Defective Heavy Weight Passenger Carriages

[engineman]

Update
The Defective Bachmann Situation has now been Addressed
Bachmann management has tracked down a complete six car set and is posting them to me so as to replace the defective set that caused short circuits on my layout.
A very big thank you to Mr Budd Reece

[Santa Fe buff]

Service is with bachmann! No doubt. Glad you have your car set, what roadname, if it is Amtrak, what phase?

[Guilford Guy]

Amtrak used not heavyweights...

[Santa Fe buff]

Amtrak used not heavyweights...

True, but Amtrak should, isn't it slightly safer?

[Pacific Northern]

Santa Fe

These coaches are way before Amtrak. Have never seen any heavyweight coaches painted/lettered for Amtrak.

Wrong Era

[Dr EMD]

Early Amtrak policy forced a few private cars (heavyweights) to be painted in Amtrak Phase I if they want to be hauled in the back of their train. An ICG business car (HW Open end Obs) was painted so it can be on the rear of the City of New Orleans.

A M T R A K is the proper spelling, not A M T R A C K

[Yampa Bob]

Engineman,
I'm glad to hear your car issue has been resolved by Bachmann.  They are great people to deal with. 

[Santa Fe buff]

Early Amtrak policy forced a few private cars (heavyweights) to be painted in Amtrak Phase I if they want to be hauled in the back of their train. An ICG business car (HW Open end Obs) was painted so it can be on the rear of the City of New Orleans.

A M T R A K is the proper spelling, not A M T R A C K

This reminds me of the time I was all saying SOUTHERN with caps, and he corrected me too! Good times...and I was lost in the era! But it does reman:
Is heavyweights safer? Like I said before, download a free Google toolbar, and  a spellcheck comes with it. It will check all texboxes for errors. IC has some left, I been in one!

[Conrail Quality]

Early Amtrak policy forced a few private cars (heavyweights) to be painted in Amtrak Phase I if they want to be hauled in the back of their train. An ICG business car (HW Open end Obs) was painted so it can be on the rear of the City of New Orleans.

A M T R A K is the proper spelling, not A M T R A C K

This reminds me of the time I was all saying SOUTHERN with caps, and he corrected me too! Good times...and I was lost in the era! But it does reman:
Is heavyweights safer? Like I said before, download a free Google toolbar, and  a spellcheck comes with it. It will check all texboxes for errors. IC has some left, I been in one!

I have never heard that heavyweight cars are safer, and I tend to doubt it. At any rate, with oil prices as high as they are, the chances that heavyweight cars will ever be built again is negligable. If it takes 2 P42's to pull an 11-car Empire Builder, how many would it take to pull an 11-car heavyweight Empire Builder? At least three, probably more like four. That's a lot of diesel fuel burned, and hence, a lot of $$$. This is all assuming that Amtrak gets the money from Congress to buy the heavyweights anyway (doubtful).

Timothy

[Pacific Northern]

Did Amtrak ever use any Heavyweight cars for regular service?

[Santa Fe buff]

Did Amtrak ever use any Heavyweight cars for regular service?

Maybe in the early service:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRTIWwoaJb4

[Paul M.]

There's a heavywight baggage car at 1:08 in the video!

[Pacific Northern]

There's a heavywight baggage car at 1:08 in the video!

Yes I noticed it. It was however not painted in the Amtrak colours.

Most of the rolling stock in the early days were still in the livery of the original railroads, as the film indicates this was common for the first few years.

[Conrail Quality]

In the early years, Amtrak looked at all its rolling stock and grouped them into an A list and a B list. The cars on the A list were rebuilt with head-end power and were moved onto the 'final' roster. The B list cars were kept around until enough Amfleets and Superliners had arrived to replace them, at which time they were sold or scrapped. With all the lightweight, younger cars available, I am not aware that any heavyweights made it onto the A list.

Timothy