Amfleet: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Amfleet car.png|thumb|Amfleet I cafe in [[Dexter, Michigan]]]] |
[[File:Amfleet car.png|thumb|Amfleet I cafe in [[Dexter, Michigan]]]] |
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'''Amfleet''' is a series of intercity railroad [[passenger car (rail)|passenger cars]] built for the operator [[Amtrak]] by the manufacturer [[Budd Company]] in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, ''Amfleet'' cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western [[United States]]. |
'''Amfleet''' is a series of intercity railroad [[passenger car (rail)|passenger cars]] built for the operator [[Amtrak]] by the manufacturer [[Budd Company]] in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, ''Amfleet'' cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western [[United States]]. The Amfleet cars have a unique rounded appearance which was done to try to emulate the design of an aircraft to attract would be flyers to ride trains instead. Some [[railfans]] refer to these cars as "Amcans" or "Amtubes" due this distinct rounded appearance. Amtrak's [[Heritage Fleet]], [[Horizon Fleet]], [[Viewliner Fleet]] and [[Superliner Fleet]] all feature traditional rectangular designed train cars. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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* ''Amfleet II'', consisting of 125 coaches and 25 lounges, was delivered in 1981–83. |
* ''Amfleet II'', consisting of 125 coaches and 25 lounges, was delivered in 1981–83. |
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The Amfleet cars were intended to replace many of the variety of aging, sometimes incompatible, streamlined passenger cars inherited from Amtrak's predecessor railroads. The Amfleet II cars were intended to replace rolling stock on Amtrak long-distance trains, featuring larger windows, more legroom, and a door at only one end of the car. |
The Amfleet cars were intended to replace many of the variety of aging, sometimes incompatible, streamlined passenger cars inherited from Amtrak's predecessor railroads. The Amfleet II cars were intended to replace rolling stock on Amtrak long-distance trains, featuring larger windows, more legroom, folding legrests, and a door at only one end of the car. |
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Amfleet cars were constructed in varying layouts known as the ''Amcoach'', the ''Amcafe'', the ''Amdinette'', the ''Amlounge'' and the ''Amclub''. The ''Amcafe'' cars had 53 Coach seats with a snack bar in the middle of the car. The ''Amdinette'' had 23 coach seats, a snack bar in the middle, and 8 tables, seating 32 passengers, at the other end of the car. The ''Amclub'' cars had either 6 tables or 23 coach seats, a snack bar in the middle, and 18 Club seats. The Club seats were more spacious and usually required an upgrade to ''Business Class'' or other deluxe service. Some cars also were in a full club layout, with Business Class seats at both ends. |
Amfleet cars were constructed in varying layouts known as the ''Amcoach'', the ''Amcafe'', the ''Amdinette'', the ''Amlounge'' and the ''Amclub''. The ''Amcafe'' cars had 53 Coach seats with a snack bar in the middle of the car. The ''Amdinette'' had 23 coach seats, a snack bar in the middle, and 8 tables, seating 32 passengers, at the other end of the car. The ''Amclub'' cars had either 6 tables or 23 coach seats, a snack bar in the middle, and 18 Club seats. The Club seats were more spacious and usually required an upgrade to ''Business Class'' or other deluxe service. Some cars also were in a full club layout, with Business Class seats at both ends. |
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Revision as of 11:11, 23 April 2012
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2008) |
 | This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. (April 2012) |
 | This article needs to be updated. (April 2012) |
| Amfleet | |
|---|---|
 Amfleet I coaches at Iselin, NJ | |
| Manufacturer | Budd Company |
| Capacity | up to 84 seats |
| Operators | Amtrak |
Amfleet is a series of intercity railroad passenger cars built for the operator Amtrak by the manufacturer Budd Company in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Amfleet cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western United States. The Amfleet cars have a unique rounded appearance which was done to try to emulate the design of an aircraft to attract would be flyers to ride trains instead. Some railfans refer to these cars as "Amcans" or "Amtubes" due this distinct rounded appearance. Amtrak's Heritage Fleet, Horizon Fleet, Viewliner Fleet and Superliner Fleet all feature traditional rectangular designed train cars.
History
The cars were built in two series for Amtrak by the Budd Company:
- Amfleet I, consisting of 406 coaches and 86 cafes, was ordered on October 12, 1973 and delivered August 5, 1975 through 1978.[1]
- Amfleet II, consisting of 125 coaches and 25 lounges, was delivered in 1981–83.
The Amfleet cars were intended to replace many of the variety of aging, sometimes incompatible, streamlined passenger cars inherited from Amtrak's predecessor railroads. The Amfleet II cars were intended to replace rolling stock on Amtrak long-distance trains, featuring larger windows, more legroom, folding legrests, and a door at only one end of the car.
Amfleet cars were constructed in varying layouts known as the Amcoach, the Amcafe, the Amdinette, the Amlounge and the Amclub. The Amcafe cars had 53 Coach seats with a snack bar in the middle of the car. The Amdinette had 23 coach seats, a snack bar in the middle, and 8 tables, seating 32 passengers, at the other end of the car. The Amclub cars had either 6 tables or 23 coach seats, a snack bar in the middle, and 18 Club seats. The Club seats were more spacious and usually required an upgrade to Business Class or other deluxe service. Some cars also were in a full club layout, with Business Class seats at both ends.
Originally, there were two main Amcoach I variations, 84 seat cars for use on shorter routes, and 60 seat cars for use on longer (generally overnight) routes. The 60 seat cars have all since been converted either to coaches or business class cars, having been displaced from longer routes by the Amfleet II and Superliner Coaches.
The cars are largely based upon the 1969 Metroliner design. Amfleet cars are designed to operate at speeds up to 125 mph (201 km/h).
Usage
Because Amfleet cars can fit through the tunnels and under catenary of the northeastern United States, Amtrak uses them heavily in that area.
Amfleet rolling stock mostly disappeared from service in California when the San Joaquins switched to the Horizon Fleet in the 1990s and then to "California Cars" later in the decade. The San Diegans also stopped using the Amfleet when their Pacific Surfliner cars were delivered (with the exception of a single trainset that runs during the Del Mar Racetrack season in July and August, and during Thanksgiving week). The Pacific Northwest Cascades now use Talgo train sets instead of Amfleet.
Car types
Amtrak currently operates Amfleet I and Amfleet II cars. Amfleet I cars are now in several different configurations. Coaches are configured as either Regional Coachclass or Regional Business Class. Food Service Cars are either Club-Dinettes or Full-Dinettes. Amfleet 2 cars are either Coaches or Diner-Lites.
The Regional Coachclass seats 72 passengers per car, Regional Businessclass seats 62. Amfleet 2 coaches seat 59 passengers per car. North American standard (120 V, 60 Hz) electrical outlets are provided in most cars. Amfleet I cars are normally used on corridor trains, such as the Downeaster or Northeast Regional while Amfleet II cars are used in long-distance trains, such as the Cardinal or Silver Star. A difference between the two cars is that Amfleet II's only have one vestibule (door to enter car from outside) per car, while I's have two.[2]
The Club-Dinette cars have 6 tables at one end and a snack bar in the middle, followed by 18 business class seats. The Full-Dinette cars have tables on both sides of the snack bar and seat 56. Originally, the Amfleet II Lounge contained 17 Lounge Seats on one end, a snack bar in the middle, and 8 tables at the other end of the car. All Amlounge IIs have been converted into diner-lites with additional tables added where the lounge seats once were.
A equipment shortage in the late 1970s led Amtrak to convert two Amfleet coaches (#22900 and #22901) into sleepers. Two prototype Superliner roomette modules were installed, displacing twelve seats. The cars were used on the Washington—Cincinnati Shenandoah. Regular sleepers returned to the Shenandoah in 1979 and the two coaches were returned to a standard configuration. These conversions were termed "Ampad."[3][4]
Paint schemes
The Amfleet I cars are the only Amtrak rolling stock to have carried all five normal paint schemes. These paint schemes are referred to[by whom?] as "Phases". Phase I-painted Amfleet cars had large red and blue stripes around the windows with thin white stripes on each end of the pattern, and featured the Amtrak "Pointless Arrow" on one end of the car.
Amtrak's Phase II paint scheme eliminated the arrow logo, allegedly[weasel words] due to the reference[vague] of "Pointless Arrow." The Amtrak logo and coach number were printed in white.
Phase III paint is still in service on some Amfleet cars. It also features stripes that border the windows, and had red, white, and blue stripes, in same-sized increments. The Phase III paint scheme marked a switch to black Amtrak logos and coach numbers.
Phase IV (aka "NortheastDirect") paint departed more noticeably from the previous designs. This scheme consists of a large blue stripe outlining the windows, and smaller red and white stripes above the blue stripe. On more recently painted cars, a red stripe runs along the bottom of the car.
For a short period of time in the early 2000s, some Amfleet cars were painted in the Phase V style, also known as the Acela Phase. The Acela paint scheme varied depending upon the type of car, with the different types having different colored "splotches" on them. The Coach class cars were decorated by a turquoise window stripe and a darker-shaded turquoise splotch, and the Business class cars were decorated by a navy blue window stripe with a light-turquoise splotch. Cafe cars were decorated with light-turquoise splotches and navy blue window stripes, and instead of a window where the snack bar was, there was a splotch of spring green.
All active Amfleet cars are currently painted in the Phase IVb scheme.
Specifications and build
An Amfleet car is 12 feet 8 inches tall (relative to the railhead), 10 feet 6 inches wide, and 85 feet in length over the vestibule diaphragm faceplates. The carbody itself is built up from spot-welded stainless steel sections, resulting in an exceptionally strong structure that is resistant to corrosion. Due to the length of the car, a noticeable arch is built into the carbody to prevent sagging when carrying a full passenger load.
A cafe car weighs about 110,000 pounds, while a coach weighs approximately 116,000 pounds. Amfleet seats have swing-down tray-tables for at-seat food service, overhead and underseat luggage storage (similar to that on a commercial airliner), and all cars (including cafes) are equipped with at least one restroom. Electric heating and air conditioning, operated by head-end power from the locomotive, are used to maintain passenger comfort.[5]
A feature inherited from older Budd-built cars is the use of dual disc brakes on each axle, with electronic anti-slide controls to prevent wheel lockup during full service or emergency brake applications. Although this braking system is more costly than the traditional wheel tread shoe braking design, experience has shown it to be a better-performing and lower maintenance alternative.
Notes
- ^ , , "August and September in Amtrak History" (PDF), Amtrak Ink, p. 20, August/September 2010, retrieved 2010-08-31
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Solomon, Brian (2004). Amtrak. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing. ISBN 0-7603-1765-8.
- ^ Sanders (2006), 69.
- ^ The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter. 32 (3). 2009 http://wilmingtonnrhs.com/newsletters/2009july.htm.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Information Sheet Produced in 1977
References
- Sanders, Craig (2006). Amtrak in the Heartland. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-34705-X.