Midwest Venture introduction

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

Status
Not open for further replies.

rs9

Service Attendant
Joined
Dec 26, 2021
Messages
249
Location
Chicago
Probably closer to 60% coach and 40% business class.
I've seen a diagram of the business/eco cars but I can't find it - that said, at least by space taken up, the car is about 75% business class seats.

This document states 52 total revenue seats in the business/eco cars. https://assets.new.siemens.com/siem...enture-Passenger-Cars-Data-Sheet_original.pdf

Trying to recall visually, I believe there are 5 rows of eco seats (20), ten rows of business class seats (30), and one additional row of 2 business class seats with the single spot open for a wheelchair. That is an estimate, but I definitely remember the eco section is small.

Now for my elitist comment: perhaps IDOT has data to support it, but it feels like a really silly idea to have eco seats in a business class car, because it's no longer a business class car. Make it a separate car with a greater probability of peace and quiet.
 

TRA_Thom

Train Attendant
Joined
Jul 18, 2022
Messages
23
Location
Chicago
Someone on the Facebook group “Amtrak Michigan Line” posted a picture of 350 running with 4 Venture coaches. Happy to see them back - perhaps I will plan a trip soon…
Happy to see the 350 and 355 back in general too.
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2011
Messages
899
Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Just did a day trip on 350 and 355 - Ann Arbor to Troy and back. The consist had 3 Venture cars and 2 cafe cars. It had 4 Ventures when 350 went back into service on Wednesday, but I heard one of the had problems, apparently necessitating the swap. Figure the extra cafe must be for axle count or similar reasons. Overall, the experience was what I expected - it is nice to have newer equipment, though as others have indicated the seats aren’t as comfortable as the older cars. I posted a full trip report in that forum:

 
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
6,898
Location
Chicago
Rode 318 back from St Louis today. It was a complete venture consist except for lounge car. There were automated messages for the stops. And the digital overhead signs in each car showed the stood like on some of the newer subway cars. At Chicago all doors were open. I was on the last car and got of at an unattended door. So the doors and steps worked as designed in this instance.
 

TransitTyrant

Service Attendant
Joined
Jul 13, 2022
Messages
167
Location
Chicago
Rode 318 back from St Louis today. It was a complete venture consist except for lounge car. There were automated messages for the stops. And the digital overhead signs in each car showed the stood like on some of the newer subway cars. At Chicago all doors were open. I was on the last car and got of at an unattended door. So the doors and steps worked as designed in this instance.
That’s interesting then, because for months the automated announcements and digital signs weren’t operational.
 

jis

Permanent Way Inspector
Staff member
Administator
Moderator
AU Supporting Member
Gathering Team Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2003
Messages
37,702
Location
Space Coast, Florida, Area code 3-2-1
Rode 318 back from St Louis today. It was a complete venture consist except for lounge car. There were automated messages for the stops. And the digital overhead signs in each car showed the stood like on some of the newer subway cars. At Chicago all doors were open. I was on the last car and got of at an unattended door. So the doors and steps worked as designed in this instance.
During our visit to the Brightline OIA maintenance facility we got to see one of the new trainsets demonstrate how things would work if the train operated at a mixed platform height station. Some of the doors had temporary platforms adjacent to them and other did not. Doors that were open at the temporary platforms had the trap down and the bridge plate extended to fill the gap between the train and the platform. The doors that were at the low level platform had the traps up and the steps down all the way to the platform, no stepping stool required. Then they shut all the doors. All the deployed hardware withdrew into the body of the cars and the doors closed. Very impressive.

I am sure when things are working properly that is how the Ventures will be in the Midwest too.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
6,898
Location
Chicago
Wait, business class cars are in service now!?!?!
Please forgive me for the confusing post. I was lazy when typing the information in on my iPhone. It was one amfleet business-class dinette car and the rest of the cars were venture cars.
During our visit to the Brightline OIA maintenance facility we got to see one of the new trainsets demonstrate how things would work if the train operated at a mixed platform height station. Some of the doors had temporary platforms adjacent to them and other did not. Doors that were open at the temporary platforms had the trap down and the bridge plate extended to fill the gap between the train and the platform. The doors that were at the low level platform had the traps up and the steps down all the way to the platform, no stepping stool required. Then they shut all the doors. All the deployed hardware withdrew into the body of the cars and the doors closed. Very impressive.

I am sure when things are working properly that is how the Ventures will be in the Midwest too.
That is what I saw in Chicago minus the need for exiting from different levels of platforms.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
6,898
Location
Chicago
Wait, business class cars are in service now!?!?!
Please forgive me for the confusing post. I was lazy when typing the information in on my iPhone. It was one amfleet business-class dinette car and the rest of the cars were venture cars.
During our visit to the Brightline OIA maintenance facility we got to see one of the new trainsets demonstrate how things would work if the train operated at a mixed platform height station. Some of the doors had temporary platforms adjacent to them and other did not. Doors that were open at the temporary platforms had the trap down and the bridge plate extended to fill the gap between the train and the platform. The doors that were at the low level platform had the traps up and the steps down all the way to the platform, no stepping stool required. Then they shut all the doors. All the deployed hardware withdrew into the body of the cars and the doors closed. Very impressive.

I am sure when things are working properly that is how the Ventures will be in the Midwest too.
That is what I saw in Chicago minus the need for exiting from different levels of platfo
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cal

TheMalahat

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 15, 2016
Messages
89
On Facebook there's a few photos of a Amtrak Midwest venture coach, on its own, in Canada apparently en route to Montreal. Any idea why this is? I'll update if I read more!
 

Mailliw

OBS Chief
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
764
Location
Scranton, PA
Maybe it's some kind of procedural step required to get approval to run the Venture Coaches in Canada? On one hand the Cascades are the next route scheduled to get them, but on the other hand that's 2 years away and VIA Rail is already taking delivery of the exact same model of cars.
 

TransitTyrant

Service Attendant
Joined
Jul 13, 2022
Messages
167
Location
Chicago
An interesting note from the Amtrak board meeting, Amtrak was expecting 60 cars to be in service by now. Currently only about 30 are service ready with about 25 available at any one day. Siemens has to send techs to work on the cars in the field, they can’t take the cars back to the factory.
 

GDRRiley

OBS Chief
Joined
Sep 16, 2022
Messages
567
Location
SF bay/LA
An interesting note from the Amtrak board meeting, Amtrak was expecting 60 cars to be in service by now. Currently only about 30 are service ready with about 25 available at any one day. Siemens has to send techs to work on the cars in the field, they can’t take the cars back to the factory.
Not surprised Siemens can't take any back, they need a larger shop complex badly. I've got no idea how they expect to crank out 20 mainline cars and locos a month from their tiny plant + light rail.
Going to be interesting to see if the California batch have the same issues the first 21 are suppose to be in service by the end of march 2023.
 

TheMalahat

Train Attendant
Joined
Jun 15, 2016
Messages
89
Apparently the loan Amtrak car.in Canada is headed for the National Research Centre in Ottawa. Typically this be facility is used for cold-weather testing; I haven't read anything than can provide a why for the car being in Canada, though.
 

west point

Engineer
Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
4,268
Location
SW ATL airport
Maybe it's some kind of procedural step required to get approval to run the Venture Coaches in Canada? On one hand the Cascades are the next route scheduled to get them, but on the other hand that's 2 years away and VIA Rail is already taking delivery of the exact same model of cars.
The big difference will be VIA's HEP set up compared to Amtrak's.
 

penguinflies

Service Attendant
Joined
Dec 30, 2015
Messages
137
The 5 rows of econ in biz class sounds like they can have the "reserved for crew" area.

Not a bad option from having to use up dining tables. Hopefully radios can be kept to a low volume.
 

Mailliw

OBS Chief
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
764
Location
Scranton, PA
20 seats for crew seams excessive, even if each crewmember is getting 2 seats. I think it would make more sense to have a Euro-style seating compartment with a locking door for the crew.
 

jis

Permanent Way Inspector
Staff member
Administator
Moderator
AU Supporting Member
Gathering Team Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2003
Messages
37,702
Location
Space Coast, Florida, Area code 3-2-1
The big difference will be VIA's HEP set up compared to Amtrak's.
Amtrak trains running into Canada that will eventually use Venture Cars will not be using VIA HEP setup. They will use Amtrak HEP setup both on the Cascades and the Empire Service.
 

Anthony V

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Mar 10, 2016
Messages
287
I have several questions about the construction and deployment of the new Midwest venture equipment:

Have any of the Venture Business class cars gone into service yet on the Midwest routes?
If yes, does anyone have a photo of the interior of a Venture Business class car?
Has there been any progress on building and/or deploying the Venture Café cars?
If yes, does anyone have a photo of the exterior and/or interior of a Venture Café car?
Can someone post an update each time more Venture cars go into service?
 

TRA_Thom

Train Attendant
Joined
Jul 18, 2022
Messages
23
Location
Chicago
I have several questions about the construction and deployment of the new Midwest venture equipment:

Have any of the Venture Business class cars gone into service yet on the Midwest routes?
If yes, does anyone have a photo of the interior of a Venture Business class car?
Has there been any progress on building and/or deploying the Venture Café cars?
If yes, does anyone have a photo of the exterior and/or interior of a Venture Café car?
Can someone post an update each time more Venture cars go into service?
I still saw a bunch the Business class cars together in the yard at Chicago today. I don’t think they’re running yet. From the outside they don’t look very different from the coach cars.
What I’m curious about is the eventual introduction of the cab cars. I don’t know what the timeline is on those.
 

TRA_Thom

Train Attendant
Joined
Jul 18, 2022
Messages
23
Location
Chicago
I’m on the (delayed) 350 right now. It’s an Amfleet Business/Cafe, 1 Venture, and 3 Horizons. And here’s a reason to appreciate the Venture car: the vestibules are snow-free. The other photos are of the Horizon cars on this same train. Kind of absurd how much snow can accumulate inside a train. The attendant is literally shoveling right now.
Also, it’s pretty chilly on these Horizons, but nice and warm on the Venture. Are the Venture cars more air/water tight than older cars? If so, that seems like an advantage to me in this weather.
 

Attachments

  • D221E331-C147-4927-AC03-3DBCFEDC3AA5.jpeg
    D221E331-C147-4927-AC03-3DBCFEDC3AA5.jpeg
    1.8 MB · Views: 2
  • A4702495-B848-4DAE-A30E-788DB1641E0E.jpeg
    A4702495-B848-4DAE-A30E-788DB1641E0E.jpeg
    2.5 MB · Views: 2
  • A3B028B7-22FD-494B-AC36-A832513489BB.jpeg
    A3B028B7-22FD-494B-AC36-A832513489BB.jpeg
    1.8 MB · Views: 1
  • 4D66DCAB-2D61-4036-BCBE-7201CBDD4191.jpeg
    4D66DCAB-2D61-4036-BCBE-7201CBDD4191.jpeg
    762.9 KB · Views: 1
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
6,898
Location
Chicago
I think once people and employees get use to the venture cars they will see the improvement. At first people hated the Amfleet cars but they saved Amtrsk with their reliability during cold winters. At first rail fans disliked the Superliners because of the lack of dome cars with forward views. Now there's concern we will lose the ambiance of the sightseer lounge cars. And there is out rage when one doesn't operate as scheduled.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top