Amfleet I Interior Refresh

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After refreshing my memory by virtue of sitting in them (the old seats), for over ten hours yesterday on the Autumn Express....it is clear that the "new seats" pictured, are merely new upholstery and seat covers on the existing frames...
 
Is this refresh program instead of an Amfleet replacement?
As far as has been reported (to my knowledge), an actual (and exhaustive) Amfleet rebuild program, as opposed to buying new replacement cars, is still under evaluation. This is literally just a "refresh" of the interior, not an attempt to really extend the service life of the cars.

Apparently, Amtrak is also evaluating rebuilding Superliner Cross Country Cafe cars into Pacific Parlor Car replacements.
 
Looks very nice but my concern is how well will the lighter color stay clean and not show wear.
It’s leather, so it’s expected to hold up well I’ve heard.

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That's disappointing. Besides my ethical issues with leather, I don't find it comfortable. I would still ride an Amfleet I train if it was the only train on a route, but I will now avoid those trains if it I have an option.
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I very much doubt it is actual leather. Even the existing business class cars with "leather" seating use faux leather, I doubt Amtrak spent the money on real leather.
 
It is E-Leather which is a trademarked Composition Leather product which uses waste leather that would otherwise have been disposed off as garbage. Look up either of those terms for more details.

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It is E-Leather which a trademarked Composition Leather product which uses waste leather that would otherwise have been disposed off as garbage. Look up either of those terms for more details.

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Thanks for the information. The fact that the material would otherwise be garbage makes me more comfortable using it.
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E-leather (actual industry name: bonded leather) is basically vinyl with a bit of waste leather glued in. It is scheisse. It has all the disadvantages of vinyl with some of the wear issues of actual leather all so that you can use the word leather in advertising brochures.

Naugahyde is a vastly superior product from absolutely every aspect besides marketing gobbledygook. I had a Naugahyde convertible sofa my parents bought for their first house in 1976. I moved it to my first house in 2013. The convertible frame failed, but I use the Naugahyde cushions as weatherproof pillows In the back of my van so I can nap in the back seat. They are still fine after 40 years of continuous use.
 
I sat in a BC car with the new seats this evening. It was only after I had set my bag down that I noticed both seats in the pair were covered with a sticky substance. There were no other empty pairs so I used a napkin I had and water from my water bottle to wash it off. Not an improvement, IMO. Yes, I'm sure there have been hidden substances spilled into the fabric seats that I never knew about. But at least I never had to clean one before I sat in it.

There was also a vague, pleathery smell, but it could have been anything.
 
In the regular coach version of the picture it looks like Amtrak replaced the LED sign on the ends of the car with regular plastic signs. Im referring to the LED sign I have in my display picture.
 
In the regular coach version of the picture it looks like Amtrak replaced the LED sign on the ends of the car with regular plastic signs. Im referring to the LED sign I have in my display picture.
Interesting, I'd say that's a good move. I travel on the NEC fairly frequently and I've been in cars with those LED signs that either aren't working at all, or some LEDs are out, so they are difficult to read.
 
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In the regular coach version of the picture it looks like Amtrak replaced the LED sign on the ends of the car with regular plastic signs. Im referring to the LED sign I have in my display picture.
I have always thought the LED signs are a good feature but are not used properly. They could be very helpful if they displayed other information than the location of the exit and restroom, such as the upcoming station.
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In the regular coach version of the picture it looks like Amtrak replaced the LED sign on the ends of the car with regular plastic signs. Im referring to the LED sign I have in my display picture.
I have always thought the LED signs are a good feature but are not used properly. They could be very helpful if they displayed other information than the location of the exit and restroom, such as the upcoming station.
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Especially for the deaf/HoH
 
I've seen, at least on an Amfleet 2, that these signs can display text other than the typical 'exit' and restroom indications.

They appear to have been pre-programmed at that particular car though, so I suspect they don't have the ability to be set up for next-stop information without adding new display electronics and a data bus throughout the train.

Here is a 2012 post I made on Railroad.net with photos of the signs in coach 25085:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=96199&start=0

No additional info since then, though...

---PCJ

(odd, copy/paste still doesn't work from IE on this particular site--had to switch to Firefox to do it)
 
I've seen, at least on an Amfleet 2, that these signs can display text other than the typical 'exit' and restroom indications.

They appear to have been pre-programmed at that particular car though, so I suspect they don't have the ability to be set up for next-stop information without adding new display electronics and a data bus throughout the train.

Here is a 2012 post I made on Railroad.net with photos of the signs in coach 25085:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=96199&start=0

No additional info since then, though...

---PCJ

(odd, copy/paste still doesn't work from IE on this particular site--had to switch to Firefox to do it)
I am unable to view the attached photo, but I have also experienced other text on the LED screens in an Amfleet II coach, although only once. In my case, it was aboard the northbound Crescent in July 2016 and was limited to one car. I forget exactly what was stated, but I remember it being a scrolling or alternating list with one of the items being the Amtrak website URL.
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I've seen, at least on an Amfleet 2, that these signs can display text other than the typical 'exit' and restroom indications.

They appear to have been pre-programmed at that particular car though, so I suspect they don't have the ability to be set up for next-stop information without adding new display electronics and a data bus throughout the train.

Here is a 2012 post I made on Railroad.net with photos of the signs in coach 25085:

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=96199&start=0

No additional info since then, though...

---PCJ

(odd, copy/paste still doesn't work from IE on this particular site--had to switch to Firefox to do it)
Maybe the wi-fi could be used to transmit the data to each car's display?
 
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