Viewliner II - Part 1 - Initial Production and Delivery

[AmtrakLKL]

Nippon Sharyo could still come out of this looking good. A redesigned car could pass all tests and a speeded up assembly line could get get the cars out in time. CAF has no chance of ever looking good, since it seems the already completed baggage cars have their own set of problems.

What are the current problems with the baggage cars?

1) Ventilation. Roof vents seem to do nothing for air flow. Might as well add a sauna class service to the trains. They are way too hot in the summer for crews.

2) Poorly designed bike rack installations and locations. There is a new configuration running in one baggage car right now. Eliminates the requirement to drop the bottom shelf to mount a bike. Also consolidates the bike rack locations to the ends of the car. Maybe it'll test well and roll out to the remainder of the fleet.

3) General wear-n-tear issues I wouldn't have expected in just one year of service.

These are just from an end-user's perspective. I'm sure mechanical people have other issues, too.

 

[TiBike]

2) Poorly designed bike rack installations and locations. There is a new configuration running in one baggage car right now. Eliminates the requirement to drop the bottom shelf to mount a bike. Also consolidates the bike rack locations to the ends of the car. Maybe it'll test well and roll out to the remainder of the fleet.

Is that what's delaying roll-up service on LD trains?

 

[Acela150]

Having run down the Hudson Line, we know they're good for 110 mph operation. One test passed! Thanks for the video.

But are limited to 90 MPH per Bulletin Order.

 

[jis]

Just for now until certification is completed, no?

Also presumably when they are being tested for speed certifications (not on the delivery run admittedly) presumably said bulletin orders are suspended?

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

 

[Acela150]

Just for now until certification is completed, no?

Also presumably when they are being tested for speed certifications (not on the delivery run admittedly) presumably said bulletin orders are suspended?

During a move like this the cars are limited to 90. During testing I can't say for sure.

 

[Acela150]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds. Unless PV is attached.

 

[edjbox]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds. Unless PV is attached.

Has the schedule been updated to reflect this?

 

[Acela150]

Not sure. I doubt it. There's not much of a difference. I think they'll leave as is for padding.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds. Unless PV is attached.

Sweet! Now when the Viewliner diners get put on the other trains, dispatchers won't have to worry about dispatching Acelas and Regionals around them!

BTW, what's PV?

 

[jebr]

Private Varnish, or private rail cars that Amtrak is hauling for other people.

 

[Ryan]

They'll still have to wrangle the Acelas around them.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

Private Varnish, or private rail cars that Amtrak is hauling for other people.

Ahhah. Ok.

I've always heard the term, private car.

 

[TylerP42]

Trains were able to run 110 with the diners (their max speed), But anyways, I'll miss the heritage diners. So much history and heritage in them. Oh well, times change.

 

[keelhauled]

110 vs 125 doesn't really matter anyway, with how short the sections of track in question are it's a difference of a minute or two at most.

 

[neroden]

Nippon Sharyo could still come out of this looking good. A redesigned car could pass all tests and a speeded up assembly line could get get the cars out in time. CAF has no chance of ever looking good, since it seems the already completed baggage cars have their own set of problems.

What are the current problems with the baggage cars?

1) Ventilation. Roof vents seem to do nothing for air flow. Might as well add a sauna class service to the trains. They are way too hot in the summer for crews.

2) Poorly designed bike rack installations and locations. There is a new configuration running in one baggage car right now. Eliminates the requirement to drop the bottom shelf to mount a bike. Also consolidates the bike rack locations to the ends of the car. Maybe it'll test well and roll out to the remainder of the fleet.

3) General wear-n-tear issues I wouldn't have expected in just one year of service.

These are just from an end-user's perspective. I'm sure mechanical people have other issues, too.

Thanks for the list.

The bike rack thing can definitely be fixed. It does explain the delay in rolling out unboxed bike service.

The ventilation can *also* definitely be fixed, though it's going to be an annoyance.

Dunno about "wear and tear" but if it's all on the interior it's not going to cause any serious headaches.

 

[AmtrakLKL]

1) Ventilation. Roof vents seem to do nothing for air flow. Might as well add a sauna class service to the trains. They are way too hot in the summer for crews.

2) Poorly designed bike rack installations and locations. There is a new configuration running in one baggage car right now. Eliminates the requirement to drop the bottom shelf to mount a bike. Also consolidates the bike rack locations to the ends of the car. Maybe it'll test well and roll out to the remainder of the fleet.

3) General wear-n-tear issues I wouldn't have expected in just one year of service.

These are just from an end-user's perspective. I'm sure mechanical people have other issues, too.

Thanks for the list.

The bike rack thing can definitely be fixed. It does explain the delay in rolling out unboxed bike service.

The ventilation can *also* definitely be fixed, though it's going to be an annoyance.

Dunno about "wear and tear" but if it's all on the interior it's not going to cause any serious headaches.

In my opinion, the bike racks are perfectly usable, they're just more difficult to use than they should be. Sometimes requires shuffling bags to drop the bottom shelf to accommodate an unexpected bike. So I wouldn't say that's the issue delaying expansion of the walk-up bike program. Overall it seems to work just fine.

There are interior issues that can cause serious headaches. h34r:

 

[AmtrakBlue]

There are interior issues that can cause serious headaches. h34r:

Did you drop a shelf on your head?

 

[StriderGDM]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds. Unless PV is attached.

Sweet! Now when the Viewliner diners get put on the other trains, dispatchers won't have to worry about dispatching Acelas and Regionals around them!

BTW, what's PV?

Right. It's not so much about the Silver Service and Crescent trains being able to run a faster schedule as much as them not messing with the regionals.

It's a small bit, but helps.

 

[VT Hokie]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds. Unless PV is attached.

Also, when I took train 66 from Williamsburg, VA up to New Jersey last Thanksgiving, we ran at 125 on the NEC with the Viewliner baggage car.

 

[Acela150]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds. Unless PV is attached.

Sweet! Now when the Viewliner diners get put on the other trains, dispatchers won't have to worry about dispatching Acelas and Regionals around them!

BTW, what's PV?

Actually the Viewliner I cars are rated for 110MPH currently. But will be upgraded when funding comes and they can cycle them through.

 

[neroden]

I guess what I'm saying is, given the number of times interiors have been redone on railroad cars, and given the relatively modular design of the Viewliners, relatively minor interior problems are something which Amtrak can eventually fix, and even within a reasonable timeframe. If there were something fundamantally wrong with the carshell (like the old Pullman cars with Cor-Ten steel welded to stainless steel...) or the frame or the mechanicals, it would be much more problematic.

 

[CSXfoamer1997]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds. Unless PV is attached.

Sweet! Now when the Viewliner diners get put on the other trains, dispatchers won't have to worry about dispatching Acelas and Regionals around them!

BTW, what's PV?

Actually the Viewliner I cars are rated for 110MPH currently. But will be upgraded when funding comes and they can cycle them through.

I thought they have long since been upgraded for 125. But I guess the rumors I read (long before the Viewliner II's were in service) were wrong.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

With no more Heritage cars on the Palmetto and Carolinian, are either of these two trains running at 125 MPH on the NEC yet?

Yes. Both trains can run under "B" train speeds.

Sweet! Now when the Viewliner diners get put on the other trains, dispatchers won't have to worry about dispatching Acelas and Regionals around them!

Actually the Viewliner I cars are rated for 110MPH currently. But will be upgraded when funding comes and they can cycle them through.

I thought they have long since been upgraded for 125. But I guess the rumors I read (long before the Viewliner II's were in service) were wrong.

The Viewliner Is weren't the problem at whatever speed. The problems were the heritage baggage cars and heritage diners that had to go 'not so fast', and sometimes threw the faster trains coming up behind off their stride. We have the new baggage cars, next up is the diners. Then with the LDs trains with V I's going 110 and then V IIs going 125 mph, that should clear the tracks.

 

[neroden]

Actually the Viewliner I cars are rated for 110MPH currently. But will be upgraded when funding comes and they can cycle them through.

I thought they have long since been upgraded for 125. But I guess the rumors I read (long before the Viewliner II's were in service) were wrong.

Actually, what I was told (second-hand, could be wrong) is that they are in fact supposed to be good for 125 -- they shouldn't need alterations -- but that they are not *certified* to 125. Amtrak was saving money on the testing since they were always coupled with Heritage cars and couldn't run at 125 anyway.

So they should be tested and certified for 125 eventually.