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Amfleet said:
battalion51 said:
I think the Heartland Flyer runs without Transition Coaches as well (since that's a short-distance train, and yes they do exist in the Form of Santa Fe Hi Levels).
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They did exist in form of Sante Fe Hi-Levels, but many were scrapped after being retired by Amtrak. Some made it to private railroads. I know two of the cars were bought by Hobo Railroad up in New Hampshire. Possibly to be used in tourist train service in a few years.
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While I don't know if they are actually in use, the OTOL roster still lists 4 high level coaches as active. These cars were originally refurbished for the Heartland Flyer, so I would assume that in theory they are still in use by the Heartland Flyer, but I'm certainly not positive.
 
Well we know the 39952 is one of them since I had the oppurtuinty to go through it when it came out of Sanford on the Sunset back in Feb. The refurbishments that Beech Grove did on them made it a very nice car to be in. I was dissapointed however with storage. Other than that, great cars.
 
Try railpictures.net. Or there is a great site for the New England trains here. Also try slamtrak.com, which is a crew maintained website focusing on trains in and out of Boston crew base.
 
Sorry I need to correct myself on the MHC issue. The MHC's (I am informed by sources within Amtrak) are limited to 60 MPH according to Amtrak Special Handling Instructions, not the 110 I previously stated. Sorry for any confusion.
 
battalion51 said:
Sorry I need to correct myself on the MHC issue. The MHC's (I am informed by sources within Amtrak) are limited to 60 MPH according to Amtrak Special Handling Instructions, not the 110 I previously stated. Sorry for any confusion.
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Then how can the Federal or any other train now carrying MHCs stay on schedule when they normaly reach speeds of 80-100mph? :unsure: Possibly could the limit be 90mph?
 
Well the schedule is REALLY padded. I'm not sure how acurate the information is, but that's what I've been told, and this source is usually very reliable.
 
battalion51 said:
Well the schedule is REALLY padded. I'm not sure how acurate the information is, but that's what I've been told, and this source is usually very reliable.
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Yes, there is about a 50 minute layover in New York, plus another 30 minutes in Philadelphia, but if it were traveling at 60mph it would be late to almost all intermidiate stops. Including its final destinations in Boston and Washington. Also, 40 minutes between Boston and Providence is not padded. To keep that schedule the train would have to keep a good 80mph speed average.
 
I know that it can't be 60....I've gone well over that on the Three Rivers between Harrisburg and 30th St. 90 would make a lot more sense. Isn't there also 79 mph running on the Zephyr and other western trains carrying MHC's?
 
PennsyFan said:
I know that it can't be 60....I've gone well over that on the Three Rivers between Harrisburg and 30th St. 90 would make a lot more sense. Isn't there also 79 mph running on the Zephyr and other western trains carrying MHC's?
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MHC cars had, up until now, been pulled from service do to frequent derailments at high speeds. Many freight railroads restriced the cars to 60mph which slowed down trains and caused numerous delays. Amtrak decided that it was not worth it to keep the cars running. Surplus baggage cars, roadrailers, and express box cars handled what would have been carried in an MHC. About two weeks ago Amtrak decided to put some of the second series MHC cars back into service on select long distance trains in the east (Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Crescent, and the Federal). Now since these trains travel over 60mph in many stretches along their routee, I would think the limit that B-51 said would delay these trains to a significant extent. Thats why 90mph seemed like a more reasonable speed.
 
Now when you say the Meteor and the Star you are referring to them on the NEC right? I know CSx hasn't lifted restrictions and they have not appeared (that I've seen) on trains down here.
 
battalion51 said:
Now when you say the Meteor and the Star you are referring to them on the NEC right? I know CSx hasn't lifted restrictions and they have not appeared (that I've seen) on trains down here.
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I was mainly refering to the car itself. Yes, CSX does have a 60mph limit on them. I guess no matter which way you put it, if the train your on has an MHC then you'll more than likely be delayed.
 
They aren't automatic doors, so again just like the Superliners, they don't have any noise other than the sound of the car attendant closing the door.
 
Can the Passagers board the Viewliner Sleeper car in Boston MA and Washington DC at 9.00 PM and why?
 
Yes, passengers can board the sleeper early in DC and Boston. This is considered a privilege or a perk to allow them to go to bed early or take a shower if they want. Since sleeping car passengers are paying extra for the room, Amtrak is giving them this extra privilege.
 
AlanB said:
Yes, passengers can board the sleeper early in DC and Boston. This is considered a privilege or a perk to allow them to go to bed early or take a shower if they want. Since sleeping car passengers are paying extra for the room, Amtrak is giving them this extra privilege.
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However since October and all the way into January of next year there will be no Sleeping Car on the Federal. :( Wonder if they will alowed pre-boarding of Business Class passengers.
 
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