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Viewliner - 2 delivery, testing, and service

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, March 7, 2016 3:59 PM

JimJCMO

By the time all of the accounting is done, this matter makes me wonder if Amtrak would have been better off to have followed VIA's example of refurbishning heritage equipment. I don't have any expertise in this, but would it have been possible to fit heritage equipment with new high speed 125 MPH trucks?

Possible? Yes. But then you are back to problem #1: non-standardized equipment requiring large stores of parts or custom manufacturing of parts to maintain the fleet. VIA has the advantage that the bulk of their stainless fleet came from one previous owner: CP.
 
Building new stock is not rocket science... for an experienced builder. Morrison-Knudson was succeeded by Amerail. Who will succeed CAF USA? It's [Viewliner] deja vu all over again.

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Posted by JimJCMO on Monday, March 7, 2016 1:15 PM

By the time all of the accounting is done, this matter makes me wonder if Amtrak would have been better off to have followed VIA's example of refurbishning heritage equipment. I don't have any expertise in this, but would it have been possible to fit heritage equipment with new high speed 125 MPH trucks?

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Posted by D.Carleton on Monday, March 7, 2016 12:23 PM

dakotafred

Dear God, how did we ever get to the Moon almost 50 years ago?

The whiff of national decline is all over this project, as elsewhere.

Thanks for your detective work, Streak. You have a scoop, the national media being uninterested (another sign of decline).

Decline or indifference? The contract was let to a company with no experience fabricating/assembling stainless steel. Alstom, Bombardier and Kawasaki all have such experience and bid on this job. It is mayhem such as this that lends to the myth that railcar construction is all-but-impossible.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Sunday, March 6, 2016 8:27 PM
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Posted by 081552 on Sunday, March 6, 2016 8:17 PM

Yikes!

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Posted by dakotafred on Sunday, March 6, 2016 8:15 PM

Dear God, how did we ever get to the Moon almost 50 years ago?

The whiff of national decline is all over this project, as elsewhere.

Thanks for your detective work, Streak. You have a scoop, the national media being uninterested (another sign of decline).

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Sunday, March 6, 2016 7:59 PM
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, March 5, 2016 11:09 PM

Due to computer problems cannot post this but if some one can ----

The Amtrak OIG has posted a report on the CAF mess.  Appears CAF is going to have a $40M loss.  Many defects that will take Amtrak 1-2 years to correct.  All in all sounds like a cluster ------------

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Thursday, February 11, 2016 5:17 PM

Slightly off topic  The Amtrak performance reports for the FY 2016 October, November, & December had on page 4.8  listed overhaul of a Viewliner diner work in progress.  Since no V-2 diners have been delivered it may be infered that this is car # 8400 the prototype for V-2 diners.  

There is an unconfirmed report that 8400 was sent to CHI on train 51 sometime in the last week.  Any video ?

 

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Posted by Pete-M3 on Monday, December 14, 2015 7:59 AM

blue streak 1

Unconfirmed reports that almost all bags ( or all ) have been released by Hialeah and are heading north on trains of yester and today. If correct get your last pictures of both extra V-2 bags on silver trains and more importantly last Heritage bags in revenue service. 

 

blue streak 1

Unconfirmed reports that almost all bags ( or all ) have been released by Hialeah and are heading north on trains of yester and today. If correct get your last pictures of both extra V-2 bags on silver trains and more importantly last Heritage bags in revenue service. 

 

Three extra VII bags on 29, spotted on the Chesterton IN web cam both yesterday and today.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Sunday, December 13, 2015 1:22 PM

Unconfirmed reports that almost all bags ( or all ) have been released by Hialeah and are heading north on trains of yester and today. If correct get your last pictures of both extra V-2 bags on silver trains and more importantly last Heritage bags in revenue service. 

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Posted by oltmannd on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 1:35 PM

blue streak 1

This is pure speculation but:

1.  First 26 baggage cars delivered Dec 14, 3014.

2.  Last delivered Nov 18th, 2015,

3.  So 44 baggage cars delivered in  48 weeks.

4.  That calculates out to about 1 completed every 8 days.

5.  Diners may take how many days to build.  accounting to how much furnishing will be done by CAE and how much by Miami.  maybe 1 car every 10 days ????

6. Starting from Nov 18th 5 diners by end of year and 9 by end of Jan 31 delivered ???

7.  Maybe 10 days for MIA to get 1st one ready for service ??

8.  Maybe 4 ready by Mar 10th ??

Thoughts ? 

 

Add several months for CAE to rectify all the things Amtrak will find in the sample inspection.

-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 12:46 PM

This is pure speculation but:

1.  First 26 baggage cars delivered Dec 14, 3014.

2.  Last delivered Nov 18th, 2015,

3.  So 44 baggage cars delivered in  48 weeks.

4.  That calculates out to about 1 completed every 8 days.

5.  Diners may take how many days to build.  accounting to how much furnishing will be done by CAE and how much by Miami.  maybe 1 car every 10 days ????

6. Starting from Nov 18th 5 diners by end of year and 9 by end of Jan 31 delivered ???

7.  Maybe 10 days for MIA to get 1st one ready for service ??

8.  Maybe 4 ready by Mar 10th ??

Thoughts ? 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Thursday, November 19, 2015 7:24 AM

Video of 97/18 with 4 v-2 bags and a couple of other cars behind 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehBY7UWOQ-s&feature=youtu.be

 

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 8:53 PM

More unconfirmed reports.

1.  4 or 5 V-2 Bags on 97/18

2.  4 V-2 Bags on 97/19

3.  4 V-s bags on 97/20

All to MIA  ( Hialeah )

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, November 17, 2015 11:38 PM

From Amtrak unlimited the final bags left elmira CAF Tuesday afternoon.  Saw a couple ictures as well but no link available.  Here is the unconfirme consist.

f course no diners yet.  Wonder how soon these final bags will take to all be operational.  Looking for pictures of them ferrying to MIA.

 

This afternoon the remaining 12 Viewliner Baggage Cars departed from CAF Elmira Heights, NY.
Train consist was,
122 P42
48188 Cafe
61065
61062
61061
61067
61058
61059
61066
61068
61060
61063
61064
61069
520 GP38-3
Diners Next

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Monday, November 16, 2015 12:00 PM

blue streak 1

Unconfirmed will be 61048 - 61057.  If so kind of sad only 10 more in ~80 days.  Lets see   1 every 8 calendar days.

 
Unconfirmed report 122 and 520  + rider car on way to CAF today.  Possible that since this is 98 days so all bags and maybe 2 other cars but would not bet a dime on that ?
 Edit to add 98 and maybe two other cars
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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 10:20 PM

The Amtrak FY 2016 budget request of FEB 2015 anticipated that 78 V-2s would be delivered by Oct 1st 2015 and all by end of FY 2016.  We know what happened to that figure.  Strangely it also shows $95.8M going to CAF in FY 2017 even though all to be delivered in FY 2016, any speculation ?

http://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/133/704/FY15-Budget-Business-Plan-FY16-Budget-Justification-FY-15-19-Five-Year-Financial-Plan.pdf 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 9:45 PM

Starlights 11/28 Heritage bag and 14/28 wwith viewliner bag. not dates of train orig but when taken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68HgmO5v_AE

 

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 8:21 PM

This will go to the testing side.  A stelth move if it happened

EDIT  Due to almost no confirmation and probably mis information am retracting post.  My bad.

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, August 12, 2015 12:30 PM

Extra running ALB - NYP Tuesday night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvwJGZLergc&feature=youtu.be

 

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, August 11, 2015 8:52 PM

Facebook phots of a few reading for transit.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/653724898029779/permalink/868964186505848/

 

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, August 11, 2015 1:20 PM

blue streak 1

Unconfirmed will be 61048 - 61057.  If so kind of sad only 10 more in ~80 days.  Lets see   1 every 8 calendar days.

 

Saw pictures on another site no link

P42 41, Amcafe 43360, Bags 61048- 61057, loco 520.  Still shame that only one car each 6 business days. 

Maybe last 12 would be Nov 14th ?  And would 4 diners be available by Jan 31 to replace Star OOS diners ?

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Monday, August 10, 2015 1:52 AM

Unconfirmed will be 61048 - 61057.  If so kind of sad only 10 more in ~80 days.  Lets see   1 every 8 calendar days.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Sunday, August 9, 2015 5:47 PM

Another unconfirmed report that locos 41 & 48 will be going from Albany to Elmira tomorrow ( Monday ) to retrieve more V-2s.  If true asuming that all are V-2 baggage.  ~~ 80 days is a long time between deliveries.

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Posted by ROBERT WILLISON on Monday, May 25, 2015 9:25 PM

Any news on the sleepers or diners?

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Monday, May 25, 2015 8:33 PM

61002 at Seattle King St station for training.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/115569327@N08/17770271409/in/photostream/

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 12:20 PM

Saw pictures on another site of 61038 - 62047 on the ferry move this morning to Albany.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 7:43 PM

Unconfirmed report  that there is a dead head movement today Albany - Elmira.  Supposed to bring more V-2s back tomorrow.  We'll see.

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Friday, April 3, 2015 8:48 PM

U tube of 640 thru Iowa on the cal Z today Friday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L8--smZ8PU&feature=youtu.be

 

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