Interesting Equipment notes (Palmetto)

[ACVitale]

I noticed that the baggage car on #90 today at the Rocky Mount stop read US Mail instead of the usual baggage car. On inquiry I was told that it was a unit that had been stored and was not in use until recently (The last couple weeks unit # was 1705) and that it was not normally used. However, following the Crescent accident in Siedel they had put it back into service.

Also found that both #89 and #90 today had Amfleet I's that had been recently reconfigured at the Bear, DE shops from Coach to Business class cars. Apparently, several of the former Amfleet I's in coach service are being reconfigured from Coach to Business class. The "upgrade" seems to be repitching the seats (removing rows) and repitching the passenger service units (lights etc). A renovation of bathroom surfaces and general maintenance along with a bright blue splash of paint and new crooked "business class" decals applied. This is apparently according to on board staff being done as some combination cafe/business class cars are being converted to all cafe and the business class is being removed from them.

I thought it was interesting anyhow....

 

[battalion51]

The fact that the baggage car got switched out is far more likely to be coincidental than anything else. Many moons ago Amtrak converted a number of old Heritage coaches into baggage/mail cars. With the mail business evaporated, these work throughout the system as baggage cars these days. While it is possible, nay likely, that the same two sets of equipment work the Palmetto bug on a regular basis, the cars have to get switched out in New York at some point for maintenance and other work.