Silver Star Downgrade and Diner Discussion

Matt Johnson wrote:12 today, as seen on the Ashland, VA railcam, with 6 coaches as it had when I caught it passing Princeton Junction earlier in the fall.

Wow isn't that ever the "Amtrak Dream" ... Not a single heritage unit, new power and looks like 125 MPH operation.

Unless they miraculously upgraded the sleepers, I believe it's still limited to 110MPH.

Greg Moore wrote:Unless they miraculously upgraded the sleepers, I believe it's still limited to 110MPH.

Ah good point! Well ... At least it's not 90 MPH anymore.

I think someone from Amtrak, ( possibly third rail 7?), posted that it was just a matter of re certifying, and it had already been done.

David Benton wrote:I think someone from Amtrak, ( possibly third rail 7?), posted that it was just a matter of re certifying, and it had already been done.

ApproachMedium said in May in the V-II thread that it was just a matter of updating paperwork to upgrade the V-IIs to 125mph (and, from context, that it hadn't been done previously because as long as the Heritage stuff was slowing whole trains there'd been no point). Others had said it was only slightly tougher (requiring a shop visit?)

I've asked for clarification on "did it happen" and "when will/did trains start moving faster" in the V-II thread.

For the speed differences on V-1s and V-2s are the truck designs the same and who builds them ? If different designs how different ?

Pretty sure they're both on GSK trucks. "Standard Issue"

east point wrote:For the speed differences on V-1s and V-2s are the truck designs the same and who builds them ? If different designs how different ?

Sorry if I was unclear, it was, as I read it, both the V-1s and the V-2s that just needed their paperwork upgraded to be 125mph

Question not answered !

east point wrote:Question not answered !

I'd ask again in the V-2 thread because as I understand it any speed differences are purely matters of paperwork,
not trucks (as I tried to say) and there are no material mechanical /truck differences, they are all [GSC] (as gokeefe answered).

Beyond that Star-and-Diners thread is not going to be a good place to probe minutiae of truck design.

Since the View II's are based on the Proven View I design using the same GSC truck design used on the Super II's,View I's and now the View II's,
there should be little to no issue to upgrade the MAS of the View I's and View II's to 125mph.
If anything the AL45DP was the "loser"in the last High Speed Test session on the NEC,not that long ago.

Today's Miami bound Silver Meteor is 13 cars in length, with 6 coaches and 4 sleepers in the consist. That's gotta be keeping the diner pretty busy.

Matt Johnson wrote:Today's Miami bound Silver Meteor is 13 cars in length, with 6 coaches and 4 sleepers in the consist. That's gotta be keeping the diner pretty busy.

That's almost to the point of making the diner for first class passengers only. I've taken it with 3 sleepers and that was super crowded with less available seating times and the depletion of some selections early.

How much food, expressed in meals, can a Viewliner Diner store?

Matt Johnson wrote:Today's Miami bound Silver Meteor is 13 cars in length, with 6 coaches and 4 sleepers in the consist. That's gotta be keeping the diner pretty busy.

Is that a normal consist size for this time of year?