jp1822 wrote: Amtrak has had these brand new multi-million dollar cars parked long enough and to not find SOME SORT of use for them as most long distance trains and others enter peak travel season. Such a waste, and potentially misuse of [brand-new high-end] assets.Hearsay warning: reported on another board is a rumor that several are being sold to VIA Rail. I hope it is just an inaccurate rumor.
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Viewliner II Delivery/Production
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Matt Johnson wrote:Nothing but that - a rumor at best.jp1822 wrote: Amtrak has had these brand new multi-million dollar cars parked long enough and to not find SOME SORT of use for them as most long distance trains and others enter peak travel season. Such a waste, and potentially misuse of [brand-new high-end] assets.Hearsay warning: reported on another board is a rumor that several are being sold to VIA Rail. I hope it is just an inaccurate rumor.
From Best Western Marion IL---
Eleven of 'em in lines, Sixteen sittin' round.
What escapes me is that they have not converted enough of those Diners to enable existing food service on The Cardinal and Silver Star to be offered from them and with one (maybe two peak) Attendant.
Of course, no sooner than they complete those conversions, down comes the dictum: Full Service dining on all trains.
Cheers of course from the experiential riding community. Jeers from the accountants who simply have given up riding them (uh, C'est moi).
Eleven of 'em in lines, Sixteen sittin' round.
What escapes me is that they have not converted enough of those Diners to enable existing food service on The Cardinal and Silver Star to be offered from them and with one (maybe two peak) Attendant.
Of course, no sooner than they complete those conversions, down comes the dictum: Full Service dining on all trains.
Cheers of course from the experiential riding community. Jeers from the accountants who simply have given up riding them (uh, C'est moi).
NS 070 ran from Schenectady to Elmira today to pick up 2 more cars from CAF. Consist was 87/43387/95.
Quick and dirty cafe/diner lite conversions. Just do it.
Good! This should give Amtrak three Viewliner II sleepers. Can test run two in regular service to restore overnight “Night Owl” sleeping car service on the NEC, and have one in reserve as a backup, can easily blank out roomettes that are no longer roomettes (replaced by bathrooms or sleeper car attendant) just like on Viewliner 1. Operate close to home so they can run to Hialeah as needed on Florida trains. Amtrak can even backup the service with two Viewliner 1’s that are held off as part of the 30% Viewliner reserve. Seems simple to me! Gets the cars running! Throw in a Viewliner II DIner for extra amenity and place where sleeping car attendant can give box breakfast!
Lets see how long it takes Amtrak to put a Viewliner II Sleeper in the running....they’ll be making excuses that the booking system can’t handle it till ALL sleepers are re-configured. And that’s just not true.....
Lets see how long it takes Amtrak to put a Viewliner II Sleeper in the running....they’ll be making excuses that the booking system can’t handle it till ALL sleepers are re-configured. And that’s just not true.....
Mr. JP, what you immediately suggest would likely move forth if Amtrak was run by entrepreneurs, but it's not. It's run by face saving, hind quarter covering, bureaucrats.
Just two more "tinker toys" to sit at HIA providing "the chosen" with excuses to "come on down" to play.
Maybe, these cars might hit the road to SSY, CHI, and NOL for SCSA training, but don't even bet on that.
BOS? I wouldn't hold breath awaiting more Sleeper service there. Gunn whacked such, but Boardman put it back. Who knows how strong the political winds now blow, for I highly doubt that restoration was done in the name of passenger convenience.
Just two more "tinker toys" to sit at HIA providing "the chosen" with excuses to "come on down" to play.
Maybe, these cars might hit the road to SSY, CHI, and NOL for SCSA training, but don't even bet on that.
BOS? I wouldn't hold breath awaiting more Sleeper service there. Gunn whacked such, but Boardman put it back. Who knows how strong the political winds now blow, for I highly doubt that restoration was done in the name of passenger convenience.
jp1822 wrote:Good! This should give Amtrak three Viewliner II sleepers. Can test run two in regular service to restore overnight “Night Owl” sleeping car service on the NEC,Man that would be nice. There's a few times the Owl would've saved my bacon, but I didn't want to ride coach overnight. The solution was to get up very early in Roanoke, head for the airport, and fly via Buffalo to Providence. Not a fun ride, but I had 5 hours in a bed.
The new Acela: It's not Aveliable.
Photo documentation posted "elsewhere" shows the "pickup" was Bag Dorms 68003 and 04.
More "tinker toys" - not likely to be assigned anywhere, anytime soon.
More "tinker toys" - not likely to be assigned anywhere, anytime soon.
Silver Meteor just passed me at WMATA Van Dorn Street - three sleepers, a Viewdiner, and a V-bag at rear (passed too quickly to see numbers.) I rarely ever see that many Viewliners in one place, it helps me imagine a reality in which Amtrak has gotten its 500 Viewliners in sleeper, baggage, diner, café and coach configuration.
I didn’t see any bag-dorms and don’t expect I’ll catch their maiden voyage.
I didn’t see any bag-dorms and don’t expect I’ll catch their maiden voyage.
Gilbert B Norman wrote:Photo documentation posted "elsewhere" shows the "pickup" was Bag Dorms 68003 and 04.As I reluctantly saw as well!
More "tinker toys" - not likely to be assigned anywhere, anytime soon.
Not even a wish and prayer as to where Amtrak would put such cars, other than playing hide and seek with them in Hialeah. God forbid the Viewliner II sleepers get deployed from CAF - something that potentially has some earning power for Amtrak. Summer consists out West and to/from Florida and Chicago are getting booked up pretty well in sleeper class. If Amtrak is going to operate the long distance equipment, they need to find capacity to do so.
Amtrak just as well send 30 Viewliner baggage cars BACK to CAF to be made into bagg/dorm cars as these Viewliner baggage cars operate with about a 25% load capacity within a system that is having its checked baggage staff handlers REDUCED.
The pennies that Boardman and company analyzed would be there have disappeared with the axing of positions. The Sunset Limited could easily get along with just a Superliner coach/baggage. Same for the Capitol Limited. A string of unused Viewliner Baggage cars were noted in Chicago Yards, and onthe Saluki and River Runner just to make axle count......such a waste. Spotted also - Heritage Diner in Chicago being used for axle count with its alleged cracked center sill.....Amazing how it still gets to be road worthy in other ways, which one would think it could still cause a catastrophe.
jp1822 wrote:Not even a wish and prayer as to where Amtrak would put such cars, other than playing hide and seek with them in Hialeah. Amtrak just as well send 30 Viewliner baggage cars BACK to CAF to be made into bagg/dorm cars as these Viewliner baggage cars operate with about a 25% load capacity within a system that is having its checked baggage staff handlers REDUCED.I could see conversion to "combines". One key advantage here is that the Viewliners can handle heavy freight (pallets), the Superliners cannot. Using Superliners on those two routes would reduce the size of the express/LTL network.
The Sunset Limited could easily get along with just a Superliner coach/baggage. Same for the Capitol Limited.
Since my friend continues to chain smoke nonstop, she is probably an Alco.
Mr. JP has wondered "why can't they get those V-II's into revenue service, I countered with maybe if Amtrak were run by entrepreneurs and not CYA, point the finger, bureaucrats, they would.
They could assign those three VBD's to the Cardinal as in now - two in lines, one protect at CHI.
"Oh", say the CYAers, "what if we have a BO at SSY?" Well, you "punt". Blank any remaining line space or cough up a V-I Sleeper (take some evidentiary photos of the two at Cayce and get them back in service).
Funny, but I don't think Mr. Anderson would have ever considered having a 777-200 "just playing hangar queen" at YSSY/SYD just in case their "one a day" to LAX was confronted with a "mechanical".
They could assign those three VBD's to the Cardinal as in now - two in lines, one protect at CHI.
"Oh", say the CYAers, "what if we have a BO at SSY?" Well, you "punt". Blank any remaining line space or cough up a V-I Sleeper (take some evidentiary photos of the two at Cayce and get them back in service).
Funny, but I don't think Mr. Anderson would have ever considered having a 777-200 "just playing hangar queen" at YSSY/SYD just in case their "one a day" to LAX was confronted with a "mechanical".
Heck of a way to run a railroad!!!
It kills me to see brand new assets just languishing with no operational purpose.
It kills me to see brand new assets just languishing with no operational purpose.
Gilbert B Norman wrote:Mr. JP has wondered "why can't they get those V-II's into revenue service, I countered with maybe if Amtrak were run by entrepreneurs and not CYA, point the finger, bureaucrats, they would.This is why I advocate for operations like Iowa Pacific's Hoosier State or Brightline. Even if they fail, they are forced to innovate and be entrepreneurial. Those innovations are then available to all passenger railroads to better their service. If we just relied on Amtrak to innovate, you'd have nothing. They lead on almost nothing.
Look at some of the biggest innovations used in passenger service since WWII:
Auto train - private Auto Train
e-tickets - from private airlines
Superliners - ATSF
Gallery Cars - CNW and CB&Q
HEP - UP, MILW, etc...
Metroliner HST - PRR
The new Acela: It's not Aveliable.