My Most Expensive Train Purchase Ever?!?!
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- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- After nearly three years of waiting, my Amtrak Viewliners and Superliners have finally arrived from Golden Gate Depot but, are they worth the price? Let's check them out and talk a little bit about why I decided to buy these cars, today on RJ's Trains.
Save $10 at Trainz.com/rjtrains with code "RJTrains"
Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
1:42 - What Are These Cars?
4:32 - Why Did I Buy These?
8:12 - Are They Worth It?
10:10 - The Capitol Limited
12:15 - The Cardinal
14:56 - The Carolinian
![[SFS] This is a boxcar that ruined our week.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/F-Jb1L8ShrY/mqdefault.jpg)
![[SFS] This is a boxcar that ruined our week.](/img/tr.png)
The trains are cool but your stories and ties to these are what make them really special. I’m admittedly lacking in Amtrak knowledge so thanks for the great lesson on these cars!!
I won't hold your lack of Amtrak knowledge against you haha
Great video
Owner Scott Mann
3rd rail and Golden gate depot is a Friend and He is so Great to be producing Our Wish list Trains and as long as there are enough requests and Orders he can Produce Any Train with all the Awesome details and functions.
Great video and Story with history and actual Trains together in your presentation!
I am very excited for the ALC42s, hopefully he gets enough orders to produce them. I know I am doing my part with three on order haha
Congrats man! I ended up with several myself. I don't buy many passenger cars anymore from other manufactures, besides Atlas which you mentioned. I think if Lionel produced aluminum cars again they would be comparably priced to GGD. To me it comes down to if you just want some Amtrak cars (or other roads) there's other more inexpensive options, but if you want the best/most accurate passenger cars, GGD is the answer.
Thank you! Lionel's plastic cars are almost GGD price at this point. I agree with your point, that is why I bought these and ordered more. I love Amtrak and they will not get better than this.
Great review and excellent points made! I ordered some Viewliners (both runs) and I also question spending so much, but we may never have an opportunity to find these modern cars again at $400/piece. Thanks for supporting and making all those Amtrak purchases and videos! It helps the manufacturers understand there is a market for modern, scale, passenger equipment!
I am doing all I can on CZcams and behind the scenes to get as much Amtrak made as possible haha. I guess it is working so far.
Glad to find another Amtrak fan. I was a Washington, DC Lead Service Attendant in the late 80s and 90s, and later a CSX locomotive engineer (qualified over the RF&P sub - I noticed the truck). Phase III paint is my favorite, and I miss the F40 "Screamers". I worked "The Cap" a couple of different times while I was there, both single-level and Superliners.
Nice video, RJ. Loved all the information and I must say those Viewliners are spectacular. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Please take note: Overland Models Inc. OMI of Muncie Indiana produced brass 1/48 Superliners, both the first versions (1980s) and later (1990s) by Ajin in Korea in “o scale” 2 rail not toy tin plate 3 rail. Viewliners, no, Scott is the only game in town and we thank him. Great looking models
It's rj, of course. He's gonna go broke buying amtrak 😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks for this very interesting and informative review of what's new in Amtrak couches. These new Viewliners and Superlines sound pretty dear in price right now, so I hope that another model maker will make a great set at a reasonable price soon. Your background details are always worth noting for future reference, RJ, so thanks for your work behind the scene.
Glad you enjoyed it!
The new passenger cars are stunning! Thanks for the history back ground on some of the Amtrak trains. A few years ago my wife and I rode on Amtrak from Lapeer, Michigan to Chicago. It was a nice ride and easy way in and out of Chicago. We also rode passenger train from Sarnia to Toronto. That was a nice ride with great countryside viewing.
I just got my view liner cars in the mail today, I’m very impressed with them very happy I got them! Those super liners look very nice to!!
Yes they are!
Really loved your video. I’m no guru in Amtrak so I learned a lot regarding the different types of cars and what trains use what particular cars. The different paint jobs on your locomotives is cool too to see the varieties. Nice job explaining everything. Too cool man 😀🚂
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great review. I could not afford to get entire set and add-ons. I wanted the Amtrak, Santa Fe, and GN cars so I just ordered the extra cars. This review and presentation is the best one I have experienced in several years. Thank you.
Thank you very much!
Great video and love the application and use in current rosters that Amtrak runs. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Even little people How real can it get! Thank You!
Thank you for watching!
Great video RJ! I bought 8 Superliners and 6 Viewliners between the two runs. Hopefully they'll do Amfleet IIs at some point. I love riding Amtrak and these cars help me relive the memories of my trips, so while they are pricey I couldn't pass them up.
I agree, I really hope Scott does Amfleet IIs in the future. My Amfleet Is will do just fine for now.
Excellent video on the explanation about Amtrak’s cars. I did not know this about the different sizes, even though I always wondered why they are different. Pleasant to say, I have ridden on all of them, first starting in 1998.
Wow! $400 a car! That’s amazing, but I’m with you; when it comes to a hobby such as model railroading, if one is passionate about it, I say it’s worth it. And most likely (in some cases) it will all appreciate in value. I know that is true in one of my Overland Models that I have.
My wife and I board Amtrak in downtown Houston. It has to be one of the worst stations in the world, considering that Houston many, many decades ago had two first class stations. Minute Maid Park (where the Astros play) is the second majestic station that Houston had, but wasn’t used when I started working in downtown Houston in 1990. However, it was used for the freight lines to back their business trains into, (prior to the stadium being built) but the station itself had been abandoned for decades.
Houston destroyed the majority of its historical heritage starting in the 1960’s - 1970’s, but that’s another story.
Great video, thank you, Sir!
Thank you very much! Hopefully one day Houston has more than 6 trains a week and a proper station.
While I have several GGD sets, I recently purchased the new Lionel Amtrak Phase 1 E8s, to go with my 21-inch K Line and Atlas Heritage fleet cars. You have a great looking layout!
I thought about purchasing those Lionel E8s but I am holding out for the black legacy ones from the previous run. Thank you for the kind words!
Great purchase
Not everyone has Golden gate cars.
Thank you!
Great video RJ. I really like your description and history of the amfleet cars. I took a roomette trip on the Cardinal from Chicago to Washington last year and loved it. And a couple years ago I drove to harpers ferry on my way to york train show. It's a great town to visit.
glad to hear you were able to enjoy the Cardinal, A lot more Harpers Ferry talk will be coming to my future videos.
Great video and backstory. " Big ups 👍 from Chicago!"
Glad you enjoyed it!
I thought it was HO scale but it’s for O scale.. HO scale is more popular but Lionel three rails began in the 1930’s? I’m not sure? My Granddad had an ancient wind up spring powered train set. Wind up key, a steam locomotive, box car, tank car and caboose.
Yes it is O Scale. HO is more popular but Lionel was first invented in 1900.
I ENJOYED THE VID ESPECIALLY THE COMMENTARY. I LIVE IN NY AND NEVER RODE ON THE ACELA ALTHO I'VE SEEN IT EVERYDAY AT PENN STATION. I WRKD FOR VERIZON AND HAD A ROOM ON TRACK 18. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!
RJ,
Great video on Amtrak, your new Amtrak cars are beautiful. I am also an Amtrak fan, however my riding experience on Amtrak is limited compared to yourself. Do you have any plans to do a trip on Brightline in Florida? We have a new Brightline Highspeed Rail being built between Vegas and LA; and can't wait to try it out once completed. Also planning a trip on the Empire builder from Seattle to Chicago and back.
I actually got the opportunity to ride Brightline in Florida back in January. It was alright. I am excited for when Amtrak can get their own equipment like that.
If you live in the DC area, I'd love to give you a flight from Leesburg VA to fly around over Harpers Ferry! I got my PPL this Spring and fly out that way all the time. Let me know if you're interested
Honestly if Lionel, MTH and Atlas do make those cars, be sure I will def hop on the amtrak hype.
I have a set of Williams Superliner cars. I little short maybe but LOTS cheaper. I bought mine because I ride the SWC to LA often. I also ride the Cardinal and while most times it is a short train it can grow much bigger if needed. thx
Very cool!
From someone who lives in California I’ve got the Amtrak California, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, Amtrak Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight and Empire Builder. I’ve also been on and seen the Amtrak Cascade trains too. I’ve seen a few east coast Amtrak trains and maybe the auto train 1 time but I run quite a bit of Amtrak in N-Scale. The manufacturers need to hurry up and make the Amtrak California, Pacific Surfliner and Cascade trains in N-Scale already! They’ve only done very few locomotives but no cars/trains sets! I’ve got the Auto train, a couple east coast trains, Midwest one and the coast starlight! I really want the Pacific Surfliner and cascade trains in N-Scale and been telling them nonstop to do it but no one has! 😭😭
P.S. nice wine train picture in the background. I work there
Well at least N Scale is getting ALC42s, we are still waiting for them in O Gauge!
@@rj.trains true but the Pacific Surfliner and the cascade trains are the ones we really want in N-Scale because there’s a huge demand for them and they’re missing out on a huge opportunity!
Good to see you again RJ!
I don't know much about Golden Gate Depot but I DO know they're absolutely top-of-the-line. AND with limited-run production the demand's always high for hobbyists who can afford them. I understand they hold their value quite well so you've most likely got a good long-term investment with those cars.
And don't passenger cars look great with the room lights off? A passenger train in the night always has an air of mystery about it.
Fun video as always, and thanks for posting!
Thank you Wayne!
Got mine couple weeks ago. Got the phase 3 superliners
Phase III looks awesome, enjoy!
Scott is doing a second run.
Yep! I have another Superliner Sleeper on order
Nice! They are fine looking cars, for sure and the interior detail is quite good. They look real good running on your layout. They are huge, though. A full-sized passenger train would take-up a good stretch on any layout. Either way, I hope that you learned to always take a sleeper on long-distance train trips. I prefer the Viewliner sleepers over the Superliners. They have a tad more room and they have a lavatory in each roomette. An excellent video, as always.
Yes, I learned the lesson to always take sleeper. I have spent two nights in coach on Amtrak and that is more than enough. I agree, Viewliner II sleepers are my favorite.
I got four of them. $1,600... But you know what worth every penny and I want more now. I'm ashamed I didn't get more. I want the full set and I don't know if they're going to do another run or not
Well they are doing another run of Superliners later this year, I ordered one more sleeper.
@@rj.trains really I didn't hear about this cuz I asked and they put me on a standby
Isn't that the battle cry for ALL us model railroaders...
"I just spent TOO MUCH Money on Something STUPID...!"😅😅😅
(AND it probably doesn't even fit with my era or geographic area🤦♂️)
You're exactly right, that saying can but used anything related to buying model trains haha
Love it
Thank you!
Lionel should make more Amtrak. I think younger people would have more interest in Amtrak, just because that's what they may have actually ridden on.
Lionel is trying to. They made Amfleets recently, but at a ridiculous price with no cafe car. They bought the railking genesis tooling, which looks ridiculous, only costs $100 less than the Atlas Premier Line one, and sold terribly. The Acela didn't sell well. I have a hard time believing Lionel would make the necessary investment to produce actual Amtrak equipment after their last three products flopping.
It is sad that Lionel hasn’t made a better effort at this. The prices Lionel has been charging lately has been, to say the least, high. They are far exceeding inflation rates, but that’s another story for another time.
If Lionel could come out with a good Superliner set that is reasonable in price ($250-$300) when compared to Golden Gate Depot, they might have a hit. Now, of course, they would need modern power to pull these cars and they don’t have a scale Genesis. Charger maybe? We could use a new diesel Legacy for the 2025 catalog.😊
Wait till he sees the Price of a Marklin Gauge 1 Big boy or a KM-1 BR-01 or a Micro-metakit Wehrmacht loco. 💸
Oh I know, I have started looking at German O Gauge locomotives for my collection and it is insane, I cannot even imagine what Gauge 1 is like
Im just waiting for walthers or kato to make an Ho scale viewliner because older ones cost a fortune
Yea I wish I did HO so when they are made I could actually buy a real train's worth of viewliners haha
@@rj.trains yeah
Should try to do a Amtrak Broadway Limited
Amtrak's "Broadway Ltd." ended in 1995, so you're looking at modeling a train that was mostly equipped with Heritage Fleet cars up to the end of service, and would also have had mostly F40PH locomotives for power, all in no newer than Phase III paint, but also going back to the beginning if you wanted to portray Phases I and II, as well as EMD E units and SDP40Fs. It also carried quite a few MHC head-end cars near the end, and it was a long train, combined with a Washington section, that later became the separate Capitol Ltd. in 1986. I have to explain that further, up until 1983 it was a section of the Broadway that combined with the NY section at Harrisburg, then ran as "The Capitol Ltd." separately from DC to Pittsburgh after '83, which is when they added the dome cars (9400 series Budd slab-sided, ex-NP dome coaches - good luck finding those in any scale, I'm looking in HO). You could selectively represent a sampling of the types of cars on it to make it shorter, but at times it was an 18 car train with up to three locomotives. It would look great on a club modular layout.
are they in still use? the Amtrak Viewliners
Yes they are.
What about making the ACS 64 sprinter engine in o scale
I would love that, doubt it will ever happen but it is nice to have hope
Nobody's announced O scale Sprinters yet. But 3rd Rail/GGD did announce a Siemens Charger diesel in a number of (prototypical) paint schemes. They're taking reservations now. TMCC with sound, about $800 each.
@RailRide Atlas an mth are alot better in prices then lionel an third rail
I bought five Viewliners in the first run (two sleepers, a baggage, crew dorm, and diner). Still a big spend at $300 each (and $120 shipping)
Like you, I'll use the MTH amfleets in conjunction with them to recreate the _Pennsylvanian_ (I'll be on it for Independence Day), as well as the _Crescent_ , which I've rode NYC-Atlanta and back a number of times.
Didn't order any Superliners, as I've got a whole mess of MTH, K-Line and Lionel ones during my attempt to re-create the Auto-Train. ( czcams.com/video/UQTmqdmNDu8/video.htmlsi=atHWCXAEA1V_yxqQ ) This last one now has MTH power, and enough additional cars since the linked video to place 15 Superliners and 21 autoracks in it...if I had the space.
Atlas O has the Premier MTH Superliners, as well as the Amfleets. What MTH still has in its possession is the RailKing versions of both, since when Lionel bought the RK Genesis tooling, I believe they use their own 18" Amfleets with it.
Prototype note: I'd be hard pressed to call Superliner sleepers "traditional" American sleeper cars...that honor would go to the Heritage Fleet sleepers, which the first run of Viewliner sleepers replaced. Another height restriction on the NEC is the Baltimore tunnels. Capitol Limited and Auto-Train are the only Superliner trains that touch the east coast.
Yes I realized afterwards that I misspoke when I called the Superliners the traditional American sleeper car, but then again it has been the default Amtrak sleeper car design for over 40 years now.
Nice trains
Thank you very much!
Don't most superliner trains run with two engines?
Most do but the Capitol Limited usually only runs with one locomotive
Would you consider working for a railroad?
Maybe. It might be cool
@@rj.trains apply for Amtrak you’ll get hired I’m out of DC
I just purchased three and I have Kline 21 Amtrak cars
How do they look together?
@@rj.trains they haven’t arrived yet in the mail to me now
Did you see my Kline Amtrak 21 inch cars on CZcams Illinois Central Fan
It's OK,it's an investment.That's what I told my X wives. Luckily I still have my trains.
Expensive express
Don’t let my mom see this video
Same