These units contain all fixtures, electrical components, sewage and fresh water handling internally and are then mated with the car exterior shell upon assembly.

Access for this purpose is via a removable hatch on the side of the car, a distinguishing feature of the Viewliner series.

The prototype Viewliner dining car, number 8400, was later rebuilt with stimulus funding and restored to revenue service in October 2011[6] and given the name Indianapolis.

Originally a prototype dining car with experimental trucks built during the Viewliner design phase in the late 1980s, the car was completely rebuilt at Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops and currently serves on Eastern long distance trains.

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.

After Morrison-Knudsen was placed in bankruptcy, the outstanding orders were completed by Amerail with final delivery in 1996 alongside the California Car fleet.

The 50 Viewliners arrived just in time to retire most of Amtrak's remaining Heritage sleeping cars, which were coming under increasing environmental pressure due to their use of non-retention toilets.

[6] The five-year order, worth $298.1 million, was placed with CAF USA in Elmira, New York, a fully owned subsidiary of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles.

[18] The first car from the order was originally scheduled to roll off the assembly line in October 2012, but was delayed by more than a year, with field testing beginning in June 2014.

[25] The dining cars, numbered 68000–68024, are named alphabetically after the first 25 state capitals east of the Mississippi River starting with Albany and finishing with Tallahassee.

[28] This inspection car has rear-facing seats and a large glass window at the end that allows passengers to observe the tracks.

[29] American View is used by maintenance crews to visually inspect the tracks for defects and by the Amtrak president and other executives for official purposes.

[30] In 2022, Amtrak announced that they would be replacing all of their current Superliner, Amfleet II, and Viewliner I passenger cars used for long-distance service by 2032.