Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[tommylicious]

who cares about baggage...when are the pax cars rolling out???

 

[Guest]

Can't wait to go through another 50+ pages of speculation and whining when the next type appears for final testing and service introduction. "What could they possibly be training for? If they can make a bed in the old car, surely they can make a bed in the new car!"

 

[adamj023]

Glad to hear that east coast has the new baggage cars and hopefully it will spread further. Cant wait to see the new sleepers and diners which should mean even faster train speeds and better service levels. Took Amtrak ages to get to this point and each and every day will mean new viewliner ii cars and even new ACS sprinters and the like. New schedules for April 6th show faster times and should improve even further I hope.

Diners have some shaky issues and seem to be at the end of life. Read a report how the diner car was shaking badly but fortunately it isnt a car one remains on long.

After diners and baggage cars, will be nice to see retrofits of the Amfleet II or new cars.

 

[Seaboard92]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

 

[Amtrak172]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

Sorry dude, the amfleets aren't going anywhere for a long time. They may be old, but they're in great shape and not giving Amtrak any problems (that we know of)

 

[Fan Railer]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

Sorry dude, the amfleets aren't going anywhere for a long time. They may be old, but they're in great shape and not giving Amtrak any problems (that we know of)

No to mention that there are no replacements planned until at least 2020.

 

[sitzplatz17]

I kind of like the Amfleets actually.

If just wish the restrooms were kept in a little better condition and perhaps bigger windows (obviously one of those is easier done than the other!!)

Otherwise I find the Amfleets quite cosy.

 

[Guest]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

Since they have manual doors putting them on the NEC would not useful.

 

[Guest]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

Sorry dude, the amfleets aren't going anywhere for a long time. They may be old, but they're in great shape and not giving Amtrak any problems (that we know of)

The Amfleet 1s are not in great shape. I would say they are in fair to poor shape. The Amfleet 2s are not in great shape but they are better shape. I would say good shape. Amfleet 1s do need to be replaced but Amtrak prioritized new cars for the less used routes, long distance. I guess because people keep booking the Regionals.

 

[Amfleeter]

I would agree - I'm acquainted with a Conductor or two who aren't fans of the Amfleets, considering them to be worn out (They aren't particularly fans of the P32 on the DC-Norfolk run, either). Overall, they're still quite nice cars inside, and honestly nicer than most other single level coaches everywhere else, with the very generous padding and seat size. Certainly better than an airliner cabin, even domestic Business or First, when it comes to plain comfort (and to a degree, amenities, considering food service cars, lounges, better window size, and AC power at every seat.)

 

[keelhauled]

Yeah but is anyone going to try and argue that any of the Amfleets are in worse shape than the Heritage cars? They chose to replace the 60 year old oddball equipment first instead of the well maintained and reliable coaches and oh god how many times does that need to be explained.

 

[Acela150]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

Since they have manual doors putting them on the NEC would not useful.

The Amcan II's have manual doors..... So what's the difference??

 

[Ryan]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

Sorry dude, the amfleets aren't going anywhere for a long time. They may be old, but they're in great shape and not giving Amtrak any problems (that we know of)

No to mention that there are no replacements planned until at least 2020.

That's only 5 years away. I'd be willing to bet that within 10 years we'll see new-build single level coaches roaming the system.

 

[MattW]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

There are also more than three times the number of Amfleet Is as Amfleet IIs.

 

[Guest]

What I would have liked to have seen would have been Viewliner coaches built. Then we could get rid of the Amfleet II coaches from LD and put them on corridor trains to replace aging Amfleet I cars

Since they have manual doors putting them on the NEC would not useful.

The Amcan II's have manual doors..... So what's the difference??

What is an Amcan II? In any case manual doors require a crew member at the door to open and close the door. On Amfleet I s the doors in the whole consist are keyed open by one crew member at one door. The other doors don't have to be manned by a crew member to open and close. Also Amfleet II only has doors at one end of the coach. Amflleet II has doors at both ends. On the congested NEC with trains carrying 400 - 500 passengers manual doors would hinder operations.

 

[PerRock]

What is an Amcan II?

"Amcan" is a nickname for the Amfleets and related equipment, so called because the round look is similar to a can of food.
Peter

 

[NewBags]

Weight limit for the shelves has been increased to 10 bags/500lbs. Progress!

 

[StriderGDM]

Weight limit for the shelves has been increased to 10 bags/500lbs. Progress!

They must have needed some time to ripen!

 

[neroden]

Just rode the Lake Shore Limited on Friday (end of a long and complicated trip). Viewliner Baggage car at each end. One of the lower shelves was in use (I peeked in through the back window of my sleeper). There wasn't very much baggage in that car. It was the NY baggage car. I'm guessing, with the new shelves in full operation, that a bag-dorm would be sufficient for peak loads at either end. We also had the #8400 Viewliner diner on that train. It felt a bit like the future.

 

[Navy 118]

Anyone heard if they have fixed the securing of baggage issue that the first ones placed into service had? (baggs falling off the racks etc)

 

[Steve4031]

Just rode the Lake Shore Limited on Friday (end of a long and complicated trip). Viewliner Baggage car at each end. One of the lower shelves was in use (I peeked in through the back window of my sleeper). There wasn't very much baggage in that car. It was the NY baggage car. I'm guessing, with the new shelves in full operation, that a bag-dorm would be sufficient for peak loads at either end. We also had the #8400 Viewliner diner on that train. It felt a bit like the future.

I rode the same consist on Monday from Chicago to nyp. Enjoyed 4800 immensely.

 

[MattW]

Finally got to see my first Viewbag! 61028 I believe was bringing up the Crescent's markers this morning as my MARTA train passed it it CP-Armour just north of the Atlanta Amtrak station. Now that I've seen it in person, I agree even more that Phase-III was NOT the way to go!

 

[neroden]

I cannot describe how much I do not care about paint schemes. At least they aren't all greenish-black (Pennsy paint scheme), or covered in soot (entire coal-burning era).

It's all decals now anyway. Maybe bare steel is the way to go. Or if they're worried about graffiti, a transparent wrap.

 

[PRR 60]

I cannot describe how much I do not care about paint schemes. At least they aren't all greenish-black (Pennsy paint scheme), or covered in soot (entire coal-burning era).

It's all decals now anyway. Maybe bare steel is the way to go. Or if they're worried about graffiti, a transparent wrap.

What Pennsy paint scheme was greenish-black? Pennsy was Tuscan Red, and it looked great.

 

[Ryan]

I presume he's talking about Brunswick Green: