Viewliner II Part 2: Dining Car Production, Delivery, Speculation

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cpotisch said:
neroden said:
Seriously, if they can service an Amfleet II cafe in Boston, they can service a Viewliner Diner in Boston. They're both train cars, for god's sake, it's not like one of them is a horse and the other is an emu. :sigh:
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Not necessarily. Even assuming they use it as a diner-lite, Boston might not have the staff and commissary in place to stock the car.
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I'm sorry if this was already asked, but if a V2 were to be used as a Diner - Lite, or in the same format as the XC Cafe cars on the CONO, what else is needed In a commissary? They already serve Northeast Regional Cafes, but also Acela, Correct? and the Acela menu is a full menu. https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Acela-Express-First-Class-Menus-0417.pdf

Sorry if I am missing something here.
 
kdeschner said:
cpotisch said:
neroden said:
Seriously, if they can service an Amfleet II cafe in Boston, they can service a Viewliner Diner in Boston. They're both train cars, for god's sake, it's not like one of them is a horse and the other is an emu. :sigh:
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Not necessarily. Even assuming they use it as a diner-lite, Boston might not have the staff and commissary in place to stock the car.
Click to expand...
I'm sorry if this was already asked, but if a V2 were to be used as a Diner - Lite, or in the same format as the XC Cafe cars on the CONO, what else is needed In a commissary? They already serve Northeast Regional Cafes, but also Acela, Correct? and the Acela menu is a full menu. https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/menus/routes/Acela-Express-First-Class-Menus-0417.pdf

Sorry if I am missing something here.
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If a V-II is used as a diner lite on any of the four trains currently with a diner of some kind (LSL, Card, Crescent, Meteor), the existing commissaries could easily do the job. The main issue is that the crews and facilities might not currently be set up to maintain, service, and and operate the cars.
 
It is purest handwaving to suggest that Boston cannot do basic mechanical servicing on the Viewliner Diners, given that it can handle Viewliner I sleepers, Amfleet IIs, Amfleet Is, Acelas, Horizons, etc. I simply don't believe that. If they're that incompetent, honestly, I could replace them personally and do better -- and I think better of Amtrak than that.

They don't have a full "diner" commissary at Boston, *but the LSL isn't running a full diner menu anyway* right now. At least there would be a better atmosphere for the passengers and better conditions for the serving staff if the Amfleet II were replaced with the Viewliner right now, even if they can't bring fresh-cooked eggs back until the "summer of hell" is over.
 
Albany has no food service at all, so stock the food service cars in Boston would make more sense during Summer of Hell 2.0. Just on the fact there a truck with a Reefer to keep it cool before it getting loaded on to the train.

The need to find work for the new equipment is fast approaching. The reason not to will be running out shortly. Today is the Summer of Helll 2.0 Tomorrow will be what Off Peak?
 
neroden said:
It is purest handwaving to suggest that Boston cannot do basic mechanical servicing on the Viewliner Diners, given that it can handle Viewliner I sleepers, Amfleet IIs, Amfleet Is, Acelas, Horizons, etc. I simply don't believe that. If they're that incompetent, honestly, I could replace them personally and do better -- and I think better of Amtrak than that.

They don't have a full "diner" commissary at Boston, *but the LSL isn't running a full diner menu anyway* right now. At least there would be a better atmosphere for the passengers and better conditions for the serving staff if the Amfleet II were replaced with the Viewliner right now, even if they can't bring fresh-cooked eggs back until the "summer of hell" is over.
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No one is saying that Boston can’t maintain a V-II. But if they don’t have a commissary that can supply food for a diner(-lite), that’s a problem. Obviously ViewDiners are superior to AmCafes, but if Boston can’t supply anything beyond the Cafe’s offerings, something somewhere has to change. Honestly, this whole subject is more about how they can run a diner-lite on the LSL at all this summer, rather than what type of equipment will be used.
 
The food is provided by a national food service supplier, and there is no problem getting it to Boston. I point out Albany, because 5 other trains need stocking. The real challenge will be crew, perhaps the simplest might be to keep the NY crews and just have them deadhead up and back.
 
cpotisch said:
neroden said:
It is purest handwaving to suggest that Boston cannot do basic mechanical servicing on the Viewliner Diners, given that it can handle Viewliner I sleepers, Amfleet IIs, Amfleet Is, Acelas, Horizons, etc. I simply don't believe that. If they're that incompetent, honestly, I could replace them personally and do better -- and I think better of Amtrak than that.

They don't have a full "diner" commissary at Boston, *but the LSL isn't running a full diner menu anyway* right now. At least there would be a better atmosphere for the passengers and better conditions for the serving staff if the Amfleet II were replaced with the Viewliner right now, even if they can't bring fresh-cooked eggs back until the "summer of hell" is over.
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No one is saying that Boston can’t maintain a V-II. But if they don’t have a commissary that can supply food for a diner(-lite), that’s a problem. Obviously ViewDiners are superior to AmCafes, but if Boston can’t supply anything beyond the Cafe’s offerings, something somewhere has to change. Honestly, this whole subject is more about how they can run a diner-lite on the LSL at all this summer, rather than what type of equipment will be used.
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Even if they do the diner lite somehow this summer, it would probably only be open Albany-Chicago as the diner crew is New York based. The diner crew would likely be shuttled on an Empire Service train between Albany and Grand Central with the New York passengers.
 
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cpotisch said:
neroden said:
It is purest handwaving to suggest that Boston cannot do basic mechanical servicing on the Viewliner Diners, given that it can handle Viewliner I sleepers, Amfleet IIs, Amfleet Is, Acelas, Horizons, etc. I simply don't believe that. If they're that incompetent, honestly, I could replace them personally and do better -- and I think better of Amtrak than that.

They don't have a full "diner" commissary at Boston, *but the LSL isn't running a full diner menu anyway* right now. At least there would be a better atmosphere for the passengers and better conditions for the serving staff if the Amfleet II were replaced with the Viewliner right now, even if they can't bring fresh-cooked eggs back until the "summer of hell" is over.
Click to expand...
No one is saying that Boston can’t maintain a V-II. But if they don’t have a commissary that can supply food for a diner(-lite), that’s a problem. Obviously ViewDiners are superior to AmCafes, but if Boston can’t supply anything beyond the Cafe’s offerings, something somewhere has to change. Honestly, this whole subject is more about how they can run a diner-lite on the LSL at all this summer, rather than what type of equipment will be used.
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Does Boston Commissary stock Acela? IMHO If Boston can stock a first class cafe on Acela, which serves Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, can't it stock a slightly modified diner?

https://www.amtrak.c...-Menus-0417.pdf

Here is the Acela menu, suitable for a diner? I am prob. missing something here! Just let me know!
 
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AmtrakBlue said:
cpotisch said:
Have they been delivered? The 'Just the facts' thread says there's a video of them out in the wild today.
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That video is probably them leaving CAF on their way to Sunnyside. They should be on 97(18)

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum
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I will be on 97(18).
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