Amtrak Heritage Passager Cars.

[Amtrak Railfan]

Was the Three Rivers had Heritage Coach Cars in the past?

 

[AlanB]

At one time all Amtrak trains ran with Heritage coaches. That was all that Amtrak owned 30 years ago.

 

[P40Power]

The Three Rivers most likely never had Heritage COACH cars on it, it has mostly had ex-heritage coach baggage car conversions on it (1700 series). Remember this train was started in 1995, just as the Heritage coaches were just about gone from long distance trains, so I doubt it had heritage coaches on it. Now its predessor, the Brodway Limited sure did have them.

The Three Rivers did run heritage sleepers from 1999-2001, they were pulled because they didnt have retention tank toilets therefore they were illegal.

 

[Amtrak Railfan]

Was the Lake Shore Limited New York and Boston Trains used to have this cars?

 

[amtrakmichigan]

Was the Lake Shore Limited New York and Boston Trains used to have this cars?

The Lake Shore on New Years day of 1995 (the last time I rode it) if I remember correctly was using all Herritage Sleepers (including slumbercoaches), and a Herritage dome coach. the rest of the coaches and lounge was Amfleet I beleave. The Cardinal in the middle 80's was using all Herritage.

 

[P40Power]

Yeah the Lake Shore Limited has ran with Heritage Cars many times in the past, and on January 1st, 1995 all the sleepers would be heritage because the production Viewliners didnt first start appearing untill November of that year. And that was probably in the dome coaches last days on the Lake Shore when you rode it.

As for the rest of the coaches being Amfleet, they were probably not Amfleet Is, but Amfleet IIs the long distance version, but it was always possible to see an Amfleet I mixed in once in a while.

The most noticeable difference between the cars is that Amfleet IIs have vestibule doors on only one side of the cars while Amfleet Is have them on both sides.

 

[xlr]

The most noticeable difference between the cars is that Amfleet IIs have vestibule doors on only one side of the cars while Amfleet Is have them on both sides.

The Amfleet IIs also have larger windows, which is a welcome change for the passenger trying to get a good view!

 

[P40Power]

True, the Amfleet II cars have much better (bigger) windows then Amfleet I cars. That was my biggest issue riding the Capstone Business Class car last fall, was that the small window was awkward to look out of! Other then that the car was very very good. Horizon cars also have tiny windows.

Both Amfleet I and II cars do have problems with how seats line up in relation to windows, some seats arent even next to the window, they are positioned so all the passenger can see is a panel or a very tiny slice of window, that bugs me, I would have thought that they could have lined up the seating fairly nicely so everyone can get their fair share of window space.

 

[Amfleet]

True, the Amfleet II cars have much better (bigger) windows then Amfleet I cars.  That was my biggest issue riding the Capstone Business Class car last fall, was that the small window was awkward to look out of!  Other then that the car was very very good.  Horizon cars also have tiny windows.
Both Amfleet I and II cars do have problems with how seats line up in relation to windows, some seats arent even next to the window, they are positioned so all the passenger can see is a panel or a very tiny slice of window, that bugs me, I would have thought that they could have lined up the seating fairly nicely so everyone can get their fair share of window space.

I think there is a couple reason behind Amfleet Is small windows. First; back in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, the Northeast Corridor traversed through high-density, poverty stricken, and polluted industrial areas of the northeast. The designers probably thought that instead of passengers viewing the rundown streets and neighborhoods, that their focus out the window should be directed toward the sky and skylines of the passing cities. Secondly; there was a huge obsession with air travel at the time, so the tubular design, cramped seating, and tiny windows all together made the feel of being inside an aircraft.

However, today many of these run-down, industrial, areas have been revitalized and cleaned up. So directing a passengers view into the sky is not such a big concern. Also, the obsession with air travel is long gone, and the last thing travelers’ want is to feel like they’re inside an aircraft. Hence, Acela’s large windows, bright interior, and comfortable seating. Just a few thoughts behind the best railcar of the 20th century. B)

 

[AlanB]

I think that the small windows had more to do with copying aircraft design and perhaps some thoughts that less glass might be safer.

I doubt that the designers of train cars thought or cared much about the poverty stricken, blighted areas along the NEC and therefore deliberately made the windows smaller.

 

[P40Power]

Maybe Im a bit weird, but I like to see the industrial, urban blight, poverty type of areas!! I think they are very intresting, they have that railroad feel to them, usually around freight yards. Thats one of my favorite types of senery, get to see it all the time down in Pittsfield going by the massive, now mostly deserted GE complex.

Pittsfield is still World Headquarters of GE plastics, which developed many of the great plastics in use today, there are a few labs in a rather large building and thats about it these days. Still they have the GE plastics "House of the Future" in Pittsfield, and though Ive never been inside ive heard that it is quite the place.

Pittsfield GE was mainly a manufactor of defense type things, guns, ordience, nuclear missle guidence systems, tanks, and other things. At one time Kawasaki double deck passenger cars in route to delivery to MBTA had finishing touches applied to them in Pittsfield, too bad that didnt stay around for long! It would have been awesome to have a rail car building company around here, if it was still around maybe I could have got a job there and help build some of the "Heritage Replacement" cars or something. That would definatly be cool

Too bad though

 

[Amtrak Railfan]

When was the first Diner Cars in the Blue Paint?

 

[tp49]

I must admit I too enjoy seeing blighted urban areas because it gives me a better idea as to the whole of the city and not just the touristy areas the Chamber of Comerce wants us to see.

 

[Amfleet]

When was the first Diner Cars in the Blue Paint?

Around June 2000. More people would understand if you said "Phase 4 Paint" and not "Blue Paint".

 

[Guest_Chris]

But not everybody knows what "phase IV" is. (Or any other phase, for that matter.)

 

[Guest_Chris]

ooops - meant "Phase 4"

 

[Amtrak Railfan]

Was the Empire Service Trains used the Heritage Coach Cars and Amfleet Cars back in the 1990s?

 

[P40Power]

Yep, the Empire Service had many Amfleet trains in the 90s that were mixed with Heritage fleet coaches in the 90s. On one railfaning trip to Rensslear in April 97, I saw a southbound ALB-NYP train with a Heritage coach in the consist. Other reports Ive seen on the internet from that era also sugguest that that was fairly common.

In the early 90s, many Empire Service trains were Turboliner equiped. This ended though in 1994 when a trainset had a major fire in Penn Station and caused the whole fleet to be put out of service. One Turboliner trainset did get refurbished shortly afterwards and ran usually one round trip a day until a few years ago.

 

[PennsyFan]

Also, until quite recently (October 2002 I think - whenever the Heritage Sleeper came off the Three Rivers), the Adirondack from New York to Montreal ran with primarily Heritage equipment. There would often be an Amfleet or two mixed in to round out the consist, but it was the last Amtrak train to operate with mainly heritage equipment. Along with the old D&H line north of Schenectady, the Adirondack covers the former NYC Hudson division, and offers service between intermediate points along it. The Adirondack is also included in the Empire Service timetable. So technically, at least one Empire Service train a day was running with mainly Heritage cars until just over a year ago.

 

[Amtrak Railfan]

And so today I will see just Amfleet Cars thats right?

 

[battalion51]

Just Amfleets and Turboliners on Empire Service. Trains including Vermonter, Adirondack, and the Ethan Allen Express are all Amfleet.

 

[PennsyFan]

Almost certainly...the Heritage cars didn't have retention toilets, and so are now illegal in the US. I assume that in an absolute pinch Amtrak could run a Heritage coach if they closed the toilet off. However, I don't know if they are even in Sunnyside Yard any more. In any case, you should expect a consist that's 100% Amfleet, except for the baggage car. If, however, you took the Adirondack to Montreal, you'd be able to hop a Via Rail train there that had coaches like the Amtrak Heritage ones.

 

[AlanB]

However, I don't know if they are even in Sunnyside Yard any more.

Trust me, with space at a premium during rush hour; Sunnyside isn't keeping anything that they can't use around. They need every inch of track that they can get. So unless it's been converted to a work car, you won't see any Heritage cars in Sunnyside.

Most likely, if they haven't been scrapped yet, then they are either in Delaware or Beach Grove. Outside chance that Philly might have one floating around, but I doubt even they have any.

 

[battalion51]

Trust me, with space at a premium during rush hour; Sunnyside isn't keeping anything that they can't use around. They need every inch of track that they can get. So unless it's been converted to a work car, you won't see any Heritage cars in Sunnyside.

Really? Not even a Diner or a Dorm or even a baggage car? :lol: I know that at one time Hialeah had some Heritage junk linering around (old Slumbercoaches and Sleepers), but I think Gunn had that cleared out in January.

 

[AlanB]

Trust me, with space at a premium during rush hour; Sunnyside isn't keeping anything that they can't use around. They need every inch of track that they can get. So unless it's been converted to a work car, you won't see any Heritage cars in Sunnyside.

Really? Not even a Diner or a Dorm or even a baggage car? :lol: I know that at one time Hialeah had some Heritage junk linering around (old Slumbercoaches and Sleepers), but I think Gunn had that cleared out in January.

You've got to stop going to those Evelyn Wood speed reading classes. :lol: You missed the key phrase "that they can't use". They can use diners, dorms, and baggage cars; so they keep them around.

However Heritage sleepers and coaches without retention toilets they can't use, so they don't keep them around.