# Deluxe Sleepers?



## Rob_C (Sep 12, 2009)

Do these have deluxe bedrooms on the lower level as well? Or just roomettes? Ladies smoking lounge down there?


----------



## ALC Rail Writer (Sep 12, 2009)

No, "deluxe" bedrooms (simply "bedrooms" on Amtrak.com) are on the upper level. Five on the regular sleepers, 10 on a "deluxe" sleeper (only on the Auto Train, and none in a transdorm car.

On the lower level there are 4 roomettes, one family bedroom (taking the entire width of the car) and one handicapped accessible bedroom (taking the entire width of the car).

There is no smoking on any of Amtrak's trains except the Auto Train "smoker's penalty box". If you are referring to the "powder/changing room" then, no. You don't find that in sleepers because you can change in your room or in the shared shower. I'll post the car layouts in a second.


----------



## ALC Rail Writer (Sep 12, 2009)




----------



## jmbgeg (Sep 12, 2009)

Rob_C said:


> Do these have deluxe bedrooms on the lower level as well? Or just roomettes? Ladies smoking lounge down there?


Roomettes, family room and handicap room plus restrooms, a shower and baggage rack on the lower level. All deluxe rooms upstairs.


----------



## jmbgeg (Sep 12, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


>


Much better than words...


----------



## OlympianHiawatha (Sep 12, 2009)

Does Amtrak still have any Heritage 10-6 Sleepers in backlot inventory or have they all been moved out?


----------



## rrdude (Sep 12, 2009)

jmbgeg said:


> Rob_C said:
> 
> 
> > Do these have deluxe bedrooms on the lower level as well? Or just roomettes? Ladies smoking lounge down there?
> ...


I thought a "Deluxe" bedroom was two bedrooms together? Prolly wrong. What do they call that, a "double Bedroom"? I really don't remember.........


----------



## Bob Dylan (Sep 12, 2009)

I know this was posted once before awhile back but is there a diagram for the Superliner Transition Dorm?

IIRC they only sell 4 rooms when the other sleeper(s) are full, IINM its always the 4 next to the sleeper behind and theres some kind of do not pass line for the paying pax but they can use the shower/restroom etc. but not go downstairs ??I tried to look @ one on the SL and was run off by a very rude OBS when I asked if I could see the car!


----------



## Bob Dylan (Sep 12, 2009)

rrdude said:


> jmbgeg said:
> 
> 
> > Rob_C said:
> ...


Thats called a "Bedroom Suite", aka Very expensive!!! :lol:


----------



## alanh (Sep 12, 2009)

Just to clarify the change in terminology: old bedroom = roomette, old deluxe bedroom = bedroom. The family and accessible room names haven't changed. Adjoining rooms = bedroom suite.

People who've ridden Amtrak for a while still tend to use the old terms.


----------



## OlympianHiawatha (Sep 12, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> I know this was posted once before awhile back but is there a diagram for the Superliner Transition Dorm?IIRC they only sell 4 rooms when the other sleeper(s) are full, IINM its always the 4 next to the sleeper behind and theres some kind of do not pass line for the paying pax but they can use the shower/restroom etc. but not go downstairs ??I tried to look @ one on the SL and was run off by a very rude OBS when I asked if I could see the car!


How much freedom you have in the TransDorm depends on the crew. On my last *Texas Eagle *run I had a Roomette in there and the SCA asked us to use the Lower Level shower since it was roomier and the Conductors were always welcoming the couple times I stepped into the Crew Lounge to open my suitcase and dig something out. One even noticed my scanner on belt and we chatted for a while as he sorted through paperwork.


----------



## ALC Rail Writer (Sep 12, 2009)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> Does Amtrak still have any Heritage 10-6 Sleepers in backlot inventory or have they all been moved out?


None are left in Amtrak revenue service that I know of, in fact, I don't know of any mothballed ones...



> I know this was posted once before awhile back but is there a diagram for the Superliner Transition Dorm?








Done.


----------



## D T Nelson (Sep 12, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> I know this was posted once before awhile back but is there a diagram for the Superliner Transition Dorm?IIRC they only sell 4 rooms when the other sleeper(s) are full, IINM its always the 4 next to the sleeper behind and theres some kind of do not pass line for the paying pax but they can use the shower/restroom etc. but not go downstairs ??I tried to look @ one on the SL and was run off by a very rude OBS when I asked if I could see the car!


I once rode in roomette 17 of the Transition Dorm. I can't say how many of the roomettes had paying passengers in them, but I know I was not the only one in there. There was a sign hanging from the ceiling of the passageway to the effect, "No passengers past this point," and that sign was on my side of the stairwell (although I cannot remember how far from the stairwell it was hanging). So I didn't go uptrain from my room at all. The attendant had pointed out the combination bathroom and shower diagonal across the hall from my room, and that's the one I used.

The roomette was pretty much like any other, while the bathroom/shower was different from what I have experienced elsewhere on Amtrak -- but I liked it.


----------



## Guest (Sep 12, 2009)

Thanks for the feedback from all!Guess Ill find out in person on the CONO this fall, I have a transition dorm sleeper

from NOL-CHI, hope I dont get Debra in the CCC or Anthony for a SCA!


----------



## cpamtfan (Sep 12, 2009)

Rob C, do you mean the deluxe sleepers on the Auto Train? Those cars have ten "deluxe bedrooms (aka bedrooms  :lol: ). The lower level is the same as the regular Superliner sleepers.

No Heritage sleepers or sleepers turned into crew dorms are in service anymore. There are a few retired ones in BG, but one does roam around called the "Pacific Command" (# 10021) for Amtrak's inspector general.

Here's a list of some of the room names the current Amtrak sleepers have been called:

Viewliner/Superliner

currently

Roomettes

previously

Compartment/Standard Bedroom

currently

Bedroom

formerly

Deluxe Bedroom

currently

Accesible Bedroom

formerly

Handicaped Bedroom

currently

Family Bedroom

formerly

Family Bedroom

Two Bedrooms combined is a "Bedroom Suite".


----------



## AlanB (Sep 12, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> I know this was posted once before awhile back but is there a diagram for the Superliner Transition Dorm?IIRC they only sell 4 rooms when the other sleeper(s) are full, IINM its always the 4 next to the sleeper behind and theres some kind of do not pass line for the paying pax but they can use the shower/restroom etc. but not go downstairs ??I tried to look @ one on the SL and was run off by a very rude OBS when I asked if I could see the car!


The number of rooms sold depends on how many crew members are expected to be onboard the train. The EB typically only sells 4 rooms. Most other trains sell all six on the passenger side.

As for where you can or can't go, a lot depends on which version of the Trans/Dorm you get. If you get the version where there is a seperate, special bathroom with shower upstairs at the end of the car, then you are typically not allowed downstairs. If you get the version where there is only the normal bathroom at the center of the car upstairs, then you are allowed downstairs as that's where the showers are.


----------



## AlanB (Sep 12, 2009)

alanh said:


> Just to clarify the change in terminology: old bedroom = roomette,


Actually that was called the economy room, prior to be renamed "roomette".


----------



## the_traveler (Sep 12, 2009)

Rob_C said:


> Ladies smoking lounge down there?


As stated, there is no smoking on most Amtrak trains (except on the Auto Train). The larger "ladies" lounge is only on coach cars. (There are none on a sleeper.) I have seen some of them say "Women" and some that are unisex.


----------



## JAChooChoo (Sep 12, 2009)

On the Autotrain Deluxe Sleepers, what is the room designation for bedrooms 6--10, and are they on the same side of the car as A-E?


----------



## sky12065 (Sep 12, 2009)

the_traveler said:


> Rob_C said:
> 
> 
> > Ladies smoking lounge down there?
> ...


How come larger ladies get their own lounge and not us larger gentlemen¿¿¿


----------



## the_traveler (Sep 12, 2009)

IIRC, one half has bedrooms A-E and the other half has bedrooms J-N, with the stairs and coffee pot in the middle. All bedrooms are on the same side of the car.


----------



## RTOlson (Sep 12, 2009)

sky12065 said:


> How come larger ladies get their own lounge and not us larger gentlemen¿¿¿


In addition to the lounge, many coach cars include a larger bathroom with a changing bench. I almost prefer that to the lounge. Although the lounge is larger, the bathroom door has a latch.


----------



## AlanB (Sep 12, 2009)

JAChooChoo said:


> On the Autotrain Deluxe Sleepers, what is the room designation for bedrooms 6--10, and are they on the same side of the car as A-E?


Bedrooms 6-10 replace the roomettes normally found upstairs. One can walk straight through this car to the next without needing to turn a corner. The coffee station and stairs are as normal in the middle of the car, but no upstairs bathroom. And they are "numbered" J - N.

Amtrak choose those letters because the Family room is alternatively called room 15 or the F room. H is the designation for the Handicapped/accessible room. I looks too much like the number 1, so they started with J and went from there.


----------



## Green Maned Lion (Sep 13, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> OlympianHiawatha said:
> 
> 
> > Does Amtrak still have any Heritage 10-6 Sleepers in backlot inventory or have they all been moved out?
> ...


There are, to my knowledge, no 10-6 cars in that configuration left in Amtrak service or storage. The are about a half dozen "Dorm-Lounge" cars that were converted from Pacific (Ex-UP) and Pine (ex-ATSF) series Budd 10-6s (Practically identical floor plan). Three that I know of have been refurbished for use by the Amtrak Inspector General's office, although just what that refurbishment entails, I do not know.


----------



## ThayerATM (Sep 13, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> No, "deluxe" bedrooms (simply "bedrooms" on Amtrak.com) are on the upper level. Five on the regular sleepers, 10 on a "deluxe" sleeper (only on the Auto Train, and none in a transdorm car.
> On the lower level there are 4 roomettes, one family bedroom (taking the entire width of the car) and one handicapped accessible bedroom (taking the entire width of the car).
> 
> There is no smoking on any of Amtrak's trains except the Auto Train "smoker's penalty box". If you are referring to the "powder/changing room" then, no. You don't find that in sleepers because you can change in your room or in the shared shower. I'll post the car layouts in a second.


I called Amtrak last night to, once again, go over my tickets and reservations and make sure that everything was still on the same page.

While he was telling me how the reservations read on his screen, he confirmed that we were in "deluxe" bedroom B on train 49, then in "deluxe" bedroom D on train 7, then in "deluxe" bedroom E on train 11, and so on...

I didn't challenge him on his use of the word "deluxe", but I sure was surprised to hear an Amtrak agent using the term. :huh:


----------



## ALC Rail Writer (Sep 13, 2009)

ThayerATM said:


> ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> 
> 
> > No, "deluxe" bedrooms (simply "bedrooms" on Amtrak.com) are on the upper level. Five on the regular sleepers, 10 on a "deluxe" sleeper (only on the Auto Train, and none in a transdorm car.
> ...


*Shrug*

I've heard TAS's use the term, I suppose it has to deal with how long you've been with the company and what language you were trained with. No doubt if Amtrak changes the name again then the new hires of today will still call them roomettes and such for decades to come.


----------



## the_traveler (Sep 13, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> *Shrug*
> No doubt if Amtrak changes the name again then the new hires of today will still call them roomettes and such for decades to come.


I still - and probably will always (or at least for a long time to come) - refer to the NEC trains as "Regionals", not "Northeast Regionals"!


----------



## Bob Dylan (Sep 13, 2009)

the_traveler said:


> ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> 
> 
> > *Shrug*
> ...


Thats cause you yankees think civilization stops @ the Hudson!Now that youre a semi-permanent resident of PDX perhaps youll need to call the Cascade trains the NW Regionals! Me, Im so old Id still refer to the Acelas as Metroliners if I still resided in the NE! :lol:


----------



## Bob Dylan (Sep 13, 2009)

ALC_Rail_Writer said:


> ThayerATM said:
> 
> 
> > ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> ...


At least they dont call them "Junior Suites" or some other Marketing made up term, roomettes and bedrooms are pretty good explainatory terms, bedroom suite also makes good sense! Wonder if there is a "task force' or 'work group" @ Amtrak working on dreaming up new terminology to fit "Modern Times?" :lol:


----------



## the_traveler (Sep 13, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> ...


Unlike the wild west (or whatever part of the universe Texas comes from), we in the civilized world have more than 1 train per day in each direction!


----------



## jmbgeg (Sep 13, 2009)

jimhudson said:


> ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> 
> 
> > ThayerATM said:
> ...


It would probably be too simple to call them "Connecting Bedrooms". _Suite _infers a parlor room, and of course, there is none.


----------



## zephyr17 (Sep 13, 2009)

jmbgeg said:


> jimhudson said:
> 
> 
> > ALC_Rail_Writer said:
> ...


Connecting bedrooms is certainly more accurate. "Bedroom Suite" or "Suite" has been used to describe 2 bedrooms with the partition removed on trains since at least the 1930s, though.

I still call them Economy Bedrooms and Delux Bedrooms, the original Amtrak names when the Superliners were delivered. If I slip talking to Amtrak, they still know what I mean, though.

As to renaming, note that Via has jettisoned traditional names entirely. They now have Cabin for 1, Cabin for 2, Cabin for 3, and Cabin for 4. On the Canadian it translates to:

Cabin for 1 is a "real" roomette, either standard or duplex. Duplex is not a deal since it smaller for the same money.

Cabin for 2 is EITHER a bedroom or a compartment (a real deal, since a compartment is larger).

Cabin for 3 is a drawing room.

Cabin for 4 is bedroom suite/suite (connecting bedrooms).


----------



## Bill Haithcoat (Sep 13, 2009)

I have to keep from saying words like pullman, porter or stewardess (for the planes, though a few railroads had them, too).

And it is hard to get used to the new (new to me, that is) merged names for the freight railroads.

And, much more current, it is hard to not say deluxe bedrooms, especially since I consider them exactly that compared to the smaller rooms.

And all those years the roomette was for one person only.


----------



## p&sr (Sep 13, 2009)

the_traveler said:


> I still - and probably will always (or at least for a long time to come) - refer to the NEC trains as "Regionals", not "Northeast Regionals"!


Exactly. Especially if you're travelling from Boston to Washington DC, which looks to be "SouthWest" in my book!


----------



## zoltan (Sep 13, 2009)

sky12065 said:


> How come larger ladies get their own lounge and not us larger gentlemen¿¿¿


From some of my experiences of Amtrak, there would be far too much demand...


----------

