It's time for some VIEWLINERS

All has been quiet on the Viewliner set idea, but last summer when I met Mike Wolf at an event I presented him with a packet of info on the Viewliners and suggested 5 car sets.  His reply was only that he would look this over and said " we have sold a lot of Amtrak." 

There is also now the Amtrak Viewliner inspection  car with the giant observation window on the end.

I am still convinced that MTH or someone could sell lots of these to all of us who have any other Amtrak equipment.  Individual Viewliner Baggage cars would sell for Superliner operators, just like Amtrak now uses Viewliner Baggage  cars on Superliner consists.

I hope we can generate some pressure to finally produce these in O.

For what it's worth, rather than simply make another request to make these cars at this past York, I instead proposed to the MTH execs a hypothetical scenario for the marketing of such cars if they were made:

I suggested that a hypothetical Viewliner offering would be more sensibly marketed as two-car add-ons to existing Amtrak sets, rather than going all out with a four or five car package, as is the norm with existing passenger cars.

The rationale would be that since there are no solid trains of Viewliners* , and those cars that do or will eventually enter service will run mixed with Amfleet cars for the foreseeable future, it would be an easier sell to offer these in sleeper/sleeper, sleeper/diner and sleeper/baggage sets. People who insist on solid trains of these cars can still buy all three configurations, but the owners of existing Amfleet sets (from recurring production runs over the past decades) can more easily add two cars to their existing four-or-six-car sets (space-wise and budget-wise), and represent a larger potential market than if such cars were made primarily as four/five car sets, as is the case with conventional streamliner sets. 

Framed in such a manner, Mike W, Andy E, and Rich F all agreed that this suggestion did make sense. It doesn't mean they're any closer to making anything, but the suggestion did make for something to be discussed should they look into the matter internally.

These configurations would allow the most flexibility for users in making up prototypical consists combined with existing Amfleet sets, (unlike for example, RMT's "Peep" cars, which I believe artificially restricted buyers to four-car trains by having a head-end or rear-end car in all offerings)

---PCJ

*the Next Generation Equipment Committee documents published so far do not require the eventual design of any Amfleet replacements to resemble Viewliners

Railride

  Your suggestion does make sense for current Amtrak operations.  But many trains like the Lake Shore Limited have 4 Viewliner Sleepers, 1 Viewliner Diner (at times and in future) and a Viewliner Baggage.  Add in 4 Amcoaches and an Amcafe youve got the Lake Shore Limited with 5 Viewliners and 4 Amfleets.  Antrak should have the entire order of Diners and Sleepers filled eventually from slow as molasses  carbuilder CAF.   Then trains will be heavy with Viewliner cars mixed with Amfleet coaches and lounges.

Anyway... however they offer these if they ever do, I will buy a minimum of 3 sleepers, one diner, one baggage.

I would only be interested if they were done correctly at 21" long.  Along those lines I have not purchased any Amfleet cars because there are not 21" cars available.  What would the interest in having them done properly by GGD?  I have asked Scott about Amfleet cars and he doesn't seem to sell Amtrak as well as other road names although the Amtrak Slumbercoaches sold out quickly.  The other question would be Amfleet 1, Amfleet 2, or both?  I think if these were a success Viewliners wouldn't be far behind. 

Scale size please.

Clem

VistaDomeScott posted:

Railride

  Your suggestion does make sense for current Amtrak operations.  But many trains like the Lake Shore Limited have 4 Viewliner Sleepers, 1 Viewliner Diner (at times and in future) and a Viewliner Baggage.  Add in 4 Amcoaches and an Amcafe youve got the Lake Shore Limited with 5 Viewliners and 4 Amfleets.  Antrak should have the entire order of Diners and Sleepers filled eventually from slow as molasses  carbuilder CAF.   Then trains will be heavy with Viewliner cars mixed with Amfleet coaches and lounges.

 

Anyway... however they offer these if they ever do, I will buy a minimum of 3 sleepers, one diner, one baggage.

Sounds like one would be able to outfit a prototypical LSL with a sleeper/sleeper, sleeper/diner and sleeper/baggage set. Then add a standard four-car set of Amfleets and you're good to go 

---PCJ

clem k posted:

Scale size please.

Clem

Lets write to GGD for that one !  :-)

VistaDomeScott posted:

clem k posted:

Scale size please.

Clem

Lets write to GGD for that one !  :-)

You mean that Lionel can't produce scale size passenger equipment?

Hot Water posted:

VistaDomeScott posted:

clem k posted:

Scale size please.

Clem

Lets write to GGD for that one !  :-)

You mean that Lionel can't produce scale size passenger equipment?

Scale size, yes, scale, no.  Their current scale "sized" passenger cars do compare very favorable with K-Line of 15 years ago but much more than that, not so much.  If their UP excursion cars are not very much superior to their other "scale" passenger cars I will cancel my order for those too.

If about 2 dozen people email Scott/GGD they would reserve a set of Viewliners he will probably get interested.  The same is true for Amfleet cars.  I've said that in posts about a year ago and two years ago and it still hasn't happened.   I think he still prefers to wait for the Coaches and Diners to become reality as more types of cars creates more interest and there would have to a more sets of just sleepers and baggage cars alone to make any minimum.

Aren't the first coaches and diners supposed to arrive this year?

Hot Water.. if Lionel is willing..go for it.  I dont care who makes this.. I want it made.   GGD just sold me a beautiful Slumbercoach, thus they are my preferred choice.

RDUNNIII,  diners are slowly being delivered now .   Sleepers next.  There are no Viewliner coaches on order or in existence

As far as a GGD... lets get that list of people writing Scott Mann.

Way to stay after the idea guys!! Hard to believe we've been working on this quest for over a year. 

VistaDomeScott posted:

Hot Water.. if Lionel is willing..go for it.  I dont care who makes this.. I want it made.   GGD just sold me a beautiful Slumbercoach, thus they are on my front burner.  Obviously Lionel makes scale cars. But something other than the standard cars may be more likely a GGD interest area for scale cars.   

 

That is a sharp looking Amtrak car.

EngineerJoe..a few more pics of the GGD Slumbercoach

Just in case someone didnt hear. Scott Mann of Golden Gate Depot has announced the Scale Amfleet cars and viewliners are now in production. Standby reservations are still being accepted st this time.