Yes VIA has kept their cars rolling, but at considerable expense both in terms of actual repairs and in terms of reduced ridership because the public wants modern conviences that those cars can't provide.
Alan, what is a modern convenience that those cars cannot provide? I would assume anything could be retrofitted (for a price).
Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, bathrooms that you can go into and actually have room to change your mind. Just to name a few.
And sure, the first two can be retro'd, but still it would be nicer and look nicer to just have it done during the building. And people just like new. Ski resorts don't install new ski lifts and cut new trails each year because they like to spend money, they do it because it attracts people to the resort.
I'd argue that the high quality fixtures on the old Budd sleepers looked "new" for far longer than similar fittings on far more modern Viewliners and Superliners. I also don't see any aesthetic compromise in retrofitting electrical outlets. It's also hard to argue that the toilet in a Viewliner/Superliner bedroom is any more spacious than in a Heritage Sleeper of yesteryear.
VIA undertook the installation of retention tanks on 1950s vintage equipment as an alternative to buying new equipment, while Amtrak bought new Viewliners and Superliners. So in the end, the issue comes down to retention tanks, not any real amenities, unless you want to debate the merits of placing a shower in the toilet of a bedroom.
I also don't think that the 1950s vintage of VIA's equipment has had any real impact on ridership, although issues such as routing, scheduling and fares do have a very real impact. Personally, I'm amazed by the ridership on post-1990 "Canadian" despite the less desirable, less scenic CN route and relatively high fares.
You're correct. But I suggest you look at the bathrooms in VIA's Ren cars, City Night Line trains, the
Caledonian Sleeper, and bunch of other non-American sleeper cars. Alan's point of view is accurate, even if I disagree with the importance of the premise.
I also argue that they can't retrofit those in older cars. GrandLuxe did. VIA is talking about using their Budd cars to create a higher-luxury class of car for the Canadian, as well.
As for the Viewliners, they were originally intended to be a complete replacement of the Eastern LD fleet and, built by Budd- sleepers, diners, coaches, baggage-dorms, baggage cars (western fleet) and even sightseer-style lounge cars. An order of some 300 cars was about what they were talking.
When that was cancelled, they intended to buy 50 Viewliners to augment the fleet, retire the last of the Pullman-built cars, and allow them to take a few of the more decrepit cars out of service. The Viewliner didn't kill the Heritage sleepers, the retention tank issue did.
Like any other cars, even Budd streamliners have a point where you can't keep fixing it, especially if its used as strenuously as Amtrak uses its fleet. Reducing the strain on the cars (that is, being able to run them less frequently due to having more cars then you need for daily service) is one way to extend their life, and that was part of the plan.
Fact of the matter is, when the ruling came through on retention tanks, Amtrak was struggling for dear life, unable to even meet payroll- remember, it was around this time that Warrington MORTGAGED PENN STATION TO MEET PAYROLL. And lets face it, when you are that cash strapped, throwing something out is cheaper then fixing it. They didn't have the money. I don't think they really even had a choice.
