Viewliner Sleeper Prototypes to be Used?

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printman2000

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I just read a report from a list I am on...

$2 million is also being spent on a new business car for Boardman, with high-definition cameras, a kitchen-dining room, a big glass window on the rear and theater seating. The new business car is being built from one of the three 1978 Viewliner prototype cars; another is being built into a prototype Viewliner coach, and the third is the in-service Viewliner dining car.
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Anyone else heard this? I have inquired about the source of this information. I will reply back when I get it.
 
These three new, Viewliner based, corporate cars will replace 10001?
 
Guest said:
These three new, Viewliner based, corporate cars will replace 10001?
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Well, who knows. Still waiting to hear from the person I heard it from.

I suppose the first Viewliner mentioned could replace or add to 10001. The Dining car is already being used on trains and I would guess the coach would be purely for mock-up.
 
printman2000 said:
I just read a report from a list I am on...

$2 million is also being spent on a new business car for Boardman, with high-definition cameras, a kitchen-dining room, a big glass window on the rear and theater seating. The new business car is being built from one of the three 1978 Viewliner prototype cars; another is being built into a prototype Viewliner coach, and the third is the in-service Viewliner dining car.
Click to expand...
Anyone else heard this? I have inquired about the source of this information. I will reply back when I get it
Click to expand...
There were reports that one of the 2 remaining Viewliner prototypes was to be converted into an business car, but the reports did not say whether the car was to be for Boardman or a general purpose business car. There might be a market on the NEC for a business/lounge car that can be added for the special charter trains for the sport teams. The other Viewliner prototype shell was to be left on the back lot.

One of the Viewliner I sleepers has been pulled from service and is reportedly being used to prototype & evaluate a Viewliner coach car design.
 
I can kind of confirm this. I've now heard this from several sources. (One very reliable one). One prototype sleeper is being converted into a Theater car which is "desperately needed". The other sleeper is being converted into a prototype coach
 
printman2000 said:
I just read a report from a list I am on...

$2 million is also being spent on a new business car for Boardman, with high-definition cameras, a kitchen-dining room, a big glass window on the rear and theater seating. The new business car is being built from one of the three 1978 Viewliner prototype cars; another is being built into a prototype Viewliner coach, and the third is the in-service Viewliner dining car.
Click to expand...
Anyone else heard this? I have inquired about the source of this information. I will reply back when I get it.
Click to expand...

The prototype Viewliners were built between 1987-1988... so the fact check on this report has already been blown.

According to this old thread the 62090 (former 2300) was taken out of service in 1998 and has deteriorated. It may be the one being used for the coach car mockups (it's served as the shell for mockups in the past.)

The 62091 (former 2301) is in much better shape and would be the likely candidate for conversion into a company car.

The prototypes were retired because they had notoriously unreliable (and non-standard) air conditioning systems that kept breaking down in constant revenue service. That being said... they could be great company cars since they only see light use and it appears they solved the A/C problem when they rebuilt the 8400 (diner prototype).
 
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No, I think by theater car, they mean that the back of the car would be mostly glass, with rows of seats inside facing this rear glass, with the second row being positioned slightly higher than the front row, etc, as in movie theater seating.

This would allow a dozen or so Amtrak management types to look out the rear of their train simultaneously without straining their necks as they travel around the system on inspection trains.
 
printman2000 said:
I just read a report from a list I am on...

$2 million is also being spent on a new business car for Boardman, with high-definition cameras, a kitchen-dining room, a big glass window on the rear and theater seating. The new business car is being built from one of the three 1978 Viewliner prototype cars; another is being built into a prototype Viewliner coach, and the third is the in-service Viewliner dining car.
Click to expand...
Anyone else heard this? I have inquired about the source of this information. I will reply back when I get it.
Click to expand...
The person would only tell me that it was from an internal source. I lean towards relying on this persons info.
 
Why not use the 'Theatre Car' as a Lounge prototype? One third length gets booth seats, the 2nd gets window facing seats like the Superliner Lounges, and the 3rd is the food bar?
 
Guest said:
These three new, Viewliner based, corporate cars will replace 10001?
Click to expand...
No three new corporate cars. Just one new corporate car.
The Coach is just going to be a mockup and is not expected to operate anywhere.

The Diner remains the Diner in commercial service as it is today.
 
FWIW, the funding for the conversion of one of the prototype sleepers to a prototype coach is noticeable in both the budget and the monthly reports. I don't see the funding for the business car listed anywhere.

I would be surprised if Amtrak built the coach prototype and then didn't operate it, given the shortage of Amfleet IIs. But I suppose anything is possible.
 
Anything can happen in the future. But currently there is no plan to equip it with trucks that will enable it to operate in regular service. We did see this car at Wilmington when we visited there as part of the AU Gathering last year and heard about the plans for it from the folks who are involved in that project.
 
Nathanael said:
FWIW, the funding for the conversion of one of the prototype sleepers to a prototype coach is noticeable in both the budget and the monthly reports. I don't see the funding for the business car listed anywhere.
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I don't see a line item or mention in the financial and monthly reports for converting a prototype Viewliner to an office car either. It is possible that the conversion to the office car was put on hold due to the sequestration and tight budget. The June 2013 monthly reports lists cuts to the number of planned overhauls for Horizon and Viewliner cars due to the budget for example.
 
The coach mockup is something that I asked about at the Gathering. Let's face it, it was non-standard equipment, so I was curious. They've apparently been using that car for LDSL mockups for a bit. 2300 was being converted into a coach mockup as part of a plan to order new coaches for the eastern trains (which are, as we all know, slowly getting stressed by passenger loads).

As to the dates, "1978" looks like it might have been a typo on "1987" (digits reversed) or "1988" (bad typing).
 
I know that this is an old thread but here is an update. The car is out of Beech Grove and running. It is made from the 2301, later the 62091, now the 10004.

Car came into Chicago on 29 today.

Bob
 
That is correct. While they were at it they stole the name "American View" from 62000 to which it was originally assigned and gave it to this car too. :) And that caused some to think that it was 62000 which was converted, thus supporting their theory that when the new Viewliner Sleepers come in some of the Viewliner Is will be retired and used for other purposes, which of course is untrue. But whne someone believes something with all their heart and mind, reality seems to have little effect on them. :(
 
There are 3 photos of the rebuilt 10004 American View inspection car taken April 2, 2014 in Chicago at rr picture archives. Unfortunately these are side views that do not show the big window with theater seating on one end. There were 2 close-up photos with one showing the large window and the seats posted on railroad.net, but those images were embedded in the post and I'm hesitant to post a direct link.

Since this is a just rebuilt Viewliner prototype which is now out roaming the wild, I would expect more photos will become available soon.
 
Let me clarify an earlier post. The 2301 was renumbered to 62091 during its short time as a dorm car on the Florida trains in 2001/02. This is the "new" 10004 car. The 2300 was never renumbered. There was never a 62090 number applied to that car. It remained in its original phase 3 paint and was on the rear of train 51 en route to Beech Grove a few months ago.
 
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