Doesn't Amtrak need some new coaches by now?

Sometimes we forget just how long the Amulet cars have been around.  The original design was drawn up in the '60s with the original Metro-liners.  I'm not sure of the exact year that Amfleet coaches started appearing, but I think it was in the '70s.  That would make some equipment almost a half century old.  

When I was younger, I thought equipment made before WWII was ancient.....LOL  I'm 70, so I was a teenager in the '60s so pre-war stuff was ancient.  

If this were Europe we'ed already have new equipment, but it's not.  Our railway system is not nearly as important to us as it is there.  So without public support, Amtrak must put their money where it does the most good, financially.  

The Amfleet I cars went into service in 1975 and the order was complete in 1977.  With the vestibule on each end they mostly serve on the Keystone Service and Northeast Corridor trains.  Amfleet II cars were delivered between 1980 and 1983.  All the cars have seen extensive remodeling over the years and are generally in very good condition.  Budd built good cars that have been proven to last.  The former Metroliner cars converted to cab cars have their roots to 1967 but they didn't go into service until 1969.  While a much smaller fleet of cars, these are still in relatively good condition.  I wouldn't be surprised to see these cars serve another 15-20 years in service with continued maintenance.

Horizon cars were built between 1988 and 1990 and serve predominantly on the corridor routes out of Chicago and on the west coast.  Since they are very similar to the Comet II cars developed for NJT, they should have some life in them for a while too.  NJT's are certainly dated, but still in service. 

While Amtrak has many needs, I think diesel motive power is a more important one at this time. The failure rate of the Genesis series of locomotives is rising as would be expected with their age and mileage.  As has been mentioned, budget issues have largely prevented large investments in equipment.

Superliner I and II equipment is not that new either.  

Every time I think of how old some of the American passenger rail fleet is I am reminded that the 747's in passenger service were just retired. 

Running equipment til the wheels fall off is not just an issue in financially constrained Amtrak.    I doubt that most trolley or subway operators replaced equipment until it died... or passenger ridership dropped off because of it.

Well if they ever do get new coaches, at present I like the coaches Brightline ( in Florida) uses.  www.gobrightline.com

The new Siemens engines have just been placed in service hauling Amtrak trains between Sacramento and San Jose, CA.  I see them passing every day.  The engines aren't very attractive but they do the job.

I think it will be a very long time before Amtrak gets enough capital to fund new coaches.  The old ones will just have to keep rolling along.

NH Joe

Amtrak could use a lot of new equipment, but, the way it receives its subsidy is going to make it very difficult to accomplish.  All other modes of passenger transportation are subsidized, too, but they get it indirectly and few know the actual amount.  Amtrak has to beg publicly, annually, for its subsidy.

We've ridden the Auto-train to Florida many times. The Superliners are showing their age. Structurally they appear solid but the interiors need to be updated.

The NE Corridor trains are in similar condition.

Wasn't Nippon Sharyo and Siemens going to produce the next generation of Amtrak cars? for some reason it was stalled?

Found this interesting item while doing some quick research:

Rebuilding of Amfleet I Coaches

We take Amtrak from Phila to Boston at least 3 times a year. Never felt the cars were showing age.

Amtrak.... one of the Federal Government's favorite budgetary pinatas!  Good luck on expecting a large infusion of monies into this dinosaur to build more coaches/engines to run on poorly maintained track owned by struggling freight haulers who have scheduling priorities.....etc., etc., etc., blah, blah.

By the way, you're right...the 747 airliner first flew in 1969.  And many a POTUS since then has enjoyed the longevity. 

However, our USAF has nursed Boeing's other icon, the B-52, for 66 years!!  Yepper, she first flew in 1952....and continues to give the Taliban and ISIS a major headache almost daily. 

....Which only goes to show that there's plenty of good use left in (us) oldies!  

And, yes, we also can still hand out a few headaches...some well-deserved...for the younger generations. 

Just MHO, of course...

KD

I was going to mention the B-52 as well.  It is currently scheduled to serve into the 2040's.  The A-10 Warthog is another prime example.  Most are getting new wings for an extended service life. 

Last time I rode Amfleet I cars in 2015 they were in excellent condition.

Let me be clear. In my O.P. I never stated retirement of the Amfleet coaches. I only inquired through the decades of Amtrak existence they had some serious mishaps that a layman would think some of their older equipment involved would have been scrapped. Over the decades these mishaps of equipment would have added up by now to suggest Amtrak has to be in need of some new coaches.

J Daddy posted:

Wasn't Nippon Sharyo and Siemens going to produce the next generation of Amtrak cars? for some reason it was stalled?

 

The original order was awarded in 2012, to Siemens to build the diesel-electric locomotives (with Cummins diesel engines) & to Sumitomo for the double-deck, Surfliner, like cars. Sumitomo awarded the passenger car order to its prime contractor, Nippon Sharyo, who had a facility, west of Chicago. But the cars did not pass some structural tests, a few years ago & Nippon Sharyo was unable to come up with a fix, that met the original requirements. So, after waiting for 5 years, Sumitomo transferred the passenger car orders to Siemens, who will be building single-level cars, similar to their Brightline passenger cars. Also, these cars & locomotives were ordered by a consortium of Midwest states, California, Washington & Maryland, only for regional service, not for long-distance, cross-country, service, like the current GE P42 locomotives & Superliner cars.

These are just my opinion,

Thanks,

Naveen

Amtrak could pick up some Ringling Brothers cars.  Seems kind of fitting, given the current media circus.