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NEC now Fixed Seating Including Rear-Facing

Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

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Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639774  by STrRedWolf
 
jwhite07 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 12:46 pm
STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:49 am One silly way to fix this is to put a camera facing forward on the engine that is broadcast over Wifi to the entire consist.
Yeah, front row seats for the next grade crossing wreck, suicide, or heck, just Bambi out in the wrong place at the wrong time. Great! Wait until you see the bill for the lawsuits and PTSD treatments for every passenger on the train. Talk about expensive...

How about this? Get used to riding backwards. Millions of rail passengers do it, every day, worldwide. If it's not your cuppa, don't take the train.
Told 'ya it was silly. ;)

Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639790  by ExCon90
 
Used to be that if you were riding backwards at a window seat on the side adjacent to the opposing track you could at least see the signals for that track; now with the disappearance of wayside signals even that's gone. And even a railfan seat tells you nothing. Ah, progress -- two steps forward, one step back?

Re: NEC now Fixed Seating Including Rear-Facing

 #1639793  by ExCon90
 
CLamb wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 12:33 am I wonder if the seats will be locked into place or if the passengers will be able to rotate the seats themselves.
I think one of the incentives for Amtrak is that there will be no rotating mechanism to maintain.

Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639800  by Gilbert B Norman
 
STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:49 am One silly way to fix this is to put a camera facing forward on the engine that is broadcast over Wifi to the entire consist.
Mr. Wolf, your thought reminds me of a '50's predecessor to IMAX called Cinerama. For one of their productions, they placed cameras on.the head of the then-CZ showing it running through the Glenwood Canyon and along the Feather River.

Oh well, that was back in the days when railroads actually promoted their passenger trains.

addendum: here's more on the Cinerama production starring the California Zephyr.

Another "camera on the rails" I can recall (never saw it firsthand) was when the Rock Island assigned their Aerotrain to the Peoria Rocket. On the "dolled up SW-1200" switch engine there was mounted a camera feeding to a closed-circuit TV (a 21" B&W) in the Parlor Car. By the time I got to Chicago during April '61, that equipment was just another commuter train.
Last edited by Gilbert B Norman on Sat Mar 02, 2024 8:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

Re: NEC now Fixed Seating Including Rear-Facing

 #1639804  by MACTRAXX
 
Everyone: Interesting discussion about Amtrak's decision to split seating 50/50 forwards and backwards...
I would like to add that I prefer riding forward in a window seat on the left side if it is available - but I am
flexible to riding backwards if no forward-facing seat can be found...As example I would actually prefer to
ride backward at certain times of day when my forward preference means looking straight into sunlight...

On an historical standpoint I believe that the first Amtrak trains to operate "backwards" were #40 and #41
"Broadway Limited" between New York Penn Station and Philadelphia 30th Street beginning in April 1980
when the engine change and Washington section combination was ended in Harrisburg - moved to PHL...

For the record NYP-PHL is 90 miles of the Broadway Limited route total of 909 miles NYP-CHI...
I remember that train crews would explain why the entire train was facing backwards and that the train
would be going forward after leaving Philadelphia westbound - and the opposite explanation was made
on eastbound trips PHL-NYP why the last part was backwards after leaving 30th Street Station...

The second train to operate in this manner was the "Pennsylvanian" when it was extended to NYP...
The "Pennsylvanian" began operation in 1980 PHL-PGH running the F40PH diesel straight through
to PHL on the 103 mile electrified PHL-HAR segment without a HAR engine change...

I also remember being shown how to "turn" Amfleet seating and depending on the individual seat
in question it could be somewhat easy ranging to hard and stubborn to move and most importantly
to lock the seat into place so it is stable without any extra movement while the car is in motion...

It is going to be interesting to see the feedback that Amtrak gets about the 50/50 seat policy...
MACTRAXX

Re: NEC now Fixed Seating Including Rear-Facing

 #1639821  by Gilbert B Norman
 
MACTRAXX wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:26 pm Its going to be interesting to see the feedback that Amtrak gets about the 50/50 seat policy...
MACTRAXX
Will they even care, Mr. MACTRAXX?

After all, look at the Coach Cleaner positions they can abolish (probably unfilled; no one will get "whacked") and the additional utilization they can get from the fleet.

Surely, they will get their share of "I'm never going to ride Amtrak again...." rants

Re: NEC now Fixed Seating Including Rear-Facing

 #1639829  by RandallW
 
Any negative feedback can be reduced to "it sucks that seating is now like the Acela trains have been since they were introduced" or "it sucks that seating is now like the [name route that already does this] since [year that route began doing this]" and I can't find a record of complaints about those seating arrangements causing a change in equipment or practices elsewhere, but also I doubt there will be much negative feedback.

It seems to me that mostly Amtrak wyes or loops the entire train instead of turning seats in the Amfleet I cars today. This change isn't going to eliminate car cleaning positions, but will reduce yard moves around major stations (they will still be turning trains pulled by the P32AC-DMs and P42s and switching locomotives on ACS-64 hauled trains unless they begin putting locomotives on both ends or introducing HHP-8 cab cars on services).

Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639836  by bostontrainguy
 
west point wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:25 pm When looking out in a RR car or the back of the train I experience an unusual effect. After looking back for a while when looking forward it seems that the landscape is pulling away from me for a while. Lasts about 10 minutes.
You are not alone there. Very common experience for most people.

Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639866  by ExCon90
 
bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 02, 2024 11:19 am
west point wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:25 pm When looking out in a RR car or the back of the train I experience an unusual effect. After looking back for a while when looking forward it seems that the landscape is pulling away from me for a while. Lasts about 10 minutes.
You are not alone there. Very common experience for most people.
But not pulling away -- coming toward you. A reaction from what you'd just been seeing for mile after mile.

Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639867  by ExCon90
 
Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:01 pm
STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:49 am Another "camera on the rails" I can recall (never saw it firsthand) was when the Rock Island assigned their Aerotrain to the Peoria Rocket. On the "dolled up SW-1200" switch engine there was mounted a camera feeding to a closed-circuit TV (a 21" B&W) in the Parlor Car. By the time I got to Chicago during April '61, that equipment was just another commuter train.
I remember reading about that at the time and have sometimes wondered how long it lasted. It couldn't have been high on the list of maintenance items.

Re: NEC now Fixed Seating Including Rear-Facing

 #1639874  by Greg Moore
 
I was fully expecting this on my train out of WAS today (88) but they were all (except final row for wheelchair bound travelers) forward facing.

Honestly, while I prefer forward facing, I have no issue with rear-facing. Gives me a different look at the world.
But it will bother some folks more than others.

Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639882  by BandA
 
in the 1980s and somewhat into the early 90s, on MBTA coaches you could use the foot lever and flip the seats yourself. Since we no longer trust people to own guns or flip their own seats or drive their own cars, the coach manufacturer could install a motor in each seat controlled by a switch; After the train reaches the terminal, the conductor or cleaning crew could push one button to flip all seats in the coach.

Re: Siemens to manufacture 83 Airo Intercity Trainsets for Amtrak: Design, Delivery, Acceptance

 #1639889  by RandallW
 
BandA wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:43 am in the 1980s and somewhat into the early 90s, on MBTA coaches you could use the foot lever and flip the seats yourself. Since we no longer trust people to own guns or flip their own seats or drive their own cars, the coach manufacturer could install a motor in each seat controlled by a switch; After the train reaches the terminal, the conductor or cleaning crew could push one button to flip all seats in the coach.
I think the problem with rotating seats is that, in a collision, the part most likely to fail first is the seat swivel mechanism wether appropriately locked or not, and while passengers are not strapped to their seats (a la airplanes and cars), a passenger being thrown from a seat into the seat ahead of them and then having their seat accelerate into them will likely have worse injuries than a passenger just thrown from the seat.
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