In all fairness, last time I rode the Starlight (2015) the track north of Paso Robles did seem smoother than, let's say, 2008, but how much of the rough ride through the Salinas Valley is track condition versus equipment I can't say. All I know is that when I have taken trips on PV, the late 1940s era Budd and especially Pullman cars ride much better than most current high level Amtrak equipment. And the difference also seems noticeable between SCAX owned track as opposed to UP track north of Moorpark. Does this jibe with anyone else's experience?