Amtrak "Capstone" Rebuild Project

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dlagrua

dlagrua

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I read about an Amtrak program called the "Capstone rebuild project". Amtrak was supposedly rebuilding/refurbishing Amfleet coaches and painting/decorating them in the Acela color theme. What resulted were passenger cars colorfully painted and decorated but I've never seen one on the NE corridor. Does anyone know where these passenger coaches ended up and what they are all about? I do not believe that this project was ever completed.

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They were all repainted into the normal Amtrak color scheme after David Gunn took over, but the cars are still around. Some of the cafe cars were taken out of service, but are now being rebuilt into coaches.
 
Trogdor said:
They were all repainted into the normal Amtrak color scheme after David Gunn took over, but the cars are still around. Some of the cafe cars were taken out of service, but are now being rebuilt into coaches.
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I did some additional research and it appears that the Capstone rebuild project was short lived. From what I read the normal paint scheme came back after David Gunn departed. The intended project is now about 10 years old at this point and it appears that the Acela style on the Amfleet coaches is mostly gone. IMO the Acela style coloring is ill suited to the more traditional looking Amtrak coaches and apparently Amtrak agrees.
 
"Capstone" was more than just the paint scheme. It involved internal configuration changes and upgrades, and the project is still very much alive.
 
Anything in the 8xxxx series is considered a Capstone rebuild AFAIK. As was stated, the Capstone project was more about a total overhaul of the interior of the car, not just the boob job paint scheme. The seats were completely replaced, restrooms rebuilt, new luggage racks at one end installed, new wall coverings, new message boards, electrical outlets at seats, etc. A 2xxxx/4xxxx Amfleet (sans 250xx/251xx) is almost a completely different car than a 8xxxx car. The only part of the Capstone rebuild that was not successful was the original Lounge layout, which has been abandoned. Another component of the Capstoning process (in recent years) was the decision to make more cars MU capable than the original fleet. This facilitates building sets for Keystones, Vermonter, Shuttles, etc., as you can pick nearly any car out of the yard that's available, not just the ones that are in the select group that are capable.
 
Just an update for you folks, I rode 82543 from Alton, Illinois to Joliet, Illinois on the 19th of June 2013. The interior was just as battalion51 describes. The running gear is also quite different as well; airbag suspension, very large diameter wheels and HUGE inboard disc brakes (two per axle) in addition to "standard" brake rigging. Are the discs air operated or possibly electronic? We hit 108 mph briefly between Pontiac, Illinois and Dwight, Illinois.

BilgeRat
 
Since this topic was up, thought I'd post some pictures of what was one of the few Capstone cafe cars (85000 series) that has found a new life on the Amtrak Heritage train as a gift shop car. Here is a shot of the cars poor seating layout:

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