Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[StriderGDM]

Crying like Nancy Kerrigan or like Tonya Harding?

 

[jis]

Well the only gut instinct one can apparently go on is everything at Amtrak is more or less random. It will happen if and when it happens In the same lighthearted spirit of course without bringing Nancy or Tonya into the mix

By the way, the guy who said it was Brian in a conversation at the NARP reception, at least in my case. It is possible that at the ESPA meeting the source was the same, but maybe not. You can go and ask him what his current prognostication is. I do realize that he can only estimate things based on information available at hand at a given time. He is on a trip out west I gather.

 

[Acela150]

It was meant to be light hearted and make fun of the fact the cars that were tested seemed to have disappeared without a trace...like an American Idol winner.

Crying like Nancy Kerrigan or like Tonya Harding?

 

[Ryan]

 

[Steve4031]

Let's get back on track.

 

[Ryan]

Let's get back on track.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

All shells have been completed. A batch will be released in April for testing, both testing testing, and testing in revenue testing.

ESPA / NARP 2016 meeting.

I have heard from a usually reliable source to expect at least two new Diners in service by late May early June, and maybe more.

This isn't working out too well, is it? Did you two happen to get years? Maybe your sources meant 2018 and you misunderstood them.

Wow. Almost this exact thought popped into my head at 79 MPH earlier today. I hadn't given the new cars a second thought since they left Hialeah however many moons ago.

Going to have to start pulling dining cars off other routes as the Heritage cars are put out to pasture and Amtrak keeps pushing towards zero food and beverage loss. h34r:

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

By the way, the guy who said it was Brian in a conversation at the NARP reception, at least in my case. It is possible that at the ESPA meeting the source was the same, but maybe not. You can go and ask him what his current prognostication is. I do realize that he can only estimate things based on information available at hand at a given time. He is on a trip out west I gather.

Your source was the same person who talked at NARP/ESPA. It was a public meeting with media invited. Brian made such statement from the podium.

 

[neroden]

So, I'm guessing CAF is still having design and/or production problems. I'm sure Amtrak would love to (a) get rid of the Heritage dining cars, and (b) have more revenue roomettes to sell during the busy season, so we must presume that the "test cars" are still not up to a level of Amtrak's satisfaction.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Or Amtrak is doing everything possible to delay the roll out to save cash.

 

[neroden]

No, that would be idiotic behavior, and I don't think they're THAT dumb.

The Heritage cars are bleeding cash every day they have to be maintained.

 

[afigg]

Or Amtrak is doing everything possible to delay the roll out to save cash.

I doubt that as well. Besides the effect on Amtrak revenue, maintenance issues for the Heritage diners, and that Amtrak has presumably made some progress payments for the cars that have not been delivered yet, CAF is losing money on the contract. If CAF had new cars ready to ship, what incentive could Amtrak offer to CAF to sit on the cars and further delayed getting paid? At this point, option orders appear to be very unlikely along with any follow-on contract from Amtrak.

Perhaps we need to come up with applicable nicknames for the Viewliner IIs. How about the Viewlaters? And if CAF fails to ever deliver the remaining 60 cars in the order, then they become the Viewnevers.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

So we agree that a cash short company would not find a reason, to hold off on taken deliver of new equipment.

When I had my house built, the payments were spread over the timeline. With the last one due at the end.

I am glad my thinking could never be true.

But....

 

[StriderGDM]

Sure, but that's akin to not being able to take possession of your house until you pay for it. Meanwhile your monthly rent payments are higher than the final payment and mortgage payments will be.

Are you going to be withholding that final payment so you can keep paying rent on an apartment that is falling apart and costs more and more every month?

 

[jis]

But if you really have cash flow problem you'll probably give up your rental and pitch a tent in the park. I am not convinced that that is the case here, but it is conceivable and the progressive sidelining of Heritage Diners with nothing to replace them is remotely possible to explain using the pitching a tent in the park scenario. As I said I am not at all convinced that is the case, but it is within the realm of completely hypothetical possibilities.

 

[Ryan]

So we agree that a cash short company would not find a reason, to hold off on taken deliver of new equipment.

When I had my house built, the payments were spread over the timeline. With the last one due at the end.


I am glad my thinking could never be true.

 

[busboy]

I'm booked on the LSL in September. What are the chances of a new sleeper or diner on that train??

 

[Palmetto]

I'm booked on the LSL in September. What are the chances of a new sleeper or diner on that train??

I would say that at this point, your crystal ball is as good as anyone else's on here, Thirdrail perhaps excepted!

 

[WoodyinNYC]

I'm booked on the LSL in September. What are the chances of a new sleeper or diner on that train??

If we're lucky there could be Viewliner diners in the active fleet. Or not.

The original plan was for baggage cars, diners, crew-dorms, and, last in this order, the sleepers. The baggage cars have been delivered and are in service. The other cars not.

There's been plenty of time to change the plans, but don't count on a Viewliner II sleeper by September.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

I'm booked on the LSL in September. What are the chances of a new sleeper or diner on that train??

I'd say your chances of no diner at all on the LSL is better than seeing a VLII diner or sleeper in September.

 

[Thirdrail7]

I'm booked on the LSL in September. What are the chances of a new sleeper or diner on that train??

I'd say your chances of no diner at all on the LSL is better than seeing a VLII diner or sleeper in September.

I'd say there is zero chance of a sleeper but there may be slight chance a diner may be in service by then. It would likely be deployed in Silver service and New York, being desperate for a diner would rob it from train 98 (despite being instructed to leave it in Silver service) and stuff it into the Lake Shore, throwing everything into chaos.

I can see it happening. ^_^

 

[prewarlionelrailfan]

Rode the Crescent last week between Atlanta to Washington D.C. Northbound 19 had a business class coach with the sleepers and a heritage dinner. Southbound 20 also had the business class coach two cafe cars and no dinner. The crew managed to maintain most of the menu, but everything was clearly microwaved. Not so good.

Adding the business class coach definitely changes the once intimate and quieter configuration to a more populated and active environment. I actually like the change. There are more people and space to interact with/within. I think it will be challenging however to fit everyone in a new Viewliner II diner, should that actually come about with a business class coach.

The Southbound train with the cafe cars did seem to move faster through the Northern stretch from Washington to North Carolina. The train status app even estimated an early arrival for us in Atlanta, however the pace was lost and we suffered delays in Georgia putting us behind.

 

[PaulM]

Adding the business class coach definitely changes the once intimate and quieter configuration to a more populated and active environment. I actually like the change. There are more people and space to interact with/within. I think it will be challenging however to fit everyone in a new Viewliner II diner, should that actually come about with a business class coach.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand a word of this.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

The Viewliner Diners and other cars have been seriously delayed and the diners still haven't even been taken to Hialeah yet.

Why was such an order of cars seriously delayed?

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

prewarlionelrailfan--

Why was there no diner on the Southbound Crescent? (Also, I think 19 is the southbound and 20 is the northbound? I think the numbers in your post got reversed by mistake.)