Amtrak vs VIA Rail

[FThunder11]

I noticed that VIA Rail does a much better job at having good looking trains. Whenever I see an Amtrak train, it looks all unorganized and incosistant. Whenever I see a VIA Rail train it looks like the train fits together? WHy doesn't Amtrak take after what VIA Rail does?

[BentnoseWillie]

Because Amtrak buys new equipment more often than every 20 or 30 years...[}:)][:o)]

[TH&B]

Because Amtrak is a bigger system with more variety in its equipement, most of wich is compatible with each other.

[Anonymous]

440....the only VIA equipment not "compatable" with everything else is the new Rens. And for that matter, the Amtrak Superliners (witness the last International on the Canadian side......no way you can get from a Superliner to an LRC car)
They tend to keep LRC cars and HEP-2s in sets because only LRC cars have tilting mechanisms, among other reasons.

However, around Christmas time, and for a period after 9-11, you saw LRCs, HEP-2s, and even a few HEP-1s mixed together, since they had to get everything they had on hand into service, looks were secondary.

~Ra'akone

[Anonymous]

Both are good railroads. Via rail is a smaller system and does have beter looking trains in the way of appearence then does amtrak.

[daveklepper]

Let us not forget that VIA gets better funding with less hassle for the mission it accomplishes than Amtrak has reveived, at least up' till now. Let us hope Amtrak gets appropriate funding to do a good job in the future.