Winter Consists?

[AlanB]

In the summer of '13, they ran in the front, doors forward, making an ADA issue.

Until the new diners are up and running, there is no ADA issue at all. The current diners can't handle a standard wheelchair.

Even once the new diners are in use, who knows what will actually happen. During the very first run of 8400, the revamped Viewliner I diner, Sunnyside put the diner in backwards. They had the table side with the wheelchair table facing the coaches instead of the sleeper. When I pointed that out to Brian Gallagher he just rolled his eyes and told me how hard it had been to even get Sunnyside to start using the diner; much less orientate it properly within the consist.

 

[AlanB]

Conductors and OBS tell me it's done by the CHI yard crews, that the SAS Switching Crews would prefer that it stay the same but that would be too easy, it's Amtrak!

From what I've heard Jim, SAS has been a big issue itself. Seems some of the orientation/position of cars has been dictated by the union down there trying to get more work for its members. They wanted things setup to create the maximum amount of switching to provide more hours of work for them. I guess Chicago doesn't bother to follow that pattern when they're having their own issues and just need to get the train out of the yard for boarding. No issues in Chicago, things come out the way SAS wants it.

 

[pennyk]

In previous summers (as long as I can remember), the H room and bedrooms were oriented towards the front of the train on the Silvers. This summer they appear to be oriented to the rear (towards the dining car). An SCA on the SIlver Meteor told me yesterday that this "reverse" orientation was an experiment and may change soon. I have no idea whether that is accurate.

 

[Ryan]

There was also the "egress from the diner" issue discussed when this started cropping up. Since the diner doesn't have a vestibule, putting the H room next to the diner means that one could evacuate the diner through the Viewliner's vestibule.

 

[crescent2]

The many times hubby and I rode the Crescent in the H unit, the H unit was always toward the front of the train. We'd walk the length of our car to get to the diner. Have they changed that now? If so, doesn't that make the sofa in the H unit face toward the rear of the train? It wouldn't bother me, but that gives some people motion sickness.

 

[pennyk]

The many times hubby and I rode the Crescent in the H unit, the H unit was always toward the front of the train. We'd walk the length of our car to get to the diner. Have they changed that now? If so, doesn't that make the sofa in the H unit face toward the rear of the train? It wouldn't bother me, but that gives some people motion sickness.

I am not sure about the Crescent, but that is the way it is on the Silvers now. The couch in the H room faces the rear of the train.

 

[Amtrak172]

With the coaches tho, are the seats facing backwards?

 

[Ryan]

No, the seats are reversible.

 

[Amtrak172]

No, the seats are reversible.

True, I forgot about that

 

[west point]

It is all about the vestibules. there is always a vestibule next to lounge / diner so where "H" is depends on where sleepers are located on train. As well coach vestibule will be next to them. Have not seen diner and lounge split. So has anyone ever observed that set up ? This way vestibule is very seldom at end of train allowing short platforms to board without double stops.

 

[Shanghai]

I was on #92 yesterday. The sleepers were on the front of the train.

The H room and Bedroom A were facing the direction of the train. Bedroom B

was facing the rear of the train.

 

[AlanB]

The H room and Bedroom A were facing the direction of the train. Bedroom B

was facing the rear of the train.

That's not possible! The couch in Bedroom B faces the same direction as the couch in the H room. Bedroom A is the odd man out as it were with the couch facing the opposite of the other two rooms.

 

[pennyk]

The H room and Bedroom A were facing the direction of the train. Bedroom B

was facing the rear of the train.

That's not possible! The couch in Bedroom B faces the same direction as the couch in the H room. Bedroom A is the odd man out as it were with the couch facing the opposite of the other two rooms.

From what I have heard (and seen), the couches in the H room and Bedroom B face backwards and the couch in A faces forward, which is the opposite of the orientation the Silvers have been for years.

 

[Ryan]

Correct - H and B couches face the same way (towards the exterior doors). When the car runs with the outside door at the back, the H/B couches face rearward.

 

[TylerP42]

The 29 CL, p42s, baggage, sleepers, diner, obs, coaches on 06/12/15, not sure if that is non-winter consist, just thought I'd add it though.

 

[Amtrak172]

The 29 CL, p42s, baggage, sleepers, diner, obs, coaches on 06/12/15, not sure if that is non-winter consist, just thought I'd add it though.

That order of cars on the CL is normal and all year round.

 

[Ryan]

However the number of them is not.

 

[neroden]

The many times hubby and I rode the Crescent in the H unit, the H unit was always toward the front of the train. We'd walk the length of our car to get to the diner. Have they changed that now? If so, doesn't that make the sofa in the H unit face toward the rear of the train? It wouldn't bother me, but that gives some people motion sickness.

I am not sure about the Crescent, but that is the way it is on the Silvers now. The couch in the H room faces the rear of the train.

In the single-level sets, the H room in one of the sleepers is required to be adjacent to the dining car. This is for ADA access and for dining car evacuation. I'm not sure if the sets are *always* set up that way but they're supposed to be.

 

[Acela150]

When the 188 incident occurred the consists seemed to flip from sleepers being on the rear to the front. No idea what the reasoning is.

 

[neroden]

When the 188 incident occurred the consists seemed to flip from sleepers being on the rear to the front. No idea what the reasoning is.

It's probably coincidental. If it isn't coincidental, however it's because the Viewliners are a more modern and more "crash-safe" design than the ancient Amfleets; there might be some reason related to that to put them in front.

We know more about designing for crash safety than we did in 1983, when the last Amfleet IIs were delivered... let alone in 1968, when the Metroliner/Amfleet design was first built. Imagine driving an automobile with a 1968 design today.

 

[Amtrak172]

When are Viewliners going to be put in the back again?