# Spare or rebuild capable equipment



## DSS&A (Apr 12, 2017)

Hi, since the Nippon Sharyo contract is extremely late and people are wondering if any will be delivered at all, how many Superliner cars does Amtrak have that can be rebuilt to increase capacity for summer business needs? If the Viewliner 2 cars show up by Spring 2018, could the Capitol Limited or the City of New Orleans be converted to single level equipment to transfer Superliner cars to enhance other long distance trains?


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## WoodyinNYC (Apr 12, 2017)

DSS&A said:


> Hi, since the Nippon Sharyo contract is extremely late and people are wondering if any will be delivered at all,
> 
> ... If the Viewliner 2 cars show up by Spring 2018, could the Capitol Limited or the City of New Orleans be converted to single level equipment to transfer Superliner cars to enhance other long distance trains?


The forthcoming CAF Viewliners will be sleepers, and 25 diners. Amtrak would need a few dozen single-level coaches to change the Cap Ltd or the CONO, and they are nowhere in sight. :-(


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## PVD (Apr 12, 2017)

If the NS cars had showed up, we would have had Horizon cars available for reconfig to LD coaches. Oh well.


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## A Voice (Apr 12, 2017)

As already noted, there is a greater shortage of single-level cars than for Superliners, and no coaches are forthcoming from the Viewliner II order for baggage-dorms, sleepers, and diners. In addition, those Viewliners were ordered for use on existing single-level trains and there wouldn't be enough for current trains and the conversion of a present Superliner route. Amtrak states it has sufficient Superliner equipment available for the _City of New Orleans_ extension, so there should currently be at least a handful of spares anyway.


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## PerRock (Apr 12, 2017)

DSS&A said:


> Hi, since the Nippon Sharyo contract is extremely late and people are wondering if any will be delivered at all, how many Superliner cars does Amtrak have that can be rebuilt to increase capacity for summer business needs?


The Nippon Shayro cars when delivered will not really replace any Superliners. They are replacing the Horizon/Amfleet corridor fleet out of Chicago (and the one Superliner Corridor train.) So the number of Superliners needed for a ridership boom will remain unchanged regardless of the outcome of the NS cars.

peter


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## Anderson (Apr 13, 2017)

A Voice said:


> As already noted, there is a greater shortage of single-level cars than for Superliners, and no coaches are forthcoming from the Viewliner II order for baggage-dorms, sleepers, and diners. In addition, those Viewliners were ordered for use on existing single-level trains and there wouldn't be enough for current trains and the conversion of a present Superliner route. Amtrak states it has sufficient Superliner equipment available for the _City of New Orleans_ extension, so there should currently be at least a handful of spares anyway.





PerRock said:


> DSS&A said:
> 
> 
> > Hi, since the Nippon Sharyo contract is extremely late and people are wondering if any will be delivered at all, how many Superliner cars does Amtrak have that can be rebuilt to increase capacity for summer business needs?
> ...


Well, some LD-converted Horizons alongside the Viewliner IIs would allow at least one LD train (probably the CONO at present, though it might have to be the Cap in the longer run if the CONO goes to ORL) to be switched to single-level. At present as well, the CONO could probably "make do" without a full diner given that they're using the Cardinal/Star menu...though TBH I figure that at least one of those three would get a diner back even if it were basically staffed as a "Cafe with two attendants and an odd layout".


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## A Voice (Apr 13, 2017)

Anderson said:


> A Voice said:
> 
> 
> > As already noted, there is a greater shortage of single-level cars than for Superliners, and no coaches are forthcoming from the Viewliner II order for baggage-dorms, sleepers, and diners. In addition, those Viewliners were ordered for use on existing single-level trains and there wouldn't be enough for current trains and the conversion of a present Superliner route. Amtrak states it has sufficient Superliner equipment available for the _City of New Orleans_ extension, so there should currently be at least a handful of spares anyway.
> ...


There are no bi-level replacements coming for the Horizon cars for _at least_ several years (2020 has been mentioned, but with no reported updates and evasive answers to questions its hard to know what is going on). Just speculation, but three years for new cars is probably optimistic; Those Horizons are going to continue to be needed in the Midwest.

In fact the Nippon-Sharyo car order is so late and so unbelievably bungled there is perhaps at least an outside chance of Amtrak getting a budget and ordering Amfleet II replacements (lounges and coaches) in a similar time frame.


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