Viewliner I and II discussion

[Bob Dylan]

The Viewliners are nice cars, and it would be nice to see Amtrak order more of them.

Just not from the Company that made the VLIIs please!

 

[Steve4031]

IMHO the viewliner design for sleeping cars and diners is about perfect. A lounge car could be created too. Then use the venture cars with long distance seats.

 

[Mailliw]

There will never be any more Viewliners, but Venture coaches with similar floorplans are a possibility. Hopefully Siemens won't forget about linen closets.

 

[railiner]

Hopefully Siemens won't forget about linen closets.

I would put the blame for that on who ordered those plans...

 

[OmahaRoad]

IMHO the viewliner design for sleeping cars and diners is about perfect. A lounge car could be created too. Then use the venture cars with long distance seats.

I agree completely that the Viewliner diner design is basically perfect! My one experience was really nice--the dining car felt so light, airy, and with the etched glass and wood paneling etc., quite refined, actually! It was great. Honestly, the Viewliner II diner is the favorite car I've ridden in on Amtrak after the sightseer lounge. Also agree that a regular lounge should be created. Mostly agree on the sleeping car design, though they might want to build some cars with something akin to the smaller/cheaper (?) than a roomette options seen in the Superliner RFP.

Venture cars with long-distance seats is interesting. I assume that it is, indeed possible for Amtrak to spec, um, actual comfortable seats, in which case, this idea makes sense!

 

[Steve4031]

The option of placing airline-type lie-flat seats in a coach car has been discussed many times in this forum. I recall mentioning it, too. IMHO, the RFP for the superliner replacement is too ambitious. It would be much better to work with the viewliner and venture designs. I know the current ventures are experiencing problems, but I believe the issues can be addressed. Then they will be a decent car.

 

[Brian Battuello]

In case anyone wonders what happened to CAF-Elmira, they are still there. Here's a video from 2021



Their happy corporate website was updated as recently as Oct 2024.

No mention of Viewliners...

 

[railiner]

No mention of Viewliners...

Perhaps because Amtrak owns that design?

 

[railiner]

I agree completely that the Viewliner diner design is basically perfect! My one experience was really nice--the dining car felt so light, airy, and with the etched glass and wood paneling etc., quite refined, actually! It was great. Honestly, the Viewliner II diner is the favorite car I've ridden in on Amtrak after the sightseer lounge. Also agree that a regular lounge should be created. Mostly agree on the sleeping car design, though they might want to build some cars with something akin to the smaller/cheaper (?) than a roomette options seen in the Superliner RFP.

Venture cars with long-distance seats is interesting. I assume that it is, indeed possible for Amtrak to spec, um, actual comfortable seats, in which case, this idea makes sense!

It would have been great if they had produced some Viewliner five bedroom - lounge cars, reminiscent of the SAL Sun Lounges that ran on the Silver Meteor…these could have also had a blunt end obs windows on either side of the end door, and served as an exclusive First Class lounge, leaving the full lounge to serve all passengers. The blunt end would give flexibility to also use mid-train…

 

[thefirewarde]

It would have been great if the Viewliner 2 had been produced properly and wasn't still suffering from equipment availability issues related to manufacturing defects. There were options for substantial additional cars, but it was evidently by 2020 that purchasing further VL2 was a really bad idea from a maintenance perspective.

That would have been the capacity to bridge the equipment shortage until the Superliner replacements came online, and possibly even expand service a little.