Skip to main content

With next year being the 40th anniversary of the "Year of the Amfleet", and this turning into the summer of forum product requests, it seems like the time is right to start my campaign. 

It would seem to me like these would sell big, considering how long they've been on the rails, and the near complete lack of scale modern Amtrak equipment available (because we all know how easy it is to find 21" Superliners). Yet... its obvious the demand for the modern equipment is there, just look at the prices being commanded for MTH Genesis locomotives... all of them, not just the "holy grail" phase V version. F40's are hard to stumble upon as well, either MTH or K-lines. All these people need some cars, and at least some of them want the full scale cars (I know this because I've seen it requested repeatedly on this forum). 

So, having said that, here's my case:

-Its basically a standardized car. Yes, the Amfleet I and II differ and one or the other would have to be selected from the outset but from the perspective of making it, its a fluted tube shaped extrusion. Most of the detail is in getting the HEP underframe right. 

-It can be boiled down to coaches, and cafe cars. A train consists of many coaches, and one cafe car, making a "set" mostly coaches, which ought to help with getting the necessary order volume. 

-Its worn every Amtrak paint scheme. When you add in all of the special service schemes (Metroliner Service, Northeast Direct, Northeast Regional (only marked on the cafe), etc....), its many more. This fact means that ANY locomotive that Amtrak had, pulled an Amfleet at some point or another. GG1s with power cars, 5 E-8s were converted to HEP so they could pull Amfleets, and everything since then has had amfleets in tow. Same car, painted at least 8 different ways (Phase I, II, III, IV, IVb and V (the Acela Blotch), plus the service logos, in 4 car sets, I suspect the numbers would climb quickly... its just making the same car over and over again, with a few different sets of decals.

Then add the cafe/lounges... still the same extrusion with a different window arrangement, and sell it individually. This enables things like buying a NE Regional Phase IVb cafe car, and also buying a standard IVb cafe car, and one set of coaches, and having the ability to create 2 different regional trains with the same set of coaches. 

If these were done, I'd have a hard time not just blowing next year's entire train allotment on multiple sets of these cars. These nice scale locomotives just dont look right with short cars.

Bonus for making Viewliners as well, but in needing just one or 2 per train, I could see that being a little bit tougher of a sell (however because one or 2 would do, could be done in brass?)

Double Bonus for doing the 2 Amfleet sleepers.

 

Who's with me?

 

Last edited by Boilermaker1
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Originally Posted by AGHRMatt:

A nice touch would be a cab car. My understanding is that the San Diegan Amtrak cab cars were actually Metroliners with the pans removed and conventional passenger car trucks installed. Oh the sad task of explaining push-pull passenger operation to a young innocent child.

 

Yes, the metroliner cars were converted to cab cars, but save for the tube shape, there's some apparent differences. They started out with the electrical equipment on the roof, but it was moved underneath during a rebuild somewhere along the way, giving them a different set underframe equipment. They also ride on different trucks. It could be done, but there's more to it then slapping a cab on one end and a horn on the roof. 

But in theory, since I believe the basic tubular shaped body of the metroliners is the same as that of the amfleet cars, someone could make metroliners as a parallel project?

 

Last edited by Boilermaker1

"I'm indifferent to the AMFLEETs, but I'd go for  full-scale AMTRAK high-level cars.

Just finished an 8000+ mile trip aboard AMTRAK and w0uld love to have at least one example of the experience."

 

You need to check out the GGD website and they have just what you are looking for that was announced earlier this year. There may be an issue, however, due to lack of orders for the Amtrak cars. The Sante Fe version look like a big winner.

Last edited by Former Member

Well. The El Cap cars will no doubt be up to GGD standards. But, they aren't the current AMTRAK design, which is what we rode (and occasionally suffered in). Since I'm firmly rooted in the pre-1953 era, modern stuff is of no interest. I'd like to have, say, an AMTRAK sleeper to display, but I cannot justify two grand or more for a complete train.

BTW: did you know that AMTRAK has preserved 5 of the Santa Fe lounge cars? They run only on the Coast Starlight. They are really nice. AMTRAK calls them Parlor Cars, open only to sleeper passengers.

If anyone has good detailed dimensional drawings of Amfleet cars let Scott know.  My search has proven inadequate.  Metroliners are in the same boat.  If anyone has a Pennsylvania Passenger Car Library are they covered there?

 

I'm trying, unsuccessfully so far, to lobby him into a hybrid aluminum/brass Viewliner of similar detail to the GGD European cars just completed.

 

21" Superliners?  No market.  With patience you can find the Overland cars at near the same price point as GGD's would be.  I've never paid over $400 each for them.

 

I would bet someone will offer an ACS-64 in the next couple of years.  Probably not Atlas after the AEM-7 disaster but MTH? A 1/48 scaled ES-64 would be a great start.

And if done to their European standards rather than their dumbed down NA standards would put me on the list for one.

 

 

 

Originally Posted by bob2:

Didn't K-Line do a credible 21" Superliner?  I know they did similar Surfliner cars - I 2-railed a fleet of them for the museum.  They were quite good for the price.  I have a pair of smooth side CNW bi-level cars - reminds me of my trip to boot camp. $75 each, brand new.

Yes, they did.  I only got rid of mine when I found a set of Overland's.  The Surfliners were also very nice.  Also their 21" Bombardier Commuter cars.

Originally Posted by AGHRMatt:

A nice touch would be a cab car. My understanding is that the San Diegan Amtrak cab cars were actually Metroliners with the pans removed and conventional passenger car trucks installed. Oh the sad task of explaining push-pull passenger operation to a young innocent child.

The first time I took Amtrak to Chicago in the summer of 1975, I had a like situation, seeing a push/pull for the first time.  The SW CHIEF was moving toward Union Station.  I looked out the window and saw a BN E unit on a rake of bilevel cars.  Nice looking train.  Except for one small problem.  IT WAS GOING BACKWARDS.  AT A GOOD CLIP!  The CHIEF outran the BN, and I did notice a cab on the last car.  Blood pressure went down 200 points. Enjoyed watching commutes during short layover. 

Some 20 odd years ago Clark Benson of Stratford Conn.made some Amfleet cars from Welz and Williams extrusions.they were 21 inches long and the Welz extrusions were too small.He made them in the coach and cafe car configurations.On the larger more close to scale extrusions he used the William ends.If anyone is interested in some spare Williams extrusions that may still be around I can put you in touch with the present owner

my email is CULLITON.BILL6@GMAIL.COM

Originally Posted by Traindiesel:

I've been lobbying for scale Amfleet cars.  I'd also love to see these Amtrak scale goodies:

 

*Viewliner Sleeper & Diner

 

*E60 Electric locomotive

 

*Cities Sprinter ACS-64

 

*A new Acela set

 

*Metroliners

 

And I'd also love to see some scale Penn Central passenger equipment! 

 

MTH did hint at the ACS-64 at a previous TCA convention when Mike unveiled the Taurus.  

Add Reply

Post

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×