Viewliner II Delivery/Production

10031 Pacific Cape

Pacific Cape is AMTK 10021, 10031 is the Ocean View.

Meanwhile, back on the V-Chows, there is a report "elsewhere" that both "A's" have been withdrawn from service account HVAC issues.

Nature and scope, I know not; so take it for what it be worth. Possibly, someone here can confirm or lay it to rest.

There are 4 "A"s; Albany, Annapolis, Atlanta, and Augusta. The first two were pulled from service months ago for a/c issues. Are you suggestion so have the last two as well?

Annapolis and Augusta are having HVAC issues, which I have heard have been a problem with the VII-D's. Albany is in New York, hasn't departed factory yet.
Nick

Minor quibble, but why do the Viewliner sleepers have only curtains on the windows that don't really cover up the windows? I recall older sleeping cars having window shades that pull down and cover the whole window. I have trouble sleeping on the Viewliner sleepers because of all of the light that comes into the room at night, in part due to the curtains.

I assume that Amtrak considered window shades, but why were curtains picked?

You should note that 8400 had the old style curtains but the new diners have pull down shades. Maybe the new sleepers have the shades?

I think shades would be a maintenance headache.

Mr. Trainguy, the V-I's, but not the S-1's, were delivered with nightshades for the hallway windows, but not the outside.

Amtrak filed for an exemption against a new regulation coming into effect February 5, 2018 with regards to the CAF Viewliner II order.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documen ... compliance" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Exemption for 49 CFR 238.131(b), Safety System for Manual and Powered Side Doors—Propulsion Interlock

It states that Amtrak expects delivery of the 25 sleeping cars and 10 baggage-dormitory cars after February 5, 2018.
https://www.regulations.gov/document?D= ... -0058-0001" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Oh my god . . . they're already outdated!

https://www.federalregister.gov/documen ... compliance

Carbuilder CAF has suffered from a wide variety of ongoing management, production and quality issues, which has resulted in several years of delay in the delivery of the cars. While CAF has recently reorganized their production operations and is arriving at achievable schedules,....

In order to comply with the Part 238.131(b) requirement at this date, the LDSL car design would require significant engineering and manufacturing changes for retrofitting of the propulsion/door closed interlock circuits, door switches, interior and exterior indicator lights, cutout switches and power supplies to the vestibule side doors.

Do these CAF cars have automatic doors? Is this a minor safety improvement (door won't open when train is in motion vs door opens any time the conductor pushes the button?)

No, they are manual doors.

bostontrainguy wrote:Oh my god . . . they're already outdated!

The NY-DC Hyperloop will probably be built and in operation before these viewliners are finished.

The word pathetic is no longer sufficient to describe what has happened with this order.

Looks like Brightline really knew what they were doing when they went with Siemens. That whole project's speed and design is nothing short of amazing compared to every other rail project out there.

Mr. Scoostraw, at this time I think the V-II order will be considered to be the "champ" of procurement fiasco. Somehow, I think Chuck and Kirsten were "less than happy" that a major procurement (ACS-64) for Northeast equipment went to a California builder rather than one a bit more "domestic". I'd guess the V-II's were their "consolation".

Since there are Siemens locomotives and cars running throughout Germany and the "Austro-Hungarian Empire" and that the ACS-64, the Charger, and the AAF cars, all draw heavily from these proven designs, it is no wonder all have been delivered "on time, on budget" and without major design or workmanship issues.

Now what has to be of concern is awarding the Acela II order to, again, a UNY builder and with "not much in the way" of experience dealing with Amtrak - an Agency that I think builders must consider "a most difficult customer".