# Cabin



## Cho Cho Charlie

I thought I would give a reference to a new (?) bus service out west. Its a Sleeper bus.

My intention here, is to highlight the design. I would think it could be easily adapted to single level passenger trains.

https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-tips/transportation/info-2017/california-sleeper-bus-trip-fd.html


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## cpotisch

Instead of building a bunch of busses with a similar design, could Amtrak just charter a bunch of those buses and run them as a sleeper-only thruway coach?


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## NS VIA Fan

Build those into a coach and if a Viewliner design.....probably get 3 tier high. I'd certainly use it!


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## railiner

What I find humorous, is that the story is found in the AARP magazine, targeted at its senior citizen readership; but look at the ages of the traveler's depicted in the Cabin company publicity shots. Imagine some senior's crawling into those cubbyholes....






Here's a "road test" article ..... https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/22/cabin-sleep-pod-bus-review/

How'd you like to occupy berth number "2B" with people preparing their snacks on your ceiling?

That operation could only work on a shorter trip, like its Los Angeles/San Francisco run, which is about 8 hours or so. Any longer, and people would get claustrophobia in those tiny berths, where you can't even sit up on your bed. The "lounge" is too small to accommodate every one on board at one time.

As far as triple-decking on a Viewliner, it would be hard (and hazardous) for people to climb steps into the top bunks. A duplex design, like the old Slumbercoaches could work...


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## Maglev

This accommodation is intended for nighttime occupation only. On a train, Amtrak's Roomette design is perhaps the most efficient use of space for two travelers in day or night mode with privacy.


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## cpotisch

Maglev said:


> This accommodation is intended for nighttime occupation only. On a train, Amtrak's Roomette design is perhaps the most efficient use of space for two travelers in day or night mode with privacy.


Yeah, it's sort of a much more spartan, less flexible, and just worse, slumbercoach. Why not just go back to the slumbercoach design? This design is fine for an 8 hour night trip, but I can't see it working on any day trip or multi night ride.


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## bretton88

I wonder if this would be a possible option for a Dodge City to ABQ bus bridge? Connection with a day train Dodge City to Chicago? Just throwing thoughts out there.


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## cpotisch

Just take a bunch of old slumbercoaches and attach them to a bus chassis. It's like a cabin bus but nostalgia-y!


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## railiner

cpotisch said:


> Just take a bunch of old slumbercoaches and attach them to a bus chassis. It's like a cabin bus but nostalgia-y!


An 85' long, 10' foot wide Slumbercoach on the highway? I don't think so.....


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## cpotisch

railiner said:


> cpotisch said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just take a bunch of old slumbercoaches and attach them to a bus chassis. It's like a cabin bus but nostalgia-y!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> An 85' long, 10' foot wide Slumbercoach on the highway? I don't think so.....
Click to expand...

Oh, I do think so.



Jokes aside, I do stand by the idea of bringing back slumber coaches on short overnights and long day runs. And Cabin shows that a very spartan and simple version can work on a bus.


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## jis

Like those Capsule Hotels in Japan [emoji57]


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## SarahZ

jis said:


> Like those Capsule Hotels in Japan [emoji57]


Pictures of the capsule hotels and this new bus both make me short of breath and tingly. I think the bus might be more tolerable, as the pod has both a window and mirror to make it feel larger, but then I look at that ceiling height and nope right out of there.

Claustrophobia aside, I think this is a neat idea. I'd love to be able to leave for an adventure after work, arrive rested in the morning, and then sleep while traveling home. I prefer red-eye flights for the same reason. (Sadly, it's hard to find a true red-eye nowadays.)


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## railiner

SarahZ said:


> . I prefer red-eye flights for the same reason. (Sadly, it's hard to find a true red-eye nowadays.)


Due to the time zones, "red-eye" flights are only popular in the US, when flying from the west to the east. Back in the propeller era, there were many going west also, but the jet age speeds put an end to that. Perhaps the last bastion of Red Eyes was the former Eastern Air Lines...they ran multistop, mail-carrying flights around the clock in all directions in their service area.

I flew a Northwest Orient B-707 overnite local from JFK to Seattle, back in around 1968 or so...it carried a lot of mail, and stopped in Detroit, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis enroute....


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## Seaboard92

I generally only fly red eyes flights back from the west coast if I can help it. I like having that extra day. And night flying isn't that bad.


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## seat38a

There is a review on The Points Guy with pictures and all.

https://thepointsguy.com/2017/09/cabin-california-bus-review/


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## railiner

seat38a said:


> There is a review on The Points Guy with pictures and all.
> 
> https://thepointsguy.com/2017/09/cabin-california-bus-review/


Interesting review, as well as comments that followed...thanks for posting it!


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## seat38a

railiner said:


> seat38a said:
> 
> 
> 
> There is a review on The Points Guy with pictures and all.
> 
> https://thepointsguy.com/2017/09/cabin-california-bus-review/
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting review, as well as comments that followed...thanks for posting it!
Click to expand...

Your welcome


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## railiner

There are other "sleeper bus" designs out there....

This one is geared more to charter's for group travel, with much less privacy than the Cabin design, and with seemingly less room in its berth's, but perhaps better for longer trips involving both day and night travel...

https://www.venturebustours.com/equipment/v-i-p-luxury-sleeper.html

Be sure to click on the last photo and then scroll thru all the photo's....


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## Mystic River Dragon

This also brings up something about AARP that has bothered me for a while. They have courses to improve your driving (a good idea, of course), but they also highlight driving and flying as the only transportation options (with maybe something like the Rocky Mountaineer mentioned as a vacation idea).

They don't highlight trains as a routine travel option, and I wonder why.

They also concentrate on all sorts of other issues (health care particularly) but don't address much of this country's lack of transportation options if you don't have a car or don't want to (or can't) drive as you get older, which is a basic issue for older people. They just seem to assume everyone will drive til they can't, then too bad, just stay home.


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## railiner

The only thing I can think of, regarding the AARP, is perhaps they don't think Amtrak is 'reliable' enough to promote it as a travel option...

I don't agree with that, especially since retiree's typically are not under time pressure's, but just a guess....


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## Palmetto

Deleted.


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## Anderson

Seaboard92 said:


> I generally only fly red eyes flights back from the west coast if I can help it. I like having that extra day. And night flying isn't that bad.


With jet speeds in the mix, I'm trying to figure out what sorts of WB routes would be long enough for an overnight. I know TPAC routes sort-of end up working for that. The main problem is that, particularly as you get further north, if you're going WB you're bumping through enough timezones that (for example) LHR-LAX is timetabled at 11:00-11:30 but you blow through eight timezones in the process. Paris and Rome are a bit more (11:30-11:50 PAR-LAX, 13:05 FCO-LAX) but knock out another timezone. Rome-LAX is 12:05 (further north) but knocks out 10 timezones (arguably making an SVO-LAX flight on SU the longest two hours of your life )

Edit: This is also part of how I left HKG one evening and got into IAD in time to catch the Meteor on the way home...even with a long enough layover at LHR to pop down to Paddington Station, out to Reading, and back.

Edit 2: I think LAX-SYD/BNE only really ends up being long enough because it also crosses the equator (whereas a lot of the Europe-US routes end up being polar-ish).


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## allanorn

Anderson said:


> Seaboard92 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I generally only fly red eyes flights back from the west coast if I can help it. I like having that extra day. And night flying isn't that bad.
> 
> 
> 
> With jet speeds in the mix, I'm trying to figure out what sorts of WB routes would be long enough for an overnight. I know TPAC routes sort-of end up working for that. The main problem is that, particularly as you get further north, if you're going WB you're bumping through enough timezones that (for example) LHR-LAX is timetabled at 11:00-11:30 but you blow through eight timezones in the process. Paris and Rome are a bit more (11:30-11:50 PAR-LAX, 13:05 FCO-LAX) but knock out another timezone. Rome-LAX is 12:05 (further north) but knocks out 10 timezones (arguably making an SVO-LAX flight on SU the longest two hours of your life )
Click to expand...

Hawaiian Airlines runs an interesting flight - leaves Las Vegas at 1:55am, arrives in Honolulu at 5am. It's blocked at six hours so it might be enough time to get a decent nap and look okay for work.


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## CrazyTrain

All kinds of random stuff pops up on my video suggestions on YouTube and today I watched a video made by a couple in California. Apparently, there's a newly launched bus company that is a hotel on wheels. In the video it looks a bit like a tour bus, but in reality I think it's probably a bit taller. On the bottom is a lounge and upstairs are beds in enclosed areas that resemble bunk beds. You can't quite sit up fully in the pod area, but the couple beds sound comfortable enough. They are stacked two high, running down both sides of the bus. I'm not quite sure how many are on each side, but at a guess I'd say 10 per side.

Right now, they travel only between LA and SF. Would you try something like this? Could you see something like this replacing traditional long distance bus travel?


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## GBNorman

Anderson said:


> Edit 2: I think LAX-SYD/BNE only really ends up being long enough because it also crosses the equator (whereas a lot of the Europe-US routes end up being polar-ish).


My Sister, 75, who "goes down under" annually for 30-45 days (my Niece with her two kids and husband live near Sydney "and they're not coming back") has shared with me that Westward is "the longest night" and, in Business Class and with the flights leaving LAX/SFO about 10P local and arriving SYD at 6A local, it would be just that.

Returning, with the "two shortest days and nights" is "a different story".

As for me,  77, I've concluded "it's just too much" considering that ten days is as long as I'm ever away and "houseguesting" is something I have long since given up.


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## jis

GBNorman said:


> *Well actually Anderson said:*
> 
> 
> Edit 2: I think LAX-SYD/BNE only really ends up being long enough because it also crosses the equator (whereas a lot of the Europe-US routes end up being polar-ish).



Actually, the Europe - US routes are not Polarish at all. Specially headed east they are often a little south of Iceland and sometimes a lot south of it. The westbound go a little further north to avoid having the entire jet stream on their nose, but seldom too far north of the southern tip of Greenland. But things vary from day to day depending on the shape and strength of the jet stream and location of other weather features enroute.

OTOH, flights from Asia are a different matter, specially the westbounds. They tend to go far north of the Arctic Circle to avoid the jet stream entirely. Eastbound, depending on where they are going they tend to take the grat circle route, unless the jet stream is blowing strong, in which they take a longer southerly route to take advantage of the jet stream.

For example, on the EWR - SIN flight, depending on the state of the winds, I have flown it across the North Pole, over Siberia and once over Caspian Sea, the Stans and India. The latter was really goofy since my destination was Kolkata. We basically flew over Kolkata to Singapore and then I backtracked later in the day to Kolkata. OTOH, westbound flights even from Delhi or Mumbai, often head straight north after avoiding the Himalayas by flying over Afghanistan. They often go all the way north to the Arctic Ocean near Murmansk or a little east of there, and then essentially do the "Atlantic Crossing" over the Arctic Ocean to northern Greenland. How far north they will go depends on the shape and strength of the jet stream.


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## jis

Now back to Cabins .... let's see if I can upload a few photos....

The photos are taken inside an ex-CB&Q (Denver Zephyr - Silver Slumber) Slumbercoach that is preserved and in reasonably good shape, with Amtrak furnishing and decor. The photos in order are:


Corridor - notice the alternating level entry and step up entry to the alternating lower and upper singles.

Double - like the Viewliner Roomettes

Single lower in the process of being converted from daytime configuration to night time configuration

Single lower night time configuration

Single upper daytime configuration

Single upper night time configuration


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## cpotisch

jis said:


> Now back to Cabins .... let's see if I can upload a few photos....
> 
> The photos are taken inside an ex-NP Slumbercoach that is preserved and in reasonably good shape, with Amtrak furnishing and decor. The photos in order are:
> 
> 
> Corridor - notice the alternating level entry and step up entry to the alternating lower and upper singles.
> 
> Double - like the Viewliner Roomettes
> 
> Single lower in the process of being converted from daytime configuration to night time configuration
> 
> Single lower night time configuration
> 
> Single upper daytime configuration
> 
> Single upper night time configuration
> 
> View attachment 10880
> 
> 
> View attachment 10881
> 
> 
> View attachment 10882
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> 
> View attachment 10883
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> View attachment 10884
> 
> 
> View attachment 10885


Where did you take (or find) these?


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## jis

cpotisch said:


> Where did you take (or find) these?


Gold Coast Railroad Museum near Miami.


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## cpotisch

jis said:


> Gold Coast Railroad Museum near Miami.


I didn't know there were any slumber coaches left in that condition. I think it's safe to see that I'll be making my way over there when I'm in FL next month. Thanks!


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## Devil's Advocate

jis said:


> Flights from Asia are a different matter, [especially] the westbounds. They tend to go far north of the Arctic Circle to avoid the jet stream entirely. Eastbound, depending on where they are going they tend to take the [great] circle route, unless the jet stream is blowing strong, in which they take a longer southerly route to take advantage of the jet stream. For example, on the EWR - SIN flight, depending on the state of the winds, I have flown it across the North Pole, over Siberia and once over Caspian Sea, the Stans and India.


I've traveled Westbound to Asia from LAX, SFO, DEN, DFW, IAH, ORD, & JFK without a single flight north of the Arctic Circle.  Typically they fly well South of Alaska, at least insofar as the airshow map displays.  Not saying that polar flights don't exist, just at that they're not exactly common for folks outside of the Northeast.


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## jis

cpotisch said:


> I didn't know there were any slumber coaches left in that condition. I think it's safe to see that I'll be making my way over there when I'm in FL next month. Thanks! ﻿


Anthony says there may be another one in some museum in Atlanta.

Gold Coast Museum also has the US Car No. 1, used by FDR and Truman and perhaps other Presidents too. The bulletproofing on the "Ferdinand Magellan" is amazing, specially those glass panels in the windows.

Incidentally, here is a very interesting page about  Amtrak (and a few other) Heritage Sleepers


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## jis

Devil said:


> I've traveled Westbound to Asia from LAX, SFO, DEN, DFW, IAH, ORD, & JFK without a single flight north of the Arctic Circle.  Typically they fly well South of Alaska, at least insofar as the airshow map displays.  Not saying that polar flights don't exist, just at that they're not exactly common for folks outside of the Northeast.


 You are correct, flights from East Asia follow the routing you mention. Flights from South and West Asia however follow a different routing. My error in not being more specific.For the reallly ULHs sometimes they just fly around the world going eastwards for both the outbound from the US and the return to the US. The San Francisco to Delhi non stop apparently does that, as did the (and possibly again does) EWR - SIN - EWR nonstop.


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## jis

Some more info about the one near Atlanta....

The Slumbercoach (Loch Arkoig originally built for the 20th Century Ltd.) near Atlanta is in the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth GA about 25 miles NE of Atlanta.


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## cpotisch

cpotisch said:


> I didn't know there were any slumber coaches left in that condition. I think it's safe to see that I'll be making my way over there when I'm in FL next month. Thanks!


You’ve gotta be kidding me. Apparently the museum is closed on until January 5th. In Florida. WHY????


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## GBNorman

jis said:


> The Slumbercoach (Loch Arkaig originally built for the 20th Century Ltd.) near Atlanta is in the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth GA about 25 miles NE of Atlanta.


Jis(hnu}, it should be noted that the eighteen Slumbercoaches were not built on order for any road; they were built "on spec".  Budd quickly received purchase orders  for four from "the Q" and followed by two from the B&O. Twelve sat at Budd until the NYC agreed to lease four, the NP bought four naming them "Loch--", the B&O acquired three and the MP one (lease/purchaser, I know not) for a Wash-San Antonio line.  That put all of 'em in revenue service.  The NYC released theirs at expiration and were bought by the NP.  The eight were sold to Amtrak. The four B&O-MP cars were also acquired by Amtrak. The first two were eventually purchased by Amtrak, but only after the B&O sold them to a third party.  Amtrak paid "dearly" for those final two; where the proceeds ended up, I ask not.


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## railiner

jis said:


> Anthony says there may be another one in some museum in Atlanta.
> 
> Gold Coast Museum also has the US Car No. 1, used by FDR and Truman and perhaps other Presidents too. The bulletproofing on the "Ferdinand Magellan" is amazing, specially those glass panels in the windows.
> 
> Incidentally, here is a very interesting page about  Amtrak (and a few other) Heritage Sleepers


Great link, thanks for posting!

Those "Harbor Series", 16-10 Slumbercoaches (Or in NYC  parlance, Sleepercoaches) were my favorites, as they contained the four "bonus" single rooms, that were actually built as double rooms, but were only fitted with a single berth, giving lucky occupants a large room, with a large window, at the same price as the duplex single rooms in the same car....


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## railiner

I've been armchair shopping used coaches, and they are getting really cheap nowadays...even before the pandemic hit. 

And look what I discovered....




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Bus Detail | Bus for Sale






www.busforsale.com


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## Bob Dylan

railiner said:


> I've been armchair shopping used coaches, and they are getting really cheap nowadays...even before the pandemic hit.
> 
> And look what I discovered....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
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> 
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> 
> 
> Bus Detail | Bus for Sale
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.busforsale.com


But then who wants to own a Bus??


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## jiml

Bob Dylan said:


> But then who wants to own a Bus??


We visited friends one day during our recent sojourn in Florida. They've bought a mobile home in what I could only describe as a "high end" park - not at all what comes to mind when one thinks of a trailer park. There were a few of these recent buses converted to mobile homes there in addition the purpose-built ones. We were told some were worth big bucks and people lived in them year-round - staying in FL for the winter, then heading north to an equivalent park. 

Not something I would consider personally, but...


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## Bob Dylan

jiml said:


> We visited friends one day during our recent sojourn in Florida. They've bought a mobile home in what I could only describe as a "high end" park - not at all what comes to mind when one thinks of a trailer park. There were a few of these recent buses converted to mobile homes there in addition the purpose-built ones. We were told some were worth big bucks and people lived in them year-round - staying in FL for the winter, then heading north to an equivalent park.
> 
> Not something I would consider personally, but...


I understand, I was teasing Railiner! 

Ive seen some of the Tour Buses that Stars ride in and they can cost Millions!!!lol


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## jiml

Bob Dylan said:


> I understand, I was teasing Railiner!
> 
> Ive seen some of the Tour Buses that Stars ride in and they can cost Millions!!!lol


I hear you. Not to stray too far off-topic, but CBS Sunday Morning did a profile a couple of years ago on Chris Tomlin - a highly regarded Christian artist, and his tour bus was worth around $1.5M. Impressive, but I'm thinking not in the league of more well-known celebrities.


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## railiner

Bob Dylan said:


> But then who wants to own a Bus??


Oh I don't know...maybe you would like to own one of these...?




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Luxury Motorhomes Manufacturer and Dealer | Marathon Coach - Marathon Coach







www.marathoncoach.com


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## railiner

jiml said:


> We visited friends one day during our recent sojourn in Florida. They've bought a mobile home in what I could only describe as a "high end" park - not at all what comes to mind when one thinks of a trailer park. There were a few of these recent buses converted to mobile homes there in addition the purpose-built ones. We were told some were worth big bucks and people lived in them year-round - staying in FL for the winter, then heading north to an equivalent park.
> 
> Not something I would consider personally, but...


There's actually a big difference between what you described as a "mobile home", which usually never leave the site they are first placed on...they are really better described as "factory-built homes"; and "motor homes", which are self-powered, and built for travel.


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## Bob Dylan

railiner said:


> Oh I don't know...maybe you would like to own one of these...?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Luxury Motorhomes Manufacturer and Dealer | Marathon Coach - Marathon Coach
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.marathoncoach.com


When I Win the Lottery!


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## Asher

I like the option of the overnight sleeper bus for LAX TO SAN FRAN. I don't know how it would fit Amtrak schedules. Chicago to Cleveland would work if anybody was going there. Hopefully they provide a better way of getting into and out of a upper bunk than planting your foot on someone face while they are in a lower bunk. The bunk sizes look much bigger than the top bunk of superliners that I've stumbled and bumbled into and out of, not to mention lying in the bunk thinking this car just left the rails when the jerking and jolting suddenly stops and it's dead smooth.


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