Bedroom Differences in Superliners

[George K]

Yesterday was my fourth trip in a Superliner bedroom (no, the Mrs. will absolutely not use a roomette - "How did you and D4 tolerate that all the way to the West Coast??").

So as we boarded CONO and found our room (C ) and started to get settled, I noticed differences between this and the rooms we've had in the past:

1) The shower door was more substantial, and there was no curtain on the inside.

2) The 120V plug by the "sofa" was aisle-side vs window-side - a bit inconvenient for charging devices. It also had a configuration that made it hard, if not impossible, to plug in a larger charger. Good thing I had a small-footprint power strip.

3) Faucet controls are different. Rather than a lever that one pushes down, there's a knob that you push and self-times to turn off.

4) The most annoying thing: NO HOOKS FOR CLOTHES!! Come bedtime, I had no place to hang my shirt, trousers, etc. I had to fold them up and drape them over the chair (which was quite wobbly and the arm rests were useless).

Was this a Superliner II that had not undergone the refurb like the SL I's had done?

I really, really missed those hooks.

 

[the_traveler]

I do believe so.

 

[fixj]

If you had been in bedroom B the plug would have been window side. There should have been some fold out hooks on the bath door and along the sink wall. Here's a shot of a C room.

 

[SP&S]

I've seen some of those hooks that look as if somebody had used them as grab handles. Perhaps some clown had broken it.

Always travel with a small power strip. In carry-on bags it's never raised the eyebrows of TSA on a fly their train back trip.

 

[Shanghai]

I just arrived in Portland on 27, after traveling from Winter Haven, Florida on 98, Washington on 29 then 27. I'm in the lounge waiting for 11 to Emeryville. A very enjoyable trip. I will return on 11 to LAX, 422 to CHICAGO, 30 to WAS and 97 to Winter Haven.

 

[George K]

I can assure you, there were no hooks anywhere to be found! Having taken advantage of them in my last 3 trips, they were sorely missed.

Also, from looking at the picture you posted, the doors for storage beneath the sink were different. They were paneled (well, made to look paneled!), and curved, rather than angled as in your picture.

Another difference I noted was that the bunk came down a lot more easily - just a twist of the handle, and down it came. No wrestling with brackets along the end.

 

[pennyk]

I believe you may have been in a refurbished Superliner 1, if there was paneling and no shower curtain.

 

[George K]

I believe you may have been in a refurbished Superliner 1, if there was paneling and no shower curtain.

IIRC, the refurbished 1s have a real shower door downstairs as well, right? The 2s have a curtain.

I wish I had looked at the trucks before boarding - but given her orthopedic issues, the Mrs. was complaining about the long walk to the sleepers, so I didn't pay attention. Of course, the de-training rush was another matter altogether, and that prevented another look. Next time...

Here's a cropped photo of the sofa end, with the push-button light controls, you can see the top of Mrs. George's head there (she likes to lie down on the couch and watch the country go by.

 

[pennyk]

I believe you may have been in a refurbished Superliner 1, if there was paneling and no shower curtain.

IIRC, the refurbished 1s have a real shower door downstairs as well, right? The 2s have a curtain.

I wish I had looked at the trucks before boarding - but given her orthopedic issues, the Mrs. was complaining about the long walk to the sleepers, so I didn't pay attention. Of course, the de-training rush was another matter altogether, and that prevented another look. Next time...

I am not sure about showers downstairs, since I use the shower inside the bedroom. I can usually tell the difference between refurbished I's and non-refurbished II's by the paneling vs. carpet on the walls in the hallways. (I know there is a difference in trucks, but I can't identify the difference).

 

[ChrisJ]

GeorgeK, based on your description, you had a refurb'd S-1. Curved & paneled storage doors, push-knobs on the faucet are the key.

The pic posted by fixj is of a non-refurb S-1. The closet by the door identifies it as S-1.

I've been in all the bedrooms, both refurb & non, so I know the difference.

 

[SarahZ]

Yup. That's the refurb. The paneling is a dead give-away.

I love the new bathrooms in the sleepers (they feel bigger), and I like that the closet is gone from the roomettes (makes them feel a little bigger), but I absolutely HATE that you cannot turn the PA off.

 

[boxcarsyix]

Yup. That's the refurb. The paneling is a dead give-away.

I love the new bathrooms in the sleepers (they feel bigger), and I like that the closet is gone from the roomettes (makes them feel a little bigger), but I absolutely HATE that you cannot turn the PA off.

Covering the speaker with duct tape helps

 

[willem]

Thanks for the suggestion to cover the speaker. It's one of those things that is obvious after the fact.

I understand that some announcements are so important that they should be heard no matter what. Routine announcements and especially the lounge car announcements do not qualify. It seems shortsighted of Amtrak to configure the public address system such that sleeping car passengers cannot turn off lounge announcements. (Why shortsighted? Because it tempts passengers to try to turn off all announcements.)

 

[neroden]

Yup. That's the refurb. The paneling is a dead give-away.

I love the new bathrooms in the sleepers (they feel bigger), and I like that the closet is gone from the roomettes (makes them feel a little bigger), but I absolutely HATE that you cannot turn the PA off.

Worse problem is that the lights *will not go off at night*. Bring thick black duct tape.

The refurbed Superliner Is are no good; they were a design failure by someone who didn't think things through.

Superliner IIs seem to have been the best design so far.

 

[George K]

We were able to get the lights to go off. But, using the "touch buttons" was a haphazard affair. Sometimes they'd work, and sometimes not.

And, of course, the lack of clothing hooks!

But, I think I mentioned that already.

 

[zephyr17]

I almost always travel in roomettes, and the number of hooks is quite variable, although I have noticed the refurbed I's tend to have fewer.

Agree with Neroden that the II's are the best design overall, although the new bathroom modules in the refurbs are a big improvement.

 

[SarahZ]

We were able to get the lights to go off. But, using the "touch buttons" was a haphazard affair. Sometimes they'd work, and sometimes not.

And, of course, the lack of clothing hooks!

But, I think I mentioned that already.

A couple of my SCAs have mentioned that the biggest issue with the touch buttons is how frequently people accidentally hit the "call" button instead of the "lights" button.

 

[George K]

A couple of my SCAs have mentioned that the biggest issue with the touch buttons is how frequently people accidentally hit the "call" button instead of the "lights" button.

Oh, yes. We came *that* close more than once. Mrs. George is not good with buttons.

Did I mention I missed the clothing hooks?

 

[oldtimer]

The fact that the speakers cannot be shut off is the direct result of a fire on the Coast Starlight 20+ years back with two passenger fatalities (one elderly female and one physically handicapped male that was on the upper level and not in room H). A fire started in on of the last two cars (sleepers) and PA announcements telling passengers to evacuate were not heard n most rooms as the in-room speakers were off. The attendant and rear brakeman did bang on all the doors and try to assist others, but some delayed their exit until the smoke made it almost impossible to breath. As a survivor of a major train wreck and fire FIRST Got out as soon as itt is safe, the SCA will tell you when and where. Do Not delay, It does not matter if you are in your PJ's, skivvies, or even your birthday suit it is better to be seen out and alive than having someone go back to search for you and are lucky if you are alive. Just remember that those trying to rescue you are also risking their lives.

 

[Asher]

I just arrived in Portland on 27, after traveling from Winter Haven, Florida on 98, Washington on 29 then 27. I'm in the lounge waiting for 11 to Emeryville. A very enjoyable trip. I will return on 11 to LAX, 422 to CHICAGO, 30 to WAS and 97 to Winter Haven.

Appropriate handle.

 

[PVD]

Hopefully in a future upgrade, the PA and in room speakers will be set up to allow an emergency call to over-ride a speaker setting. This is not hard to do with modern systems. Nobody should miss a critical message, nor have to hear "Next stop Willoughby" at 9 P.M. A mini strobe on or adjacent to the speaker housing for the hearing impaired is also a simple add.

 

[SarahZ]

Hopefully in a future upgrade, the PA and in room speakers will be set up to allow an emergency call to over-ride a speaker setting. This is not hard to do with modern systems. Nobody should miss a critical message, nor have to hear "Next stop Willoughby" at 9 P.M. A mini strobe on or adjacent to the speaker housing for the hearing impaired is also a simple add.

Exactly.

 

[neroden]

Hopefully in a future upgrade, the PA and in room speakers will be set up to allow an emergency call to over-ride a speaker setting. This is not hard to do with modern systems. Nobody should miss a critical message, nor have to hear "Next stop Willoughby" at 9 P.M.

Yep. The overuse of the PAs by Superliner staff means that passengers *will* disable them. It's necessary to have a separate channel for emergencies, one which *isn't used normally*. Test it once a week and leave it alone the rest of the time.

 

[willem]

Hopefully in a future upgrade, the PA and in room speakers will be set up to allow an emergency call to over-ride a speaker setting. This is not hard to do with modern systems. Nobody should miss a critical message, nor have to hear "Next stop Willoughby" at 9 P.M. A mini strobe on or adjacent to the speaker housing for the hearing impaired is also a simple add.

Was this hard to do at the time of the last installation? If not, then what might the designer have been thinking? More importantly, what might prevent the designer from thinking the same thing next time?

 

[PVD]

I can't answer for what the designers were thinking back then, or for that matter what they were tasked with, those don't have to coincide. I will say that using today's technology it is not hard to accomplish. It is very similar to how we build fire and emergency communications into facilities public address and sound systems every day. What prevents designers from something like this today, is usually budgetary or instituitional blindness. But standards and laws change over time. I used to see fire alarm systems in rigid pipe, today we use special wire in free air. Where we used to install audible alerts, now they include a strobe to alert the hearing impaired. Zones and overrides are in many cases off the shelf hardware, they are routine items, nothing exotic.