Amtrak Heritage Diners Thread

[R30A]

I do not know the specifics, but the answer is yes.

[west point]

Although Amtrak is not know for logical assignments. Until all new diners are delivered and for some time afterward . Take the best ones and have them on reserve at NYP, MIA, CHI, & New Orleans, & maybe WASH. That way if one or more of the V-2 diners have too many teething problems at one of the locations a Heritage can be substituted.

[jhdeasy]

Although Amtrak is not know for logical assignments. Until all new diners are delivered and for some time afterward . Take the best ones and have them on reserve at NYP, MIA, CHI, & New Orleans, & maybe WASH. That way if one or more of the V-2 diners have too many teething problems at one of the locations a Heritage can be substituted.

A good idea.

During the past few years, I've heard some senior Amtrak officials say that they are not looking for recently retired Amtrak equipment (meaning Heritage baggage cars and dining cars) to be auctioned, only to reappear on their system as privately owned cars. So while they may be open to selling/donating some of these cars to railroad historical organizations and museums, it may be with the stipulation that the cars will not be certified for use as private cars on the Amtrak system. However, if a real railroad wanted to buy an Amtrak Heritage diner for their business fleet, then that situation might be a different story.

There are not that many privately owned dining cars that are currently certified for operation on the Amtrak system. A few that come to mind are:

former NYC diner 448 in the Iowa Pacific fleet
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4101550

former ACL diner "MOULTRIE" owned by Watauga Valley Chapter NRHS
http://www.wataugavalleynrhs.org/moultrie.php

former ATSF lunch counter diner EPICURUS owned by Peter Calleo in New Jersey
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1044077

[JimBoylan]

During the past few years, I've heard some senior Amtrak officials say

Are they senior enough that they might retire or otherwise move their resumes in the near future?

[R36 Combine Coach]

Would VIA acquire some, either as spares or parts cars for the Budd fleet?

[DutchRailnut]

how would we know if they might ??? lets not try to predict future.

[jp1822]

Some would make for nice lounge cars south of DC, west of Harrisburg, west/north of Albany, north of New Haven. Amtrak could add a fee if the lounge is nice enough. Amtrak restored two Heritage sleepers for the business fleet! Just saying "some" diners could make a special appearance on some routes......if a daily Cardinal starts - lots of cramped up space during its two day run! But vision and logic often don't go hand in hand with a cost benefit analysis - cost to maintain over revenue it could attract......

[Greg Moore]

Some would make for nice lounge cars south of DC, west of Harrisburg, west/north of Albany, north of New Haven. Amtrak could add a fee if the lounge is nice enough. Amtrak restored two Heritage sleepers for the business fleet! Just saying "some" diners could make a special appearance on some routes......if a daily Cardinal starts - lots of cramped up space during its two day run! But vision and logic often don't go hand in hand with a cost benefit analysis - cost to maintain over revenue it could attract......

Gawd no. Let someone else take the costs associated with these decades old cars and try to keep them running.

[jp1822]

Some would make for nice lounge cars south of DC, west of Harrisburg, west/north of Albany, north of New Haven. Amtrak could add a fee if the lounge is nice enough. Amtrak restored two Heritage sleepers for the business fleet! Just saying "some" diners could make a special appearance on some routes......if a daily Cardinal starts - lots of cramped up space during its two day run! But vision and logic often don't go hand in hand with a cost benefit analysis - cost to maintain over revenue it could attract......

Gawd no. Let someone else take the costs associated with these decades old cars and try to keep them running.

Like what VIA Rail Canada has done? Look at the transformation of so e of their 55+ equipment and prices they rake in for it! Not saying Amtrak could do same, but a few of the best for less money and re-design to a lounge? Who'd a thunk a Viewliner sleeper prototype that was in ruins would be wondering around as a "theater car."

[Tadman]

THere's a big difference between this fleet and VIa's fleet. This fleet is 22 cars of varied background and varied rebuilding regimen that has been run on grueling day-in, day-out service on select NYP-based trains. The Via fleet comes from a homogeneous background (IE parts are all the same) and basically serves two trains which run every third day.

Long story short, Via's parts department has to stock a lot less for a fleet that is used much more gently.

[Matt Johnson]

I think it's safe to say that soon the only Heritage equipment running in Amtrak service will be on the North Carolina Piedmont service.

[Matt Johnson]

Though I did forget about the Iowa Pacific Hoosier State! That's an interesting situation.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

I think it's safe to say that soon the only Heritage equipment running in Amtrak service will be on the North Carolina Piedmont service.

That's not even capital-"H" Heritage equipment, as it's all NC's problem to maintain their cars. The only actual Heritage-roster equipment that will still be under Beech Grove's jurisdiction after the bags and diners are dispersed are the Pacific Parlour cars. At least until the Superliner III order bakes in some new lounges and forces the inevitable "You want us to run antiques on your route; YOU maintain them" decision putting the squeeze on the Coast Starlight states to pay up or shut up.

VIA is not going to be taking on any more old refuse. Their new CEO came onboard last year and outright said that the Corridor's HEP 2 and LRC fleets must be completely retired by 2025 or they'll be facing carmageddon and the service cuts that'll come with having to start scrapping stuff. The "HEP 2" antiques are mostly Amtrak Heritage dispersals picked up between 1989 and 2000 when the last of the coaches and non- bags/diners were purged. They're just as shot and just as much a hodgepodge of varying designs and lineage requiring custom-fabricated parts as the remaining AMTK Heritage cars...just as unworkable for continued maint. It's their LD fleet that's almost entirely comprised of more uniform-spec Budd cars inherited from CP (which ran on exactly the same LD routes under CP) which will be sticking around for many more years thanks to lower maint costs and easier-to-stockpile parts supply.

[David Benton]

THere's a big difference between this fleet and VIa's fleet. This fleet is 22 cars of varied background and varied rebuilding regimen that has been run on grueling day-in, day-out service on select NYP-based trains. The Via fleet comes from a homogeneous background (IE parts are all the same) and basically serves two trains which run every third day.

Long story short, Via's parts department has to stock a lot less for a fleet that is used much more gently.

Though that run every third day is across the country and back.

[bdawe]

but there's plenty of spares, and they ain't going very fast.