Passenger Trains > Superliner Trans Dorms

Other than sharing the car with the crew, is there any difference in the rooms compared to regular Superliner sleepers?

The dorms have a nifty crew lounge on the bottom level. 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

webmaster Wrote:
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> The dorms have a nifty crew lounge on the bottom
> level. 

Sounds like a good place for a rolling poker game.

A niffty lounge on the lower level.  suggest you look at one.  The orgional chairs are long gone to homes or sold.

As I recall two tables, which seem to be used by the conductors, which is a good use. Other wise its empty space.

To answer the orgional questions all the roomettes are the same.  Most have a handicap room, none have a family room.

At the step down end is a large room, for the Train Chief, which is no more.  At the other end, in the space for a roomette, was the orgional conductors office, seldom used, its too small.  Could be rebuilt to a standard roomette.

The showers/ toliets are a differant arrangment then a full sleeper, but the car remains very useful as is.  In the space of the employee lounge could be placed 4 more roomettes to increased capacity.  But Amtrak now considers these cars of a limited life !

Could be some mis spelling, but spell check is not always working for me on TO..

One plus on many -- but not all -- transition sleepers is that one or both bathrooms on the upper level have showers. Some have one shower in the bathroom next to room 18, others have showers in both room 18 adjacent and room 23 adjacent bathrooms, and some have no showers on the upper level at all. Surprisingly inconistent for the all Superliner II fleet. 

The first 10 cars were non-confirming without the Handicap room, but the ADA folks said any new car must have a ADA room.

Used by crew, but it was always an ace in the hole in the Train Chief days to use it for a bad order room elsewhere.

I believe there was three variations from the factory, much more today with all inconsistent modifications noted above.

Those original ten had (still have?) a "Women's Lounge" where the handicapped bedroom is on the others.  I only peeked in there a couple times out of fear it was occupied (it wasn't) and it had a huge mirror with stools for the ladies to sit and apply their makeup.

The Women's Lounge is not to be confused with the tables for the conductors to sit and do their paperwork.  This is on the opposite end of the lower level.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/19 22:15 by David.Curlee.

Thanks for the info - much appreciated.

Position on the train can also be an issue. Particularly if there is no baggage car and the train is a "one hit wonder" (one locomotive). Great if you like listening to the horn all night while trying to sleep. I don't recall Amtrak providing ear plugs. Also  its extra safe in the event of a front end collision with some non thinking motorist.

Getting one with a bathroom/shower combo is really great! I’ve had great luck on the 58/59, City of New Orleans. The shower is not as big, but is perfect for this petite woman with balance and mobility issues. And it’s great not having to shelp all your stuff downstairs.

I have even had the SCA, when staying in roomette in the adjacent car to the transdorm, tell me too go ahead and use that bathroom/shower.

Only drawback to the transdorm (if it’s important to you - its not to me) is that you’ll likely not receive the level of service (ie, your call button may not get answered) that you would in regular sleepers, because the SCA duties are shared between another car.

Posted from iPhone

I am not getting into specifics, but lets just say that the sleeping car attendant occupying the regular revenue Superliner sleeper should be able to know if someone is requesting service in an adjacent sleeper like the Trans Dorm/Sleeper. There's also another control panel in Room 1 of the Trans Dorm/Sleeper that can be used. So the cars "could" be paired with the same SCA to receive notifications between the two cars...... 

CAMISSY55 Wrote:
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> Getting one with a bathroom/shower combo is really
> great! I’ve had great luck on the 58/59, City of
> New Orleans. The shower is not as big, but is
> perfect for this petite woman with balance and
> mobility issues. And it’s great not having to
> shelp all your stuff downstairs.
>
> I have even had the SCA, when staying in roomette
> in the adjacent car to the transdorm, tell me too
> go ahead and use that bathroom/shower.
>
> Only drawback to the transdorm (if it’s
> important to you - its not to me) is that you’ll
> likely not receive the level of service (ie, your
> call button may not get answered) that you would
> in regular sleepers, because the SCA duties are
> shared between another car.
>
> Posted from iPhone

In the pullman days prior to Amtrak, their was a connecting cable available between cars that would advise the adjacent porter.

As you walk down the middle stairs of a Superliner Sleeper, look at the wall below the windows as you descend the stairs. You can see indication lights that used to light up and say "Next Car," "This Car," Next Car" etc. It's the old call button system. The "Next Car" had an arrow below saying which car (adacent right or adjacent left) etc. There's also a control panel inside Room 1, even in the Superliner Trans/Dorm Sleeper. But the system is not used as it was originally intended. Technically though a SCA in one sleeper could tend to lights going on in the adjacent sleeper though.

There's a similar system on VIA with the Manor and Chateau cars - but it actually works and is used. Not sure about Renaissance Sleepers. But multiple cars are assigned to one sleeping car attendant (SCA) there, just like for the Manor/Chateau cars on VIA's Canadian, Hudson Bay train etc. Just before the train to Gaspe was cancelled - after having some bridges wash out - there was a training program going on with various new sleeping car attendants as VIA was upping the Chateau sleepers on this line for peak period from two to four. Instead of just one sleeping car attendant for the train, they were going to have two handling four Chateau cars. A whole marketing plan was emerging for the train to Gaspe, just as it was being cancelled due to the track conditions. On the last trip I rode on this line, a long-time SCA was training a newbie. It was I think her third run and she ended up quitting as we approached Gaspe. She just couldn't stay awake.....even after drinking a whole bunch of coffee and taking caffeine pills. The old-timer ended up having to turn the four sleepers himself (it was a Friday run out to Gaspe and the train was PACKED). He had to make up the beds, vaccum, clean the rooms out, take care of the trash etc. All was done in the two hours from when the trainset arrived in Gaspe (on-time) and departed (on-time). 

Regarding the Superliner Trans Dorm/Sleepers, Amtrak should put the roomette module back in where the "conductor's office' used to be (effectively room 15), and if totally serious about using these cars more, perhaps put in a deluxe room where the crew lounge used to be. The crew really doesn't use this space any more. The lounge chairs there have all been removed and there's two booths occupying the space of where two roomettes would go. Ensuring the Handicap Room is useable and sellable, they could assign four Superliner Trans Dorm/Sleepers with roomette 15 fully decked out and the new built-out large deluxe room on the lower level. Appears Amtrak is just reserving four roomettes for the crew/Amtrak business travel on the Capitol Limited now that the new "contemporary dining" is in place. 

 

jp1822 Wrote:
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> and if totally serious
> about using these cars more, perhaps put in a
> deluxe room where the crew lounge used to be. The
> crew really doesn't use this space any more. The
> lounge chairs there have all been removed and
> there's two booths occupying the space of where
> two roomettes would go.

This space is used all the time by the conductors. 

You're right about the lounge chairs though, they were junk, and were removed.  Could this area be better utilized?  Probably.  But it's actually a good place for the trainmen to sit so they aren't using tables in the diner, and can talk to each other, have radios on, etc, without keeping people awake at night.