22 SAS-DAL. The total price there is $164.

So, what's happening there is that "train" 422 has a higher percentage of its seats booked than "trains" 2 and 22, so Amtrak is selling fares in a higher bucket.

Let's take a hypothetical:

-Train 422 has 72 seats available LAX-CHI
-Train 2 has 144 seats available LAX-NOL
-Train 22 has 144 seats available SAS-CHI

Train 422 currently has 50 if its 72 seats booked. Therefore, it is selling in the third bucket (out of four).
Train 2 currently has 60 of its 144 seats booked. Therefore, it is selling in the second bucket (out of four).
Train 22 currently has 80 if its 144 seats booked. Therefore, it is selling in the second bucket (out of four).

So, by picking the connecting option (train 2 to 22), you can get seats priced at the second bucket instead of the third bucket.

However, there is a downside to this: because our hypothetical route has us booked on the first leg only to SAS, which is where the connection is made and the cars are hooked together, we will have to deboard at 10:25pm in SAS and will reboard at 7:00am. That makes for either a long night of wandering the River Walk or a short night at a hotel. It might be worth it, in this case, to book train 422, as you'll be able to stay on-board and sleep through the switching moves where some of the cars from the Sunset Limited are split off and joined to the Texas Eagle.

(I have not heard anyone say if it is possible to ask the conductor on the Sunset if it is possible to move onto the coach being switched onto the Texas Eagle for the duration of the switching move so as to be able to stay on the train.)

But you can safely ignore this post, since it completely doesn't apply to you! ;)

The 421/422 train numbers are the "virtual" train with cars that run-through to/from Los Angeles. This means the passengers don't have to change trains - the cars they are occupying are switched to the other train, in this case the Sunset Limited. Jackal's description of the fares and why the prices are different is accurate.

A similar situation happens on the Empire Builder. At Spokane, WA the train splits with one section going to Portland, OR and the other heading to Seattle. The Empire Builder to/from Seattle is trains 7/8, while the Portland section is 27/28. This allows someone boarding in Minneapolis to book non-stop travel to either Portland or Seattle without needing two sets of tickets with different train numbers. The by-product is each train number serves all possible city-pair combinations between Chicago and Spokane as well.

Best advice - book the cheaper ticket when this happens.

This being the Sunset Limited, that 10:25 arrival time may be wildly optimistic, so the night might not be as long as you think. :D

(Actually, the Sunset's been better at timekeeping in recent months, I hear.)