Amtrak Viewliner cars

No but add the Viewliner diner and the one prototype converted coach to an inspection car "American View" and one could effectively have a 5 car "set"!

Yes...........I said coach instead of diner.  Imagine Viewliners along with Amfleet coaches and heritage style baggage.   I have Superliners by Overland along with the transition car so some Amfleets would be great to make multiple trains with different equipment.

I'm in!!! Where are they?

VGN64 posted:

Yes...........I said coach instead of diner.  Imagine Viewliners along with Amfleet coaches and heritage style baggage.   I have Superliners by Overland along with the transition car so some Amfleets would be great to make multiple trains with different equipment.

I'm definitely in for these cars.  We need Amfleet I and II cars to compliment the Horizon Fleet offerings.  

Besides the OMI and K-Line Superliners certainly would be nice to see both Superliner I and II cars.

Atlas and/or GGD would be great manufacturers to offer these cars!!!

I've been wanting Amtrak Viewliners in O for many years now.   I'm not sure why O manufacturers are shying away from these.   Kato makes them in N scale.  But I would like to stay in O gauge vs. going back to N scale.    I feel like the O manufacturers are making items for a demographic that I'm not part of. (Steam engines and pre-Amtrak era passenger cars)

Mike McCutcheon posted:

I've been wanting Amtrak Viewliners in O for many years now.   I'm not sure why O manufacturers are shying away from these.   Kato makes them in N scale.  But I would like to stay in O gauge vs. going back to N scale.    I feel like the O manufacturers are making items for a demographic that I'm not yet a part off.  (Steam engines and passenger cars pre Amtrak).  

 Now Kato is doing N scale SDP40Fs as well, and they just released an ACS-64. I'm getting really close to picking up N, even if its a side gig, but I need another scale/hobby like I need a hole in my head. 

Viewliners (and Amfleets) are approaching #1 on my list of things I want to see done...

You had to remind me about the Kato ACS-64.   I had forgotten about it.  Maybe, I should give N scale another go.  A point to point shelf layout in my Sons room.

We have a regional train that leaves Lynchburg heading to Washington DC with 8 Amfleets and some times more due to sold out seats.  Then we have the Crescent which is a combination of Amfleet, Viewliners and Heritage series cars twice day.  The only scale cars I can find are the Heritage baggage and diners........shame.

This is a product overdue, and would sell well.  Amtrak now has a larger fleet of these in Baggage, Diner, & Sleepers.

I met Mike Wolf last summer and presented him with a packet on these cars and why they should be made.  I told him that every Amtrak MTH set ever made could add these cars.  He said "we have sold a lot of Amtrak over the years." 

Maybe Atlas could make these?  

Whoever makes them, I am in!

Amtrak only does not sell well.  Scott and I have had several discussions about Viewliner sleepers.  The choice is 1200 cars with the generic underframe for ~$300 per or the same production numbers as the Big Dome (I think about 250) for the same price as the dome with a hybrid aluminum shell with custom underframe.  Come up with 100 firm reservations for the later and I will push it again.  The former will not happen.   Adding some number of baggage cars helps because of the lack of an underframe.  I told him we would rediscuss after the diners and coaches are delivered and the differences between the I's and the II's were known.

The trouble with Atlas doing Amtrak is that they have a 3-rail rep who I believe is closed minded about things. Sure miss Jim Weaver!

Stephen

rdunniii posted:

Amtrak only does not sell well.  Scott and I have had several discussions about Viewliner sleepers.  The choice is 1200 cars with the generic underframe for ~$300 per or the same production numbers as the Big Dome (I think about 250) for the same price as the dome with a hybrid aluminum shell with custom underframe.  Come up with 100 firm reservations for the later and I will push it again.  The former will not happen.   Adding some number of baggage cars helps because of the lack of an underframe.  I told him we would rediscuss after the diners and coaches are delivered and the differences between the I's and the II's were known.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating.... I do not think selling Phase I hand me down cars is the equivalent to selling modern Amtrak equipment. I think its two different groups of people (some are the same), and people are interested in buying what they can go ride right now. Consider the secondary market demand for K-line superliners and MTH P42s and I think you'd find that there is definitely interest in modern Amtrak. 

In my opinion, the Amfleets need to come first, but I've got no problem with the higher end brass/aluminum hybrids. You needed 100? Now you need 97. 

Whats the harm in throwing them on the order form and seeing what happens? There's lots of projects that stall or sit open for a while before the quantity fills. These topics pop up with regularity, maybe you'll surprise yourselves...

Originally posted by Boilermaker1:

I've said it before, but it bears repeating.... I do not think selling Phase I hand me down cars is the 
equivalent to selling modern Amtrak equipment. 

I agree. Look how sucessful MTH Amfleet sets were back in the 1990's and 2000. They are not selling as much now because there are two many MTH sets out there. Look at the Atlas O Horizon coaches too! Not too many of them out there as well either.

With the Viewliners, I can see two paint schemes; Phase III three stripe and Phase IV. 5 car sets,

At the Chicago meet Atlas said they had done the Amfleet cars, told me where to find them on the search and they were looking at doing another run soon.  I looked all thru their catalog and new products but found nothing.  I think he was mistaken thus the Amfleet cars only attempt at "scale" Amfleet cars was an aluminum extrusion done years ago.  There were very few of them made.   I think the Amfleet cars would be a money maker then blend the Viewliners in and sales you would have................and yes I would place an order up front!!!

I am in for about 3 Amfleet coaches, a cafe car and viewliner sleepers. It is a great idea.  Al

I am interested in entering the model manufacturing train business. I previously started a thread about 1/48 scale vehicles. https://ogrforum.com/t...e-vehicles-it-s-time

Again, here is a product that the market is asking for, and has yet to be delivered. I have found a manufacturer in China. What I need is to find the capitol and a business partner. Anyone interested? 

I'm a young guy (36) and while I like the steam era, I can connect better with the 70s and up. I'd like to produce accurate, scale length models. Being Canadian, I would want to produce Canadian models, but to build the business, I'll produce what is going to sell the best and that is US prototypes. F40s, superliners, viewliners and amfleet cars sound good to me! 

There you go.  I admire your courage.  Normally, when folks go in to business, they have to put up a bit of capital themselves, as in mortgaging their house.

But I would be a bit careful with O Scale - the major manufacturers have an eye out for what sells, and they fill that niche when it becomes large enough to yield a profit.  The little guys just lose money and call it a hobby.

The guys that started the last company I worked for did indeed mortgage their houses, and sunk every penny of their own in to the endeavor.  I admire them - they were my age; just more adventurous.  The company they started now runs American Airlines!

Originally posted by VGN:

At the Chicago meet Atlas said they had done the Amfleet cars, told me where to find them on the search and they were
looking at doing another run soon.  I looked all thru their catalog and new products but found nothing.
 I think he was mistaken

Yes you are correct- "he" was mistakening Horizon with Amfleet coaches. Pretty sad that co reps do not know their product lines and product history and only there for da $$!

rdunniii posted:

Amtrak only does not sell well.  Scott and I have had several discussions about Viewliner sleepers.  The choice is 1200 cars with the generic underframe for ~$300 per or the same production numbers as the Big Dome (I think about 250) for the same price as the dome with a hybrid aluminum shell with custom underframe.  Come up with 100 firm reservations for the later and I will push it again.  The former will not happen.   Adding some number of baggage cars helps because of the lack of an underframe.  I told him we would rediscuss after the diners and coaches are delivered and the differences between the I's and the II's were known.

Those are heavy prices on those but may be interested.

As far as "Amtrak only" not selling well, MTH produced Amfleet cars many times over the years.  Amtrak is the only operator of Amfleet cars and I am betting MTH  sold a lot of these.  I have about 15 of them myself.  Yes MTH ran Amfleet cars in fictitious  MARC, Metra,SEPTA,NJ Transit, and MBTA, but these were fictional roadmames.

Just an update, GGD website has updated pics of their model Amfleet and Viewliner cars. Special surprise is the plastic window gasket insert along with the underbody switch to turn on and off each cars marker lights! SWEET!

http://www.goldengatedepot.com/reservation.html

@VistaDomeScott posted:

Those are heavy prices on those but may be interested.

As far as "Amtrak only" not selling well, MTH produced Amfleet cars many times over the years.  Amtrak is the only operator of Amfleet cars and I am betting MTH sold a lot of these.  I have about 15 of them myself.  Yes MTH ran Amfleet cars in fictitious  MARC, Metra, SEPTA, NJ Transit, and MBTA, but these were fictional road names.

I agree; Amtrak sells, albeit slowly.

With that said, Amtrak is super hot right now!  Try to find an Phase III F40PH!

I have recently (within the past year) purchased 17 cars myself and looking at another 4-car set... Especially since I was able to cobble together a matching MTH F40PH with the darker blue to match the mid-90's Lake Shore MTH cars that i'm using, as well as the recent plated Amfleets with an Atlas O AEM-7, which again, has matching paint!

I'd be in for an Atlas Viewline 4-pack (Phase III baggage, diner & two sleepers).

Thanks!

- Mario

Wow they look spectacular wow

All images courtesy of Golden Gate Depot