Passenger Trains > Looks like new Acela;s will have 2 First Class Cars

Just got my copy of Rail Pace Mag - and on page 12 -- it says the Acela set that tested in Colorado & on the NEC--has the following consist:

Power Car
1st Class End Car - (3250-3277)
1st Class Car - (3900-3927)
3 Business Class Cars
Cafe Car
2 Business Class Cars
1 Business Class End Car
Power car

From those car numbers above - it seems there ARE enough 1st Class cars to furnish each set with 2  (well, 27 sets of this 28 set order, at least.)

Can anyone verify that this is correct -- given Amtrak's unfortunate habit of sending brand new cars to immediate dead storage,



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/20 13:53 by ronald321.

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just got my copy of Rail Pace Mag - and on page 12
> -- it says the Acela set that tested in Colorado &
> on the NEC--has the following consist:
>
> Power Car
> 1st Class End Car - (3250-3277)
> 1st Class Car - (3900-3927)
> 3 Business Class Cars
> Cafe Car
> 2 Business Class Cars
> 1 Business Class Car
> Power car
>
> From those car numbers above - it seems there ARE
> enough 1st Class cars to furnish each set with 2 
> (well, 27 sets of this 28 set order, at least.)
>
> Can anyone verify that this is correct -- given
> Amtrak's unfortunate habit of sending brand new
> cars to immediate dead storage,

I believe that's correct.  However, keep in mind that the new cars are shorter than the existing ones.  A new set accommodates about 25% more passengers, but has 50% more cars.

Dave

2 Business Class Cars
1 Business Class Car

Is that a typo or simply mean 3 such cars ?

Amtrak may be better holding these units to launch till 2022. No way is the travel and business industry going to be ready for them in 2021. And the story line for longer consists with greater number of seats etc., doesn't play too well right now either. Yes, we may have a vaccine in the wings, but predictions for transportation to get back to normal stretches on in to 2025.  

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 2 Business Class Cars
> 1 Business Class Car
>
> Is that a typo or simply mean 3 such cars ?

The second line should specify end car.

Dave

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak may be better holding these units to launch
> till 2022. No way is the travel and business
> industry going to be ready for them in 2021. And
> the story line for longer consists with greater
> number of seats etc., doesn't play too well right
> now either. Yes, we may have a vaccine in the
> wings, but predictions for transportation to get
> back to normal stretches on in to 2025.  

They don't even need all the current Acela frequencies they have now. I wonder if some of the current Acela sets will never run again. By the time they need 20 train sets again in a couple of years, these Avelia things will be delivered. They will probably yield manage lower fares to fill them up, but claim it is profitable nonetheless. With the discarded Acelas, Canadians will be buying very cheap razor blades come 2024. 

Thanks, DavidP  -- yes, that "1 Business Class Car" should read "End Car" -- I will correct it.

BTW -  can someone tell me the purpose of a sealed vestibule door?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/20 13:55 by ronald321.

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks, DavidP  -- yes, that "1 Business Class
> Car" should read "End Car" -- I will correct it.
>
> BTW -  can someone tell me the purpose of a
> sealed vestibule door?

Will try......On the Amfleets, for example, the door slides along a "track" that allows the door to stay "inside" the car. The door doesn't swing OUT to the exterior or IN to the interior of the car. It's almost like a pocket door that hides away in between the exterior metal sheathing of the car and the interior bulkhead. 

The new Siemen's cars have the doors open OUT and then slide up against the EXTERIOR of the car. That's actually similar to the Acela Express doors - to a degree - and even the VIA Rail Renaissance cars. So they don't stay within a "pocket" of the car, they kinda swing out to the exterior and then slide down the length of the car, but not in any violent or fast move that makes it unsafe, just a matter of the door swinging out, in, or sliding in between into a "pocket." When the door SHUTS and is closed all four sides of the door kinda clamp IN, as opposed to a door that slides shut and just makes contact largely on the one side. The seal is made on all sides of the door and thus you don't get elements or weather in from outside. The Amfleets are pretty good, but they still can have issues in making a tight close/seal. 

The Horizon cars and Superliner cars are manual based doors that open up to the interior of the car.

The Siemen's car doors are automatic and train lined so press one button, all doors can open like on the Amfleets. Now supposedly some vestibules have a high level platform and other vestibules have a low level vestibule on the Siemen's cars. 

The seal is more of the the door shutting and sealing completely all the way around. 

I tried. Someone else can answer this better than I can I am sure! You really need a picture and diagram.

Plus, I am not sure how the vestibules are organized so that one door is for high level boarding and the other vestibule (on the other end?) is for low level boarding? On the Amfleets any door can handle upper level boarding and lower level boarding due to the trapped door. My understanding is that there's no "trap" door and one vestibule basically has the high level boarding and the other vestibule the other!

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak may be better holding these units to launch
> till 2022. No way is the travel and business
> industry going to be ready for them in 2021. And
> the story line for longer consists with greater
> number of seats etc., doesn't play too well right
> now either. Yes, we may have a vaccine in the
> wings, but predictions for transportation to get
> back to normal stretches on in to 2025.  

Maybe they can do a soft launch to get all the inevitable issues worked out.

Posted from iPhone

There was a TrainOrders thread a few years which reproduced the Siemens Mobility US catalog. There are several variations, even a cafe / baggage possibility.

Posted from Android