In the 1980s, Amtrak was looking to replace its Heritage Fleet railcars, which had been in service as far back as the 1940s. While new Superliner cars were built starting in 1979, those cars were too tall to run on Amtrak's eastern routes because of clearance issues in and around both New York Pennsylvania Station and Baltimore Pennsylvania Station.

Working with the Budd Company, Amtrak drafted plans for new single-level sleeping and dining cars that utilized a 'modular' design where the interiors of the cars, especially the sleepers, were built in units separate from the exterior shell. These units contain all fixtures, electrical components, sewage and fresh water handling internally and are then mated with the car exterior shell upon assembly. This approach allows for easier maintenance and reconfiguration through removal and replacement of individual units. Access for this purpose is via a removable hatch on the side of the car, a distinguishing feature of the Viewliner series. Unlike the Superliners, occupants of both bunks in the bedrooms have an outside view. The design of the cars was created by Amtrak's design group, which received input from every department in the company. At the time of their introduction into service, Amtrak planned to assemble a fleet of over a thousand cars during the ten years after their introduction.

The prototype Viewliner cars were assembled at Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops in Beech Grove, Indiana in 1987-1988 from Budd components. Two sleeping cars (2300 and 2301) were built, as was one dining car (8400). These cars were tested on the Capitol Limited beginning in 1988. The prototypes were in regular service until 2002; however, money from the 2009 stimulus package recently funded the restoration of dining car 8400 to service.

In 2014, prototype sleeper 2301 was converted into an inspection car named "American View". The car has rear-facing seats and a large glass window at the end that allows passengers to observe the tracks.[5] The car can also be used by maintenance crews to visually inspect the tracks for defects and by the Amtrak president and other executives for official purposes.

		Location & information	Date	Photo Credit
	2300	Houston TX the first prototype Viewliner on the head end of the departing Sunset Limited	October 1987	Gary Morris
	2300	Houston TX  A height comparison to a Superliner click here for an interior view	October 1987	Gary Morris
	2300	Houston TX vestibule end	October 1987	Gary Morris
	2300	Houston TX  A height comparison to a Heritage coach click here for another interior view	October 1987	Gary Morris
	2300		October 1987	MC Wikman
	2300		October 1987	MC Wikman
	2301	Framingham MA the second prototype Viewliner - note the Twilight Shoreliner window screens but the car is in use on #449 The Lakeshore Limited	September 3, 1998	Jeff Finch
	2301	Natick MA	August 28, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	10004
	10004

According to Wikipedia
Viewliner I
The first production Viewliners were built in 1995-1996 by Amerail (now Alstom)/Morrison-Knudsen. Amtrak's original intention in the 1980s was to order 500-600 new cars, of which 100 would be sleepers and the rest coaches, diners, and lounges. This would have enabled Amtrak to replace its remaining Heritage Fleet equipment and run trains with solid Viewliner consists. However Amtrak's strained finances led to only 50 sleeping cars being ordered, which contributed to the Budd Company's decision to completely exit the railcar market. The design was transferred to the Amerail/Morrison-Knudsen consortium with delivery finally being completed in 1996 alongside the Bombardier-supplied Superliner II fleet. The Viewliners arrived just in time to retire most of Amtrak's Heritage sleeping cars which were coming under increasing environmental pressure due to their use of non-retention toilets. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s Viewliner sleepers ran on East Coast single-level trains in concert with Amfleet coaches and Heritage diners.

		Location & information	Date	Photo Credit
	62000 American View	Cleveland OH	Oct 9, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62000 American View	Delray Beach Fl	May 2, 2006	Jeff Lubchansky
	62001 Atlanic View	Framingham MA	April 16, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62002 Autum View	Cleveland OH	Oct 9, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62002 Autum View
	62003	Birmingham AL on the Northbound Crescent	April 7, 2001	Matt Nelson
	62003	Washington DC	Nov 2, 2014	Dick Leonhardt
	62004 Beach View	Toldeo OH in the Lakeshore Limited	June 24, 2000	Jim Hebner
	62004 Beach View	Tampa FL	Dec 1, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62005	Tampa FL	Apr 7, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62006 College View	Albany NY on the Lakeshore Limited Train 49	April 8, 2008	Steve Kessler
	62007	Birmingham AL on the Northbound Crescent	April 7, 2001	Matt Nelson
	62008  Eagle View	Framingham MA	Feb 13, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62008 Eagle View	Framingham MA	Feb 13, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62008 Eagle View	Framingham MA on the Lakeshore Limited	Feb 29, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62008 Eagle View	Framingham MA on the Lakeshore Limited	Feb 29, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62008	Chicago IL On a VERY late Lakeshore Limited	Sept 28, 2014	Jim Hebner
	62009	Tampa FL	Apr 7, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62010 Forest View	Tampa FL	Apr 7, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62011 Gulf View	Natick MA	Aug 27, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62012 Habor View	South Bend IN	Oct 6, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62013 Harvest View	Springfield MA	Sept 20, 2001	Dick Leonhardt
	62013	Tampa FL	Apr 7, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62013 Harvest View	Framingham MA	26 May 2010	Dick Leonhardt
	62015 Island View	Elkhart IN	Sept 22, 2001	Dick Leonhardt
	62016 Lake View	Framingham MA on the Lakeshore Limited	Feb 22, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62016 Lake View	Framingham MA	Feb 22, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62016 Lake View	Wellesley Farms MA	Feb 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62017 Majestic View'	Wellesley MA had name	May 16, 2009	Dick Leonhardt
				Dick Leonhardt
	62018	Chicago IL On a VERY late Lakeshore Limited	Sept 28, 2014	Jim Hebner
	62019 Metro- politan View	Framingham MA	March 26, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62020 Moonlight View	Tampa FL		Amin Ricker
	62021
	62022 Mountain View	Albany NY	Oct 31, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62022 Mountain View	South Bend IN	Oct 30, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62022 Mountain View	Springfield MA	Oct 29, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62023 Mystic View	Rochester NY	Sept 24, 2001	Dick Leonhardt
	62023 Mystic View	Tampa FL	Dec 1, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62024 National View	Wellesley MA	June, 2001	Dick Leonhardt

	62028 Palisades View	Worcester MA	Feb 3, 2001	Dick Leonhardt
	62030 Patriot View	Albany NY	Oct 31, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62030 Patriot View	South Bend IN	October 30, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62032 River View	Rochester NY	Sept 22, 2001	Dick Leonhardt
	62032	Tampa FL	Apr 7, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62032	Tampa FL	Dec 2, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62034 Scenic View	Tampa FL		Amin Ricker
	62034 Sea View	South Bend IN was this named for Admiral Nelson's sub? ok ...ok ...bad joke	Oct 31, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62035 Skyline View	Toledo OH part of the Lakeshore Limited	June 24, 2000	Jim Hebner
	62035 Skyline View	Framingham MA	July 30, 2010	Dick Leonhardt
	62035	South Bend IN name gone	Oct 7, 2011	Dick Leonhardt
	62037 Southern View	Framingham MA	April 3, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62037 Southern View	Framingham MA	April 3, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62037 Southern View	Framingham MA	April 3, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62037 Southern View	Chicago IL	May 1999	Jim Hebner
	62039 Stream View	Framingham MA	April 25, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62039 Stream View	Chicago IL	May 21999	Jim Hebner
	62039 Summer View	Tampa FL  Southbound Silver Star Amtrak P091-27	Nov 28, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62041 Summit View	Tampa FL	Apr 7, 2006	Amin Ricker
no photo yet	62042
	62043 Sunset View	Tampa FL  Southbound Silver Star Amtrak P091-27	Nov 28, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62044 Sylvan View	Framingham MA	Nov 21, 1998	Dick Leonhardt
	62045 Tower View	Framingham MA	April 22, 1997	Dick Leonhardt
	62045 Tower View	Chicago IL	April 1997	Bill Hakkarinen
	62045 Tower View	Framingham MA	March 29, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62045 Tower View	Framingham MA	March 1, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62045 Tower View	Wellesley Farms MA	Feb 21, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62045 Tower View	Rochester NY	July 8, 2001	Jim Hebner
	62045	Tampa FL	Apr 7, 2006	Amin Ricker
no photo yet	62046
	62047 Village View	Tampa FL  Southbound Silver Star Amtrak P091-27	Nov 28, 2006	Amin Ricker
	62048 Wayside View	Rt 128 MA	Sept 20, 1999	Dick Leonhardt
	62048 Wayside View	Springfield MA	Oct 5, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62048 Wayside View	Worecster MA	Oct 5, 2000	Dick Leonhardt
	62049 Winter View	Ashland VA northbound from Newport News VA to Boston about 6pm - just before the Auto Train	July 26, 1997	Phil Miller
	62049 Winter View	Boston's Back Bay Station has the unique window treatment for the TWILIGHT SHORELINER, moon, planets, starts, etc.	June 24, 1998	Bill Hakkarinen
	62049 Winter View	Toledo OH in the Lakeshore Limited	June 24, 2000	Jim Hebner