Passenger Trains > Viewliner II's a-comin!

Per NARP:
A lack of serviceable Heritage dining cars means that starting this week Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited will lose full-service diners temporarily. The Heritage diners will be replaced by an Amfleet II dinette serving a modified, limited menu similar to that now offered on the Cardinal and the City of New Orleans. Amtrak told NARP this week that structural defects on the Heritage cars -- mostly in the form of cracks that would require major effort to repair -- have left the railroad with only 12 single-level diners for the entire network, at least until the new CAF-built Viewliner diners begin to enter service from the production plant in Elmira, N.Y. As a result Amtrak had to shift service because of the shortage of cars, and the Lake Shore seemed the best candidate because its route offers fewer full meal periods than other single-level services. The dining cars are in production now and CAF is working on “punch list” items identified by Amtrak; in fact, top Amtrak executives expect the new single-level diners to enter revenue service late this summer, August or early September. Amtrak assured NARP President Jim Mathews that once the new diners are available, a more conventional dining service should resume on the Lake Shore. The new Viewliner sleeping cars, meanwhile, should start rolling out in the Fall.

https://www.narprail.org/news/hotline/hotline-973-usdot-opens-new-bureau-fra-examines-rail-opportunities-in-texas-and-new-england-lawmakers-push-for-tsa-to-implement/

Heading to Chicago on the Late for Sure Aug 24. I'll believe it when I see it. 

I would not take anything Amtrak says to any entity to the bank. A perfectly plausible situation is Amtrak could be masterminding a change order to some sort of buffet-dinette with a tiny kitchen. Total speculation on my part. Remember the Silver Star situation used to be "experimental", despite mor than enough new diners to restore it at some point.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/24/16 14:45 by joemvcnj.

Despite the completion of the CAF order for 70 full baggage cars, there was a heritage bag on the westbound Empire Builder as it rolled through Culbertson MT today. That kind of surprised me. Do they need the 10 bag/dorms to finally retire the heritage baggage cars, are the new cars not meeting availability expectations or is something else going on? If the new baggage cars are having issues, that could explain the delay with the far more complex diners and sleepers, and Amtrak's lack of any public statements.

---

I think you will find that not everything's is betting fixed in a timely matter.  Yards are short staffed, low budget to have parts on hand, inadequate local management and a total care less at the very top.

Too many cars and locomotives are out of service in the yards.  The remaining are having their wheels run off, until they fail.  The day is not far along that consists will be reduced, account, sufficient operating cars.

Save a doller on repair, cost $100.00 down the road, nevermind the lost revenue.

Just my thoughts.

I haven't seen heritage baggage cars on the NY to Florida and NY to New Orleans trains (yet).

Next Amtrak will say that they don't have the money to put the V-2s into service.  They will come up with some excuse to eliminate dining cars.

very odd indeed agree

prr60 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Despite the completion of the CAF order for 70
> full baggage cars, there was a heritage bag on the
> westbound Empire Builder as it rolled through
> Culbertson MT today. That kind of surprised me. Do
> they need the 10 bag/dorms to finally retire the
> heritage baggage cars, are the new cars not
> meeting availability expectations or is something
> else going on? If the new baggage cars are having
> issues, that could explain the delay with the far
> more complex diners and sleepers, and Amtrak's
> lack of any public statements.

Boy you guys sure know how to keep us Supporters motivated! We'll see what happens next month-September and I hope they restore dining service on the Silver Star!

ProAmtrak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Boy you guys sure know how to keep us Supporters
> motivated! We'll see what happens next
> month-September and I hope they restore dining
> service on the Silver Star!

I do not foresee any positive changes until after the end of September. It is not just a Viewliner II issue. It is an issue with the overall attitude of the current management. the top is tired and dejected. Until that is replaced by a forward looking enthusistic top, things and actions will continue to look tired and dejected.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 08:24 by Jishnu.

Exactly.  Boardman cannot leave soon enough.

It would help if a successor could be named soon to at least provide some hope to the troops and the passengers.


Jishnu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ProAmtrak Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Boy you guys sure know how to keep us
> Supporters
> > motivated! We'll see what happens next
> > month-September and I hope they restore dining
> > service on the Silver Star!
>
> I do not foresee any positive changes until after
> the end of September. It is not just a Viewliner
> II issue. It is abn issue with the voerall
> attitude of the current management. the top is
> tired and dejected. Until that is replaced by a
> forward looking enthusistic top, things and
> actions will continue to look tired and dejected.

Don't forget to check out the platform statements of the two major political parties to see what the future holds for transportation in the United States.
 

Jishnu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> I do not foresee any positive changes until after
> the end of September. It is not just a Viewliner
> II issue. It is abn issue with the voerall
> attitude of the current management. the top is
> tired and dejected. Until that is replaced by a
> forward looking enthusistic top, things and
> actions will continue to look tired and dejected.

That's unfortunate, and it's unlikely anyone would be recommended for the job until well after a new administration is in place.  King of Amtrak woud probably not be the first thing Hillary / Donald / Jill would move to fill.  (Jill is the Green Party candidate)

I worked for a company years ago where the shareholders (we had three investors, plus the employees as owners) couldn't reach agreement on a new leader.  It was one of our most productive periods, as people implemented low cost ideas, ripped away a lot of cobwebby stuff, etc.

By the time a leader was selected, our company was a lot better off, and most of the changes remained.

I recently rode 19 NYP-NOL.  The ride was unbelievably rough going over turn-outs and switches at speed in the 8400 prototype diner.
Flower vases falling over on the table.  Supplies being thrown out of a cabinet on the floor.  People falling onto tables as they attempted to walk. 

​I hope the new cars ride better than this one.

Rough ride on the Southern is nothing new.  Back in the late 60's and 1970,  one would have to hang on for dear life.  I vowed then, never again on this route, but, found the same in the early 2000.

Its getting to the point that all routes are getting rough in some portions,  but the freight does not talk back!

Its getting move difficult to support rail passenger service in the US as each year goes by.  A rider since 1948.

NewRiverGeorge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't forget to check out the platform statements
> of the two major political parties to see what the
> future holds for transportation in the United
> States.
>  

Been there done that, what else is new!