Bite Sized Oddities - Amtrak "AUTOMAT"
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Amtrak's passenger car roster has seen a lot of variety throughout the years. Some odd exceptions are made, one of which was a small series of converted passenger cars to cater towards the "Automat" concept.
This is the first time we've covered a piece of rolling stock in this series, as I don't really talk about rolling stock on this channel. Hope you all enjoy.
Music used:
Death Note OST 1 - 11 L's Theme B
I DO NOT OWN ANY PHOTOS, FOOTAGE OR MUSIC USED IN THIS VIDEO. THEY BELONG TO THERE RESPECTIVE OWNERs.
I kind of love the idea of vending machines on a train, honestly
I mean it is good ya know why? Cause what if you get a snack and it fails to fall and you tried to move it around but in a normal area, there is no movement to help ya, but in a train, there is plenty of movement.
Agree!!!,
I mean it’s kinda a thing already in Japan’s Shinkansen network
Yes I like vending machines better on trains because it’s quicker than a regular dining car or a cafe car and it’s cool at the same way!
There is one Amtrak train that does have a vending machine car. It’s the Piedmont in North Carolina. although the equipment is owned by the NCDOT, Amtrak operates it. The baggage car is a combine car, with one half baggage, and the other half a cafe car with just vending machines, no car attendant
Very interesting concept! I always wondered how nice it would be for amtrak and other commuter railroads to have onboard vending machines instead of Cafe cars, since many other regional lines in Europe have vending machine built into some of the coaches. Never knew such an experiment was tried a few times in the States, and I would've thought ordering food would at least be quicker when compared to waiting in a line.
Also 404 cameo at 2:39!
Automat 8601 was built by the st. Louis car company for the Union Pacific as a 44 seat coach numbered 5505 in 1960. It was transferred to Amtrak in the 1970s as Amtrak coach 4565. In 1979 this car was rebuilt by Amtrak with HEP and renumber 4609. This car did not keep its configuration too long as Amtrak needed more table space to accommodate passengers on the new Auto Train service. This car was again rebuilt in 1983 as an all table car 8601 and did not feature any vending machines. In 1996 with the delivery of Superliner II cars the Auto Train was converted to an all Superliner consist and 8601 along with Table Cars 8600 to 8603 were retired along with most of Amtraks heritage fleet. 8601 again received a new life as it was rebuilt into an Automat car in 1997 originally for the Pere Marquette train and eventually ending its service life in 2003 when it was retired from service and sold.
That’s definitely one of those hidden gems. I’ve never heard of an Automat before, not even the automat cars. And I don’t usually hear anyone talking about it.
I also didn’t know one of those automat cars has been preserved in the Whippany Railway Museum in my home state, and as a New Jerseyer, I appreciate that. When I was a kid, I didn’t see any Amtrak passenger cars in the museum because I was riding on the Polar Express in real life for the first time. I did also see my first ever locomotive from the Southern Railroad.
That image at 2:29 is of the car's first rebuild as a table car on the Amtrak Auto Train. Afaik, only one of these cars existed and it was the aforementioned 8601. the conversion likely happened as the conventional equipment was displaced from the Auto Train with Superliners.
I knew that the Southern Pacific had automat cars, but I didn't know Amtrak tried them too!
Thanks for the information!
Love the addition of rolling stock to this series! Keep up the good work!
We finally get to see rolling stock in this series 💀
Honestly, the idea of having vending machines on an Amtrak train doesn’t look so bad. It’s just that Amtrak didn’t handle it very well.
W h a t
Amfleets-Talgo-6&8
Nice
Kinda strange they never brought this feature back on small corridor and communter trains, it removes a need for a service person and would be less of a haste to deal with costumers
8601 was likely scrapped
Thx SP and PRR for making rail dining cancerous xD
will there be more bite sized oddities about rolling stock?
Amfleets Talgo 6&8
SP's automat buffet cars were a big downgrade to its trains and part of a plan to get rid of the trains. The Sunset Limited was reduced to just coaches and the automat, no diner or sleepers.
NCDOT Piedmont corridor trains feature vending machines for food service, plus free bottled water. The cars are former army medical service cars rebuilt to baggage bicycle vending lounge cars.
Wa you got zebra paint
Heh?!
Oh God don't get me started on restaurant or buffet cars.. those are d*gshit usually
(*points fingers at MÁV-START*)
Self serving train car. I had no idea Amtrak even had automats. Vending machines on a train sounds clever. They can be improved.