Viewliner II Delivery/Production

Backshophoss wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:01 pm This was Mr Anderson's last hurah,the "Panera Bread" model of food service along with the "sleeper lounge" concept.
Hopefully the "Silver Starvation"will now have a diner that will hold up better than the "Cross Country Cafe" that's
there now.
The "Micascope"has been sent home and retired,might be scrapped now.
Give Mr Flynn the time figure out a better quality model of food service.

Well hopefully this isn't it.

This is probably nothing to do with Mr. Flynn, right? Whatever this project is, it was started long before Mr. Flynn had any input I would think.

And I must add that any food service model for a LD train that does not include places to sit is just simply uncivilized and wrong! They got to stop this insanity.

BTG,you forget that Mr Anderson "came" up the food to the sleeper passengers in their rooms,and blocking the coach passengers from
the Diner,,then not stocking the cafe cars with enough product for the trip on the Eastern LD routes!
So far,Auto train has a "split" model of food service,1 first Class type diner for the deluxe sleeper,the other based on the "cross-Country Cafe" type service,for coach/"cheap sleeper space" crowd.
Believe the Silver Meator still offered traditional food service.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:28 am Amtrak is not that desperate. They have been pulling those Amcafes around for years and the retaining of one of these cars on each low-level train to give coach passengers a more civilized "experiential" and pleasant trip is not going to break the bank. They don't need to cut to the bone.

Could you tell from what you saw if the seating was reserved for sleeper passengers?

Everything inside the car is white i dont understand what you mean reserved for sleeper passengers. Its just an interior concept it doesnt have big words on it saying SLEEPER PEOPLE ONLY PLEASE

Tadman wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:02 am I don't mind rearranging the diner to be more efficient. On many trains the diner is half empty while the cafe is slammed with a line around the block, er... vestibule. It is really aggravating boarding a Talgo and literally seeing the line go through two cars. But then if you're in business class, why doesn't the coach attendant take orders?

But it also goes back to the break pattern for the cafe attendant. Sometimes I work on my laptop in the cafe tables and notice this: The cafe attendant will stand there for an hour and maybe see three customers. Then there's a rush. Then there's not. Then the attendant has quite a lot of quiet time. During that quiet time the attendant often sits at the tables and gabs with the other employees taking up tables.

Then the attendant takes a break, sits at the table, and refuses to serve anybody for a block of time.

DUDE THE QUIET TIME IS YOUR BREAK!!! Most of the people I know don't get a "break", we get ten minutes here or there when the phone quits ringing, the car is being gassed up, etc... and we work far harder jobs with much more pressure than selling $2 mars bars and $10 frozen personal pizzas.

I know the union won't just abolish breaks for the cafe attendants, but a commission structure might certainly incentivize the attendants to sell more and enjoy the quiet time as their break. Meanwhile, the greater revenue for the cafe will probably have much greater effect than moving tables and chairs around or implementing stools. Heck you might even see the cafe attendant shopping business class once an hour and doing table service for some extra orders and/or tips.

The attendants breaks are scheduled into their work day, unfortunately by rules etc they need to take them even though it may appear they get a lot of down time between things. There is more to this story as always, but unfortunately when you can only have one cafe attendant then this is how it works.

Several months ago Amtrak ran a competition that involved ideas to deliver food to the sleepers more efficiently. The mock up diner design may be incorporating the winner’s concept. It could involve meals being delivered to coach passengers as well.

ApproachMedium wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:30 am

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:28 am Amtrak is not that desperate. They have been pulling those Amcafes around for years and the retaining of one of these cars on each low-level train to give coach passengers a more civilized "experiential" and pleasant trip is not going to break the bank. They don't need to cut to the bone.

Could you tell from what you saw if the seating was reserved for sleeper passengers?

Everything inside the car is white i dont understand what you mean reserved for sleeper passengers. Its just an interior concept it doesnt have big words on it saying SLEEPER PEOPLE ONLY PLEASE

Well, is there a barrier of some sort (a gate, a door, a railing) that separates the coach/take out counter area from the tables at the rear? Something like that.

exvalley wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:09 am Several months ago Amtrak ran a competition that involved ideas to deliver food to the sleepers more efficiently. The mock up diner design may be incorporating the winner’s concept. It could involve meals being delivered to coach passengers as well.

You are probably right.

Someone should be leaking a pic or two soon hopefully.

In one of the posts regarding the reconfigured V2D's that they are considering some kind of communal table. Those seem to be the rage, even in upscale properties such as this .

They are also part of the Breakfast Room in newer built, or renovated, "two stars" such as Express, Fairfield, and Hampton.

Might save some space, and enable parties of greater than four to be together.

ApproachMedium wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:33 am

Tadman wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 9:02 am I don't mind rearranging the diner to be more efficient. On many trains the diner is half empty while the cafe is slammed with a line around the block, er... vestibule. It is really aggravating boarding a Talgo and literally seeing the line go through two cars. But then if you're in business class, why doesn't the coach attendant take orders?

But it also goes back to the break pattern for the cafe attendant. Sometimes I work on my laptop in the cafe tables and notice this: The cafe attendant will stand there for an hour and maybe see three customers. Then there's a rush. Then there's not. Then the attendant has quite a lot of quiet time. During that quiet time the attendant often sits at the tables and gabs with the other employees taking up tables.

Then the attendant takes a break, sits at the table, and refuses to serve anybody for a block of time.

DUDE THE QUIET TIME IS YOUR BREAK!!! Most of the people I know don't get a "break", we get ten minutes here or there when the phone quits ringing, the car is being gassed up, etc... and we work far harder jobs with much more pressure than selling $2 mars bars and $10 frozen personal pizzas.

I know the union won't just abolish breaks for the cafe attendants, but a commission structure might certainly incentivize the attendants to sell more and enjoy the quiet time as their break. Meanwhile, the greater revenue for the cafe will probably have much greater effect than moving tables and chairs around or implementing stools. Heck you might even see the cafe attendant shopping business class once an hour and doing table service for some extra orders and/or tips.

The attendants breaks are scheduled into their work day, unfortunately by rules etc they need to take them even though it may appear they get a lot of down time between things. There is more to this story as always, but unfortunately when you can only have one cafe attendant then this is how it works.

I understand this is how it works at Amtrak, that doesn’t mean it’s efficient, effective, or has to remain the same. Here are plenty of solo jobs where you don’t get a scheduled work break and the employees don’t want one, as there is far more opportunity for the employee to earn more through incentive or overtime while finding time for lunch or break when there is a break in the bigger picture action. For example, a car salesman won’t ever disappear with customers waiting. The car salesman, who may be solo at a smaller lot, will sell a car to a customer that comes in at 12 noon and take a break after the customer drives away. When I worked at a car lot during school, no way would I turn away a customer for lunch as it probably meant a $200-500 loss for me! Similarly, plumbers won’t walk away from work, they’ll take a break between calls to different houses. Each call means money! Especially after hours.

But the bottom line is that guys like plumbers make pretty good money and manage their own breaks, and so can cafe car attendants. Let’s give these guys the opportunity to make more money and the same for Amtrak.

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 7:56 am

ApproachMedium wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:30 am

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Tue Mar 10, 2020 8:28 am Amtrak is not that desperate. They have been pulling those Amcafes around for years and the retaining of one of these cars on each low-level train to give coach passengers a more civilized "experiential" and pleasant trip is not going to break the bank. They don't need to cut to the bone.

Could you tell from what you saw if the seating was reserved for sleeper passengers?

Everything inside the car is white i dont understand what you mean reserved for sleeper passengers. Its just an interior concept it doesnt have big words on it saying SLEEPER PEOPLE ONLY PLEASE

Well, is there a barrier of some sort (a gate, a door, a railing) that separates the coach/take out counter area from the tables at the rear? Something like that.

You will NEVER see something like this in a train because federal evac regulations would require easy flow access for evac thru a train end to end. Esp in a vehicle that would have devices for cooking, reheating, or keeping food warm.

Tadman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 3:30 pm

I understand this is how it works at Amtrak, that doesn’t mean it’s efficient, effective, or has to remain the same. Here are plenty of solo jobs where you don’t get a scheduled work break and the employees don’t want one, as there is far more opportunity for the employee to earn more through incentive or overtime while finding time for lunch or break when there is a break in the bigger picture action. For example, a car salesman won’t ever disappear with customers waiting. The car salesman, who may be solo at a smaller lot, will sell a car to a customer that comes in at 12 noon and take a break after the customer drives away. When I worked at a car lot during school, no way would I turn away a customer for lunch as it probably meant a $200-500 loss for me! Similarly, plumbers won’t walk away from work, they’ll take a break between calls to different houses. Each call means money! Especially after hours.

But the bottom line is that guys like plumbers make pretty good money and manage their own breaks, and so can cafe car attendants. Let’s give these guys the opportunity to make more money and the same for Amtrak.

Poor comparison. Car salesman and your telephone book plumber do not have union rules and agreements. As somebody who is an agreement employee, i will stand solid with these people that they stick to their agreement to take their breaks. With everything thats taken away from us in the industry anymore sometimes the little things like this are all we got left. In the end though, the break is i think only 15 or 20 minutes. If you are on a train for 10-12 hours, does it really matter if you wait a little longer to get something? When i rode the LSL the first time i decided i wanted a late snack before bed and the car was closed for break. I just hung out till it opened again. Nobody complained, nobody was upset about it. Part of the joy of train travel is to just relax.

ApproachMedium wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 12:39 am As somebody who is an agreement employee, i will stand solid with these people that they stick to their agreement to take their breaks. With everything thats taken away from us in the industry anymore sometimes the little things like this are all we got left.

Mr. Approach, I only held Non-Agreement positions during my eleven year railroad career, but three of those years were in Labor Relations, and I empathize with "where your coming from".

A Flight Attendant friend has had to confront overseas outside catering employees (non or other Agreement), likely in good faith, helping her handle supplies within the aircraft's galley. Their "turf" ends at the cabin's door. She has told them, "this is our work, not yours". But since she is so tactful, plus fluent in both German and Italian, I know they're her friends whenever she sees them.

I'm afraid I'd be of the "get your hindquarters out of my shop" varietal, but either way, if management doesn't want their flight/train delayed, assign enough (Agreement) people so it won't be.

ApproachMedium wrote: ↑Thu Mar 12, 2020 12:39 am

Tadman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 3:30 pm

I understand this is how it works at Amtrak, that doesn’t mean it’s efficient, effective, or has to remain the same. Here are plenty of solo jobs where you don’t get a scheduled work break and the employees don’t want one, as there is far more opportunity for the employee to earn more through incentive or overtime while finding time for lunch or break when there is a break in the bigger picture action. For example, a car salesman won’t ever disappear with customers waiting. The car salesman, who may be solo at a smaller lot, will sell a car to a customer that comes in at 12 noon and take a break after the customer drives away. When I worked at a car lot during school, no way would I turn away a customer for lunch as it probably meant a $200-500 loss for me! Similarly, plumbers won’t walk away from work, they’ll take a break between calls to different houses. Each call means money! Especially after hours.

But the bottom line is that guys like plumbers make pretty good money and manage their own breaks, and so can cafe car attendants. Let’s give these guys the opportunity to make more money and the same for Amtrak.

Poor comparison. Car salesman and your telephone book plumber do not have union rules and agreements. As somebody who is an agreement employee, i will stand solid with these people that they stick to their agreement to take their breaks. With everything thats taken away from us in the industry anymore sometimes the little things like this are all we got left. In the end though, the break is i think only 15 or 20 minutes. If you are on a train for 10-12 hours, does it really matter if you wait a little longer to get something? When i rode the LSL the first time i decided i wanted a late snack before bed and the car was closed for break. I just hung out till it opened again. Nobody complained, nobody was upset about it. Part of the joy of train travel is to just relax.

It's only a poor comparison if you want the same old failure every day. There are plenty of union people on incentive compensation and they are quite happy about it. I used to have quite a few working for me. They were quite happy to keep working and take breaks when they were waiting for supplies or between jobs. If the job was super long or hot, they took breaks as they saw fit and worked in shifts. Long story short they made better money than my competitors and kept the customer happier, and we all did pretty well together. We never had any work rule complaints. Not one. Guys like that wouldn't last the day, and there were ten other guys at the hall that would come work with us on our team.

Why is Amtrak not putting the new sleepers on trains ASAP and advertising its private rooms heavily?

In the Age of Coronavirus, a private room, compared to an open-plan airplane, is pretty tempting.

I am flying today and the plane is pretty empty (lots of space between people), but people probably are rightfully concerned about crowds.

SouthernRailway wrote: ↑Sat Mar 14, 2020 12:02 pm Why is Amtrak not putting the new sleepers on trains ASAP and advertising its private rooms heavily?

In the Age of Coronavirus, a private room, compared to an open-plan airplane, is pretty tempting.

I am flying today and the plane is pretty empty (lots of space between people), but people probably are rightfully concerned about crowds.

Private room but public bathroom. The new cars are worse in that regard.