Passenger Trains > Great Northern 16-4 sleeper at Douglas, WY

Seeing the below post about "Great Northern 16-4 Sleeper "Pumpelly Glacier" moving" reminded me about a Sleeper I had recently seen at the RR Museum in Douglas, WY about a month ago. Previous post: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,2611535,2611616#msg-2611616

Paul Bernath
Crawford, NE



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/11 12:16 by pbernath.

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More.

Paul Bernath
Crawford, NE

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More..

Paul Bernath
Crawford, NE

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Still more.

Paul Bernath
Crawford, NE

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A few more..

Paul Bernath
Crawford, NE

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Last ones.

Paul Bernath
Crawford, NE

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Thanks for sharing these pictures. Looks like it's in good shape and preserved as it was on the inside as well.

Is that a pair of "white buck" shoes under the seat? Picture #6

Thanks for these photos. Those of us who were fortunate enough to travel aboard cars like this know each and every detail by heart. Those who missed it will appreciate your post!

Yeah, tastes change. Contemporary rail interiors are all sheet-molded and glistening, all nubby carpet and airline upholstery. Back then, industrial design had a lot more pieces! Plymetl bulkheads (aluminum-skinned plywood), stainless steel garnish moldings, and lots of painted surfaces. And yes, exposed toilet facilities! Hey, you didn't have to go down the hall, at least.

Modern viewers see an older Pullman-era interior and can't see what's "First Class" about it. What you don't see in these photos is the comforting hush of the traditional sleeper. They felt warm and -- Lucius Beebe might have said -- 'cosseting'. You were safe and serene. Even as you looked around at all that painted and bare industrial metal. It's hard to explain to someone who didn't get to 'feel' that special Pullman calmness.

They welcomed you, those rooms. They were an isolation against the noise and commotion of public travel. And with the door shut, the lights off, and the window shade open... the railroad and the country were yours. A Technicolor movie in widescreen Panavision. But nearly a silent movie.

~ BZ

Notch,

I couldn't agree with you more. I was fortunate enough to ride in the old 10-6 Sleepers before they were retired. While I travel frequently in the Viewliner Sleepers and find them comfortable, there was a "feeling" you got in the older cars. There was something about that "industrial" look you mentioned with all the shiny metal trim and switches. Certainly a different feel from the plastic feel in the current cars.

Yeah, I think the sliding glass doors of modern sleepers (speaking here of Superliners, since I haven't done Viewliners) are the biggest factor in not feeling that "Pullman Coziness". The outside sounds come right through the glass (and under the door gap).

As does the light, through gaps in shrunken materials, and through that terrible open burlappy weave. Hardly a noise block, and definitely not a hotel-grade blackout curtain. (It is to laugh, that those pieces of fabric could even be called 'curtains'.)

The new rooms themselves aren't bad. Still the same basic configurations. But I think that sense of being part of the hubbub outside and having no door to shut behind you is the reason modern cars just don't have that solidity and feeling of sanctuary.

I imagine modern designers would say the new cars are open and not claustrophobic.

~ BZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/11 19:14 by Notch16.

You stated very well, Notch16, the essence of travel in these old cars. Thank you for putting those feelings into words.

And thanks, Paul, for sharing the photos.

Very useful and informative spread, thanks for posting. True, cold storage can't convey the real atmosphere and attributes of any type of conveyance, be it Pullman or Queen Mary. Great to see this car, which I saw many times as a youth, being nicely preserved. Kurt.

I also agree about the calm serenity afforded by your very own cozy Pullman space. My dad was a Pullman conductor and I got to travel all over the country in every type of car and configuration. With the superliner roomettes, I think Amtrak was trying recreate a version of the old Pullman section, with its upper and lower berths. The section, however was a superior accommodation for night time use. It had larger, solid comfortable beds, both upper and lower. The upper bunk in a superliner roomette isn't much more than an upholstered shelf. The section's super heavy curtains really muffled the noise and blocked out the light. Granted, you can't build them like this now with the superliner's limited headroom. Given a choice, however I'd take one of the old Pullman style roomettes. You can still ride these on a number of PV's, and in Canada of course they still have both.

Wow! That car is in perfect condition! The interior is nice, next time I'm out that way, have to stop by and check it out.


MW

Just wondering - how would that toilet be used? Does it slide out into the room? Because from that angle it looks like it's actually under the sink.

dude....in a roomette the sink folds up out of the way
so that one can access the commode
now, in the bedrooms we see the older style room with
"combolet" toilets that hide under the sink



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/11 04:34 by The_Chief_Way.

BigDave Wrote:
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> Just wondering - how would that toilet be used?
> Does it slide out into the room? Because from that
> angle it looks like it's actually under the sink.

The toilet is hinged in the back, stored vertically behind that short door you see below the sink. When you pull the door open, it swings the toilet down to the horizontal position ready for use. The 1st class roomettes on the India-Pacific in Australia have a similar gadget, only MUCH SMALLER. If you're a big fella better to go down the hall.