Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[jis]

According to Amtrak's fleet strategy plan as of 2012, the Heritage fleet has five million plus miles on them since Amtrak began keeping records sometime in the 1970s, second only to the Amfleet IIs without even counting the mileage from their previous service. They are orphan equipment, effectively custom, with all the expenses and headaches and inefficiencies that go with it, as well as being painfully inadequate for serving Amtrak's current passenger loads and the sooner they are off the property and in a pile of scrap the happier I as a passenger shall be.

I'll take exception to "pile of scrap" since I think the dining cars would be very attractive to various museum and tourist operations and should be sold to them. The baggage cars are so stripped that they have no historical value left.

I agree. Specially the Timoinsa rebuilds would be pretty attractive almost immediately for use. The others might need a bit of work to fix up the interior.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

 

[Seaboard92]

I'm actually looking at acquiring two budd baggage cars and as many diners as my organization can fund.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I can easily see a museum snapping up the former Zephyr Diners and restoring them to their original exterior and interior.

 

[A Voice]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

That would be a sadly mistaken policy. I really don't think Amtrak has much to worry about over competition from museums, tourist railroads, and dinner trains. Add to that the cars have historical value and represent the last lot of Heritage cars Amtrak would be selling; I can't see the Amfleet II cars - when eventually replaced and finally sold - being as attractive (or similarly priced) to the same buyers.

The cars could always be sold on the condition Amtrak will not permit them on its trains, though they already operate private cars of the same vintage (or older). If someone really wanted to take business from Amtrak, they don't need retired Amtrak equipment to do so. How could you use just a diner or baggage car to do that anyway?

 

[Caesar La Rock]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

If you really want to take someone's business away, using 50-60+ year old equipment wouldn't be the way to do it. Brand new equipment from a competitor would be the way to give Amtrak the middle finger.

 

[Thirdrail7]

For those of trying to follow the move down to Hialeah, the CSX symbol is P855.

It looks like it is having a slow ride! It's down quite a bit of time. At this rate, I'd guess ORL between 7pm and 8pm?

 

[Bob Dylan]

For those of trying to follow the move down to Hialeah, the CSX symbol is P855.

It looks like it is having a slow ride! It's down quite a bit of time. At this rate, I'd guess ORL between 7pm and 8pm?

Guess Penny will have to stay up late to see it! LOL

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

All has gone according to plan.

I have to say, that sounds rather ominous (I'm hearing an indeterminate accent and gleeful handwringing)....

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

PS I think I saw a new baggage car on this mornings CONO.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

For those of trying to follow the move down to Hialeah, the CSX symbol is P855.

The CSX symbol is P933. They're still a good bit north of JAX.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Where/how do you track CSX trains?

 

[Hal]

Where/how do you track CSX trains?

Probably logged into CSX at an Amtrak crew office.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

Still not into JAX. This is part of the problem: http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/nassau-county/pedestrian-dies-after-being-hit-by-train

At the rate they're going could be a daylight arrival in south Florida.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

I saw a new baggage car on Saturday's(4/2) Sunset trip to Houston, and another new one on the SL Sunday return to Lafayette (4/3). It was nice to see them in person, not just on youtube vids.

 

[edjbox]

Any pictures of the special move?

 

[neroden]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

That would be a sadly mistaken policy. I really don't think Amtrak has much to worry about over competition from museums, tourist railroads, and dinner trains. Add to that the cars have historical value and represent the last lot of Heritage cars Amtrak would be selling; I can't see the Amfleet II cars - when eventually replaced and finally sold - being as attractive (or similarly priced) to the same buyers.

The cars could always be sold on the condition Amtrak will not permit them on its trains, though they already operate private cars of the same vintage (or older). If someone really wanted to take business from Amtrak, they don't need retired Amtrak equipment to do so. How could you use just a diner or baggage car to do that anyway?

Yeah, the main "dinner train" market is on isolated tourist railroads or class III railroads which Amtrak doesn't operate on *anyway*. I don't think Amtrak has anything to worry about by selling the diners to these operations.

 

[Palmetto]

For those of trying to follow the move down to Hialeah, the CSX symbol is P855.

The CSX symbol is P933. They're still a good bit north of JAX.

Ah, the wonderful info on Facebook. I should have added a disclaimer! ^_^

 

[MARC Rider]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

If you really want to take someone's business away, using 50-60+ year old equipment wouldn't be the way to do it. Brand new equipment from a competitor would be the way to give Amtrak the middle finger.

Hey, if there were other organizations out there actively promoting and offering passenger rail service in competition with Amtrak, wouldn't that be a Good Thing for those of us who avocation for more passenger train service?

 

[CCC1007]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

If you really want to take someone's business away, using 50-60+ year old equipment wouldn't be the way to do it. Brand new equipment from a competitor would be the way to give Amtrak the middle finger.

Hey, if there were other organizations out there actively promoting and offering passenger rail service in competing with Amtrak, wouldn't that be a Good Thing for those of us who avocation for more passenger train service?

Yes it would, and new equipment would be as loud of a signal as you could send that "there is a market here"

 

[Karl1459]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

That would be a sadly mistaken policy. I really don't think Amtrak has much to worry about over competition from museums, tourist railroads, and dinner trains. Add to that the cars have historical value and represent the last lot of Heritage cars Amtrak would be selling; I can't see the Amfleet II cars - when eventually replaced and finally sold - being as attractive (or similarly priced) to the same buyers.

The cars could always be sold on the condition Amtrak will not permit them on its trains, though they already operate private cars of the same vintage (or older). If someone really wanted to take business from Amtrak, they don't need retired Amtrak equipment to do so. How could you use just a diner or baggage car to do that anyway?

Yeah, the main "dinner train" market is on isolated tourist railroads or class III railroads which Amtrak doesn't operate on *anyway*. I don't think Amtrak has anything to worry about by selling the diners to these operations.

Perhaps this is not a "fear of competition" issue, rather a "fear of liability" issue. The heritage cars have been run well past any reasonable service period and are likely suffering varying degrees of metal fatigue and are likely considered at risk for structural failure. If Amtrak sells any cars that are in that condition and it ends up causing a crash in real (not excursion type) passenger service the hordes of "Philadelphia Lawyers" will surely be suing Amtrak.

 

[Seaboard92]

Anyone know what day they are running them north?

 

[TylerP42]

The policy is to scrap them. If you don't scrap the cars you will see them in service again. Somebody will use them to take away your business in some fashion. Add insult to injury they might ask you to maintain them.

Case in point: Locomotion in Germany. This outfit is using old East Germany railcars to run service (low cost) on the same route that DB's ICE trains run.

If a state was looking for a low cost lounge car, a dinner could be used. Then Amtrak would / could be stuck maintain the equipment. The same equipment that just was replaced due to old age. Amtrak would lose rent funding, get a maintenance headache. Add a dose of bad words ever time it broke down.

That would be a sadly mistaken policy. I really don't think Amtrak has much to worry about over competition from museums, tourist railroads, and dinner trains. Add to that the cars have historical value and represent the last lot of Heritage cars Amtrak would be selling; I can't see the Amfleet II cars - when eventually replaced and finally sold - being as attractive (or similarly priced) to the same buyers.

The cars could always be sold on the condition Amtrak will not permit them on its trains, though they already operate private cars of the same vintage (or older). If someone really wanted to take business from Amtrak, they don't need retired Amtrak equipment to do so. How could you use just a diner or baggage car to do that anyway?

Yeah, the main "dinner train" market is on isolated tourist railroads or class III railroads which Amtrak doesn't operate on *anyway*. I don't think Amtrak has anything to worry about by selling the diners to these operations.

Perhaps this is not a "fear of competition" issue, rather a "fear of liability" issue. The heritage cars have been run well past any reasonable service period and are likely suffering varying degrees of metal fatigue and are likely considered at risk for structural failure. If Amtrak sells any cars that are in that condition and it ends up causing a crash in real (not excursion type) passenger service the hordes of "Philadelphia Lawyers" will surely be suing Amtrak.

They used to auction them. The railroad museum that I volunteer at has an old Amtrak diner.

 

[TiBike]

Any ideas on why the old baggage cars are still being used? All the new ones have been delivered and, it seems, accepted for service. There's been plenty of time for training – more than a year. Is there something wrong with the new cars, or is it just pure bureaucratic inertia?

Are all the heritage baggage cars out of regular revenue service (excluding extra cars placed on Illinois trains) ??

A few have been used on the California Zephyr the past several weeks. Here's one on Amtrak #5 from March 18.

 

[CCC1007]

Any ideas on why the old baggage cars are still being used? All the new ones have been delivered and, it seems, accepted for service. There's been plenty of time for training – more than a year. Is there something wrong with the new cars, or is it just pure bureaucratic inertia?

Are all the heritage baggage cars out of regular revenue service (excluding extra cars placed on Illinois trains) ??

A few have been used on the California Zephyr the past several weeks. Here's one on Amtrak #5 from March 18.

could be for express package service...