Viewliner II Delivery/Production

Been on a number of trains over the years between South Carolina and Boston and North Carolina to Los Angeles but it has been many decades since I last ate a meal in an actual dining car... likely the last trip was when I headed to Boston in the Army back in '74. In general I stuck to the lounge car for my meals (the Canadian Bacon sandwiches were great back then) as well as simply for riding (even road the lounge car when it wasn't open simply because I was more comfortable than my coach seat usually was).

Don't foresee any dining car opportunities in my future (there's no where for me to go) but am glad that "slowly" dining cars are being delivered with the hope that many more will yet be able to share the experience of riding in the new cars, hopefully with it leading to more rides for folks than just the first.

From article in the Railway Gazette:
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/trac ... sting.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

CAF coaches for Caledonian Sleeper services.

UK: The first five of the 75 coaches that CAF is building for Caledonian Sleeper services between Scotland and London ...

The two seating cars, two sleeping cars and a club car were sent from CAF’s factory at Beasain in Spain ... testing in the UK ... to get underway ...

The order for the new fleet was placed by Serco when it won the Caledonian Sleeper operating contract in 2014. Entry into service is planned for 2018.

... four types of accommodation, with reclining seats, berths, en suite berths and double rooms with toilets and showers. ... mobile device charging facilities and on-board wi-fi ... compartments will have key card entry. ... ‘brasserie style club car’.

Yeah, but the Viewliner IIs will be much better. Just you wait and see! Wait, I said. LOL.

If they gave any care about the american market they would be putting this kind of effort in to it. I have such little faith in these new cars anymore. Who knows if we will ever even see the new sleepers seeing as how the diners are taking longer and longer, which costs more and more money from the already expanded budget.

It's a pretty different order to build cars to your design, where you want to build them.

ApproachMedium wrote:If they gave any care about the american market they would be putting this kind of effort in to it. I have such little faith in these new cars anymore. Who knows if we will ever even see the new sleepers seeing as how the diners are taking longer and longer, which costs more and more money from the already expanded budget.

I suspect if they were allowed to build them in Spain , there would be a lot less problems . Building in a outreach location is always going to be more difficult than building in your main factory.
CAF's New Zealand order were a totally new design and delivered on schedule.

EU railway cars also don't have anything near the same crashworthiness as US ones...

I'm not sure about that , or what it has to do on where they are manufactured, they could have been built in Spain to the same heavy standard.

Per another forum, Dining car Columbus should leave the factory, day after tomorrow.
Nick

Silver Meteor train sets are stored at Penn Coach Yard, Philadelphia, pending return to Florida service. Diners Augusta and Boston are present, photographed Sunday morning.

One of the 91/92 sets was parked at the sanford auto train stop. when i arrived there Tuesday am they were putting engines on. Did they store it there for the whole storm or just terminate there after the storm was over?

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Aside from that two cars every thirty days has now become one every forty five, there should be nine cars on the property (including 8400) - enough for both the Meteor and The Crescent plus a spare.

Four more and Mr. Moore could see 'em again on the Lake Shore.

In time for a Christmas present from Amtrak?

I do remember reading

Over the next several years, CAF USA's welders, electricians and assemblers will crank out about seven rail cars for Amtrak each month, as the company works to complete a five-year $298 million contact signed in June 2011. The deal calls for CAF USA to provide Amtrak with 130 train cars — 25 sleepers, 25 diners, 55 baggage cars and 25 baggage/dormitory cars.

So it's just a couple of months until we have them on the Late For Sure once they get the bugs worked out and the assembly line up to speed.

Just a little history from two different railroads from different countries worthy of some discussion.
Amtrak Viewliner 2 ordered 130 cars on July 23, 2010.
Over 7 years have passed and less than 85 of the 130 have been delivered.
ScotRail orders 75 Mark 5 cars in February 2015 for the Caledonian Sleeper service. The first 5 cars are already being tested, and service is set to begin next year, in less than 4 years.
Both rail car orders are being built by CAF, one assembly plant in the USA and the other in Spain.

I will be interested to see if the ScotRail cars have problems in much the same way the CAF built MetroRail WMATA cars did in Washington. The deliveries did seem quick but the teething problems lasted for years. Amtrak on the other hand is taking all the hits upfront in the interest of not having issues on the fragile/delicate single level long distance services later on.

I will be watching for indications that Amtrak intends to exercise their order options. I think the odds of that happening are getting better everyday.

On which cars do you think Amtrak will check CAF’s box? I’d be in favor of them buying more sleepers and dorm-bags (as mini-sleepers even), but the need for diners depends on Amtrak’s ability to remake its food service, I think.