Keep your chin up. It’s highly likely, indeed it is planned, that all conventional speed rolling stock in the east will be Viewliner IIs.
Maybe they’ll call them Viewliner IIIs by then.
In a pinch, they can insert Viewliner modules into those new baggage cars they managed to procure. Wouldn’t that be a strange twist? But I predicted that the very large baggage order has a hidden ulterior motive just in case Congress won’t authorize purchase of new coaches, so Amtrak can take steps to retrofit the baggage cars.
I mean, we all remember how the huge plan to order over 1,000 Viewliner cars in coach, sleeper, crew dorm, baggage/crew-dorm, cafe/automat, and diner configurations was cancelled at the last minute in the 1980s and again in the 1990s? It’s a miracle the Viewliner II baggage cars were ever delivered if you ask me.
Agreed, it would be nice to see that. I noticed the paint scheme on the locomotives, and it’s much nicer than the bland paint on the current fleet. Excepting the few heritage painted units, of course. Strangely, the original pointless arrow scheme which I dispised on the E units and SDP40Fs actually looks pretty good in the current locomotive.
V-2 coaches or whatever they will be called for are still in plans that have not changed in over three years. If you reference the FY 2014, 2015, 2016 budget requests the fleet strategy plans all list 100 more single level cars to be delivered in each year starting in 2019. Fairly consistent planning seems to be indicated for a 3 year’s reports.
Have been patient but this delay for diners and sleepers has no excuse. Now Amtrak is going to remove diners from LSL and substitute Amfleet lounges ( anothr diner lite ? ) There are unconfirmed reports that among the problems is insufficient HVAC whatever that means ? Not enough BTUs, location of units, insufficient ducting, units unable to stand rough track, not efficient enough or any other items ? ? ?.
information I was given by in the know ATK employees that I reported on earlier was that there was no modification on the underbody equipment from the baggage cars to reflect the different different weight distribution of the diners. This resulted in an unacceptable weight distribution on the prototype(s). Why this is taking so long to correct is as much a mystery as why we don’t have an acceptable NS corridor car yet.
So wonder how or when the performance bond on CAF will cut in ? If the under body weight distribution is faulty that may also explain the HVAC problems as the unit(s) may need relocating ?
Unconfirmed report that Amtrak 132 & 520 have arrived in Elmira with one Amfleet at CAF this afternoon. More speculation is just one diner will be coming out tomorrow.
EDIT now confirmed on train orders pictures of units arriving CAF.
As I was being taken to my car when I left on my last trip, I asked my friend, who sells tickets and handles checked baggage, what he thought of the new baggage cars. He told me that the baggage is cleaner than it was when it traveled in the old cars.
Thanks for the photo. Good to see they are FINALLY dribbling into service.
Just an observaton - Am I the only one thinks the general shape new CAF cars resembles generic kitchen appliances? The design isn’t bad or particularly striking. Maybe it’ll grow on me.
You are quite welcome. And yes, standing alone they are as inspirational as a rock. But string a few of them together: baggage, sleepers & diner and the uniformity is rather pleasing. A uniform front end and uniform back end of a train is nice. Getting the whole train uniform will be a miracle.
Now if Amtrak would have some built into square end observation lounge cars we could have ‘real’ trains, especially if lighted drumheads were developed for each train.