Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[pennyk]

Going to SFB for a live report....

Actually SFA. SFB is the airport.

Please provide report when you can.

 

[user 1215]

Just went through SAV at 0930.

OK, just a quick housekeeping question. How can RampWidget post that the train went through SAV at 9:30 in a post at 8:43...Tardis?

Check the time zone on your profile settings. It was posted at 9:43 EST.

 

[Scott Orlando]

Going to SFB for a live report....

Actually SFA. SFB is the airport.

Please provide report when you can.

98 just passed north after issues in Altamonte Springs. Sunrail going south. But no special yet.....

 

[Scott Orlando]

Just passed through Sanford. The train did not stop. My view was blocked by departing AT. $%^&^*&**&

 

[pennyk]

Thanks. I am walking to crossing at highland and urban trail

 

[pennyk]

Just got to crossing and heard a train coming. I was all set to video but it was SunRail.

 

[neroden]

Well, I'm pleased to see that my late-January trip will most likely have some new baggage cars on it. Probably still won't see any new dining cars on my January *or* April trips, though.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Can you imagine the foam level when the diners and sleepers head down to Miami considering the foam for the bag cars. :giggle:

Yes, I did consider going out last night to see the baggage cars go by, but when I got home to feed the kitties, I had no inclination to go back out. It was dark & cold. Guess I'm not a foamer (never thought I was) and not much of a railfan.

 

[pennyk]

Got it. It should be in ORL in about 7 minutes.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Yay Penny!

 

[Bob Dylan]

You Florida folks get to have all the fun in the Winter!!

Keep the videos and pics coming, and Betty is right, when the other new Cars start coming out of hiding the foam will Flood the Tracks!! LOL

Time for a new contest Ryan????

 

[Scott Orlando]

Somehow made it from SFA to ORL in Friday traffic for this....

I got to catch it twice! WooHoo!

 

[WoodyinNYC]

Neroden let us start putting together a concrete short write up

that we can either send directly to Boardman, possibly via Brian G.

Also maybe we can get NARP on board. Perhaps Anderson and

Charlie can work that angle.

But first a few of us need to have something concrete that we are all

comfortable standing behind and pushing.

I was impressed by the spreadsheet analysis of potential

sleeper revenue that you guys did a couple of weeks back.

Boardman doesn't need to see the positive case, but the

Congresscritters and their staffers do.

And reporters, also known as stenographers, need easily

available material for their articles.

Try to get it published on their site by NARP, at the least.

(NARP has online an argument in favor of the sleepers

from 4 or 5 years ago, so they surely have interest and

perhaps expertise to lend.)

If it looks as good as we think it could, the case could also

be made in an Op Ed (and then be posted at NARP online.)

NARP's PR person might help with placing an Op Ed.

Submit it to the New York Times and the Wash Post first,

but they get a zillion submissions for limited space. So as

soon as you get their rejection slip, re-submit to papers in

Philly, Baltimore, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, on down

the line to Miami.

And try the online publications. The Huffington Post and

others in cyberspace have almost unlimited room to run

outside-written or opinion pieces.

(If you have any contacts inside Amtrak, or any recently

retired from there, see if you can get your case vetted

by them on a background basis.)

If nobody will publish a long article, slash it to four or five

paragraphs and submit it as Letters to the Editor at the

Times and Wash Post. If NARP will publish a longer,

fact-filled version, you can link to that in your letter.

Of course, you can CC: a report to Boardman, and

Amtrak's Board, certainly the Chair, Anthony Coscia.

Move fast while the new bag cars make it newsy.

Good luck.

 

[user 1215]

I guess I'm just a bit confused why they are releasing 26 all at once. Were they all built in parallel? Why not build, test, add to consist as they were completed? It seems like a lot of work to dump on those guys in Hialeah at once.

So what's coming out next (after the 8 more baggage)? How many at a time?

 

[pennyk]

I will try to post my video.

IMG_0336.MOV

 

[pennyk]

Great photo Scott, and thanks for the heads up so I could get to the crossing in time.

Also, great feat getting to ORL in Friday I-4 traffic.

 

[fixj]

I counted 20 new Bags, so I guess they added the two test cars to the consist. Great vid!

 

[jis]

Just passed by here at KIS at 5:30pm. Passed by real slow. Got a three minute video.

 

[pennyk]

Just passed by here at KIS at 5:30pm. Passed by real slow. Got a three minute video.

Was it worth waiting for over 3 1/2 hours in Kissimmee?

 

[Railroad Bill]

I will try to post my video.

IMG_0336.MOV

Nice video Penny. It looks so warm down there

 

[Railroad Bill]

I will try to post my video.

IMG_0336.MOV

Nice video Penny. It looks so warm down there Our palm trees have a little snow on them..

 

[dlagrua]

Positive news "a long time a coming". I appreciate the pics and especially Penny K's video. From the appearance of these baggage cars I do not see any evidence of crew quarters. I was under the impression that the new cars would contain some crew quarters that would free up additional sleeper space. Am I wrong about this?

We have a Cardinal trip booked for Aug. 15. I am hoping that the Viewliner II sleepers will be added before that time. We have found that the sleepers on the New York City terminus trains show hard use and the new sleepers would give the train a refreshing new look and maybe have a new diner to enjoy meals in as well!!!!! My guess is that the diners will be coming next as many of them are over 50 years old.

 

[Ryan]

Some of the new cars are combined baggage dorms. Those are coming next, then the diners.

 

[pennyk]

I will try to post my video.

IMG_0336.MOV

Nice video Penny. It looks so warm down there

Thanks Bill. It was my very first video on my new phone. It was about 73 and sunny. Pretty much perfect. I hope you get lucky with the weather when you come down in January. (Dave is still complaining about the cold front when he came down in January a few years back - and is blaming me.)

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Here is my video that I took today. Man, two hour delay. Thankfully, Amtrak and SunRail trains kept me busy today. I could of also thrown in a bit of bus fanning into the mix too, but didn't. I heard there was engine trouble that caused the delay at Sanford.