Passenger Trains > Refreshed Amfleet II Coach On Maple Leaf

Monday's Train #64, the eastbound Toronto to New York Maple Leaf was sporting a newly-refreshed Amfleet II coach! The enhancements include new carpeting, seat cushions & leg rest cushions; all similar to the now completed Amfleet I cars.

Great to see these long distance coaches getting the attention they need.

mbutte Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Monday's Train #64, the eastbound Toronto to New
> York Maple Leaf was sporting a newly-refreshed
> Amfleet II coach! The enhancements include new
> carpeting, seat cushions & leg rest cushions; all
> similar to the now completed Amfleet I cars.
>
> Great to see these long distance coaches getting
> the attention they need.

Thank goodness! I don't know why, but the Amfleet II seats on the Maple Leaf consists were totally worn out. So many seats were like they had no cushioning whatsoever and you were just sitting on the bare metal frames. And this was a train where you easily sit in the same seat for 12 hours! After the last trip onboard this train in 2015 - never again even with the new seats. The border crossing was nuts! Having to haul all your things off at Niagara Falls, ON to go through customs at the station, one by one, (getting off the train to a low level platform, standing and waiting in line, going through customs, and getting oneself back onboard with luggage) -  complete and total PIA. Those with disablities, it was rough for them....... 
   

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> mbutte Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Monday's Train #64, the eastbound Toronto to
> New
> > York Maple Leaf was sporting a newly-refreshed
> > Amfleet II coach! The enhancements include new
> > carpeting, seat cushions & leg rest cushions;
> all
> > similar to the now completed Amfleet I cars.
> >
> > Great to see these long distance coaches
> getting
> > the attention they need.
>
> Thank goodness! I don't know why, but the Amfleet
> II seats on the Maple Leaf consists were totally
> worn out. So many seats were like they had no
> cushioning whatsoever and you were just sitting on
> the bare metal frames. And this was a train where
> you easily sit in the same seat for 12 hours!
> After the last trip onboard this train in 2015 -
> never again even with the new seats. The border
> crossing was nuts! Having to haul all your things
> off at Niagara Falls, ON to go through customs at
> the station, one by one, (getting off the train to
> a low level platform, standing and waiting in
> line, going through customs, and getting oneself
> back onboard with luggage) -  complete and total
> PIA. Those with disablities, it was rough for
> them....... 

How stupid.

I remember having to go through that same hassle in 2002 on the International at Port Huron— wow, it was a cumbersome process, carried out by rude, authoritative customs agents— a real low point.
Sadly, they ended up “killing” the service to Toronto acct the time lost here by this insane, time-consuming process.

The trick I use when initially boarding an Amfleet-2 and few others are around is quickly swap the aisle and window seat cushions. They are only held in place by velcro. Aisle ones tend to be in better shape. This comes after I test the reading lights, recliner, and leg rest ratchet.

In general, the seats suck, based on what passed for seat science for the 1967 Metroliner. Terrible lumbar support, which I am sensitive to, and their tendency being u-shaped valley of having your rump slide off. The new interior fittings on the Amfleet-1 seems to have corrected that.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/19 09:58 by joemvcnj.

Last month was a Keystone train and got an Amfleet I window seat whose cushion foam had quite collapsed. This was a new style one which clearly didn't hold up very well.

mbutte Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Monday's Train #64, the eastbound Toronto to New
> York Maple Leaf was sporting a newly-refreshed
> Amfleet II coach! The enhancements include new
> carpeting, seat cushions & leg rest cushions; all
> similar to the now completed Amfleet I cars.
>
> Great to see these long distance coaches getting
> the attention they need.

Interesting that the Amtrak management team doesn’t get one bit of credit for beginning to refresh LD coaches. I’m sure that someone will explain to me how this came to pass.

It has only just begun, and most of us were not aware of it until this post today.

Credit where credit is due. Thank you Amtrak management for beginning to refresh the Amfleet IIs. No thanks at all for the rest of your LD ‘enhancements’ that have driven me off the rails (literally and figuratively, in my case).

Why is there credit due when a basic tenet of running a business--especially transportation--is to keep things fresh and up-to-date?  This country needs a kick in the ...... when it comes to performance in the service sector.  I'll get off my horse now.

sums007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why is there credit due when a basic tenet of
> running a business--especially transportation--is
> to keep things fresh and up-to-date?  This
> country needs a kick in the ...... when it comes
> to performance in the service sector.  I'll get
> off my horse now.

Exactly why Amtrak needs to design a service that is relevant to the current generation and not steeped in the past.

It makes me sick to know that by the time the ‘current generation’ is old enough to have sufficient free time and money to enjoy long distance passengers trains, there won’t be any worth riding if current Amtrak management gets its way. I know lots of millennials, none of whom are railfans, who think it would be fun to spend a few days traveling cross country by train, being served a hot meal in a real dining car and sleeping in a roomette. I get asked the possibility all the time. They just can’t afford the time or the accommodation charges at present. I couldn’t either, when I was their age. And now that I can, I’m faced with an Amtrak management that seems determined to eliminate what I’ve spent years dreaming about being able to ride on a more regular basis. Thanks for nothing, another_view.

njfrn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It makes me sick to know that by the time the
> ‘current generation’ is old enough to have
> sufficient free time and money to enjoy long
> distance passengers trains, there won’t be any
> worth riding if current Amtrak management gets its
> way. I know lots of millennials, none of whom are
> railfans, who think it would be fun to spend a few
> days traveling cross country by train, being
> served a hot meal in a real dining car and
> sleeping in a roomette. I get asked the
> possibility all the time. They just can’t afford
> the time or the accommodation charges at present.
> I couldn’t either, when I was their age. And now
> that I can, I’m faced with an Amtrak management
> that seems determined to eliminate what I’ve
> spent years dreaming about being able to ride on a
> more regular basis. Thanks for nothing,
> another_view.

And therein lies the problem, these millennials that want to ride LD trains and dine in dining cars simply don’t exist. It’s the same reason that the golf industry and bowling is dying a quick death. What is wrong with trying to develop a service that is relevant to the current and even more importantly the next generation! They want activities, connectivity, what you want and when you want it food service. They don’t want to sit in a seat or a room and watch the scenery roll by, we may not agree but as Walter Cronkite said “that’s the way it is”

Another_View:

You haven't a damned clue that Millenials don't want to travel on long distance trains nor care to eat a decent meal at a table ("simply don’t exist"). You have shown zero demographic analysis, substituting your innuendos. Your comparisons to golf clubs and bowling alleys are distractions. Sharp and consistent ridership drops over the last year on the Capitol and Lake Shore Ltds are a self-fulfilling prophecy with degraded food service with ticket revenue losses equaling cost savings of eliminating diners. Your corporate-lead attempts per Anderson's/Gardner's instructions, the dumbest leadership Amtrak has seen since Tom Downs, in controlling this social media are failing miserably. Most of us here are knowledgeable enough to see your regurgitation of corporate buzz phrases and they are 100% bull$hit.

You can't take Megabus across the country and they do a poor job of rural access because it is not profitable to them. Greyhound is dying due to miserable control of operations and customer service. On the video in the Acela factory, Anderson let it slip that "Millenials don't want to drive". That much he is right. So if they don't want to drive 400 miles and instead take corridor trains, and wish to play with their devices for as long as possible, which makes you think they want to drive 1,000 miles over taking a LD train, or are you telling them all they must fly ?  Their families and friends are more apt to be spread out across the continent than any prior generation. You are being handed a LD market on a silver platter, record appropriations for the national network from Congress, yet you are deliberately blowing it, but Congress is onto you.   

Amtrak has zero financial ability to develop any more corridors or expand frequencies due to PRIAA-209, Class I access, and NIMBY issues like Glenview. and the one corridor you do partially control in Michigan is a disgrace that would make the Penn Central blush, and only ensures that there should be no more of them. Don't think for a minute that Ohio and Indiana didn't take notice. 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/19 07:03 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Another_View:
>
> You haven't a damned clue that Millenials don't
> want to travel on long distance trains nor care to
> eat a decent meal at a table ("simply don’t
> exist"). You have shown zero demographic analysis,
> substituting your innuendos. Your comparisons to
> golf clubs and bowling alleys are
> distractions. Sharp and consistent ridership
> drops over the last year on the Capitol and Lake
> Shore Ltds are a self-fulfilling prophecy with
> degraded food service with ticket revenue losses
> equaling cost savings of eliminating diners. Your
> corporate-lead attempts per Anderson's/Gardner's
> instructions, the dumbest leadership Amtrak has
> seen since Tom Downs, in controlling this social
> media are failing miserably. Most of us here are
> knowledgeable enough to see your regurgitation of
> corporate buzz phrases and they are 100%
> bull$hit.
>
> You can't take Megabus across the country and they
> do a poor job of rural access because it is not
> profitable to them. Greyhound is dying due to
> miserable control of operations and customer
> service. On the video in the Acela factory,
> Anderson let it slip that "Millenials don't want
> to drive". That much he is right. So if they don't
> want to drive 400 miles and instead take corridor
> trains, and wish to play with their devices for as
> long as possible, which makes you think they want
> to drive 1,000 miles over taking a LD train, or
> are you telling them all they must fly ?  Their
> families and friends are more apt to be spread out
> across the continent than any prior generation.
> You are being handed a LD market on a silver
> platter, record appropriations for the national
> network from Congress, yet you are deliberately
> blowing it, but Congress is onto you.   
>
> Amtrak has zero financial ability to develop any
> more corridors or expand frequencies due to
> PRIAA-209, Class I access, and NIMBY issues like
> Glenview. and the one corridor you do partially
> control in Michigan is a disgrace that would make
> the Penn Central blush, and only ensures that
> there should be no more of them. Don't think for a
> minute that Ohio and Indiana didn't take notice. 

Please show me your statistics and demographics, I’ve never seen a single statistic in one of your posts.

Fact:

57% of LD passengers are female and over the age of 55.

There’s your millennial, I’m not the enemy, I’m simply advocating for modernizing the service to draw in new customers. What is so hard for you to comprehend about that?

another_view Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Please show me your statistics and demographics,
> I’ve never seen a single statistic in one of
> your posts.
>
> Fact:
>
> 57% of LD passengers are female and over the age
> of 55.
>
> There’s your millennial, I’m not the enemy,
> I’m simply advocating for modernizing the
> service to draw in new customers. What is so hard
> for you to comprehend about that?

I am not the one drawing stupid conclusions that Millenials don't want to travel long distances, occupy sleeping cars, nor dine at tables, so under no obligation to provide such stats.As long as the seats are filled, I don't car who they are, young, old, or MILITARY, you know the group whose discounts you disgracefully removed.  

Your ridiculous assumption is that as the years progress, as others get to be over 55, their travel patterns will remain as they were in the earlier years, therefore fewer people left to back-fill. The LD trains fill up their sleeping cars now just as they did 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago. People over 55 are more apt to not want to or be able to drive long distances nor fly.  You got a problem with seniors too ? in the US, females live 7 years longer than males, male infants have a higer fatality rate, and females are 54% of the population. Does it occur to you they do not want to drive alone, may never have known how to drive far, and rather be in their own accommodation on the train if alone ? Of course not. You have no clue as to what motivates people's choices. But you will be 75 some day.  

The Empire Builder just got a 4th sleeping car for the first time since it went Superliner in 1980. The Zephyr, Silver Meteor, and Lake Shore Ltd still have 3 sleeping cars as they have for decades. How can that happen given the most people who were over 55 in 1980 are now dead ? 

You are total opposed modernizing anything:

• You are against relaunches, then concocted many OBS positions that did not occur 
• You are against the PIP's, accusing every such manager of falsifying data
• You are against Superliner wreck repairs, even though there are to be no replacements for 10 years, and characterize the whole fleet as "junk", Liquidating assets does not = "modernize".
• You are in favor of bogus accounting of allocating capital costs to specific trains, overstating the benefits of removing a service, and fail to comprehend the capital costs remain should the service be removed. 

You say that you are "advocating for modernizing the service to draw in new customers", but are opposed to everything, come up with nothing, all to back your dumb bosses 100%. 

Baby Boomers are retiring, have time on their hands, and will live more years than their fore bearers and the Millenials, given trends in childhood obesity. Greyhound is collapsing. There's 2 opportunities being handed to you on a silver platter  except for Salt Lake - Reno, but too dumb to take advantage


 



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/19 10:42 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> another_view Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Please show me your statistics and
> demographics,
> > I’ve never seen a single statistic in one of
> > your posts.
> >
> > Fact:
> >
> > 57% of LD passengers are female and over the
> age
> > of 55.
> >
> > There’s your millennial, I’m not the enemy,
> > I’m simply advocating for modernizing the
> > service to draw in new customers. What is so
> hard
> > for you to comprehend about that?
>
> I am not the one drawing stupid conclusions that
> Millenials don't want to travel long distances,
> occupy sleeping cars, nor dine at tables, so under
> no obligation to provide such stats.As long as the
> seats are filled, I don't car who they are, young,
> old, or MILITARY, you know the group whose
> discounts you disgracefully removed.  
>
> Your ridiculous assumption is that as the years
> progress, as others get to be over 55, their
> travel patterns will remain as they were in the
> earlier years, therefore fewer people left to
> back-fill. The LD trains fill up their sleeping
> cars now just as they did 10, 20, 30, 40 years
> ago. People over 55 are more apt to not want to or
> be able to drive long distances nor fly.  You got
> a problem with seniors too ? in the US, females
> live 7 years longer than males, male infants have
> a higer fatality rate, and females are 54% of the
> population. Does it occur to you they do not want
> to drive alone, may never have known how to drive
> far, and rather be in their own accommodation on
> the train if alone ? Of course not. You have no
> clue as to what motivates people's choices. But
> you will be 75 some day.  
>
> The Empire Builder just got a 4th sleeping car for
> the first time since it went Superliner in 1980.
> The Zephyr, Silver Meteor, and Lake Shore Ltd
> still have 3 sleeping cars as they have for
> decades. How can that happen given the most
> people who were over 55 in 1980 are now dead ? 
>
> You are total opposed modernizing anything:
>
> [*]You are against relaunches, then concocted many
> OBS positions that did not occur 
> [*]You are against the PIP's, accusing every such
> manager of falsifying data
> [*]You are against Superliner wreck repairs, even
> though there are to be no replacements for 10
> years, and characterize the whole fleet as "junk",
> Liquidating assets does not = "modernize".
> [*]You are in favor of bogus accounting of
> allocating capital costs to specific trains,
> overstating the benefits of removing a service,
> and fail to comprehend the capital costs remain
> should the service be removed. 
>
> You say that you are "advocating for modernizing
> the service to draw in new customers", but are
> opposed to everything, come up with nothing, all
> to back your dumb bosses 100%. 
>
> Baby Boomers are retiring, have time on their
> hands, and will live more years than their fore
> bearers and the Millenials, given trends in
> childhood obesity. Greyhound is collapsing.
> There's 2 opportunities being handed to you on a
> silver platter  except for Salt Lake - Reno, but
> too dumb to take advantage
>
>
>  

You asked for statistics, I gave you statistics. Now you don’t like them so you go in a rant makes no sense.

Why do you think I am the enemy?

We simply have different views, I don’t bash yours, I simply state mine.

Take a chill pill

another_view Wrote:

> You asked for statistics, I gave you statistics.
> Now you don’t like them so you go in a rant
> makes no sense.
>
> Why do you think I am the enemy?
>
> We simply have different views, I don’t bash
> yours, I simply state mine.
>
> Take a chill pill

I didn't ask for any demographic statistics. I specifially said I don't care who rides, and they are not a predictor of future demand
My "rant" completely contradicts all of you presumptions about what Millenials will be doing over the next decades, who you assume will behave as though they will be 27 years old forever. 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/19 15:43 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> another_view Wrote:
>
> > You asked for statistics, I gave you
> statistics.
> > Now you don’t like them so you go in a rant
> > makes no sense.
> >
> > Why do you think I am the enemy?
> >
> > We simply have different views, I don’t bash
> > yours, I simply state mine.
> >
> > Take a chill pill
>
> I didn't ask for any demographic statistics. I
> specifially said I don't care who rides, and they
> are not a predictor of future demand
> My "rant" completely contradicts all of you
> presumptions about what Millenials will be doing
> over the next decades, who you assume will behave
> as though they will be 27 years old forever. 
>
>  

Really? I must be dreaming then, here is the exact quote from your post:

Please show me your statistics and
> demographics,
> > I’ve never seen a single statistic in one of
> > your posts.

I give you them and then you deny that you even asked.

Keep trying