by lirr42
Or maybe Amtrak should keep them, gut the kitchens, install more tables, and use them as the long sought after "table cars" on slower routes.
Railroad Forums
Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman
lirr42 wrote:Or maybe Amtrak should keep them, gut the kitchens, install more tables, and use them as the long sought after "table cars" on slower routes.Whole goal is to reduce the costs of maintenance. There's really no reason to keep them.
Tadman wrote:So now that there are some new View Diners on the way, and a recently refurbished fleet of heritage diners, is there going to be a "bargain of the century" situation wherein private owners and Class 1 business train fleets get virtually new diners for nothing?In the "private owners" group there may still be some dinner trains, museums, & scenic operators like the GCR that may be getting some "new" diners?
EastCleveland wrote:Keep the Heritage dining cars, even those "not needed."And again, good riddance. I highly doubt the cost of maintaining them for a decade (you can't simply leave them parked at Bear and do nothing for 10 years) would ever be worth it. Better to take that same money, put it savings and spend it on newer cars if the new ones fall apart.
So that if/when the new generation of cars proves to have serious design flaws -- or simply falls apart within a decade thanks to the prevailing 21st Century "Not Built to Last" corporate mindset -- Amtrak will still have enough dining cars to serve its long distance passengers.
Once the Heritage cars are sold off, they're gone.
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gaspeamtrak wrote: I think Via will get first crack at those diners. They are quite short of them. Also got God forbid if the have and accident with the " Canadian" they would be up the creek with out a paddle!If VIA is short of diners then yeah, seems like a no-brainer to pick up a few of 'em at least. I'm sure VIA would try to select the best of the bunch. My bet would be a few go to Canada, a couple to private car buyers, and maybe a few get stripped and scrapped.
I think they should at least give it some though and look at them if Amtrak wants to deal with them...
train2 wrote:Reading this thread, I didn't realize the heritage cars dropped the speed down a full 15 MPH. What is the reason for that? Different truck design?My understanding is that it's probably trucks and design and simply the cost of getting them to work at 125mph.
And is it correct that since the only heritage cars on a LD trains on the NEC are the diners (and I guess Bags) when they are removed from service will that allow the LDs to then fully operate at 125?
I take it the Viewliners are authorized for max speed?