Horn noise and fumes

[jpakala]

Our sleeper on the Texas Eagle was close to the locomotive until San Antonio and I noticed lots of horn blowing, including for a private driveway that was narrow and perhaps gravel. What owners would want horn blowing for that?! But at San Antonio our sleeper and one coach (the two cars through from Chicago to L.A.) were at the end of the Sunset Limited, not close to sleepers from New Orleans to L.A. I got some good photos out the back of our car as we left El Paso the next day.

 

[The Commissioner]

Many years ago I was in the Trans-dorm on the City of New Orleans with a single locomotive and no baggage car. I don't remember the fumes being an issue but I do remember the horn was pretty bad. I like the noises of the train but with no buffer that horn is loud!

This is exactly my experience on the CONO. Going southbound and not getting any sleep due to constant horn blowing despite wearing earplugs was survivable but the northbound trip was miserable. Had to leave the train at Centralia at 0500 and then drive three (3) hours home after a sleepless night was brutal. Never again!

I cannot understand why Amtrak doesn't care more for its first class passengers when locating sleepers in the consist.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

The Texas Eagle has been flip the position of its sleeper. Back in December it was on the rear. Even the station personnel were surprised of the change. Have not seen the current operation in San Antonio so unsure what or why is happening.

It has always been a battle of which cars in the front and what cars in back.

Flume are real only an issue if the train is bilevel and does not have a transition car in the trainset. Amtrak needs to buy new locomotives with the California airflow direction hump on the rear. Or the steel plate they sometimes have to block flumes from entering the train.

 

[caravanman]

Perhaps Superliner trains have the sleepers up front because sometimes there's a transition dorm car right behind the locomotives, which allows the conductor to get to the engine,

I think the engine is entirely separate and not accessible from the coaches on these type of trains?

With reference to fumes, when travelling in India, a lot of trains have a diesel generator car even behind an electric loco, to power the A/C or heating. Fumes are nasty if you are in the next coach.

 

[MARC Rider]

I would think that diesel fumes should be less of a problem in the future as Amtrak converts all its long-distance power to Tier IV Chargers. Maybe the horn noise could be dealt with by using better soundproofing in these new long-distance cars they now starting to procure.