Uniq. Eqpmt Sightings: Private Varnish (PV's), Charters, etc

mtuandrew wrote:

east point wrote:Easy enough to solve the 110 MPH PV speed. Get CAF to build a V-2 shell and then ship it to an outfitter to make it a proper PV ?

But y tho

Oh, but lest we forget Mr. Stephens, some Sheik over there has a private A-380; somebody with initials like JB or MZ will decide that he "and party" like rail travel and build himself a PV from scratch.

Is a Budd SPV-2000 close enough to an Amfleet car to be certified for 125 m.p.h.? The Kingdom of Morocco bought at least 2 of them for the Royal Train, and the railways there are Standard Gauge!

The SPV-2000 was once certified for 125 if I’m not mistaken, why not again?

Messrs. Norman and east point: my facetious comment didn’t really get to my point, I guess. Why would someone with that kind of money choose the Viewliner design in particular when they could

a) upgrade an older sleeper-lounge-obs to 125 mph (adding disc brakes, among other things)
b) sinking money into a used 125 mph-capable car such as the above SPV, a Metroliner, a MARC II, or a Horizon
c) purchase a different new 125 mph car like a Siemens Viaggio or a Bombardier MultiLevel, where they get more car for their money
d) work with Amtrak to create one-off train movements for a 110 mph-limit car, on the rare occasions these corporate titans travel by train
e) buy an A380

Option D seems the most practical by far, with option A available for those who “have to have it all”, and option C provides much more square footage for a rolling mansion, whether in one car (the MLV) or in the two cars that could be purchased for the amount they’d spend on a single Viewliner (the Viaggio.)

EdSchweppe wrote: I'm curious: once all the Heritage diners (with their associated speed restrictions) are gone, will PV movements between NYP and WAS still be allowed on the NEC LDs (Crescent, Silvers, etc.)?

As of today, the only trains that routinely handle private cars on the Northeast Corridor are:
between WAS and BOS: 65/66/67 (no switching on/off at NYP)
between WAS and NYP: 19/20, 50/51, 79/80, 89/90, 91/92, 97/98.
between PHL and NYP: 42/43

During the past several years, under Joe Boardman and Wick Moorman, Amtrak officials have told AAPRCO that when the time comes, they would slow long distance trains to a maximum authorized speed of 110 MPH betwen NYP and WAS, in either direction, to accommodate a private car movement. That commitment may or may not be honored under the new CEO.

Last week Amtrak informed AAPRCO that their long standing request for PV access to one Northeast Regional train between BOS and WAS, in both northbound and southbound directions, without any switching at intermediate locations (such as New Haven, New York and Philadelphia), has been approved. Effective March 2018, the following Northeast Regional trains will be open to "A" clearance private cars and will not exceed a maximum authorized speed of 110 MPH when handling private cars:

WAS to BOS northbound: train 172 Mon-Fri; train 162 Sat & Sun.
BOS to WAS southbound: train 173 Mon-Fri, train 163 Sat & train 149 Sun.

#162 of Saturday March 17 and #173 of Monday March 19 will have Private car Colonial Crafts going to Washington, DC to Boston, MA - South Station and back.
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As per a source,

PRR Juniata Terminal Private car #120 will head out to Pittsburgh, PA this afternoon for tomorrow's Steelers NFL game on Amtrak train #43.

That source sent me to 30th Street to see it. Train 43's departure from 30th Street was listed as fifteen minutes late when I arrived at 12:35. It finally came in after 1:20 (scheduled 12:15), reversing from the Keystone Line after wyeing at ZOO, with AMTK 643 pushing.
Train 43 finally departed with Pennsylvania 120 properly appointed.

Late yesterday morning an Amtrak special train #Train No 858 left Washington, DC at about 11:45 AM with ACS64 #617, Amfleet I Cafe, Amfleet I Coach and #9800 Metroliner Conference car. This special was to picked up NHL's Philadelphia Flyers who traveled from 30th Street Station - Philly to New York - Penn Station as the NY Rangers are hosting them at the Garden tonight.

See my post in the Norfolk Southern forum - newly-inaugurated Virginia Governor Ralph Northam rode an NS office car train to his inaugural ball held at Richmond Main Street Station on January 15th.

The first two Siemens Chargers delivered to MARC tested on the Camden and Brunswick Lines on Monday and Tuesday, and on the Penn Line on Wednesday, running on Amtrak's NEC all the way to Philadelphia, photographed at Penn Park.

Was the Charger train turned at Zoo, or run even beyond there? Or, was a cab car used for the return trip?

The Chargers led the southbound trip.

mtuandrew wrote:

planespotting wrote:Norfolk Southern Research Car #32 in Penn Station. I got some interior shots through the window as train had not yet departed for Sunnyside Yard. I should have zoomed in on the notes to see what they were planning.

Sorry about quality. My iPhone lens is cracked.

https://imgur.com/a/9YMNk

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Not bad photos, regardless of your phone and the setting (PSNY is notoriously bad for photos.) Mostly it looks like NS #32’s research is about upholstery patterns from my grandparents’ den

Perhaps Research & Development tax credits...

Will there be any private cars hanging around the twin cities for the up coming Super Bowl 52?

I’ll ask my contacts to look around SPUD, Midway, and East Minneapolis Junction (Home of the 261.)