Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[JohannFarley]

This question may have been answered a while ago on this thread, but is any specific route going to get these new diners first if they do a few deliveries over time? Or does everyone think that because they are so late they would want to take all the diners at once for a quick as possible rollout.

I'm guessing since they are on diner lite service (if I'm not mistaken) the LSL and the Cardinal would be first. My family is planning to take the LSL from New York to Chicago and back for vacation around this time next year and I really hope they're rolled out by then.

 

[jis]

Unless they have decided that the shells manufactured so far a re not salvageable and they have to start from scratch, one would imagine that something should rolling by this time next year.

I am hoping that the GAO would come out with another report on this fiasco right about now so that we can figure out what is going on.

 

[JohannFarley]

Yeah it would be great to have some info. This thread sat completely dead for 2 weeks and before that we were only talking about 8400

 

[Ziv]

There are so many problems with so many different governmental acquisitions that you have to wonder if it is time to simplify or streamline the Federal Acquisition Regulation. It is well meaning but when the LCS, the F-35, Ford Class carrier, the Acela and the Viewliner II all have similarly problematic developments, maybe we should be looking at what went wrong with each of the programs and see if there is a similar problem in the decision making process.

I would bet that Brightline won't have nearly the series of problems that we saw in the aforementioned programs. Problems are normal but this level of failure/delay is not. This isn't rocket science, building a diner car shouldn't take this long, nor should the builder botch it in this spectacular a fashion.

 

[jis]

Project management apparently is not one of Amtrak's fortes. Look at the evolving screwup in the $450 million NJ High Speed Rail Project. They have already had to drop the entire NY Penn Station ladder A component. They have had to reduce the constant tension catenary down to about 50% or so of the original planned. Of course they have come up with an excuse why that is OK. And yet they are still struggling to complete it within time limit for the funding.

Another evolving one apparently are the Albany and Schenectady station projects, though the latter is mostly CDTAs doing. But the amount of time being taken to construct two frickin' platforms has to be a world record of some sort.

 

[TiBike]

This isn't rocket science, building a diner car shouldn't take this long, nor should the builder botch it in this spectacular a fashion.

Building baggage cars is even further removed from rocket science, and those still aren't fully operational yet. The whole program is fubar.

 

[Seaboard92]

I think some of this also can stem from when you go to the cheapest bidder you get the worst product and management.

 

[Ryan]

It is well meaning but when the LCS, the F-35, Ford Class carrier, the Acela and the Viewliner II all have similarly problematic developments,

Don't believe everything you read. These programs aren't as screwed up as you think they are.

But that doesn't make a very compelling story, so you don't hear about it.

 

[west point]

Just a wild guess but the Meteor will probably get the new diners first and then as other new diners become available they will also go first to the Meteor. The reason is that MIA ( Hialeah ) is responsible for all work on single level LD trains up to the major overhauls. If I were Amtrak I would have both a new V-2 diner and a Heritage diner (as standby ) for one round trip in case of any failure of the new V-2 diner

 

[Acela150]

Let's not jump ahead to where these cars will or will not go first.. I will put it this way.. The LSL serves 2 meals, SM serves 3 maybe 4 if they're late enough, if you give the SS a diner back that's 3 again if late enough 4, Crescent serves 3 same deal, late enough 4. I'll add I'm thinking of this by Southbound runs. Expect the LSL which leaves CHI late enough that Breakfast and Lunch are it. The Cardinal can seriously benefit from one.. 4 meals each way. Which IINM is the most out of any of the eastern LD trains. With the westbound serving breakfast twice and the eastbound serving dinner twice..

Right now the CAF cars are exactly what CAF stands for... Cars Are Fictional.

 

[Brian Battuello]

Just got back from a round trip on the Lake Shore Limited. The diner lite wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Of course they didn't have the steak, but the replacement "short ribs" were edible, although charging $24 is a farce. I hope no unsuspecting coach passengers fell for it. The "diner" looked reasonably good, with the same table service, and the staff were cheerful. My biggest complaint was the lack of salad, they said it was skipped because of storage space limitations.

But here's the bad news. I chatted with the waiter about the new diners, and he said that he was now hearing November for the first rollout, BUT due to some technicality they would have to run empty for THREE MONTHS on the back of trains for some sort of testing/break-in. He said that the LSL was planning diner lites until sometime in February. He had no other info, and I only pass this on as one data point. Perhaps someone with better inside information could verify or correct. If this is the way the diners roll out, I'm not going to lose any sleep waiting for the sleepers.

Still, I was burning points and it was a pretty good ride for free. The kid and I had a great time.

 

[Triley]

Just got back from a round trip on the Lake Shore Limited. The diner lite wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Of course they didn't have the steak, but the replacement "short ribs" were edible, although charging $24 is a farce. I hope no unsuspecting coach passengers fell for it. The "diner" looked reasonably good, with the same table service, and the staff were cheerful. My biggest complaint was the lack of salad, they said it was skipped because of storage space limitations.

But here's the bad news. I chatted with the waiter about the new diners, and he said that he was now hearing November for the first rollout, BUT due to some technicality they would have to run empty for THREE MONTHS on the back of trains for some sort of testing/break-in. He said that the LSL was planning diner lites until sometime in February. He had no other info, and I only pass this on as one data point. Perhaps someone with better inside information could verify or correct. If this is the way the diners roll out, I'm not going to lose any sleep waiting for the sleepers.

Still, I was burning points and it was a pretty good ride for free. The kid and I had a great time.

Just like any other new equipment it has to be sent out for testing to make sure it will not have to be cut out enroute somewhere, and you also have to give the mechanical and OBS crews time to get acclimated.

 

[NE933]

There has been plenty of time and opportunities for testing and getting everyone acquainted. Time to get the damn things out and about, carrying passengers and earning revenue.

 

[Hal]

There has been plenty of time and opportunities for testing and getting everyone acquainted. Time to get the damn things out and about, carrying passengers and earning revenue.

You can't test something that you don't have.

 

[Triley]

There has been plenty of time and opportunities for testing and getting everyone acquainted. Time to get the damn things out and about, carrying passengers and earning revenue.

You can't test something that you don't have.

Exactly... Lets not get confused with 8400 being similar to the Viewliner IIs. Even if they were, there will still be differences. The Charger and ACS64s are similar, does that mean that crews don't need to get acquainted with the Charger? No. The only thing you are right about is that it's time to get them out in to revenue service.

 

[Acela150]

There has been plenty of time and opportunities for testing and getting everyone acquainted. Time to get the damn things out and about, carrying passengers and earning revenue.

The only thing that was tested was ride quality and speed performance. ThirdRail may have more on that. Crews weren't trained on this stuff. Yet again....

CAF. Cars Are Fictional.

 

[TiBike]

It's been more than a year and they still haven't figured out how to use the bike racks in the baggage cars. Three months to figure out how to operate a whole dining car seems wildly optimistic.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Wise words from the Amtrak insiders! Way past time for the VL Diners to be rolling down the rails!

 

[JohannFarley]

Just cause I was bored at work, here is a glassdoor.com review of CAF USA by an anon employee.

It doesn't get much clearer than that.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Interesting! Wonder if the CEO non ratings mean there's too many Indians and No Chiefs since CAF seems to have turned the VII order into a Clusterflub??!!!( and Amtraks suits have been MIA on this too!)

 

[PRR 60]

Here is the actual Glassdoor page for CAF USA. Pretty ugly stuff.

 

[jis]

Interesting! Wonder if the CEO non ratings mean there's too many Indians and No Chiefs since CAF seems to have turned the VII order into a Clusterflub??!!!( and Amtraks suits have been MIA on this too!)

It does not mean anything beyond the fact that the few who have volunteered info did not have much to say. I would not put a great deal of credence on the extremely sparse contribution. It starts getting relevant when you start getting at least several dozen individuals contributing from a company.

 

[JohannFarley]

This page is what I would present to someone who asked where the viewliners are from now on. Apparently just one large fustercluck of a company.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Can we just cancel the project, and walk away?

 

[CCC1007]

Can we just cancel the project, and walk away?

Do you want diners?