Amfleet II dinettes?

[gatelouse]

I rode the Pennsylvanian a few weeks ago after a hiatus from Amfleet II equipped trains. As advertised elsewhere, the consist was a full Am-I business car, a dinette, a few Am-II coaches, and a lightly occupied Am-I coach in the rear.

Was that an Amfleet II dinette car that I saw, converted into a Regional-style setup with tables on both ends of the car? If so, are these standard on trains that share consists with the Pennsylvanian? I thought the Amfleet II lounges were half lounge and half table seating.

 

[AlanB]

There are no Amfleet II Club-Dinettes with BC seating on one end and tables on the other end. The only Club-Dinettes are either Amfleet I's or Horizons.

There is an Amfleet II diner-lite car, formerly the long distance cafe cars, but I can't imagine that one of those was on the Pennsy unless Sunnyside ran out of regular cafe cars.

 

[Nickrapak]

The Pennsy does not use a dinette, and hasn't for a few months. When Business Class went to a full car, they swapped out the club-dinette for a regular Amfleet I cafe car.

 

[Nickrapak]

The Pennsy has not run with a club-dinette for a few months, and has never to my knowledge run with an Amfleet II food service car. It uses a standard NE Regional cafe car.

 

[Acela150]

It's been about a year since the switch. I'm wondering if it's working for Amtrak.

 

[Trogdor]

The standard cafe cars with tables on each side are called dinettes.

There are three or four Horizon dinettes still in that configuration (53000-series), and a number of Amfleet I dinettes (various numbers in the higher 28000 series and 43000 series).

A club-dinette is a car with tables on one end (dinette) and business class (club) seating on the other end.

 

[jis]

A club-dinette is a car with tables on one end (dinette) and business class (club) seating on the other end.

Are there any Amfleet II Club-Dinettes? At least I am not aware of any? Are there any just plain Amfleet II half-Dinette-half-Coaches? I am not aware of any. But who knows?

 

[Trogdor]

The only Amfleet II food-service cars are the 25 diner/lounge cars that generally run on the eastern long-distance trains.

 

[AlanB]

The only Amfleet II food-service cars are the 25 diner/lounge cars that generally run on the eastern long-distance trains.

They started life as just plain cafe cars for the long haul trains, then a bunch had that glass enclosed smoker's penalty box installed, and then with SDS and the Congressionally mandated food service changes all were converted to Diner-Lite cars.

 

[gatelouse]

Ok, so it was an Amfleet I cafe that I saw on the Pennysylvanian then. I could have sworn the car had a single end door like an Amflet II, but I may have been looking at an adjacent coach by mistake.

 

[Trogdor]

To be clear, Amfleet II food-service cars have tables on both ends, and unless you specifically know what you are looking for, they look very similar (to the lay passenger) to the Amfleet I dinettes/cafe cars.

It's possible that a run of the Pennsylvanian got an Amfleet II diner-lite/lounge car as a substitute for the regular food service car.

 

[afigg]

Which trains are normally equipped with one of the 25 Amfleet II diner-light cars? Curious where they are used and how many are needed for each train service.

Also goes for the 120 remaining Amfleet II coach cars if someone has the breakdown handy.

 

[AlanB]

Which trains are normally equipped with one of the 25 Amfleet II diner-light cars? Curious where they are used and how many are needed for each train service.

Also goes for the 120 remaining Amfleet II coach cars if someone has the breakdown handy.

All of the Diner-Lite cars are exclusively on the single level long distance trains. On all runs, save the Cardinal, they function only as a cafe car. On the Cardinal it functions as both the diner & a cafe. For a while, Diner-Lite cars also functioned as dining cars for the Lake Shore, but that practice has ended. I suppose that in a pinch, one could find its way into a Regional or other short distance train if Sunnyside came up short on regular Amfleet I cafe cars.

Amfleet II long distance coaches show up on all single level trains, the Adirondack, Maple Leaf, Pennsy, and I think the Carolinian.

 

[afigg]

All of the Diner-Lite cars are exclusively on the single level long distance trains. On all runs, save the Cardinal, they function only as a cafe car. On the Cardinal it functions as both the diner & a cafe. For a while, Diner-Lite cars also functioned as dining cars for the Lake Shore, but that practice has ended. I suppose that in a pinch, one could find its way into a Regional or other short distance train if Sunnyside came up short on regular Amfleet I cafe cars.

Amfleet II long distance coaches show up on all single level trains, the Adirondack, Maple Leaf, Pennsy, and I think the Carolinian.

Thanks. I was wondering if any of the medium distance day trains have the Amfleet II diner/cafe car. I think the Carolinian only has Amfleet I coach cars.

If Amtrak does manage to place a order to replace the Amfleet IIs with Viewliner IIs, they should order a good number of cafe/lounge cars so they can equip all the medium distance trains with a Viewliner II cafe/lounge type cars with nice big windows. Order enough for new service expansion too. Mass and VT are interested in a Boston to Montreal train. If that has to start with Amfleet Is for coach cars (figuring some get freed up by the bi-level order and Viewliner II long distance coach cars filling out the LD fleet), it should have a Viewliner II cafe/lounge car in the set.

 

[gatelouse]

So what I saw on the Pennsy (an Amfleet-II, very likely, with tables at both ends) is the "diner-lite" variant, with the other variant having lounge-style tables and seating at one end?

Either way, I like these full-length food service cars on the Amfleet II day trains, as I always get lousy seat assignments in the coaches. More tables to escape to are a good thing.

 

[AlanB]

Most day trains use Amfleet I cars. The Amfleet II coaches are used for long distance trains and a few select long haul daylight runs, like the Adirondack. And the Adirondack doesn't even get all Amfleet II coaches in the consist, last I knew it typically got only 2 AMF II coaches for those going to Montreal. The rest of the coaches for those going to places south of the border were AMF I coaches.

 

[Trogdor]

So what I saw on the Pennsy (an Amfleet-II, very likely, with tables at both ends) is the "diner-lite" variant, with the other variant having lounge-style tables and seating at one end?

The "other variant" of the Amfleet II lounge no longer exists. All were converted to the diner-lite configuration.