Amtrak Heritage Diners Thread

Anyone know what this car was doing in Pennsylvania yesterday?

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=86115

Can't see the number, but it was almost certainly a non-revenue move. I believe Chicago had one bad-ordered from the Lake Shore recently (not 100% sure, but I think it was 8554), so that may have been going back.

The car certainly looks like it could use some sprucing up! That faded Phase III stripe has got to go!

I noticed in the Amtrak travel guide, which has some pages with floor diagrams of the single level and superliner trains, that the floor plan shown for the single level dining car (which has the "heritage" (Budd?) window pattern) has 10 booths plus five counter stools along the kitchen passage way.
I haven't been on an "eastern" LD in a couple years;
So my question is, are there any "heritage" dining cars that have been reconfigured into this interior layout?

Yes - there are a couple of the Heritage (Budd) diners in this configuration. They received an interior cosmetic update/rennovation so to speak. There's a name Amtrak coined for this update/rennovation, but I can't recall it off the top of my head (starts with a "T" - Terimosa?). I call it nothing more than cosmetic update - new carpeting, new plastic/trim over what had previously existed, and new lighting. It's a nicely done update, for the most part. I still prefer the renovation VIA Rail Canada performed on its Budd diners - used on its Canadian etc. You don't have the booth seating on these - like Amtrak does.

As for the counter portion - this was carved out, but I've never seen it in operation - that is with people being served from the stool/counter area. The crew mostly uses it for storage and prep.

I will let other members ellaborate on how many diners received this update/renovation - there weren't too many and they are varied on the Eastern Long Distance trains. I've encountered them mostly on the trains to Florida, and occassionally on the Crescent.

jp1822 wrote: As for the counter portion - this was carved out, but I've never seen it in operation - that is with people being served from the stool/counter area.

I've eaten at the counter while traveling on the Lake Shore Limited, simply because all the booths were full. I don't know if all Dining Car crews "allow" it. But mine voiced no objection to serving me there (although I had to ask, and they definitely gave me the impression I was the first passenger to make such a request).

jp1822 wrote: There's a name Amtrak coined for this update/rennovation, but I can't recall it off the top of my head (starts with a "T" - Terimosa)...

The Diner rebuiling work was done by a Mexican concern, Temoinsa SA. I have no knowledge on which side of the border the work was actually done.

jp1822 wrote: .....I will let other members ellaborate on how many diners received this update/renovation...

The comprehensive Amtrak roster site, On Track On Line, shows that eleven such cars were completed under this contract out arrangement. Other cars have been overhauled at Beech Grove. I find once such car a former NYC Diner Grill (assigned through the '60's as the Coach Diner on the Century; uh, Cary and Eva "went elsewhere" for Dinner) was built by Budd during 1947 which now means it is coming up on 59 years of age.

Possibly one reason the Diners have 'slogged on' aside from the obvious "no moolah' is that they never had a "potty problem' - there aren't any.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:I find once such car a former NYC Diner Grill (assigned through the '60's as the Coach Diner on the Century; uh, Cary and Eva "went elsewhere" for Dinner) was built by Budd during 1947 which now means it is coming up on 59 years of age.

One nice surprise I've found in several Heritage Dining Cars on the Lake Shore Limited:

The interiors are decorated with framed reproductions of classic posters from the New York Central Railroad, whose trains once traveled the same route the LSL follows today.

Two posters, in particular, come to mind -- "Empire State Express, circa 1941," showing a Dreyfus-streamlined Hudson locomotive hauling a string of passenger cars through the Hudson Valley, and "Chicago LaSalle Street Station, circa 1947," showing an E Unit diesel and two steam locomotives departing very heroically, side by side, from the Windy City.

Good to see there are still people at Amtrak who haven't forgotten that passenger rail in America has a long and distinguished history.

You'll also find the abovementioned vintage posters here:

http://www.strangenewworlds.com/railroa ... ntral.html

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The November 2006 issue of Trains magazine has a brief news item regarding the first Amfleet diner/lounge combos that are intended to replace the Heritage diners. This is truly a discouraging development, imo, as it is clearly a downgrade in service. As if the reduced food quality of "Simplified Dining Service" wasn't bad enough, there will now be half the capacity as there was with a separate diner and lounge. How will that possibly be enough space for a train with 200+ passengers? I hope that Amtrak might consider adding a non-staffed table car to add some additional capacity.

An alternative to a "non staffed table car" far as I know would be to take another Amcafe and connect it with the service ends back-to-back.

the plan is to serve less people at a time , but for extended dining periods .
Maybe its best to wait and see what theyre like before writing them off .

David Benton wrote: Maybe its best to wait and see what theyre like before writing them off .

I've been on enough Amtrak trains (including the long distance Crescent) to have serious concerns about being able to maintain a decent dining setting while simultaneously having the lounge crowd constantly coming and going, buying snacks and drinks, etc.

Good point , i havent seen the november trains yet , is there a floor plan ?
i would think it would be best to have the kitchen part seperating the lounge and the dining area , if possible .

No floor plan, but it looks like the standard Amfleet cafe layout, with the "kitchen" in the center of the car and table seating on either end. Not really the best layout...I think it will end up looking more much like a standard Amfleet cafe than a diner. I doubt it'll be as nice as this.

I see this as a case of much ado about nothing...

Currently the Sunset Limited operates without a separate Sightseer Lounge Car. The old Pioneer ran without a Lounge for years. The Empire Builder Portland Section doesn't have a diner (despite operating at breakfast time westbound, and dinner time eastbound). The Talgos operate, as AgentSkelly aludes to, a table car/cafe car combination (although a Talgo "car" is only 45 feet long, so combined is about same length as a "Heritage" Diner.)

The combined diner/lounge car could certainly operate as a lounge car outside of meal periods; provide the cafe car services in a small area (or use a cart service during meal periods), and save on the cost of operating an entire car. The LSA that would normally work the lounge car alone, can now do duty in the dining car as well as perform the "lounge car" duties - saving an extra crew member.

hsr_fan wrote:As if the reduced food quality of "Simplified Dining Service" wasn't bad enough

Not all the reviews are bad; in fact with the changes to SDS many critics are ranking it as comparable to prior Amtrak dining experiences...