Amtrak MI Destination Check numbering

[GP30M4216]

Perhaps someone can explain the Amtrak Seat Destination Check numbering for me on Wolverine, Lake Cities, and Twilight Limited trains. Rather then use the 3 letter designation codes (as they do on long distance trains) I was always under the impression that the Michigan Line trains' station destination numbers were set up counting out from Chicago (with Chicago not getting a number on westbound trains, simply a slash or two slashes for 1 or 2 people to Chicago). As a youngster and then college student often traveling home, Dearborn was always 8. (I presumed this as counting out from Chicago, the stations (skipping the smaller and/or newer ones): Hammond-Whiting (1), Michigan City (2), Niles (3), Kalamazoo (4), Battle Creek (5), Jackson (6), Ann Arbor (7), Dearborn (8), etc.

Last night I took 354 from Chicago back to Ann Arbor (originally coming from St. Paul-Minneapolis on the Empire Builder), and we were "7," for an Ann Arbor detrain. There was a car of almost all "8s", for Dearborn. But the people across the aisle from us were "9," and they got off in Jackson. Further, I never remember getting a "4" for Kalamazoo, I don't remember what the number was for that. Can anyone shed any light on this?

[Buster Manning]

Do we have to have a reason??

Since most of the old heads are retired, probably there is no way to get an exact answer.....

Gives you something to think about..........

[GP30M4216]

I don't need a reason nor to I expect any logic. But maybe just something that says "Kalamazoo = <this symbol>", "Battle Creek = <this symbol>" etc. Thanks.

[AARR]

...Jackson (6)...

But the people across the aisle from us were "9," and they got off in Jackson.

You must have been drinking too much and had everything upside down Happens to DR all the time

[RRTTF]

Years back (1970s) the numbering system was based on the last digit of the milepost.

Niles = 2 (MP 192)
Kalamzoo = 1 (MP 141)
Battle Creek = 6 (MP 126)
Jackson = 4 (MP 74)
Ann Arbor = 7 (MP 37)
Detroit or Chicago were blank

At that time the train still ended at Michigan Central Depot in Detroit.

I suppose that the "system" can vary from conductor to conductor as a "whatever works for them" approach.

Never gave much thought to this, but wonder how it is done on the long distance trains in coach, I've always gone sleeper, and never received a "seat check" there.

[railohio]

Never gave much thought to this, but wonder how it is done on the long distance trains in coach, I've always gone sleeper, and never received a "seat check" there.

Three-letter Amtrak station codes are used on long-distance trains now:

BYN
CHI
CUM
LVL
PDX
SOB
WTI

Some conductors yank them all before the last stop and some leave them for the coach cleaners to pull out. Some pull them before intermediate stops and some after. I've never had a conductor turn down a request to keep one, however.

[conrail767596]

RRTTF is correct; that's how it was explained by Roger Ross. They were later changed to

PNT (blank, dashes, or punches)
BMM 12
ROY 11
DET 10
DER 8
ARB 7
JXN 9
ALI 89
BTL 4
KAL 1
NLS 3
MCI 56
HMI 20
CHI (blank, dashes, or punches)

When the Pontiac extension was started I suggested Detroit be 0, but no one liked that idea.

On 365/364, it is
PTH (blank, dashes, or punches)
LPE 2
FLN 3
DRD 4
LNS 5
BTL 6
KAL 7
DOA (city code)
NLS 8
NBU
CHI (blank, dashes, or punches)

It's easy if you work both trains to get KAL and ARB mixed up. And people look at you funny if you say "here's your stop" at Battle Creek instead of Durand.

[RRTTF]

R. J. "Goggles" Ross... one of THE GREATEST Conductors to have worked the New York Central Detroit-to-Chicago line. I heard he retired a year or so back with 54 YEARS SERVICE. Back in the mid-1970s, I can remember hooping up train orders to him as the conductor on LS-3 or some other freight going westbound by Town Line.