Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[R30A]

Once the new baggage cars were placed in service, the long distance trains could run 125. they were the last thing holding trains to 110.

Viewliner I Sleepers and Heritage diners are only good for 110 at the moment. As mentioned above, that will likely change in the not distant future.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Oh, nice. Now the last ones that have to go will be the Heritage diners. Weren't the heritage cars the main restriction for speeds?

 

[west point]

edj has it correct. At least the V-1 sleeper could be certified to 125 ( actual test 130+ MPH ). What if any additional modifications needed can only be speculated. It may be that during the last visit of each V-1 sleeper to Beech that all necessary modifications have been met ? Maybe waiting for the snail's pace FRA to approve all the equipment tested. Believe that a V-1, ALP-45DP, and some other equipment was tested.

 

[Ryan]

If my memory serves, the VL1 testing for 125 didn't go as well as they hoped.

As far as why they were only designed/tested to 110, they were going to be (and have been for many years) used on trains with other cars that were limited to 110. Testing for higher would have been a waste of time and money.

 

[MARC Rider]

Once the new baggage cars were placed in service, the long distance trains could run 125. they were the last thing holding trains to 110.

Viewliner I Sleepers and Heritage diners are only good for 110 at the moment. As mentioned above, that will likely change in the not distant future.

There all all-Amfleet trains with VL2 baggage cars that can now max out at 125. The Palmetto, the Carolinian, Northeast Regional 66/67. In fact, last Saturday, my GPS was showing the Palmetto doing 125 between Washington and Baltimore. For less than 5 minutes out of a total 13 hour journey from Savannah.

 

[PVD]

They have run almost 20 years as 110 mph cars, it's not like something was going to happen right away that got shortchanged. If anything of signifigance needs to be done, they are approaching mid life overhaul anyway.

 

[jis]

There all all-Amfleet trains with VL2 baggage cars that can now max out at 125. The Palmetto, the Carolinian, Northeast Regional 66/67. In fact, last Saturday, my GPS was showing the Palmetto doing 125 between Washington and Baltimore. For less than 5 minutes out of a total 13 hour journey from Savannah.

The real lengthy high speed territories are all north of Baltimore anyway.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

... about presidents and Amtrak, ... I'm not feeling that who sits in the White House will have any long term effect on Amtrak, Congress will have more of an effect. And Congress really hasn't had much effect on Amtrak either ... with one big exception.

Remember after the excitement of the Stimulus, Congress passed a budget for FY 2010 providing about $4 Billion for passenger rail projects.

Then the President proposed to invest another $4 Billion a year in rail going forward. But a midterm election changed control of Congress, and it has authorized not one extra dime.

Lessee, $4 B x 6 years, that's $24 Billion that the state corridors and Amtrak routes didn't get.

Gee, with that $24 Billion you could have ...

paid to replace the Amfleets

... and maybe the Superliners,

ordered the option 70 more Viewliners from CAF,

made daily runs of the Sunset Ltd and the Cardinal,

restored service New Orleans-Mobile-Jacksonville-Orlando,

added another train to build the Mobile-NOLA corridor,

funded a Baton Rouge-NOLA corridor,

added a run of the Pennsylvanian,

restored the Broadway Ltd.,

spent $250 million to cut 30 minutes from Indy-CHI

extended a CHI-Champaign-Carbondale train to Memphis,

finished another CREATE project to untangle ChicagoLand,

begun work on South of the Lake to complete the 110-mph corridor CHI-Detroit,

initiated St Paul-CHI corridor service,

added two more trains from Norfolk,

begun a "day train" to Atlanta,

started on the CLE-CHI corridor to take 2 hours out of all trains including the CL, LS, BL

built the New Portal Bridge,

and more.

Aside from that difference ...

Edited to be less political, as best I could do, given the facts.

 

[erierail]

Woody, you hit it on the head, the 2008 election brought high hopes for high speed rail, infrastructure improvements and as Amtrak. It was all dashed by mid year elections.

I was thinking maybe things didn't get too bad. But Amtrak continues to drift with no real plans for future. Heck can't even get a meal in the diner on star.

Unfortunately elections matter hopefully after this one, some compromises can be achieved and we can move forward on all fronts.

 

[PRR 60]

Let's keep this discussion to Viewliner II status issues. Please take politics to a new topic in Random Discussions.

 

[edjbox]

If my memory serves, the VL1 testing for 125 didn't go as well as they hoped.

As far as why they were only designed/tested to 110, they were going to be (and have been for many years) used on trains with other cars that were limited to 110. Testing for higher would have been a waste of time and money.

So what exactly happened to the viewliner 1 test then?

 

[Ryan]

I don't think anything more has been publicly discussed.

 

[Acela150]

Once the new baggage cars were placed in service, the long distance trains could run 125. they were the last thing holding trains to 110.

As mentioned this is partially correct.. Trains such as the Carolinian and Palmetto can attain the 125 MPH speeds as they no longer have 110 MPH equipment in the consist. But, should a PV be attached to the train it will be limited to the MAS of the PV car. IINM most are limited to 110 MPH.

FYI

The Viewliner 1s have already been tested at 125 mph, most recently at the same time as a NJ Transit 125 mph rating locomotive test.

Yes this is true. I think that during such testing that they were also attempting to get 125 cert for the MLV's.. Not sure on that though..

Oh, nice. Now the last ones that have to go will be the Heritage diners. Weren't the heritage cars the main restriction for speeds?

I wouldn't say that the Heritage Cars were the main reason.. I think a contributing factor is that for many years the E60's that would pull the trains were limited to IIRC 90MPH. Also for an extended period of time the Engine Change from Electric to Diesel and Vise Versa took place in Philadelphia instead of DC. The P40/42 equipment is capped at 110. That is all the GE units can attain.

If my memory serves, the VL1 testing for 125 didn't go as well as they hoped.

Good memory.

 

[erierail]

Its hard to separate Amtrak from politics, but I will try my best to avoid future scoldings. Lol

 

[Steve4031]

Why is it necessary to scold. To scold anybody is disrespectful imho.

 

[jis]

Nobody scolded anyone. A moderator politely asked to move the political discussion out of this thread to one in Random Discussions. If even that is not allowed then it is not clear how one could meaningfully play the role of a moderator.

 

[DSS&A]

Hi,

I saw an interesting comment about future utilization of the new Viewliner 2 diners on Railroad.net and I am copying it below by someone with the name "Bostontrainguy".

"Don't know the exact savings but with my example of the Jacksonville turn of the dining equipment, you would go from a three day round-trip to a two day round-trip for the diner combo and crew. You would go from needing three diners and crews to two.

And you would double the seating capacity from 48 to 96 . . . for three sittings that raises potential people served from 144 to 294 per meal. Not everyone will eat in the diner of course, but seeing the tremendous response to the sold-out-first-sitting $8.95 Salisbury Steak special on our last trip, there is untapped potential in those captive coach cars.

At least maybe a better alternative to the drastic solution of just removing the diner!"

I have seen the Chicago to Carbondale trains with at least three extra Amfleet cafe cars coupled to the rear end so that they have enough axles on the train to activate the track signals as the CN requires. This is a horribly bad use of valuable equipment.

As Bostontrainguy suggested, Amtrak should assign these Amcafe cars to various single-level trains to get better utilization out of the dining cars and MAKE MORE MONEY instead of taking dining cars off of trains. This is a EASY revenue generator they could be implemented in a week or two depending on logistics of hiring back a laid-off waiters and ordering more food. The Amcafe car's storage space would naturally be used to store the additional needed stock items.

Some of the old retired baggage cars could be used to add a axles on the Chicago to Carbondale trains. I saw them assigned to the Hoosier State when Amtrak had it on days there was no deadhead equipment to lengthen that train for more axles to activate track circuits on the CSX. Bostontrainguy's idea of short-tuning the dining cars at Jacksonville, Florida is also interesting.

The politicians that are hurting Amtrak by saying the dining cars are losing money and coach passengers who don't use it are "subsidizing" the sleeping car passengers should go to the Embassy Suites hotel in Orlando Florida and hold a PROTEST press conference in front of the very PROFITABLE HOTEL that gives away free brunches every day. Because if they have anyone staying there that does not eat the brunch, that person would be subsidizing the other hotel customers, just like an Amtrak coach passenger that do not eat in the diner.....

 

[jis]

Interesting idea but weird to consider taking Dining Car off a southbound train during the daytime run through Florida, and run it through the night through the Carolinas and Georgia. Or are we talking of short turning them at JAX on the northward run? Which is weird too. I don't think it makes much sense.

What makes more sense is to figure out how to exercise the options so that if necessary trains can be run with two Diners ll the way.

However, my guess is that all of this will undergo a drastic change anyway once Boardman exits stage right.

 

[tommylicious]

jis what changes do you expect?

 

[jis]

I don't know what the changes will be. Can't tell until we know who th new CEO is going to be. However, I cannot see continuation of this downhill spiral carry on. It has a feel of the waning days of the Warrington era. Hopefully the change will be for the better and a completely new approach for dealing with the various existing issues. It is even possible that the artificial attempts to make F&B a seperate P&L center will be ejected. Remember how the "glide to self sufficiency" of Warrington was quietly forgotten once Warrington left and his follower basically said "no way no how" and Congress swallowed its pride and the world carried on?

But only time will tell.

Also probably this discussion does not belong in this thread and needs its own thread.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Its hard to separate Amtrak from politics, but I will try my best to avoid future scoldings. Lol

I was half or more of this political discussion. But note that I was rebutting a counterfactual claim that neither the President nor Congress has much effect on Amtrak!!! I'm not sure that my reply was 'politics' so much as a 'civics' lesson. But I used one $24 Billion example as evidence to the contrary, and it took up a lot of space. LOL.

Still, I was not surprised at all to be reminded that this is not a political site. I doubt if you were, erierail. So I took your use of "scoldings" as intended to be amusing and playful.

 

[jis]

So I took your use of "scoldings" as intended to be amusing and playful.

That is why I was surprised by Steve's retort. maybe he was feeling playfulness challenged that morning The "Lol" was a dead giveaway. Then again maybe he was being playful too, and I was the one that was subtlety challenged :blink:

 

[Steve4031]

I didn't read all of the posts as I should have. I saw that there were new posts on this thread and clicked on it hoping to get more information about the view liners and was somewhat annoyed not to see anything. Sorry about that.

 

[Seaboard92]

Not a hundred percent positive but when I was arriving in NYP today on a transit train there appeared to be a VII diner on a southbound

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Not a hundred percent positive but when I was arriving in NYP today on a transit train there appeared to be a VII diner on a southbound

Maybe 8400, the prototype