# Best Bedroom on a Superliner



## RRrich (Mar 11, 2010)

If you had your choice would it be A, B, C, D, or E??

Why?


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## jmbgeg (Mar 11, 2010)

RRrich said:


> If you had your choice would it be A, B, C, D, or E??
> Why?


Usually E. Never A. Good layout and close to stairs to get access to extra luggage downstairs. Away from the doors at the end of the sleeper that open and shut constantly and loudly. Close to ice and coffee/juice.


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## darien-l (Mar 11, 2010)

I vote E as well. No neighbors on one side, more privacy, better ride (closer to the center of the car).


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## PetalumaLoco (Mar 11, 2010)

The best one? The one I'm in!

But yeah jmbgeg is right. Only 1 neighbor too.


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## jmbgeg (Mar 11, 2010)

darien-l said:


> I vote E as well. No neighbors on one side, more privacy, better ride (closer to the center of the car).


I agree with the one neighbor benefit except for early morning, when you have lots of "neighbors" chatting it up at the coffee machine. LOL.


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 11, 2010)

RRrich said:


> If you had your choice would it be A, B, C, D, or E??
> Why?


Include me in the E club for the above stated reasons! Second choice is C because the bed/couch faces the same way as E and if the bedrooms are @ the front when the sleeper is hooked up you get to ride facing forward! As has been said, A is last choice, Id as soon pay for a roomette as have A but thats just me!  IINM I read on this site that the A bedroom is always the last sold so it's by definition high bucket?A couple of times the SCA has been using the A bedroom on trains Ive been on, also the family room seems to get use from the OBS too when not occupied!


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## jmbgeg (Mar 11, 2010)

jimhudson said:


> RRrich said:
> 
> 
> > If you had your choice would it be A, B, C, D, or E??
> ...


And what really makes me mad is getting stuck paying high bucket for an A room on a long multi-day trip. :angry:


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## sunchaser (Mar 11, 2010)

E & D. Closer to the coffee, etc. Same as everyone else. Don't mind the hallway chat, we were in the middle of it instead of in our room. One of the Conductors told us that E is the biggest, I haven't measured to see though. Didn't mind the hallway traffic, either. Most of the time it was pretty quiet.


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## daveyb99 (Mar 12, 2010)

"A" should be turned into the attendant room/storage area. That would free up a more affordable, and likely more sale-able, roomette.

The BEST bedroom is one the one I am in on a AGR ticket !!!!!!


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## jmbgeg (Mar 12, 2010)

daveyb99 said:


> "A" should be turned into the attendant room/storage area. That would free up a more affordable, and likely more sale-able, roomette.
> The BEST bedroom is one the one I am in on a AGR ticket !!!!!!



I would not go that far. I would still take an A room with its shower and larger bed (hopefully at low bucket) over any roomette.


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## RRrich (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks for the opinions guys, I just got AGR tickets for a trip - 11 months from now. They put me in the E bedroom. I was concerned about noise in the morning around the coffee pot, but if folks are getting coffee it is probably time for me to get up, get breakfast and go to the sightseer car


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## Hytec (Mar 12, 2010)

I have another observation not mentioned. A is above or very close to the black (toilet) water holding tank. 10 years ago, my wife and I were in A on the CONO when the tank overflowed. Thankfully D was available and the SCA moved us.


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## creddick (Mar 12, 2010)

We really liked C.


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## jmbgeg (Mar 12, 2010)

RRrich said:


> Thanks for the opinions guys, I just got AGR tickets for a trip - 11 months from now. They put me in the E bedroom. I was concerned about noise in the morning around the coffee pot, but if folks are getting coffee it is probably time for me to get up, get breakfast and go to the sightseer car


Uusually the coffee crowd is reasonably quiet before 7:00.


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## had8ley (Mar 12, 2010)

E hands down...D&E open into a suite; probably the largest room you'll find on Amtrak today. The family room isn't bad if you don't mind riding downstairs.


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## SouthernServesTheSouth (Mar 12, 2010)

Go for E, best seat and bed in the house. By the time I climb the stairs I am ready to fall into the first bedroom I come to.


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## AAARGH! (Mar 12, 2010)

SouthernServesTheSouth said:


> Go for E, best seat and bed in the house. By the time I climb the stairs I am ready to fall into the first bedroom I come to.


Oh, now I am _really_ excited. For my 8-train journey in May:

CONO: Bedroom E

SWC: Bedroom E

Coast Starlight: Bedroom E

San Joaquin: Coach

Pacific Surfliner: Business Class

Texas Eagle: Bedroom D

Cardinal: Bedroom B (Viewliner)

Crescent: Bedroom B (Viewliner)

Woo Hoo!


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## the_traveler (Mar 12, 2010)

The best bedroom is the one I'm in! :lol: The worst bedroom (especially for 2) is bedroom A. 

But I had Bedroom A on #27 going to PDX. Because the PDX sleeper is the last car after MSP, and it was roomettes first, the railfan's window was 10 feet from my door!  That made up for some of the bad!

The best by far is Bedroom E!


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## zephyr17 (Mar 12, 2010)

Any that is not Bedrrom A


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## IHC (Mar 12, 2010)

Are D & E the only bedrooms that have the sliding door that open up into a Suite? Or do B & C do that too?


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## dlagrua (Mar 12, 2010)

zephyr17 said:


> Any that is not Bedrrom A



We've ridden in E most of the time but have stayed in C and D also. Our favorite is E (what else is new?) and we usually get that room as we book months in advance. All bedrooms except A have exactly the same layout or a mirror image of it. As pointed out E is near the center vestibule of the sleeper, where the coffee, water and ice are located and its possible that you might hear some chat in that area but we haven't experienced any undue noise so far. We limit our train travel to about 1200 miles so that all of our trips are just 1 overnight. I don't know what life on a train for three days is like but if you have a laptop with a connect card, and some DVD movies (don't forget the speakers) , the evening hours in your room will be more enjoyable.


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## the_traveler (Mar 12, 2010)

IHC said:


> Are D & E the only bedrooms that have the sliding door that open up into a Suite? Or do B & C do that too?


B & C do, as do D & E.


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## Hytec (Mar 12, 2010)

Viewliner bedroom B is better than A, being more towards the center of the car. Viewliner room H (handicap) is the absolute worst being directly over the truck bolster.

On less than perfect trackage, the truck bolster below H will slam the car against the truck stops, both horizontally and vertically. We had our meals in the room due to our handicap, and the trays were slung off our suitcases or our laps on several occasions. Also sleeping was no fun. This was on the Crescent over NS trackage, worse between NOL and ATL, and only slightly better between ATL and WAS.


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2010)

i got the last sleeper car for my trip. they put me in room A. Now I'm nervous. :huh:


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## RailFanLNK (Mar 17, 2010)

E hands down. Brenda and I have bedroom E on our honeymoon on the CZ, CS and EB.


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## sunchaser (Mar 17, 2010)

Guest said:


> i got the last sleeper car for my trip. they put me in room A. Now I'm nervous. :huh:


Don't be nervous. It's just a little smaller on the bathroom side because of the doorway leading out of the car.


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## lthanlon (Jul 21, 2014)

Please pardon what I suspect are dumb questions, but I've looked at the Superliner virtual tour and read the responses here and I'm still confused. I've never ridden in a Superliner bedroom and plan on redeeming some AGR points, so I don't want to make a mistake. Are the following correct?

*Bedroom A* is slightly smaller.

*Bedroom E* is the one most folks here seem to favor.

*Bedrooms B & C* and *D & E* have sliding doors that can be opened to create a suite.

*Bedroom A* doesn't open into a suite and has no door to rattle, so it's slightly quiter.

*Direction facing:* You won't know which direction the bench seat will be facing in a bedroom when you book your trip. However, you'll always be able to sit facing the direction of travel -- but it might be in the smaller, less-comfortable chair.

Right?


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## zephyr17 (Jul 21, 2014)

lthanlon said:


> Please pardon what I suspect are dumb questions, but I've looked at the Superliner virtual tour and read the responses here and I'm still confused. I've never ridden in a Superliner bedroom and plan on redeeming some AGR points, so I don't want to make a mistake. Are the following correct?
> 
> *Bedroom A* is slightly smaller.
> 
> ...


You score 100%


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 21, 2014)

You got it! The only bad thing about A is that the vestibule door between cars opens and closes which can be loud and the angle of the wall makes the bathroom/shower door open towards the hall instead of away which gives you less room when the bed is down!

I think Room E is the best but they're all good really!!!


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## Tennessee Traveler (Jul 21, 2014)

When the Superliners first came into service, I always request Bedroom D since it was near the center of the car and "in the old days", the sleeper cars seemed to have been aligned with roomettes first followed by the bedrooms in direction of travel. In that situation bedrooms A, B, and D couches faced in the direction of travel and C & E traveled backwards. I actually asked to be moved from Bedroom A since it was over the "trucks" and "to me" was the noisiest room. Bedroom B is also over the "trucks". So to me, Bedroom D was the best of all. Last time I traveled in Bedrooms I traveled on SWC and Bedroom D travel facing forward but then I traveled on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited sleeper from Chicago to Los Angeles. Yes, indeed, they reverse the direction of travel when they attach the sleeper to the Sunset Limited in San Antonio so Chicago to San Antonio I faced forward and then San Antonio to Los Angeles I traveled backward facing. Was not too bad and it really doesn't matter when you are sleeping at night. I would point out that I found the single seat chair very awkward and uncomfortable. Last couple of years I have been in roomettes and like that I can face foward no matter which end of the car the roomettes are.


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## crescent2 (Jul 21, 2014)

I would disagree with post #23 regarding the Viewliner H unit. Hubby and I've traveled in it well over a dozen times, and I think it's the best unit in the train. Larger with a larger bathroom than the others, and every time we traveled, the seats always faced forward. We never had anything fall or slide, although there is some rough track near the far southern end of the route.

We've also traveled in the bedroom (not sure if A or B) in which the seats face the same way as the H unit, and in coach (all Viewliners).

I've never traveled in a roommette or in a Superliner but plan to soon. I think we have unit C, IIRC. We are hoping the seats will face forward, but no way to know about that.


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## FormerOBS (Jul 21, 2014)

All this info is good for most trains. The one thing that can be hard to predict is whether the car will run with bedrooms forward, or trailing.

The two unique all-deluxe Superliners on the Auto Train are the only ones that have no economy rooms (roomettes) on the upper level. Instead, they have bedrooms J, K,, L, M, and N, with N being at the end of the car. J is a mirror image and equivalent to E; N is a mirror image and equivalent of A. J and K have sliding doors allowing them to be sold as one suite; same for L and M.


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## seat38a (Jul 22, 2014)

E all the way! We never had a problem with noise coming from the coffee machine, stairs or the hallway, just the people in room D who were going to the bathroom every 5 min so we had to deal with with flushing noise from Houston all the way to NOLA. I don't think it would be pleasant to have that noise going on from both walls.


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## andersone (Jul 22, 2014)

I am an H kinda guy

but I have a trache and a titanium hip

She Who Must Be Obeyed has two #18 screws in her heel,,,,

but on a good day we make it around all day,

besides our challenges we use H primarily so my nebulizer disturbs fewer folks,,,,,


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## Green Eye (Jul 22, 2014)

For me the best bedroom is the one I can afford!


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## lthanlon (Jul 24, 2014)

Thanks for the information, everyone! I'll be redeeming my AGR points soon and am really looking forward to traveling in a bedroom.


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## justinslot (Jul 25, 2014)

So I was in B for the first time last week--my first Superliner bedroom--and while I loved the layout I could hear every single word spoken next door. Which were luckily in Mandarin (I think) so they weren't too distracting. But still. It sounds like I want A or E if I want just a little auditory privacy (or else get a roomette.)


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 25, 2014)

While lots of us like Bedroom E,,A is the only Bedroom without a connecting door to the next Bedroom!


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## Dovecote (Jul 25, 2014)

jimhudson said:


> While lots of us like Bedroom E,,A is the only Bedroom without a connecting door to the next Bedroom!


And that is why I prefer Bedroom A for that purpose. I am probably in the minority here on this choice but one bad experience with a bunch of loud mouths in a bedroom (with connecting doors) will change you view on this matter.


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## the_traveler (Jul 25, 2014)

justinslot said:


> It sounds like I want A or E if I want just a little auditory privacy (or else get a roomette.)


But with a roomette, you have rooms on both sides - plus across the hall. Thus your statement doesn't make sense.


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## justinslot (Jul 26, 2014)

the_traveler said:


> justinslot said:
> 
> 
> > It sounds like I want A or E if I want just a little auditory privacy (or else get a roomette.)
> ...


I'm saying I've never overheard a neighbor in a roomette, but I have in a bedroom.


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## RickIronton (Jul 29, 2014)

Has anyone mentioned that it depends when you make a reservation as to what bedroom you will get?

I just made a bedroom reservation on the City of New Orleans and was assigned C and if I requested E it would have been more expensive.

So keep in mind when the date you reserve, your options decrease.

I'm still happy to be in a bedroom at a great rate thanks to biketrain. It was even cheaper than a roomette.

Hello New Orleans,........I'm on my way!!!


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## Raymond Sauve (Jul 31, 2014)

I have travelled on dozens of long distance superliners. If alone give me A anytime. No door connecting to other room. Much quieter for me than listening to the neighbors conversations.


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## crescent2 (Aug 1, 2014)

RickIronton said:


> Has anyone mentioned that it depends when you make a reservation as to what bedroom you will get?
> 
> I just made a bedroom reservation on the City of New Orleans and was assigned C and if I requested E it would have been more expensive.
> 
> ...


The prices do change depending on how many units have been sold, but it's my understanding that one bedroom should not be more expensive than another at a given bucket. If C had already been reserved for you and then you asked about E, reserving C could have pushed E into the next higher bucket. But as far as I know, room E is not of itself more expensive than C or any of the other regular bedrooms. It just depends on what bucket is in effect at the time.

South of ATL, the Crescent's bedrooms are sometimes cheaper than its roomettes, too. 

Re best units:

We recently had Superliner bedroom C. Our car happened to be oriented so that the sofa faced the rear of the train, but we didn't hear a sound from the adjoining units except for an occasional toilet flush from the bathroom next to ours. No noise from the other side. Maybe we just had especially good neighbors, but our trip was very pleasant throughout. That upper bunk was really tight, though, much worse than the ones in the Viewliners.

We had Viewliner bedroom A, and also did not hear any noise from the other units. A is the center bedroom and the sofa usually faces the rear of the train. On all my trips, the Viewliner sleepers have run with the bedrooms forward, but I know that's not guaranteed.

We had odd-numbered Viewliner roomettes on our other two trains, and they were also quiet. Lucky us, I guess.


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## AmtrakBlue (Aug 1, 2014)

RickIronton said:


> Has anyone mentioned that it depends when you make a reservation as to what bedroom you will get?
> 
> I just made a bedroom reservation on the City of New Orleans and was assigned C and if I requested E it would have been more expensive.
> 
> ...


The agent was wrong. To change rooms once booked, they can give you the other room for the price you already paid. If the agent does not know how to do it, ask them to ask for a supervisor.


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## George K (Nov 30, 2015)

Just booked my AGR trip from Chicago to Portland next year. The wife and I are taking #27, and we were assigned to Bedroom A, since there were no others available.

My travel time is flexible, and after browsing through this thread, I'm thinking another room might be nicer, Is there any way to check what other rooms are available on other days without going through AGR?

Edit to add: How, exactly, is the layout different from the other 4 bedrooms?


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## willem (Nov 30, 2015)

In bedrooms B through E, the bathroom door is away from the hallway. In bedroom A, the bathroom door is toward the hallway. This means that bedroom A has two floor areas opposite the lower bed, rather than one larger area. A person sitting in the single seat by the window is in a more confined area.

On the plus side, bedroom A does not have a door between it and an adjacent bedroom, which the others do. On a train that has the sleeper at the end (like 27 and 28), bedroom A might be nearest to the rear window.


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## KmH (Nov 30, 2015)

George K said:


> Just booked my AGR trip from Chicago to Portland next year. The wife and I are taking #27, and we were assigned to Bedroom A, since there were no others available.
> 
> My travel time is flexible, and after browsing through this thread, I'm thinking another room might be nicer, Is there any way to check what other rooms are available on other days without going through AGR?
> 
> Edit to add: How, exactly, is the layout different from the other 4 bedrooms?


Between now and your trip it is quite possible someone will cancel their Bedroom reservation.

Keep checking Bedroom availability to see if another Bedroom becomes available because of a cancellation, then call Amtrak customer service and have them switch your reservation to the now available room.


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## niemi24s (Nov 30, 2015)

To me, the worst feature of Bedroom A is the inability to enjoy the scenery passing by outside the window while sitting on the pot.


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## rrdude (Dec 1, 2015)

niemi24s said:


> To me, the worst feature of Bedroom A is the inability to enjoy the scenery passing by outside the window while sitting on the pot.


BINGO!

Or enjoying a shower, watching the world as you zip along...............


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## RayF (Jan 12, 2019)

Bumping an old thread...as of Jan 2019... if riding CS, EB, or CZ

I would also agree that room "A"s bathroom layout makes it my last choice for bedroom.

However, my second priority is also to be able to sit on the couch with the scenery coming toward me rather the having to sit in the uncomfortable chair. So I'm happy with "E" then "C" if the bedrooms are ahead of the roomettes, and bedroom "D" or "B" if the roomettes are ahead of the bedrooms. 

There is no guarantee determining which way the car will be facing BUT some LD trains specific cars have pretty good odds. Book early enough to get them. 
Currently, of the last the last 30 daily trains (Dec2018-Jan2019),
Coast Star Light #14 car #1430 has had bedrooms AHEAD of roomettes 91% of the time... Pick "E", or "C"
Empire Builder #8 car #0831 has had bedrooms BEHIND of roomettes 86% of the time... Pick "D", or "B"
Calif Zephyr #6 car #0631 has had bedrooms AHEAD of roomettes 83% of the time... Pick "E", or "C"  
Southwest Chief and Texas Eagle are a toss up for direction...


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## Rail Freak (Jan 12, 2019)

RayF said:


> Bumping an old thread...as of Jan 2019... if riding CS, EB, or CZ
> 
> I would also agree that room "A"s bathroom layout makes it my last choice for bedroom.
> 
> ...


Where did you get your information?


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## RayF (Jan 12, 2019)

Rail Freak said:


> Where did you get your information?


I watch the webcams off YT and Railfan cams each day and record which way the Sleepers are facing. All but MSP have DVR to easily check. Then when I book (twice a year) I shoot for the room with the best odds of having a forward facing couch. (I really hate sitting in that chair)  When I get close to launch date if the odds have changed greatly I’ll call and try to change is available.  

I’m about to leave on another trip Mon CS, to EB then TE back to DAL. Odds are looking good this trip of having forward facing for CS and EB but TE is the tossup (59%).
...still no [SIZE=11pt]guarantee [/SIZE] but looking good...

[SIZE=11pt]Here’s an example of my XLS “EB” tab[/SIZE]


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## RayF (Jan 12, 2019)

Here's the recent info for TE. 59%/41%
CS cars almost always have bedrooms ahead of roomettes.


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## niemi24s (Jan 12, 2019)

Welcome to AU, Ray!  It certainly is a breath of fresh air to see someone who's assertions are backed up by sound empirical data.


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## VTTrain (Jan 12, 2019)

Agreed, although it could have been said without taking jabs at others, niemi24s.  We all contribute in our own ways   

Your work is truly impressive!


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## Seaboard92 (Jan 12, 2019)

Back when the New York Central ran the 20th Century Limited all of the bedrooms, compartment style rooms were always to be on the Hudson Side of the train. So the main body of the train was never wyed. Only the observation cars , and the diners were.


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## Sauve850 (Jan 12, 2019)

Great information as lots like to know which way they will face while riding. I dont much care which way I face as I mostly lay on the bedroom couch with a bunch of pillows and watch it all go by. Im just happy to be on a long distance train.


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## johninIL (Feb 8, 2019)

If I'm travelling on my own, Bedroom "A" is my choice 100% of the time. Yes, it is a little smaller. But since it's just me, I don't really notice. My experience with other rooms is the partition rattles non-stop and you can hear everything going on in the adjoining bedroom. So, lack of partition between the rooms is a huge plus. Also, in the other rooms, the toilets are next to each other, so you can hear the flushing of the neighboring toilet. This bedroom doesn't have that problem. I also like the fact that the toilet door is facing the hall. This way I can put my suitcase under the chair, use the chair as a shelf, and never have to move anything to get access to the toilet.  In my opinion, the downsides of smaller size and location near the connecting car are far outweighed by the increase privacy and better layout.


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## lthanlon (Feb 8, 2019)

Bedroom A also is my favorite. You're right that the partitions in other bedrooms usually rattle — and I end up going to town with gaffer tape. I didn't notice the flushing in the neighboring bedroom all that much, but can definitely vouch for "you can hear everything going on in the adjoining room." ﻿﻿


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