Viewliner
| Viewliner | |
|---|---|
Viewliner I #62019 on the Lake Shore Limited in Boston.
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A seat in a Viewliner I roomette.
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| Manufacturer |
Budd Company (prototypes) Morrison-Knudsen (Viewliner I) CAF (Viewliner II) |
| Constructed |
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| Entered service | 1988–present |
| Number under construction | 130 |
| Number built | 130 |
| Number in service | 121 |
| Fleet numbers |
Viewliner I: 62000-62049, 10004(Former 2301), 2300, 8400 Viewliner II: 61000-61069, 62500-62524, 68000-68024, 69000-69009 |
| Capacity | 30 |
| Operator(s) | Amtrak |
| Line(s) served |
Baggage only:Capitol Limited, Carolinian, Empire Builder, Northeast Regional, Palmetto All types:Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Meteor, Silver Star |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Stainless Steel |
| Car length | 85 feet (25.9 m) |
| Floor height | 4 ft (1.2 m) |
| Platform height | 4 ft (1.2 m) |
| Maximum speed | 110 mph (177 km/h) (Prototypes/Viewliner I) 125 mph (201 km/h) (Viewliner II) |
| Power supply | 480 V AC 60 Hz Head end power |
| Bogies | GSI 70 |
| Braking system(s) | Air |
| Coupling system | AAR |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Viewliner I: 62000-62049, 10004(Former 2301), 2300, 8400
Baggage only:Capitol Limited, Carolinian, Empire Builder, Northeast Regional, Palmetto
The Viewliner is a single-level car type used by Amtrak on most long-distance routes operating east of Chicago. Amtrak began placing 130 additional cars into service on March 23, 2015, and took possession of the final 12 baggage cars on November 17, 2015. The 70 new bag cars are used on all Amtrak trains, single-level and bi-level. They replaced almost all of the "Heritage" baggage cars that Amtrak inherited from the freight railroads when it was created in 1971. Other single-level cars still to be delivered include diners, baggage-dorms, and sleepers.
In the 1980s, Amtrak was looking to replace its Heritage Fleet railcars, which had been in service as far back as the 1940s. While new Superliner cars were built starting in 1979, those cars were too tall to run on Amtrak's eastern routes because of clearance issues in and around both New York Pennsylvania Station and Baltimore Pennsylvania Station (see loading gauge and structure gauge).
Working with the Budd Company, Amtrak drafted plans for new single-level sleeping and dining cars that utilized a 'modular' design where the interiors of the cars, especially the sleepers, were built in units separate from the exterior shell. These units contain all fixtures, electrical components, sewage and fresh water handling internally and are then mated with the car exterior shell upon assembly. This approach allows for easier maintenance and reconfiguration through removal and replacement of individual units. Access for this purpose is via a removable hatch on the side of the car, a distinguishing feature of the Viewliner series. Unlike the Superliners, occupants of both bunks in the bedrooms have an outside view. The design of the cars was created by Amtrak's design group, which received input from every department in the company. At the time of their introduction into service, Amtrak planned to assemble a fleet of over a thousand cars during the ten years after their introduction.
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Wikipedia