Viewliner II Delivery/Production

Gilbert B Norman wrote:The Operating Department would have their issues with unconditional stops on the NB runs of the Meteor, Star, Crescent, and Cardinal.

Well, too bad for the Operating Department. I'm fed up with my tax dollars not being used as efficiently as possible. If I were CEO, I'd tell them that they HAVE to come up with a way to sell that at least 75% or so of that empty Viewliner space. Maybe sell it last-minute only for trips originating at NYP or NWK and getting off at any of the currently-scheduled stops along the NEC. If they can figure out how to sell space on the Palmetto, they can figure out how to sell it on the Crescent.

Edited to add: Amtrak already sells tickets in Viewliners between NYP and ALX (just after WAS) for what seems to be about the same price as a "premium" (business-class) seat on a Northeast Regional between NYP and WAS. They should just change the reservations system to sell those tickets between NYP and WAS and they'd have plenty of sales. I would buy a NYP-ALX room and just get off at WAS, but probably few if any others know to do that.

That 28 hour layover of Sleeping Cars (and a Diner) in Sunnyside Yard is a form of spare cars. If something isn't ready for use on a different outbound train, something can be robbed from the "28 hour spare train".

The heritage diner is that "something" wouldn't you say?

JimBoylan wrote:That 28 hour layover of Sleeping Cars (and a Diner) in Sunnyside Yard is a form of spare cars. If something isn't ready for use on a different outbound train, something can be robbed from the "28 hour spare train".

I was thinking how calm and relaxing my sleeping car trip was. Imagine selling Viewliner space on short-distance Northeastern trains, as day rooms. I'd think that business people around NYC would totally go for that. "Travel to Washington/Albany/Boston in your own private room--at the cost of a business class ticket! Complete privacy for phone calls, meetings, etc."

Surely they could be added to Northeast Regional and Empire Service trains.

Mr. SRY, from first hand observations, day Drawing Rooms did OK on both the PRR and New Haven ends of the Corridor - especially on the former where they had all-room Pullman Parlors.

Day Roomettes on the New Haven were a flop; they ended up as the Attendant's room, or worse, the broom closet.

I take Amtrak Syracuse to Penn every other week, and while I usually take the Empire Service down, the LSL is a great option for the ride home. Theres plenty of people that get on in NYC and off in Syracuse or Rochester, taking advantage of the time for a nap, dinner, and plenty of quiet work time now that the wifi is generally up and running.

I also take the LSL from Rochester to Chicago several times a year, preferring the overnight run with dinner and a bed to flying and hoping there's no delays. There's plenty of business travelers on that run now too. I think a lot of people are tired of the hassle of flying and are finding the relaxation that SRY and I have experienced is worth the extra time it takes to get to your destination.

The Silver Star now operates as day roomettes intra Florida and NEC-Carolinas and it seems to be working, just like expanded business class has/will in their LDs.

Day roomettes are probably worth another try--we have much better forecasting & pricing tools, and a much more interesting competitive environment. Probably not huge demand but possibly a good revenue premium (assuming no or minimal free food.

It appears that what many of these posts are proving that the sleeper passengers especially business are originating / terminating at least at one location that does not have any good or no airline service ? That would appear to maybe the most important selling points for various sleeper services ?.
This possible passenger destinations may be the difference of European decline of sleeper passengers and what can happen in the USA.

jp1822 wrote:<SNIP>

A covering system over the entire underbody is probably a good thing, if comes with insulation, and the pipes are wrapped with some anti-freezing tape etc. But the cover will last until the first freeze up when the mechanics will need to rip the sucker apart! Reminds me of when the PRR tried add various sheathing and such to make the K-4 locomotives appear streamlined. But they were a nightmare for the repair and mechanical crew! they had to take all that stuff off and put back on!

The underbody covering cant be ripped off, it is part of the carbody. The side doors, maybe but it provides plenty of access and works the same way the ones on the Acela cars do. The current cars have heat tape on all the pipes. It does not work. The closed underbody has better ways of being kept warm. The Amfleet IIs use a smaller box type system with a heated portion to keep the pipes from freezing, and believe it or not it works very well. They very rarely have amfleet 2 bathroom freeze ups.

JimBoylan wrote:That 28 hour layover of Sleeping Cars (and a Diner) in Sunnyside Yard is a form of spare cars. If something isn't ready for use on a different outbound train, something can be robbed from the "28 hour spare train".

I doubt stuff could be turned very quickly anymore. The way they keep trains in SSYD and how long it takes them to repair stuff is crazy. The 12 hour turn around thing worked back when the parts were on site and the car shop was more capable. It could take hours to get a part for a car anymore. And shopping a car takes a few shifts. Nobody works the car shop after 7pm until 7 am. So good luck on that one.

ApproachMedium wrote:Nobody works the car shop after 7pm until 7 am. So good luck on that one.

The airline mechanics work shifts all hours of the day. Makes it tough to compete with the airlines when they've got a 12-hour head start.

Do they really work all hours of the day? Amtrak mechanical works all hours of the day too. But the car shop that does any out of line repairs is only 12 hours a day unless its the holidays and there is a major backlog of cars. Inline mechanical is on 24/7. They only do real work though overnight when all of the trains are actually in the yard.

Yes many airlines will work through the night as I understand it.

Time is money.

As for your earlier post about parts etc. See, this is where I think management really has to change things. You can't blame the line workers if they don't have the parts or the needed support.

Something to consider along the lines of our stated topic ... The impending increase of sleeper cars seems likely to require (eventually but hopefully not initially) more man hours from the Mechanical Department than they currently provide at Sunnyside Yard. Also, long layovers of large long distance trainsets may not be possible due to capacity constraints on storage tracks.

Greg Moore wrote:Yes many airlines will work through the night as I understand it.

Time is money.

As for your earlier post about parts etc. See, this is where I think management really has to change things. You can't blame the line workers if they don't have the parts or the needed support.

The parts are on hand at all locations except SSYD, the building that stored the parts was knocked down for East Side Access.

There is room for the larger trains in SSYD. We used to run much, much bigger trains that we do now out of that yard. And with the newer cars, they are easier to maintain and contain much less of things that would wear out normally to cause a shopped car. Like the lighting is all LED, so bulb changes are less. Less toilet plumbing requires less chances to have to worry about freeze ups, because the toilets have to go back to the retention tank these lines can freeze. The sinks, do not. They just drain to under the car. The new baggage cars use the same resistive floor heating the coaches do, so no need to worry about the overhead forced air heat blower from crapping out and the car getting full of snow, requiring the carmen to shovel it all out and salt the car for ice.