Do you like the Amcans???

[Acela150]

I was just thinking with another trip to Boston upcoming does anyone like the Amcans even if they are 25 years old? I rode them last in August and I really like them with the newer interiors and the Amcans II are also nice! Some of the exteriors are beat up but they still look good none the less.

Thanks,

Stephen

 

[transit54]

I was just thinking with another trip to Boston upcoming does anyone like the Amcans even if they are 25 years old? I rode them last in August and I really like them with the newer interiors and the Amcans II are also nice! Some of the exteriors are beat up but they still look good none the less.
Thanks,

Stephen

I have no problem with them. I think they're nice, I just am not sure if there's an argument to getting rid of them due to lack of availability of parts.

I wouldn't mind seeing Amtrak stray from the design for their next order of cars however and go with slightly more modern exterior styling, like the Acela. I think it would improve the image of Amtrak in the public's eyes. The interiors should probably stay about the same, though, I think they work well as designed.

 

[transit54]

I'll also add that I'm concerned that in future car orders, the need to make cars FRA compliant will make them substantially heavier than the Amfleets and thus reduce overall fuel efficiency, which I think is a terrible idea. If that's the case, I'd rather see Amtrak run the Amfleets into the ground before anything new is ordered.

 

[MattW]

I like the Amcans, they provide a break from the same old box style passenger cars (like the Heritage fleet) though I wouldn't mind seeing some Heritage-style/shape equipment running the rails.

 

[Mike S.]

Well here is my .02.

On speeds less than 80mph and with good track, they amcans ride pretty nice. But they are kind of rattly and the trucks seem to clank. Above 90...boy..the are not that great, at least outside of the NE corridor. However, i'm in a viewliner right now and at 90+ south of Albany, they are smooth and quiet.

 

[Acela150]

On the NEC at 125 the cars ride nice

The viewliners are the nicest of the sleeping car fleet.

Stephen

 

[printman2000]

I have always hated the look of Amfleet. Just does not look like a train is suppose to look. They look like some cheap toy train.

IMHO

 

[Upstate]

I have always hated the look of Amfleet. Just does not look like a train is suppose to look. They look like some cheap toy train.
IMHO

They remind me of old army quanza huts.

 

[NorthCoastHiawatha]

I don't mind them, I have had three trips in them. Two were specials (the Snow Train from Seattle to Leavenworth) and a trip on the Silver Star (only saw the Cafe as I was in a sleeper). As for photography I live in Seattle so seeing amcans here is rather rare. In fact I would rather see amcans then the talgos we have out here.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

i've only ridden in them once on the wolverine. i have gotten horizon cars on the wolverine sense. the amcans don't have much head room but other then that there ok. same ride qulity as the horizon cars.

 

[mercedeslove]

for a moment I read this title as 'do you like Africans?' and I was all 0_o what?

 

[Philzy]

While I grew up with the Amcans and they hold a place in my heart for loved memory sake, I'd love to see Amtrak switch to something a little more modern... maybe get some cars that operate on shared trucks like DB's ICE trains... just a thought. While we're at it, lets get some train cars with bigger windows... Amcans can be so dark sometimes.

 

[wayman]

While I grew up with the Amcans and they hold a place in my heart for loved memory sake, I'd love to see Amtrak switch to something a little more modern... maybe get some cars that operate on shared trucks like DB's ICE trains... just a thought. While we're at it, lets get some train cars with bigger windows... Amcans can be so dark sometimes.

Don't trainsets with shared trucks open up a whole world of trouble if one car is bad-ordered? Then you're either substituting an entire trainset or dealing with much more complicated switching manuevers to replace one car mid-train somehow.

Yesterday I read a trip report for VIA's Ocean where the author commented that the train used to set out some cars mid-journey but can no longer do that since they've switched to Renaissance cars which have special couplers making switching extremely complicated. Not sure if those cars share trucks, but it's a similar problem--move to a less-universally-compatible system and you really limit your flexibility.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The Amcans are the one of the better cars in the fleet. They're a little beat up, but they were built right. I bet you we still have them running the rails 20 years hence- and more.

As for what to replace them with, I dunno. Nobody builds cars like Budd did. I just hate the new colour scheme. Its so cold and modern. Yech.

 

[Madbuster]

I love the look of the Amfleet cars. My first interest in trains came from watching Amtrak from the school bus window on my way to school in Wilmington, DE. I realize they have their faults (tiny windows) but they will forever be linked to some of my fondest train memories.

They were designed to evoke the feel of air travel with their rounded streamline frame and small window. We might laugh at that as being a positive now but at the time it seemed logical since they were trying to win back some of the passengers lost to the airlines.

 

[transit54]

The Amcans are the one of the better cars in the fleet. They're a little beat up, but they were built right. I bet you we still have them running the rails 20 years hence- and more.
As for what to replace them with, I dunno. Nobody builds cars like Budd did. I just hate the new colour scheme. Its so cold and modern. Yech.

The problem is, if you returned to previous schemes, an equal or greater number of people would refer to the car's color schemes as 'dated.'

 

[Acela150]

I loved the "Acela Regional" paint! Original an creative! I also like the current paint job the letters look nice.

Stephen

 

[nferr]

I like the Amcans. They have a cozy feel to them. And they're pretty quiet for old cars. Plus they still look modern due to the shape.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The problem is, if you returned to previous schemes, an equal or greater number of people would refer to the car's color schemes as 'dated.'

Yeah, but they probably drive Toyota Camrys and shop at WalMart and live in a McMansion, so they don't count.

 

[PRR 60]

Yeah, but they probably drive Toyota Camrys and shop at WalMart and live in a McMansion, so they don't count.

Whew! That sure eliminates a whole lot of people, since several of those categories are not overlapping. We count for one of the three, and it isn't WalMart, or our house (a very, very, very fine house).

The Amfleet cars have worn well, but were designed for all the wrong reasons. They were intended to provide the appearance of a airliner since, at the time, rail travel was considered old fashioned. Make it look like a plane, and that will say "modern". Don't think so. The tiny windows, that are so high that kids can't see out, defeat one of the primary attributes of rail travel - sightseeing. The bathrooms are horrible. And the cars freeze too easily in the winter. Funny, winter seems to come once each year. At least they got the suspension system that the Metroliners did not get.

I hope that a next generation single-level corridor coach will be based on the Acela design principles - meaning like a rail car, not a plane (and I like planes, but in the air, not on rails).

 

[amtrakwolverine]

why not restore the heritage fleet.

 

[George Harris]

I like the shape, but not the small windows. A large factor in the rounded shape was not to be airplane like but to give more body width at butt to shoulder level without compromising clearance requirements at high level platforms and in the tunnels in the northeast. The body shape did not originate with these cars. It is the same as the original Metroliner cars, which were in all ways a true technological leap forward. Unfortunately, the money was never spent to give the Metroliners a track where they could fully use their speed capabilities. Frankly, I think a modernized Metroliner car could leave the Acela eating its dust.

 

[Shotgun7]

The interior of Amfleet Is are indeed a tad bit dark and reminiscent of an airliner. Maybe that approach worked when America was excited about air travel, but nowadays, we are all scrambling to find anything but. The worst way to attract customers to come back after their first train trip is to make them immediately say, "Hey, it looks like an airplane!" NO!! That's exactly what people want to get away from! We don't want an airliner on rails that goes 1/10 the speed (on a good day). A big perk for riding trains is the bigger windows... which Amcans seriously lack.

Amfleet IIs on the other hand, present themselves a little better in my eyes (as coaches, not lounges). IMHO, they look damn fine (when they're clean) bringing up the rear of the Silvers every day. The corrugated steel and modern shape give them a classic railroad look that doesn't quite look outdated. The new refurbished handicapped bathrooms allow for ample space and the overall look of the interior does indeed present a very cozy feel that promotes relaxation. Though I loved my ride on the Acela, its bright and overly spacious interior was something that not many people would feel comfortable in for anything other than daytime travel.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

i think the amcans were built to match the metroliners that way you could have a metroliner pulling some amcans.

 

[VT Hokie]

I like the Amfleet II's, as Budd fixed the biggest flaw, the small windows. Amfleet II's have decent sized windows.

The Amfleets don't have the best ride quality, though. It's not terrible, but not great. I'd like to see a next generation coach based on the Viewliner design!