Viewliner II Delivery/Production

LOL ... Classic.

Go ahead and cue, "Shake, rattle and roll" on the 8 track ...

Hopefully Siemens gets that Amfleet equipment replacement order soon.

The bag dorms have also been freeing up extra baggage cars to hopefully let loose the final heritage junkers that they still have floating around.

Those amfleet 2 cars are terrible you should see what happens over 90mph. Theres a common issue we keep having on the NEC where the car is fine between DC south but once it gets between DC and NY its a racket. We write it up, they send it back south the next day cuz when it gets to one of the southern destinations they ask the crew and they say it was fine.

At 79 about an hour or two north of Miami it was a bucket of bolts, I can only imagine 125mph. That said, the track down there is not so hot. I could barely drink a coke out of the typical Amtrak plastic cup in the cafe due to lateral motions. Overall the FEC was much better ride under Brightline trains, not sure if that's track, new equipment, or both.

The old Metroliners certainly rattle, though much of it is the unoccupied seatbacks, and I think to a lesser extent the overhead luggage bins. But if the Viewliner IIs last as long as the old Budds, they'll have been worth the wait!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0OKL0K7z-o

Those junky cab cars ride worse in forward than they do in reverse when being pulled.

ApproachMedium wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 12:46 pm Those junky cab cars ride worse in forward than they do in reverse when being pulled.

That doesn’t seem like a big surprise, even without motors the Metroliners have a fairly high proportion of unsprung weight (axles and other truck parts, for posters who don’t know) to total weight. I bet they don’t have enough cushion in their couplers either.

Actually, they have less unsprung weight than an amfleet car. as the entire amfleet truck bolster down is not sprung.

The cab car is the same truck set up as a viewliner just no tread brakes, only disc. its a decent set up but the car itself just doesnt track well being pushed. I think a lot of it has to do with the lack of proper repairs as well as them being modified so many times. they have an added on air spring for the secondary suspension that was not there when they were new also.

The new five year equipment line plan just released confirms that they are working on a plan to modify the Viewliner II diners into a single food service car to serve both cafe and flex dining meals similar to how it is being done on the Cardinal which will be replicated on the Star come May. Only after this process occurs will the Cardinal and Silver Star receive a V2 which is also confirmed in the plan. If this works out it would also avoid the need to replace any cafe cars as part of an Amfleet II replacement project.

Any idea of how this is going to be done? Is it still going to be a "First Class" lounge at one end and maybe a takeout window at the other for coach passengers? So no lounge or table sitting for coach passengers?

I do not like this idea and I feel it much better to go with a bi-level design with a lounge upstairs for all passengers and a "First Class" sitting area/lounge at one end and a coach table section on the other end.

I just don't think a single Viewliner II diner can satisfy the needs of a entire LD train. This is such a horrible solution. I do not want to be forced to basically sit in my seat for a 24 hour train ride.

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 15, 2020 11:53 amIf this works out it would also avoid the need to replace any cafe cars as part of an Amfleet II replacement project.

Which is exactly the kind of change they should be making.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Sat Feb 15, 2020 12:44 pmThis is such a horrible solution. I do not want to be forced to basically sit in my seat for a 24 hour train ride.

Then make sure to book a Roomette. For the fares that Amtrak charges they already provide too much. Coach really isn't supposed to be comfortable for anything more than 18 hours (and that's pushing it).

So no more “first class lounge”. Amtrak really needs some kind of lounge space for sleeping car passengers.

Unless the plan is to keep the seating in there as the first class lounge and put in an ordering window on the coach facing end of the galley (which would require coach passengers to eat at their seats.) another possibility I guess is that the modification is more extensive and they somehow manage to do a split dining area like the split Amfleet cafe diners but that seems unlikely. Another possibility is that on busier trains like the Meteor and Lake Shore they keep an unattended cafe car just for coach lounge seating. I think the main goal is to get all the food related workers into one space on these trains.

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 15, 2020 8:10 pmI think the main goal is to get all the food related workers into one space on these trains.

Agreed and it's the right thing to do. The savings could be enormous.

Ideally , getting them to share duties , and extend serving hours would be good . more to improve service , than to cut jobs.