Passenger Trains > Downeaster equipment

I have read in several threads on here that the Downeaster is now protected by Horizon cars.  I saw a DE (#685) passing through Durham, NH today and it had only one Horizon coach right behind the locomotive.  

Is the plan to convert all of the trainsets to Horizon, or is this a rather random situation?

I think there are only 4 or 5 of them in Maine, though I don't know the latest. 

Thanks, Joe!

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> I think there are only 4 or 5 of them in Maine,
> though I don't know the latest. 

I follow the Amtrak fleet pretty closely and I don't see how Amtrak can come up with enough Horizon cars for the Gulf Coast service next year unless they either raid what's left in Chicago or use only four or five, if that many, Horizon coaches to simply bolster the Downeasters.  And that's assuming that all of the remaining available Horizon coaches, literally all of them, are in service by next year.

Even if they got the Superliners off the CN corridor trains, they couldn't cover them with Venture or Horizon cars.

That's why they're still going to need some Horizon cars in Chicago to help stretch those trains.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> I think there are only 4 or 5 of them in Maine,
> though I don't know the latest. 

But was that really worth it to move 4 or 5 to Maine? Are the Horizons just acting as "back-up cars" or are some actually in operation. Seems like some are in operation. Would some MBTA equipment as backups work better? Or take 4 MBTA comet cars and put Amfleet seating in them? This can even be outsourced. Private rail car companies do it. Amtrak could free up additional Amfleets if they just give the Springfield to New Haven shuttles over to CDOT. I realize "some" of that equipment is used for the Valley Flyer, but there's also Regionals that do run-throughs to Washington DC etc. I just think that corridor could have been dealt with - possible a bit more efficiently if the sole Springfield to new Haven shuttles were dropped - typically two to three Amfleets bracketed by P42s on either end - that are needed elsewhere too. CDOT is already running Springfield to Hartford to New Haven. Just surrender that over. The Valley Flyer extension - I get it. 

Amfleet cars from Maine were sent to the Maple Leaf, releasing Amfleet-2 for LD, such as to the Silver Star's 5th trainset needed to be the Floridian. 
There are one or two Horizons in each train set. 
Do MBTA cars have bathrooms ? 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/24 10:11 by joemvcnj.

Thanks to joemvcn for shedding light on the number of Horizon coaches now in Maine and why they were sent there.  Sounds like five or six in all.

NPRocky Wrote:
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> Thanks to joemvcn for shedding light on the number
> of Horizon coaches now in Maine and why they were
> sent there.  Sounds like five or six in all.

This had been previously explained. The idea is go get the Amfleet II's off the Adirondack and Maple Leaf and back onto LD trains. But I am still not convinced that casting Horizon coaches off to Maine (that's separated from the Amtrak system in general) was the best that could have been done. It appears that the Pennsylvanian and Palmetto will be the only trains left with Amfleet II cars that are not officially both "long distance trains. The Pennsylvanian did not ALWAYS operate with a full train set of Amfleet II cars. This all got messed up during COVID. The Pennsylvanian - when it ran to Chicago - and even the Three Rivers often had high density Horizon coaches or regular Horizon coaches for short haul passengers. They key though was that these trains made it to the Chicago hub......for servicing. Just not convinced there's a good passenger car asset assignment to ALL trains, let alone the amount of new and old passenger cars that are not active. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Amfleet cars from Maine were sent to the Maple
> Leaf, releasing Amfleet-2 for LD, such as to the
> Silver Star's 5th trainset needed to be the
> Floridian. 
> There are one or two Horizons in each train
> set. 
> Do MBTA cars have bathrooms ? 

The MBB cars do, but Amtrak would not want them.