Amtrak Great Dome Schedule Sightings Status

The Viewliner Diners are great Sightseer Cars! Next to the Superliner Sightseer Lounge car, second best that Amtrak has in the system. I've suggested on another thread that Amtrak could offer up a couple of Viewliner Diners to "roam around" in the East Coast on the "long distance day trains" - Vermonter, Adirondack, Maple Leaf, Pennsylvanian, Palmetto (seen one pine tree though, you've seen them all!), and even the Cardinal longs for a car like this! It could actually be a an "upsell" to revenue if Amtrak positioned it right, but currently Amtrak just wants to find ways to reduce costs, not grow revenue. And there will be plenty of these diners around that will need some sort of purpose - hopefully more than just providing a space to deliver boxed meals. They were too expensive of a build for that task. A baggage car could have met that purpose.

Mackensen wrote:I read through the entire article I found no source for the claim that it would be retired, only vague speculation. They clearly didn't actually ask anyone at Amtrak for comment. Mind you, retirement wouldn't surprise me either, given the retirement of the Hi-Levels. However, the Ocean View does form part of Amtrak's business car fleet, which the Hi-Levels never did.

Agreed. The news doesn't surprise me given the current climate at Amtrak, but the claims in the article are completely unsubstantiated. Upper management has been very open about their new policies, so to make this claim without any source noted is a bit odd. I'm wait-and-see on this one.

A few years back I rode the full dome "business class" on IP's Hoosier State. It was interesting but the low-back seats in the dome are not for four-hour rides. I've also spent quite a few hours in Alaska and Via domes, so although I'm not going to take a flyer just to ride Ocean View, I hope this report is inaccurate.

I have heard from a fairly reliable source that when the dome car trips are finished later this fall on the Adirondack the car will be retired, all done. What a loss this will be.
Noel Weaver

Unfortunately, the Ocean View has reached a point in its life where it is better off not running on Amtrak. It is going to be retired in a couple of months. Whatever trip I do to Albany will involve not venturing on Amtrak past there. If I am going to pay to ride north of Albany in the Great Dome, then I would be going north of Saratoga Springs. I did it a few years ago and enjoyed it. I told myself that don't be surprised if this is your only time riding in the Great Dome which it was.

I was a little surprised not to appreciate it more -- I guess I expected more glass. In any case, glad I got to ride on it and may work it yet into a fall trip.

I’ll definitely photograph the Great Dome on 69 in Rensselaer.

ryanov wrote:I was a little surprised not to appreciate it more -- I guess I expected more glass. In any case, glad I got to ride on it and may work it yet into a fall trip.

This was my position on the full dome. I find the small domes to be preferable because the experience of having the front/back glass so close makes it a better view. Having the front/back glass 50' away is not much different than a Superliner lounge. Also, something nobody thinks about until riding in a dome - half the field of view is the unwashed roof of 60+ year old streamliner cars with caulk, patches, etc... I much preferred the open dutch doors on Alaska to the dome.

From one who "rode 'em all" in this life, the Budd "short" Dome (save the three C&O; one now PV "Moonlight Dome") was the best of the bunch.

Do any have a glass ceiling as well?

I might try to burn my remaining rewards points before they expire and get a ride on the dome next month. I doubt it'll match this however - another great piece of equipment that I'm glad I got to ride before it was gone!

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From one who "rode 'em all" in this life, the Budd "short" Dome (save the three C&O; one now PV "Moonlight Dome") was the best of the bunch.

I rode a bunch of them myself back in 75 when I went around the country on a 30 day USA railpass. I agree the short domes were the best as you could look ahead over the whole train and watch it snaking through the scenery. Two of the best was on the Southern's Crescent and the trip up over Marias Pass at sunrise on the Builder.

J. Lang

ryanov wrote:Do any have a glass ceiling as well?

I don't know of any that have a true glass ceiling, all have some sort of metal spine supporting lights, etc... When it comes to straight up views, the best is the Via Panorama car as the windows are all one piece. That said, it is a single level creation so absolutely no frontal views.

ryanov wrote:Do any have a glass ceiling as well?

Mr. Novosielski:

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I said this in another thread long ago, but I would love the lounges and, apparently, V-II “diners” to have forward- and rear-facing cameras a la GoPro, connected closed-circuit to a flatscreen/projector at either end of the car. No locomotive-mounted cameras, no one wants to watch a live-action strike or collision up close.

Presto, a $2000 dome that fits in NYP.

They "recycled" the the same "material" from the Pacific Parlor car retirement.