Amtrak Great Dome Schedule Sightings Status

Also consider when you have ONE of something, maintaining it costs more. You can't take it offline and run a spare. And you have to handcraft each part.

With a fleet, it's often easier to buy/find/create pieces in bulk. And you have spares.

This is why I think if Amtrak is going to keep Ocean View (and I think they should, it's a good marketing tool) they should acquire the other 3(I think it's 3 remaining now) extant Great Domes.

Ocean View is part of the Amtrak Biz car"fleet",if possible Amtrak should try to get 1 or 2 of IP's ATSF Big Domes as a replacement.
Parts could be found at the "Stainless Steel Graveyard" at Granite City IL

Greg Moore wrote:Also consider when you have ONE of something, maintaining it costs more. You can't take it offline and run a spare. And you have to handcraft each part.

With a fleet, it's often easier to buy/find/create pieces in bulk. And you have spares.

This is why I think if Amtrak is going to keep Ocean View (and I think they should, it's a good marketing tool) they should acquire the other 3(I think it's 3 remaining now) extant Great Domes.

This is the answer. Via has well over 100 Budd cars that mostly share the common parts, so it's worth stocking the parts and training people to repair those cars. If a part goes out of production, it's worth Via's time to reverse engineer the part and make it in-house or at a contract machine shop, because they'll buy 50 of that part every year, not 1 part every ten years.

Via also has some random third-hand Budd cars (various original american owners -> Amtrak -> Via) and they're looking to dispose of those for the same reason Amtrak has retired the heritage diners, hi-level lounges, and Ocean View. Small fleets of 1-5 cars making up a larger "fleet" with mismatched parts requiring stock of many parts and training of different repair methods. It' doesn't make sense.

It probably would be too expensive and maybe not structurally able but if Superliner equipment becomes an orphan ---------- Siemens build dome cars based on the Brightline design ?

Leo_Ames wrote:If Via Rail can keep rolling with mid 1950's rolling stock that safely crosses the continent in comfort and style, I find it difficult to believe that this car's mainline days just have to end now.

VIA, as with Union Pacific, BNSF, and even Metra, has a FLEET of cars built before 1971.

Amtrak is down to a few cars, many being used as extra wheels for various PTC mandates on the freight railroads. They are mechanical anomalies at best v

east point: Siemens could happen if there’s a large (LARGE) order, but more likely Stadler would sign up to build a new single-level dome. They brag on their website about how they take pride in building small orders of custom cars in their new Utah plant.

Who would use it though? Amtrak wouldn’t, unless it’s a Sightseer-style car without a dome. If they go all single-level, they would want everything to clear PSNY. VIA would have to consider really strongly whether they could afford domes too, before they did a full fleet refresh.

John_Perkowski wrote:

Leo_Ames wrote:If Via Rail can keep rolling with mid 1950's rolling stock that safely crosses the continent in comfort and style, I find it difficult to believe that this car's mainline days just have to end now.

VIA, as with Union Pacific, BNSF, and even Metra, has a FLEET of cars built before 1971.

Amtrak is down to a few cars, many being used as extra wheels for various PTC mandates on the freight railroads. They are mechanical anomalies at best v

The point was to counter the claim that she's too wore out to be able to continue service, so it's really for the best in this particular instance that she has fallen victim to the current bean counter in the head office that is curtailing everything he can on long distance trains. Talking about if supporting one unique car is justifiable or not is a very different argument, and one I'll leave to others.

That said, I think several of you aren't giving Beech Grove much credit here with this car in occasional service.

Beech Grove is a great shop with huge institutional knowledge. It could keep Ocean View and the Pacific Parlours in service indefinitely*, given the financial resources. Bear could do pretty well too, though they aren’t quite as well-equipped. That said, even if the technology hasn’t changed a ton, we’re still talking about 707s in the age of 787s. I don’t want Amtrak to give up these shops for anything, but their Heritage fleet days (and Metroliner days too) are coming to a close one way or another.

*fatigue cracks may take their toll, but Beech could probably do a frame replacement if it came down to it.

You know, there is another prototype viewliner sitting doing nothing that would make one kicking lounge car.

Someone needs to get 2300 drug out of bear and rebuilt as a lounge.

Sad to say that the Grove is a double edge sword. They have the ability to keep these cars going, but there is an extreme anti heritage bias in the management office there.

Alcochaser wrote: Someone needs to get 2300 drug out of bear and rebuilt as a lounge.

Were I in charge of Amtrak, I'd put that right up there with reinstating the Pacific Parlours on my priority list. But with the current regime, fat chance!

I’d rather just order 50 new V-Sightseers along with 400 V-coaches for LD service

My first step would be to get more money!

Then I could do many of these ideas.

I might do that by rolling out Ocean View and inviting a number of members from the House of Reps and Senate for a ride during the fall foliage of an appropriate place.

They may have the ability to fix the equipment, but is it the most efficient use of time?

I am in the camp that I'd like to see Amtrak acquire a more modern dome car, something that it doesn't have to spend a disproportionate amount of resources fixing.

Beech Grove does Contract work on private cars,might not like dealing with some of the car owners.

gprimr1 wrote:I am in the camp that I'd like to see Amtrak acquire a more modern dome car, something that it doesn't have to spend a disproportionate amount of resources fixing.

Are you talking a Plate F/Superliner-height dome usable everywhere off the NEC, or an NEC-capable shallow dome or Sightseer? Also, do you mean something a *little* newer but still Heritage, something a *lot* newer like a kitbashed Amfleet or glassed-in Gallery car, or something *brand new* from Stadler or another car company?