Equipment going forward

[Amtrakfflyer]

My heart goes out to everyone hurt or involved in yesterday’s accident. Especially having kids and knowing the family rooms were all probably booked. It sucks. I hope Amtrak can and is pulling it together to take care of everyone affected.

That being said, is it now time to make the CONO or another train low level? I’d hate to see 3-5 day a week service return on a western train or worse in my opinion even smaller consists with higher fares. There’s an excess amount of Viewliner sleepers and an even more over abundance of V2 diners. The issue would be suitable coaches, I’m sure something could be cobbled together especially with the Siemens coming online. Even one set would make up for yesterdays loss. Think how Via has operated the Ocean over the years. One departure was a Budd set the next departure would be a Renaissance. That could easily be done with the CONO (1SL/1VL) if we weren’t talking about Amtrak. Amtrak’s recent responses to adversity have been less than stellar, this is going to be interesting.

.

 

[Steve4031]

I would think the main issue with converting superliner trains to viewliner sleeper trains is that the main maintenance yard for Viewliners is in Miami. So maybe convert the Capitol Limited to single level equipment and have a run through to Florida with the Washington Miami portion of the route following the meteor schedule.

 

[Ryan]

Would agree that the Cap is the right train. Don't really need the run through, any equipment that needs to head down can deadhead.

 

[joelkfla]

They'd still need the mechanical staff to maintain the VL I's. Judging from the recent posting of the hiring event for all types of mechanical staff in Miami, that maintenance base is still hurting.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Who maintains the Cardinal? Beech?

 

[Ryan]

Who maintains the Cardinal? Beech?

Viewliners are rotated in NY so that cars that need to go south can hitch a ride. No reason the same couldn't happen for a single level Cap.

 

[Amtrak25]

If they can rotate the Boston section cars to Miami somehow or other, they can do same with the Capitol Ltd's. They can even send it up the NEC to NYPS, convenient to some refugees transferring at Pittsburgh in the middle of the night with an undependable eastbound connection. God knows 30 lays up in Ivy City over 24 hours.

 

[jiml]

Isn't there already a shortage of single-level cars, resulting in Superliners being used on regional routes? Although it doesn't help with sleepers and a diner, the first step might be to recover some coaches and SSL's from Illinois services, the Pere Marquette or those backfilling on State of California routes.

 

[Cal]

Isn't there already a shortage of single-level cars, resulting in Superliners being used on regional routes? Although it doesn't help with sleepers and a diner, the first step might be to recover some coaches and SSL's from Illinois services, the Pere Marquette or those backfilling on State of California routes.

Those are more regional trains, not LD

 

[west point]

The order of the V-2 sleepers were planned for an ideal of one additional sleeper to each single level train. Then rotate number of sleepers to meet different seasonal demand so maybe 5 sleepers on each silvers summe and maybe 3 in shoulder season. Also so on. That also depended on using the option to CAF to get 50 more sleepers. Well we know what happened to that plan.

The biggest necessity of that plan was to have cut off csleepers at ATL. Apparently will not happen. Now with the possibility of service DFW <> Meridian connecting to Crescent will streach single level equipment even further.

It is time to rebuild all those cars at BEECH !!! Even though costs are high Amtrak has the funds and there "may" be some rail car shops that can do some of the work ??

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Those are more regional trains, not LD

I *think* that he was referring to the forthcoming Siemens cars which may, that will, free up some equipment for other uses. The coaches would certainly be suitable for other routes.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

The order of the V-2 sleepers were planned for an ideal of one additional sleeper to each single level train. Then rotate number of sleepers to meet different seasonal demand so maybe 5 sleepers on each silvers summe and maybe 3 in shoulder season. Also so on. That also depended on using the option to CAF to get 50 more sleepers. Well we know what happened to that plan.

The biggest necessity of that plan was to have cut off csleepers at ATL. Apparently will not happen. Now with the possibility of service DFW <> Meridian connecting to Crescent will streach single level equipment even further.

It is time to rebuild all those cars at BEECH !!! Even though costs are high Amtrak has the funds and there "may" be some rail car shops that can do some of the work ??

Exactly and Amtrak has RFP’s out to do the Superliner refresh that was annouced and unveiled 18 months ago. Maybe it’s necessary because Amtrak can’t find the workers.

The cynic in me sees it as Amtrak doesn’t really want to hire that so that when/if funding doesn’t come through they can revert to a corridor only operation as Gardner has wanted to in the past. If nothing else putting RFP’s out kicks the can farther down the road in all probability. The additional 75 locomotives will be be used regardless of what happens with funding. That’s just me being a cynic, there’s probably a bit of truth in it however.

It doesn’t help that Gardner, Harris, etc are so tight lipped. Harris appeared before the RPA conference earlier in the year and used out of date material to talk about the network and from what I understand didn’t provide any insights.

An excellent management team would have their hands full with what Amtrak is now facing….

 

[Amtrak25]

They can't cut/add cars in Atlanta, only terminate the entire train. Meridien - DFW service is a pipe dream.

Superliner coaches seem stuck on the Carbondale train per CN requirements for their track circuits.

I think a Capitol Ltd conversion to low level is the largest possibility, though I don't think anyone in Amtrak management knows just that happened to the Cardinal after CSX wrecked many Superliners on the Autotrain.

Either run it through to NY,

OR

Cycle 30's equipment to 66 and back as 65 and 29. 30-66-65-29 cycle would take just 4 train sets with no overnight layovers in Chicago, Washington, nor Boston. Change out OBS people at DC. Forget Virginia run thru's of 65/66. Use freed up 65/66 corridor equipment to protect that. Then the Federal/Night Owl get plenty of sleeper space, Am-2 coaches, and a baggage car. Forget diner service in the NEC.

 

[joelkfla]

I think a Capitol Ltd conversion to low level is the largest possibility, though I don't think anyone in Amtrak management knows just that happened to the Cardinal after CSX wrecked many Superliners on the Autotrain.

Please explain.

 

[Amtrak25]

There was a major Autorain derailment during the Gunn era due to defective CSX track, destroying numerous Superliners.

 

[jis]

There was a major Autorain derailment during the Gunn era due to defective CSX track, destroying numerous Superliners.

Oddly enough at a place called IIRC Crescent City in Florida.