Seriously, everything from the logo to the paint job, to the actual trains is fucking hideous.
I'm about to ride the downeaster.
>>1914856My condolences.We're pretty lucky in Canada to have had a government branding program in place for half a century that has cleaned and modernized everything.This extended into crown corporations. While VIA Rail is presently exempt from the federal branding program, its brand originated within the bounds of that program. Allowing it to evolve independently of the federal program has ended up with a quite lovely aesthetic unique to them.I feel better about paying hundreds of dollars for a business-class ticket when everything drips with modernist professionalism.
>>1914891Even your "decrepit" long distance passenger trains are better maintained and look better than fucking Amtrash that's 30 years younger.
>>1914856Because in the Anglo-Saxon world, things looking good is seen as symptomatic of wastefulness and frivolity, so we have to deliberately make things look a bit shit.
lol wtf do expect from the government? it’s wasteful and inept.
I remember taking one for work once and they gave me the sleeper room. It was kinda cool to have a room to myself but all I could think of the whole time is "damn, what a piece of shit". The whole experienced felt 30 years out of date. Big, ugly, slow, loud.
>>1914856They hardly bring in any revenue and cost hundreds of millions in subsidies. Congress isn't going to let them piss away even more money on frivolous shit like logo redesigns and new liveries.
>>1914856Explain this then
>>1915072>Congress isn't going to let them piss away even more money on frivolous shit like logo redesigns and new liveries.They've changed those numerous times and it's gotten progressively worse with each iteration. If anything, it's actual service that they refuse to upgrade or even downgrade.
>>1915088>appealing to fujosbart did it better
>>1914856Genesis locomotives are some of the ugliest locomotives I've seen, possibly ever, and I am including Soviet Era diesel steroid fucks into this.
>>1915088Unironically been told by like 4 friends of mine this convinced them to cruise on a long distance amtrak ride and join the transcontinental club
>>1915223middle is best
>>1915418I don't think anyone liked them. Just before they came out Amtrak was buying B40-8s and I thought they looked fine, but I presume the railroad wanted a covered wagon because it looks like it was intended for passengers and not freight.
>>1914856>the actual trains is fucking hideousthis one look nice and the paint is not bad
>>1915418The Soviet Union had some great-looking diesels, what are you on about?
>>1915491Possibly, I just find their height to be retarded.>too tall for regular cars>too short for bi-level carsand don't get me started on all of Amtraks rolling stuck shapes and sizes, fuck dude.>genesis is flat with bevel near the top>bi-level cars have rounded corners on top>regular cars that look fine>the god awful big ass pipe carsI hate Amtrak because they give zero shit about aesthetics, and I know they are trains and shit, but god damn.>>1915518A one of a kind, good thing the Avelia (or Liberte?) is coming to continue usual Amtrak shit-fuckery where the locomotive and the train cars sides don't even match.>>1915521Exactly what I expect out of Soviet shit, but it is in it's own world, but I would find the Genesis locomotive to be more out of place than pic related hauling Passenger cars in the US.
>>1915953>I hate Amtrak because they give zero shit about aestheticsThe only time Amtrak's aesthetics weren't utter garbage was when they were operating other railroads' inherited equipment (the Rainbow/Phase I era).Things have been going downhill for them ever since they abandoned streamliners and F/E units.>and I know they are trains and shit, but god damn.No, you're absolutely right. Aesthetics are unironically an extremely important part of marketing your product. If your product looks like shit, no one is going to buy it. And that's what Amtrak trains look like, uninspired and unappealing metal boxes on wheels, devoid of the sleekness and elegance that once defined train travel. And then they wonder why no one fucking rides their trains.This is why virtually everyone (me included) is nostalgic for the days of private passenger rail even though Amtrak has basic quality of life features on its trains that you wouldn't have been able to find on even the most expensive Pullman services back in the day like A/C, accessible seating for the physically disabled, outlets for charging your phone, and WiFi.As far as I'm concerned, poor aesthetics and visual appeal is a HUGE factor why Amtrak has never turned an actual profit for a single year of its existence and it's become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The government doesn't want to put any more than the bare minimum into the trains and their onboard service, they get stuck with ugly and unappealing rolling stock with service that is essentially on the same level as cheap airlines, the company continues to be stuck with the reputation for being a service that no one besides rail enthusiasts and the poor find enticing, and ticket sales remain below profitable levels.
>>1914856Metra looks nice
>>1916246>they were operating other railroads' inherited equipmentImagine my shock. And I thought I mentioned that aesthetics are the face of a company, especially if it is vehicles. Your pic related looks very nice and cozy.>uninspired and unappealing metal boxes on wheels, devoid of the sleekness and elegance that once defined train travelExactly. Which is why I mentioned Soviet shit, you expect a country with priorities in everything but aesthetics to have ugly shit, but then they turn out fine. There is just something about their locomotives that look functional or whatever.Anyways>priceDon't get me started, I wanted to visit someone in another state, and airlines are cheaper, despite the state being two state borders away, where theoretically train should be the cheapest, (airplanes being extremely long range) and for frame of reference, I live in the NEC so it's not "in the middle of nowhere.">rail enthusiasts and the poor find enticingAs a poor, it's still expensive since airlines are cheaper, and probably the only reason to go train is if you go over the planes weight limits for stuff you tag alongAs a rail enthusiast, I find rail in the US to be a mixture of either cool as shit like the Long Island RR, functional and cheap as shit like the NYC subway, where you get what you pay for aka nigs and hobos or just down right attrocious, Amtrak.>tfw no Amtrak X2000 or ICE 1 trainsets
>>1914856All of my Amtrak rides have been comfy with no complaints except the pizza which was microwaved and spongey. I've done multiple days trips too so idk, I don't get the hate desu.
>>1916261It's always confused me why Amtrak didn't just straight up buy surplus/export model X2000s and ICE sets and set up their high speed service years earlier.
>>1916261>Which is why I mentioned Soviet shit, you expect a country with priorities in everything but aesthetics to have ugly shit, but then they turn out fine.The USSR actually put a lot of emphasis on pomp and show in order to cover over its crippling economic and social problems. Virtually all totalitarian states do this to some degree or another but it was especially true in the Soviet Union and its spin-offs like North Korea and the PRC. Maintaining the image of strength and power becomes more important than strength itself.
