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Daniel
Guest
Has Amtrak ever used Amfleet Is instead of IIs on its eastern LD trains for passengers traveling shorter distances?
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the_traveler
Engineer
Yes! And there is a current example.
The Adirondack travels between NYP and MTR (Montreal). When you board in NYP, if you're going to MTR you are seated in the AFII. If your destination is anywhere else, you are seated in the AFI. However once your ticket is collected and you get your seat check, there is nothing to stop you from moving. (I did in October!)
The Adirondack travels between NYP and MTR (Montreal). When you board in NYP, if you're going to MTR you are seated in the AFII. If your destination is anywhere else, you are seated in the AFI. However once your ticket is collected and you get your seat check, there is nothing to stop you from moving. (I did in October!)
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Daniel
Guest
What about for eastern trains over 1,000 miles, such as the Crescent, Lake Shore, Silver Service? Any of those trains ever use Amfleet Is in the past?
Normally, no. AMF 1s only appear in the event of an emergency equipment change. So it has happened, but rarely, fortunately.
Yes. On the old Cardinal/James Whitcomb Riley, Desert Wind, InterAmerican, National Limited, and Pioneer.
JAChooChoo
Service Attendant
Prior to the 1981 delivery of Amfleet IIs quite a few of the Is were configured as 60 seat LD cars.
the_traveler
Engineer
I can't speak for the other trains, but when I grew up in upstate NY, the LSL used both. West of ALB, it only had AFII cars. But at the time it carried local traffic from ALB to NYP (or NYG - Grand Central Terminal - for a while). When I boarded in SDY, I was seated in an AFII. However all passengers boarding in ALB were all put into AFI's they attached to the LSL!
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
Initially, Amfleet Is were configured as either LD or SD, and LD cars were used on LD trains. When the Amfleet IIs came in, that practice largely stopped until recently, because Amtrak still had quite a number of LD capable Heritage cars.
That being said, I would expect that practice of using Amfleet Is for short turners on LD trains will increase. Service expansion is under consideration, and doing that is a way to free up Amfleet IIs for other trains.
That being said, I would expect that practice of using Amfleet Is for short turners on LD trains will increase. Service expansion is under consideration, and doing that is a way to free up Amfleet IIs for other trains.
Ashland Train Enthusiast
Service Attendant
I think they may be starting this on some of the intermediate distance trains... I took the Palmetto from WAS to RVR in November, and before boarding was directed by the conductor into an AF1 based on my destination while other passengers going further along were directed to AF2's. I've got another trip down south on the Carolinian next month that I'll have to see where they seat me then...
But TT is absolutely right in that once they take your ticket and give you your seat check, there's no real way for them to keep you from moving from one car to another... I too have done that on occasion :giggle:
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Daniel
Guest
Since when did medium distance trains, such as the Adirondack, Maple Leaf, and the Pennsylvanian have Amfleet IIs as well as Is? Has this occurred recently?
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guest
Guest
OK - what is Amfleet?
the_traveler
Engineer
Amfleet (AF) cars are the single level cars used on eastern routes, except for the CL and Auto Train. AFI cars have more seats per car, thus a very tight seat pitch (distance between seats). These are used mostly on the NEC. AFII cars have less seats per car, and are normally used on LD trains. The 2 level cars are called Superliners, but they can not be used on most routes in the east, because these routes go thru tunnels in Baltimore and New York City, and Superliners do not fit in those tunnels.
And the change to AFIIs on some routes like the Adirondack was recent - like in the last year, IIRC.
Whenever this subject comes up, I am reminded of the historic role the Amfleet cars performed in that dreaded winter of (1976-1977?), when Superliners were not made yet. and the HEP program had not yet commenced. The Chicago yard, the heart and soul of the national long distance fleet, was in a very deep freeze. For days, entire trainsets of heritage equipment with frozen broken pipes had to be sent down to New Orleans to thaw out. Long distance routes one by one had to be cancelled of all service, as there was nothing to run. Amtrak was at its knees. Nothing that is until they started sending Amfleet equipment out together with what remaining heritage cars that were serviceable. One by one routes were restored with at least some service. The Amfleet cars performed heroically, and saved Amtrak from going under.
When the freeze ended, the service went back to normal, but the lessons learned sparked the Head End Power conversion program.
When the freeze ended, the service went back to normal, but the lessons learned sparked the Head End Power conversion program.
There may not be a tried and true way to prevent one from moving one's seat. However, some conductors do make note of the seat checks as they pass through the cars looking for tickets from the newly boarded, and they will make you move back to the correct car. Some conductors don't care, unless they know that the long distance car is going to be sold out, in which case they have to make you move.
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