Viewliner I and II discussion

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H

Hans627

Service Attendant
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Messages
104
I'm on train 97 in a roomette and it is the original Viewliner. I was just curious as to when all the Viewliners be upgraded to the Viewliner II? Is there a schedule posted somewhere?

Thanks!
 
Hans627 said:
I'm on train 97 in a roomette and it is the original Viewliner. I was just curious as to when all the Viewliners be upgraded to the Viewliner II? Is there a schedule posted somewhere?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Never, under current plans. The Viewliner Is were originally slated to be upgraded to the same configuration as the V IIs once all the V IIs were deployed, so they had the same number and type of rooms. Those plans were shelved, and the intent now is to run both types in their current configurations indefinitely.
 
Hans627 said:
i‘m in a V1 and it is really looking tired. It needs to be refurbished soon. Are there plans to refurbish the V1’s if they are not going to be replaced?
Click to expand...
Yes. Currently the design work for the refresh is in progress. Likely to start the project later this year.

zephyr17 said:
Never, under current plans. The Viewliner Is were originally slated to be upgraded to the same configuration as the V IIs once all the V IIs were deployed, so they had the same number and type of rooms. Those plans were shelved, and the intent now is to run both types in their current configurations indefinitely.
Click to expand...
I was talking to someone who was in the team that produced the Viewliner I design and then worked on them some during the manufacturing phase. His comment was that the much touted modular structure was mainly to better manage the logistics of manufacturing floor and not that much about swapping out random modules at some point in the future. This was never going to be easy. The managers who did not understand this sold the idea that they could be converted easily to the Viewliner II layout. But when it came time to pay the Piper they realized that the Piper needed almost as much as rebuilding the entire car. At which point they backed off and here we are where we are.

Considering how much time it took to just insert the darned modules to build the cars the first time, it had seemed to me at least, that removing modules and inserting new ones will be quite a long drawn out process. The gentleman also explained to me how even the first time they had to rework shims around the modules as they were installed because no one had taken into consideration that the car frame changes shape slightly as modules are loaded up.

So anyway, the bottom line is that the Viewliner Is will remain as is with some superficial fixing up. Maybe the cushion and fixtures will look more like the VL IIs, but there will most likely be no common restrooms. One remote possibility is to replace a Roomette module in the middle of the car with a restroom module, and then seal the commodes shut in place in the Roomettes. But that is also quite unlikely. Getting a restroom module into the end of the car seems totally out of the question. The design activity may be addressing such possibilities, and we won't know for sure until that process is completed
 
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jis said:
I was talking to someone who was in the team that produced the Viewliner I design and then worked on them some during the manufacturing phase. His comment was that the much touted modular structure was mainly to better manage the logistics of manufacturing floor and not that much about swapping out random modules at some point in the future. This was never going to be easy. The managers who did not understand this sold the idea that they could be converted easily to the Viewliner II layout. But when it came time to pay the Piper they realized that the Piper needed almost as much as rebuilding the entire car. At which point they backed off and here we are where we are.

Considering how much time it took to just insert the darned modules to build the cars the first time, it had seemed to me at least, that removing modules and inserting new ones will be quite a long drawn out process. The gentleman also explained to me how even the first time they had to rework shims around the modules as they were installed because no one had taken into consideration that the car frame changes shape slightly as modules are loaded up.
Click to expand...
Finally someone actually explained why the VLI refresh was shelved instead of just saying “they shelved it.” I’ve been wondering this for ages, thank you!
 
The Viewliner Is  are going to be replaced, but that will be part of the long-distance fleet replacement (along with the Superliners and Amfleet IIs) that Amtrak is planning.
 
Kbyrdleroydogg said:
Does anyone have a current photo of what to expect in a Viewliner roomette? All the photos I've found are old ones with a toilet in them.
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I thought I did, but do not.

In any case, they are pretty much the same. Aside from color scheme, the differences are:
1. No toilet. Replaced by a step with a handy little cubby under it that was good for my daypack.
2. Real thermostat with a temperature setting as opposed to a "warmer/cooler" dial to control the wall heat. Mine actually worked.
3. The luggage cubby above the sink is noticeably shallower.
 
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