by RMadisonWI
I mentioned this at the bottom of my post on the Empire Builder's 75th anniversary, but figured I'd give it its own subject in case someone didn't feel like reading all the way down there.
Anyway, I was speaking with an Amtrak conductor today, who had spoken with David Gunn while on the Empire Builder from Chicago to Milwaukee.
He said that David Gunn believes that they will get approval very soon (though, I don't know how soon "very soon" is) to order RDCs to operate on the Chicago-Milwaukee and Springfield-New Haven corridor. I don't know when they will enter service.
I have seen an Amtrak PowerPoint presentation on the RDCs, and my impression is that they will not be Colorado Railcar DMUs. I don't know who the manufacturer might be.
This equipment order will be needed, as the cabbage car fleet is, according to the conductors with whom I have communicated, junk. Amtrak often runs two engines on trains in the Midwest, one on each end, because the cabbage fleet is in such poor shape. The RDCs will offer a significant cost savings over operating two locomotives.
The other thing David Gunn said, though this may be more of an idea/wish list rather than something in the works for the near future, is that he wants to take one "power car" off of each Acela Express trainset, and replace it with a cab car with seats in it (since these trains basically have twice the power necessary to run anyway).
The extra power cars could then be used to add more coaches behind them (though I'm not sure if these would be Acela-type coaches, or if it would be Amfleet-style). He also wants to add seats in the lounge car (which apparently has no useful seats inside), in the event that the Acela is oversold, so they can put those extra passengers in the "bistro" instead.
Anyway, I was speaking with an Amtrak conductor today, who had spoken with David Gunn while on the Empire Builder from Chicago to Milwaukee.
He said that David Gunn believes that they will get approval very soon (though, I don't know how soon "very soon" is) to order RDCs to operate on the Chicago-Milwaukee and Springfield-New Haven corridor. I don't know when they will enter service.
I have seen an Amtrak PowerPoint presentation on the RDCs, and my impression is that they will not be Colorado Railcar DMUs. I don't know who the manufacturer might be.
This equipment order will be needed, as the cabbage car fleet is, according to the conductors with whom I have communicated, junk. Amtrak often runs two engines on trains in the Midwest, one on each end, because the cabbage fleet is in such poor shape. The RDCs will offer a significant cost savings over operating two locomotives.
The other thing David Gunn said, though this may be more of an idea/wish list rather than something in the works for the near future, is that he wants to take one "power car" off of each Acela Express trainset, and replace it with a cab car with seats in it (since these trains basically have twice the power necessary to run anyway).
The extra power cars could then be used to add more coaches behind them (though I'm not sure if these would be Acela-type coaches, or if it would be Amfleet-style). He also wants to add seats in the lounge car (which apparently has no useful seats inside), in the event that the Acela is oversold, so they can put those extra passengers in the "bistro" instead.