Passenger Trains > Next Two Shipped Out

This morning Viewliner II Sleepers 62515 Savannah River and 62516 Schuylkill River departed from CAF in Elmira Heights, NY
Shown here in Elmira Yard and then running as NS 084 AMTK 103 along with 107 Eastbound at Wellsburg, NY



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/21 12:29 by PCCRNSEngr.

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Nice! Thanks for catching this!

These will be heading for testing and storage too I presume???

Better scrape them now, clean metal brings a better price. I have no clue what other use Amtrak will use them for.

Thank you for sharing this info and pictures with us ... :):):)

Some ppl here are SO negative....

50 years of Amtrak incompetence and failures will do that to even the staunchest rail supporters. Great photos, thanks for sharing.



pdt Wrote:
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> Some ppl here are SO negative....

Posted from Android

50 years of failure is pretty strong.  I am really frustrated about the most recent cutbacks related to COVID,especially the dining situation. 

However, I have ridden Amtrak from 1974 to present on a yearly basis.  Rebuilding the steam heated cars and making heritage fleet equipment was not a failure.  The introduction of Amfleet equipment, as much as I dislike the small windows on the Amfleet 1 cars, was not a failure. The superliner orders were not failures.   Nor was the implementation of Acela service and the viewliner cars.  It would have been great if the companies building the viewliner cars had done a better job, but those cars for the most part were an improvement over aging heritage fleet equipment.  The Viewliner 2 sleepers are being introduced into service on the silver service trains.  And will at some point be introduced onto the other east coast trains.  

There are areas that Amtrak needs improvement.  We all know that the maintanance situation in Chicago is an issue.  I don't know how that can be fixed, but sending trains that have been serviced and cleaned properly would solve many problems in Chicago.  Morale has been low there for years.  

Restoration of dining service to pre-covid levels on all overnight trains would be a step in the right direction.  Many people are asking for more variety, and I think that could be addressed too with appropriate funding and leadership.  I think Biden and the new Transportation secretary are going to help Amtrak more than hinder it.  

In my years of riding Amtrak, I doubt I've encountered more than a very small % of nasty, disgruntled, hiding employees,  But, I have run across hundreds of good, hard working employees. People proud to be doing their job.

 

And you guys ask why I think this board needs to be renamed the Amtrak Haters board.
Even when they do something "right" the haters tear it right down.
sigh...

Amtrak has had its highs and it's time for new highs. The Acela II launch doesn't seem like it will be greeted with much fanfare, nor does Amtrak's big 5-0 birthday.

What should be a VERY positive thing - the receipt of new equipment - ends up circling the drain.

- Amtrak brings no attention to the positives that are happening it seems, perhaps because there is a lack of a plan for this equipment and it doesn't fit in  with a "corridor-centric" future.
- Supporters just see the Viewliner cars head for storage with no real future plans or excitement. It's like they are not even trying to help themselves.
- Dining service adjustments are "new" at Amtrak, but have largely been welcomed negatively.
- The Viewliner Sleeper Lounge is actually a brilliant concept. But it was met with little fanfare after debuting. Passengers largely have to "seek it out." And it's not a consistent product of East Coast trains right now.

Consistency and building a "product" (to allow for consistent branding) has always been a stumbling block for Amtrak.   

What other transit agency is receiving new equipment AND sending it to storage for such a long period? Sure Amtrak is FINALLY getting some cars into Silver Service rotation.......But its long over due, with many cars just "sitting around." Lets be honest. A Viewliner Bagg-Dorm car is assigned to the Cardinal - for two or three staff members at most when there's at least 8 roomettes that could be utilized. If the other rooms in the car could be "sold" (like with the Superliner Trans/Dorm Sleeper), it might be a different story.

Amtrak has been promoting "private rooms." It's been suggested multiple times - expand that concept to some of the "day train" offering "day rooms." It would not only yield additional revenue, but make Amtrak more attractive as an option.   

 

Its idiotic remarks like that make this site hardly worth visiting. Go away!

wtsherman100 Wrote:
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> Its idiotic remarks like that make this site
> hardly worth visiting. Go away!


Which comments have vexed you?

Posted from Android

I may have seen these back in September as they were being "hatched". Took this photo along the road near Hornell, NY. These were definitely Amtrak cars in shrink wrap, the lot also had several windmill turbine blades stored for delivery. The trucks hadn't been added to the rail cars yet.

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