OK,, does anyone in the forums know what happened to the Amtrak budget item to purchase DMU's from Colorado Railcar potentially for the Chicago-Milwaukee route to free up Horizon cars. I think it was in the 2005 budget until budget battle but it did not reappear in 2006 budget. Does anyone know if they are still an item that Amtrak wants to acquire or have they been forever removed from the Amtrak budget? I'm just curious thats all.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
The DMU's were equipment that Amtrak was seeking under David Gunn's leadership. My guess is that they've not been mentioned around Amtrak since Mr. Gunn was let go.
Posted by jp1822 (Member # 2596) on :
There's a freeze on buying any new equipment - till who knows when at this point.
The Amtrak Board has stated, and other reports released since David Gunn's departure, citing a freeze due to Amtrak's review of "what equipment will be needed for the long term." Um, wasn't this what produced the "Gunn Plan," with the same folks on the Amtrak Board. Just some double talk involved over a short time period.
The DMU purchase was considered for both the Hiawatha and Springfield shuttle service, as I read. Seemed very economical and practical to me. But this requires $$ that Amtrak is not getting.
I think the last purchase of those Auto Racks for the Auto Train will be the last equipment we'll see on Amtrak for a while.
Till then, band aid service to keep some equipment running and regular maintenance on others to keep the system going. And I guess we will see storage of single level equipment to save on maintenance costs - as has already happened with the Amfleets, around 70 scheduled for storage this year per budget. This was also appeared to be a post-Gunn move - or at leat in the timing thereof.
The 2006 Amtrak Budget also had a line item for work on "next generation Amfleet coach car" and "Viewliner II prototype" (to replace remaining Heritage equipment and likely a way to get more sleepers ordered). These "projects" were officially cancelled around February, per Amtraks financial reports that are released.
Instead they have added a Amfleet II food service prototype car - which hints that Amtrak may look toward the Amtrak II cafe/lounge car as replacement for the Heritage diners and to accommodate "Diner Lite" on the East Coast Long Distance Trains. Appears one such prototype is either completed or in progress, per various statements flying around. Then the Viewliners will be part Crew Cars so they can retire the Heritage Dorms I suppose - on the East Coast Long Distance Trains. Dumb!
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
I think there are only some 25 A-II Lounges out there, Mr. JP. To have only one Food Service car assigned to the single level LD's, save the Cardinal, could prove unreasonable.
I could forsee the reportedly stored "Capstone" A-I's Cafe cars 'recalled to active duty' as part of such a plan.
Posted by The Chief (Member # 2172) on :
Car manufacturer Budd delivered 25 Amlounges (Amfleet II Lounge is Amtrak nomenclature today) to Amtrak in 1981. They could serve a total of 32 passengers in 17 Lounge seats with eight tables (that includes the tables where train ops crew reads the sports section and sorts paper tickets). Most counts today list 22 active Amfleet II Lounges. I rode in South Bend Club (28022) on the Silver Star in June, 2006, from NYC to Miami.
Amtrak reported in 2005 that No. 28018 underwent a conversion. Amtrak notes that car 28018 (Jacksonville Club) has reentered service as a Diner light. Interestingly, that term (Diner light) for that car was used in 2005 by Amtrak.