Viewliner II Delivery/Production

Are there any photos of the damaged equipment, pardon my asking?

While there are articles about that accident,no pictures as of now,Anybody close to Wilmington or Bear Shops
might have a chance for a pic.(hopefully )

Backshophoss wrote:While there are articles about that accident,no pictures as of now,Anybody close to Wilmington or Bear Shops
might have a chance for a pic.(hopefully )

It is still sitting in Boston fininshing temporary repairs so it can move for permanent repairs.

Mr. Third Rail, I guess it is safe to conclude that the Legal Department does not need to have the V-bag tied up indefinitely as evidence, and that the Mechanical Department is free to proceed with repairs and a return to service.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Mr. Third Rail, I guess it is safe to conclude that the Legal Department does not need to have the V-bag tied up indefinitely as evidence, and that the Mechanical Department is free to proceed with repairs and a return to service.

I suppose. I never know what to make of that aspect. They had a hold on 925 after it hit a car near Mansfield. It was supposed to be retired and held. The next thing you know , it was back in WIL , repaired and on the loose again!

ThirdRail7 wrote:

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Mr. Third Rail, I guess it is safe to conclude that the Legal Department does not need to have the V-bag tied up indefinitely as evidence, and that the Mechanical Department is free to proceed with repairs and a return to service.

I suppose. I never know what to make of that aspect. They had a hold on 925 after it hit a car near Mansfield. It was supposed to be retired and held. The next thing you know , it was back in WIL , repaired and on the loose again!

Same with 908 that was supposed to have been retired/scrapped whatever after the commuter rail incident in boston. In December it was out and about again.

Moderaters Note:

Yes, let's bring the topic back to the Viewliners.

I can report that Viewliner bags are the norm rather than the exception now here in Williamsburg.

Matt Johnson wrote:I can report that Viewliner bags are the norm rather than the exception now here in Williamsburg.

Cool. Any hypothesis why?

Arlington wrote:

Matt Johnson wrote:I can report that Viewliner bags are the norm rather than the exception now here in Williamsburg.

Cool. Any hypothesis why?

Because they're replacing the heritage bags as quickly as they can.

Finding a Heritage bag in service as a baggage car on Eastern LD is quickly becoming the exception.

Greg Moore wrote:

Arlington wrote:

Matt Johnson wrote:I can report that Viewliner bags are the norm rather than the exception now here in Williamsburg.

Cool. Any hypothesis why?

Because they're replacing the heritage bags as quickly as they can.

Finding a Heritage bag in service as a baggage car on Eastern LD is quickly becoming the exception.

Yup - I don't know the last time I spotted a Heritage bag on the LDs I've caught passing ALX.

Now bring on the Viewdiners!

Was there a conclusion on why 15 bag-dorms got turned into bag-only? The headline for such a reduction has 4 parts:
1) It saved somebody money, either CAF or Amtrak, given that racks & two doors are likely much cheaper than 8 roomettes & 16 windows
2) It meant that most baggage cars would now have two doors and easy roro bike handling, making baggage transactions easier...potentially easy enough to be part of LDs handling local traffic on the NEC.

These benefits had to be set against (and dominate) any downsides, which include:

3) It reduced the number of available roomettes in the fleet by 8 x 15 = 120
4) Reduced flexibility in being able to match available roomette space to demand (since it can only be done "whole sleeper" at a time) increasing the chance of sellouts (if you fail to add 1 sleeper) or vacancies (if you add one and can't fill it economically)

Why did bags "beat" bag dorms?

I see three subtexts:
A) Amtrak expects/hopes to somehow reduce the number of crew that requires roomettes
B) Bikes and/or freight were identified as a priority (pets came later)
C) Short dwells were identified as a priority, and possibly an increase in NEC capacity if punctual LDs could carry local NEC traffic

Amtrak has been stuffing the old baggage cars where they can in NY now. There are 3 1700 series stuffed on 2 lead in SSYD for now. it would be funny to see them stack the old cars up on 4 lead infront of Q tower to recreate an old scene from the 80s-90s when PRRand New haven baggage cars were backed up along that track for years.

Arlington wrote:Why did bags "beat" bag dorms?

I see three subtexts:
A) Amtrak expects/hopes to somehow reduce the number of crew that requires roomettes
B) Bikes and/or freight were identified as a priority (pets came later)
C) Short dwells were identified as a priority, and possibly an increase in NEC capacity if punctual LDs could carry local NEC traffic

There is one other likely possibility. There was a contract cost overrun and this was how it was handled. I seem to recall that there were hints that this version of events was in fact the issue at hand.