Amfleet Sleeping Cars

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Viewliner

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For anyone who has a walthers Amfleet I car it mentions that there were Sleeping Cars numbered 22900-22901 (former coaches 21867 and 21882) that were tested in the '70s and were presumably converted back to coaches and had all roomettes from what I've heard.

Is there any more info you guys provide also do you think this would be an interesting concept to test again?
 
Yes, I have those cars too and it does mention that. I remember from awhile back someone saying that they had actually rode in that car. If I remember correctly 2 standard type bedrooms were placed right next to the restrooms with the rest of the car being coach seating. The design must not have worked well because no other cars were built. Do I think it would be a good idea to build more it all depends? Amfleets are very cramped for space and the roundness and low hight of the car may not be sutable for a full compartment. The only thing that might work are those "sleeper seats" you find on International flights. These Amfleets were built by Budd so they have a good 20 years left in them. I think one thing that would make sense is to purchase a whole new Viewliner fleet except coaches and use Amfleets for coach.
 
That seems a little rediculous to mix coach and sleeper passengers. Maybe your idea would work on some corridor trains or even as a "slumbercoach" type accomodation on LD's.
 
Well a sleeper seat would actually make less revenue as a standard room since it takes up the same amount of space but can only hold one person. Another idea is to bring back the Pullman Coach or as VIA Rail has, the berth. There are options out there, but I quite like the Standard and Deluxe rooms, only if they weren't so over priced.
 
Three Words: Supply and Demand, they know people are willing to pay for them and they only have 1-3 cars per train.
 
Supply and Demand
Two words Viewliner unless I'm missing something. :D Anyway, what I'm saying is that one can still purchase a whole Standard room for him/herself, but it can also be sold for 2 travelers as is the case now. If you were to offer sleeper seats they could only be sold to single travelers.
 
The other thing is the way the cars are layed out. I don't ever recal seeing a car from the 50's with all the same sized windows and at the size of the ones on a Superliner or Viewliner. I mean sure they increase the view, but are they worth it. Mabey we should build a new set of streamliner cars to the dimension of those of the 50's, but with a modern decor. Or we buy from a European manufacture. From experience, North America can not build a decent passenger train now a days, but that is understandable since there is no market.
 
I think the only thing good about that car is the double set of windows. Otherwise the AC sucks, quality of materials (seat covers,walls) sucks, video/audio system sucks, electircal sucks, and the plumbing sucks. Frankly I would have rather seen Amtrak spend the money to redisign the Heritage fleet much like VIA did. It may have cost as much as a new car purchase, but in the long run it probably would have been worth it.
 
I like the Viewliners and disagree with you about a redesign, but you're probably right about them geting more (lifetime) out of a Heritage Fleet Redesign.
 
Well since most of the Heritage fleet is gone anyway how would you feel about a Viewliner design with streamliner layout. Or Amtrak should look to some European companies to evolve their Viewliner design. There is one other company that Amtrak could look at which is Rock Mountain Railcar (don't know web adress). They are known for building very good rail cars for some private American rail operatiors and the Florida Fun Train. The windows on those cars are from the floor and wrap around the roof. Whether their cars would be right for Amtrak, I don't know?
 
The Temoinsa rebuild is a great canidate. They also seem to be doing rebuilds on VIA Rail. And the sleeper compartements look nicely redone for the Egypt railway. To bad Amtrak just through those Heritage cars into the junk yard. :blink:
 
Amfleet said:
The Temoinsa rebuild is a great canidate. They also seem to be doing rebuilds on VIA Rail. And the sleeper compartements look nicely redone for the Egypt railway. To bad Amtrak just through those Heritage cars into the junk yard. :blink:
Through or Threw?

Maybe they can buy some back. :lol:

Amfleet said:
Also note how the Heritage Diner is refered to as a "Bistro". Adds a touch of class.
I agree. :D
 
While Amtrak is "junking" its old cars, I find it funny that people are willing to buy them and refurbish the cars. With the constant change of Presidents over the years, they too got caught up in the "newer is better" idea. It's hard to create a "Master Plan" and follow it over the years, when management was constantly changing. Each President brought his own group with him and I'm sure each had a different idea in mind. I think this was one of the reasons behind the decision to cut the V/L order from 100 to 50.

I still think it's cheaper to refurbish, than it is to build new. But US labor costs are astronomical!!! This forced all US railcar manufacturers out of business.

Also, check out the selling price for a rebuilt dome car. These are the most popular "rebuilds" today. Amtrak should have kept them, people are longing for simpler days.

Amfleet, Is Rocky Mountain Railcar formerly Rader Rail? If so, while the FFT was the prettiest train I have ever seen, it was also the worst cars I ever worked on!!! :(

I wouldn't let Tom Rader build a doghouse for my dog!!!! :angry:
 
I just browsed the site and it's him. This is the third company Tom Rader has started in 15 yrs.

Rader Rail started to build the "Marlboro" train, but it never got finished. After investing $25 million dollars and 2 years time, he was able to show very little of anything on any of the cars. The cars were nould not meet FRA standards. They were finally scrapped, never seeing the rail. He filed for bankruptcy.

Then he started Rader II . This company built the FFT. He was also on the Board of Directors of the FFT. Again, the cars did not meet FRA or Amtrak standards, so they sent carmen and spent 2 months in MIA cutting and welding the undercarriage to lift the couplers to the proper height. When Tom came down to inspect the work, I said to him " Wouldn't it have been easier and cheaper to put bigger wheels under the car?" After a few seconds, he sighed and replied that it never crossed his mind! Anyway the cars were a disaster and the A/C's never did work right. When the cars were auctioned off to Alaska RR, They spent over a year in a shop to fix all the defects. While the interiors remained intact, new trucks, A/C's, and wiring had to be done on cars that were only 5 years old!! Rader II again filed for bankruptcy.

And now this is his 3rd company. The Fed's should stop bailing him out and force him to stop building trash!!!!!
 
Where's Budd when you need him. :( You can still find the origional company logo on the Amfleets. The Amfleets may be cramped, have tiny windows, and and odd shape, but tp me they're one heck of a great car (hence my user name. B)).

As for Colarado Railcar, I had no idea all they do is produce crap. :eek: To think they might have sold Metro North bilevel commuter cars. Denver might purchase their new MU equipment for commuter rail service.
 
Amfleet said:
Where's Budd when you need him. :( You can still find the origional company logo on the Amfleets. The Amfleets may be cramped, have tiny windows, and and odd shape, but tp me they're one heck of a great car (hence my user name. B)).
I agree they're in very good shape for their age.
 
Concept 2000 and Capstone 2001 refurbishements are a even showing better for their age. You would think they were knew. Another car even showing its strength has to be the rebuilt Heritage Diners. When I had a refurb on the Silver Meteor my parents kept commenting a new the car was. I laughed and said, "This car is 50 years old and was probably built in the early 1950s' and travlled over 500,000 miles on rail." I then explained the whole rebuild thing. :lol:
 
Amfleet said:
Concept 2000 and Capstone 2001 refurbishements are a even showing better for their age. You would think they were knew. Another car even showing its strength has to be the rebuilt Heritage Diners. When I had a refurb on the Silver Meteor my parents kept commenting a new the car was. I laughed and said, "This car is 50 years old and was probably built in the early 1950s' and travlled over 500,000 miles on rail." I then explained the whole rebuild thing.   :lol:
I agree those diner rebuilds really are a beauty.

abr8552interior.jpg


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