Do they have a veiwliner diner i heard that they do use it sometimes on eastern trains what train is it on?
Posted by Judy (Member # 942) on :
Isn't a viewliner diner just a single-level diner? If so, any train with sleeper accommodations would have a diner. (except for certain parts of "divided" trains like the Albany to Boston leg of the Lakeshore Limited, for example)
Posted by Eric (Member # 674) on :
Trainperson, I've never seen a photo of a Viewliner diner, but they probably exist. Someone else might have train info for you.
Here is a photo of a Viewliner sleeper coupled with an Amfleet coach. The Amfleets and Viewliners have quite a few differences, and I believe that there are more Amfleet cars than Viewliners out there.
lib2.clark.cc.oh.us/amtrak/amtVIEW/amt2300c.jpg
Posted by Genesis803 (Member # 122) on :
Amtrak has one Viewliner Diner 8400 that was built as a prototype with the other two Viewliner sleeper protoypes 2300 and 2301. They were too expensive to build and Amtrak decided not to place an order for them. I have heard of this one diner being in service occasionally but I don't know if it is regularly used and I have never seen it on the Crescent. 8400 can be seen in the Amtrak Photo Archive at http://198.30.209.3/amtrak/amtDINER.html Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.
Posted by Kent Loudon (Member # 902) on :
Amtrak eastern trains with Viewliner sleepers, the LAKE SHORE (to/from New York), the CRESCENT, and the Florida "SILVER" trains, use "heritage" diners. These are single-level diners left over from the 1950's. They HAVE been completely refurbished inside and converted to electric stoves (they used to burn "Presto" logs!).
Aside from the Boston section of the LAKE SHORE, the other sleeper trains without a diner are the New York-Chicago (via Pittsburgh) THREE RIVERS, and the Boston-Newport News TWILIGHT SHORELINER.
Posted by rresor (Member # 128) on :
The Viewliner diner ran regularly in the early 1990s, shortly after it was produced. I enjoyed several meals in it on the eastbound "Capitol" in 1993 (IIRC). No dome that trip, but I did get the Viewliner diner.
AFAIK, it's out of service, probably in the dead line at Beech Grove with the rest of the 25% of Amtrak equipment that's stored "bad order".
Posted by lakeshorelimited (Member # 576) on :
That's one funny looking diner. I prefer the heritage diners, but how much time do those have left before they're un-useable? With the heritage sleepers being retired, the coaches nearing retirement, won't amtrak have to buy some new single level diners soon? Please don't tell me they'd rather put dinettes and cafe cars in place of the diner on our single level long distance trains instead of buying new equiptment... ahhhhhh!
-Tim
Posted by DC2001 (Member # 542) on :
quote:Originally posted by lakeshorelimited: won't amtrak have to buy some new single level diners soon?
If Amtrak gets the $3 billion or so in "emergency" funding it requested in the aftermath of Sept. 11th, it supposedly might include money for new single-level diners. Seems Amtrak had initially planned to spend most of the funds solely on the Northeast Corridor, but was forced to allocate more to the national system. Of course, as of now nothing has been approved.
I know Amtrak has refurbished many of the Heritage diners recently (was this mainly cosmetic or did it include a mechanical rebuilding as well?). Wasn't the stated reason that they had to last for years to come as Amtrak had given up on affording Viewliner replacements?
