Acela150 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 6:42 pm
Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Thu Aug 20, 2020 9:34 am
Reports, and video, "elsewhere" note that 62511 and 12, Saluda and St. Marys, were delivered last week. That means eleven V-II Sleepers are "sunning themselves down UNOWARE".
There are no reports any are in revenue service.
I would double check your source.
They were on Train 97 yesterday and should be arriving Hialeah this evening.
Rapidan River is also in service on yesterday's Train 97 as car 9712. Confirmed by multiple visual reports.
It's believed that they may be "in line" for general crew familiarization. But there's no revenue bookings within this car. Can't confirm the actual revenue bookings in the Viewliner II Sleepers. Amtrak was set on ensuring that the Viewliner I and Viewliner II sleepers would NOT be intermixed. However, this is perhaps a good sign that they are being readied for launch on the Silver Meteor/Silver Star trains! Come October, with trains going tri-weekly, Amtrak should try to stage it so that the Viewliner II's go into operation and the Viewliner I's are pulled out. Under current train set assignments (number of sleeper), but a tri-weekly schedule, ONLY 24 Viewliner II's are needed to hold down service. Use the 25 Viewliner II sleepers that are on order to meet the demand and pull the Viewliner I's for storage or much needed renovation. One spare Viewliner II could be stashed in Sunnyside Yard along with some of the best Viewliner I's for susbstituting as needed. These are supposed to be BRAND NEW cars, so shouldn't the shop margin be low? One can dream! The 24 count doesn't include restoration of overnight service on the NEC. Amtrak could use Viewliner I's for this service if so desired.
Crescent - 2 train sets* x 2 Viewliner II Sleepers - 4 Viewliner II Sleepers Needed
Cardinal - 2 train sets x 1 Viewliner II Sleeper - 2 Viewliner II Sleepers Needed
Lake Shore - 2 train sets x 3 Viewliner II Sleeper - 6 Viewliner II Sleepers Needed
Silver Meteor/Star - 4 train sets x 3 Viewliner II Sleeper - 12 Viewliner II Sleepers Needed
* not sure if this requires two or three sets, but Amtrak could potentially get efficiencies out of better turns of trains at Sunnyside with a tri-weekly schedule!
TOTAL Viewliner II Sleepers Needed: 24 Viewliner II Sleepers Required in Tri-Weekly Single Level LD Service
How ironic that with tri-weekly service the numbers come out to needing 24 Viewliner II Sleepers......