Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[CHamilton]

Is it 1 baggage car or 20 cars?

How accurate is the quote from the "Amtrak Group on Facebook"?

It's an exact quote (typos and all), but I have no idea how good the poster's information is.

 

[Ryan]

The post I saw on Amtrak's Facebook page by Rich Martin said 10-20 cars. Cited Amtrak sources he "spoke with at Elmira this morning."

 

[jis]

This is what Rich Martin said:

I have yet to ask the crew just what types of cars are being picked up. there are a few obvious ones but then there are many out on some sidetracks here at Elmira Heights

 

[PerRock]

The deadhead seems to be P42 #203 and an Amfleet car, and possibly one other locomotive. Sorry if this was posted hereas i don't remember where I saw it, am too happily excited. This is the real, Happy Train Day!

Look 4 posts up (from your post) for the other locomotive.

peter

 

[afigg]

Found this recent investigative summary report (1 paragraph) on the Amtrak Inspector General website on the Viewliner II. Possibly caused by a disgruntled employee of CAF? Did the investigation slow down the production and engineering process in any way?

PRODUCTION OF LONG DISTANCE SINGLE LEVEL RAIL CARS
MAY 7, 2014
CASE OIG-I-2014-506

We received an allegation of numerous improprieties regarding the contracting of 25 sleeper cars, 25 diner cars, 25 baggage/dorm cars and 55 baggage cars totaling $298,132,648. Of the 11 improprieties alleged, we did not find any substantial information or evidence indicating potential fraud or other criminal violations. Amtrak management addressed and resolved potential contract or production irregularities. We recommended to management that they continue to monitor the progress to address the initial use of non-conforming parts in the production process; check the welding credentials of welders who worked on the prototype cars and welders on the rail cars when full production begins in 2014; and to monitor the contractor’s compliance with the Buy America Act.

The AIG documents include an announcement on April 4 of an audit being initiated of the CAF contract and production. If the audit report is as informative as the one on the food service losses on the LD trains, could provide reliable information on why the production and delivery schedule has slipped so much.

 

[neroden]

The AIG documents bring up those stainless-steel-welding issues again. (This is the third piece of evidence I've seen that issues with getting welders qualified to work with stainless steel delayed production.) That is almost certainly the main source of delays. It's really vital to get this right, of course.

We'll see how many cars go to Albany on Friday. I would think Amtrak would not bother to run two locomotives just to pick up a solo car (expensive), so I'm expecting several at once, but who knows.

 

[battalion51]

Well they may have had to run two engines up there if there is no facility to wye the engine at. Heck, even when they go to pick up an ACS-64 they run two engines to go get it. Granted an ACS-64 is much heavier...

 

[neroden]

Well they may have had to run two engines up there if there is no facility to wye the engine at. Heck, even when they go to pick up an ACS-64 they run two engines to go get it. Granted an ACS-64 is much heavier...

My point is, unless there was some compelling reason, they'd wait until they could pick up several at once, as it would cost the same amount to move. An ACS-64 is much heavier, so that isn't so true there.

 

[afigg]

My point is, unless there was some compelling reason, they'd wait until they could pick up several at once, as it would cost the same amount to move. An ACS-64 is much heavier, so that isn't so true there.

What we do not know is how much basic testing for speed, stability, and braking remains to be done on the first car or several Viewliner II cars. Don't want to take a string of Viewliner II cars over 60 mph and have the entire set derail when it encounters than smooth tracks because they had not done test runs on the first unit. Amtrak probably sent 2 locomotives because they don't have a cab car to spare.

 

[Acela150]

What good is a cab car going to do pulling 10-20 cars?? Zero! Early in the topic Jis stated a car or two will head to TTCI for testing and a small handful will head to PHL for Corridor testing.

 

[jis]

Where did I say anything about number of cars or where they will go? Frankly I have no information on that matter beyond what has been posted on Facebook.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[PRR 60]

Right now, they might be happy with just one car that has good welds throughout. Getting qualified welders is a problem in that area. The natural gas drilling operations in the Marcellus gas fields are right there and they pay qualified welders huge hourly's with lots of overtime. Good welders are being gobbled up by the drillers. That leaves conventional fabricators like CAF with a problem. They can't get good welders at the rates they can pay, and the fixed-cost contracts prevent paying the driller-driven market rate. The outcome is bad welds detected by nondestructive testing methods that have to be ground-out and redone - sometimes over and over. I've been through this exact issue with the products I used to buy, and if you are procuring a welded product from a company that has trouble getting good welders, it ain't pretty.

Here's a tip for a high school grad who wants to have a lucrative occupation and a great lifestyle and doesn't mind moving around. Forget college. Become a welder. A good welder can become rich.

 

[neroden]

The drilling operations are actually across the border in Pennsylvania (thank goodness fracking is still banned in New York, so we still have uncontaminated water supplies). But your point is correct, it's the same job market.

 

[Acela150]

I think the first car will go to Pueblo CO for FRA/AAR tests and the second car will go to Philly to start testing on the NEC. The rest will go to Hialeah, their maintenance base, to be rotated into service. Don't see any reason for it to go to Bear DE. But then again, of course, I could be wrong too.

Where did I say anything about number of cars or where they will go? Frankly I have no information on that matter beyond what has been posted on Facebook.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

First post on page 2. I don't blame you on forgetting as that was 2 years ago.

 

[jis]

Touché! It still is complete speculation and not a factual statement, as indicated by the "I think" lead in. Still don't know what will actually happen based on any reliable source.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[jonmorrie]

Viewliner maintenance is in Hialeah? Does that mean we could see one deadheaded on Silver Service soon?

 

[Ryan]

Yes and maybe.

 

[oldtimer]

Ryan, that is a definite maybe.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

If it does deadhead south, I could attempt to catch it. After all I did see 8400 deadhead down here, before it went into service.

 

[Palmetto]

From another board, crews are on duty tomorrow [Friday] 7:00 AM at Elmira and 10:00 AM at Binghamton for the Viewliner II move. Happy photographing

 

[Allypet]

I will be in Albany tomorrow. If someone can give me a possible location where they might end up, I will go take some photos.

 

[afigg]

From another board, crews are on duty tomorrow [Friday] 7:00 AM at Elmira and 10:00 AM at Binghamton for the Viewliner II move. Happy photographing

I hope they do make the move tomorrow so we can get an answer to the burning all important question: how many Viewliner IIs are being moved initially for testing.

 

[edjbox]

Hope they move more than one Viewliner out of the factory, but they should probably test them one at a time first at speed

 

[Acela150]

Touché! It still is complete speculation and not a factual statement, as indicated by the "I think" lead in. Still don't know what will actually happen based on any reliable source.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

While it is speculation, I'll tend to believe it as when 8400 was testing on the NEC it was tested out of PHL for a while.

 

[PRR 60]

From another board, crews are on duty tomorrow [Friday] 7:00 AM at Elmira and 10:00 AM at Binghamton for the Viewliner II move. Happy photographing

I hope they do make the move tomorrow so we can get an answer to the burning all important question: how many Viewliner IIs are being moved initially for testing.

And the answer is .... one car.

Photos at Trainorders.