The planned production order that was stated last fall was that first batch would be 2 cars of each type, then one production line would build diners, baggage-dorms, then sleepers in that order while the baggage cars would be built concurrently on a second production line. The production plans may have been changed, don't know, because CAF is also way behind on delivering light rail cars to Houston. CAF appears to have underestimated the time it would take to build out the production facility and the challenges in hiring a skilled workforce in the Elmira region.
Amtrak doesn't have the modules... CAF is building them and installing them in Elmira. Pictures of the Mods can be found in the first pages of this topic. IINM Amtrak will also be replacing the Mods in the current view liners with the mods that are being put in the new view liners. So extra mods will be built for the 50 VL I's and put in by Hialeah. I'm not sure if that is still the plan. Someone like Jis or Alan might know better then me on that.
The modules aren't built by CAF but rather by Railplan, a company that specializes in railcar interiors.
And surely we remember the dining car whose wheels stopped rotating on the Silver Star?
We ought to have had them last winter; it's not unreasonable to expect them this winter.
Those may be flagmen for the train move.
