How to ID Superliners

[joelkfla]

I know how to ID Viewliner I sleepers from VL II sleepers from VL Diners, and how to tell an Amfleet Cafe from an Amfleet coach.

But are there easy-to-spot visual clues to distinguish Superliner coaches vs. sleepers vs. diners on a run-by? And full coaches vs. coach-baggage cars?

 

[jiml]

Window placement. You can work with the floorplans available online.

 

[joelkfla]

Window placement. You can work with the floorplans available online.

Sleeper & coach windows look to be the same. Looking at this site: Amtrak Car Diagrams @ CraigMashburn.com

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

But are there easy-to-spot visual clues to distinguish Superliner coaches vs. sleepers vs. diners on a run-by? And full coaches vs. coach-baggage cars?

Superliner coach-baggage have a big plug door on the lower level.

Superliner dinner has no window, other than the door.

Superliner sleeper vs coach is more of a knowledge of consist and locations. With extra bonus of inside view/ light at night.

Superliner transition sleeper is placement and the strange window at the front with the lower level door.

To tell the difference between a Superliner I and II the trucks that the car use is the clue from the outside.

As with everything Amtrak this does not work every time.

 

[jis]

As with everything Amtrak this does not work every time.

Trucks always work to differentiate between SIs and SIIs. SIIs have GSI trucks like Viewliners, SIs don't.

 

[joelkfla]

Superliner coach-baggage have a big plug door on the lower level.

Superliner dinner has no window, other than the door.

Superliner sleeper vs coach is more of a knowledge of consist and locations. With extra bonus of inside view/ light at night.

Superliner transition sleeper is placement and the strange window at the front with the lower level door.

To tell the difference between a Superliner I and II the trucks that the car use is the clue from the outside.

As with everything Amtrak this does not work every time.

So in a nutshell: no outward difference between sleepers & coaches. Thx.

 

[StanJazz]

A sleeper has a single small window on the lower lever on one side in the H room and multiple windows on the other side of the door. A coach just has the multiple windows on one side of the door, nothing on the other side.

 

[Acela150]

Trucks always work to differentiate between SIs and SIIs. SIIs have GSI trucks like Viewliners, SIs don't.

Bingo!

 

[WWW]

I still have a problem with the Coach and Sleeper -
Something to do with the lower level window positioning -
At night the Roomette lighting may be a clue -
Of course if one can get right up close to the car there maybe
signage on the car side Superliner Sleeper/Coach ?

BUT the SSL is a dead give away with it's large dome windows -
The Diner has no windows 2nd level mid-car -
The T (Transistion) Sleeper car has that square window on the 2nd level -
that is the end with the lower level door between cars to go the baggage car -
Baggage car single level - 2 huge cargo doors on each side

Depending on the orientation of the 2-3 locomotives it may be possible to
go from the baggage car into the locomotive and forward to the cab.
Going between locomotives is possible when they are end to end but not
end to front - except for the single locomotive (or push-pull) -
in ALL the consists I have observed the Conductor can not go from the
passenger baggage cars to the cab of the forward most locomotive
while the train is in motion.

Any further comments discussion ? ? ?

 

[Cal]

Sleeper & coach windows look to be the same. Looking at this site: Amtrak Car Diagrams @ CraigMashburn.com

From this video it seems that that's not the case in reality, I didn't notice any coaches with windows on both sides of the door.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Opps me bad forgot about the extra little window on the sleeper for the H room.

The above video three last cars were sleepers. So after the enginesbaggage, transition/crew, coach x3, lounge, dinner, sleeping cars x3.

The extra window on the sleepers are on the lower level, so one small square window, two regular windows, door, sheet metal than a small square window for the accessibility room.

Sorry rather be on the train than watch it go by.

 

[joelkfla]

From this video it seems that that's not the case in reality, I didn't notice any coaches with windows on both sides of the door.

You're right. The floorplan on that website shows what looks like a ladies' powder room where the H-room would be in a sleeper, with windows on both sides. Either it's not there or it doesn't have windows.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Actually never been in that space, and no I don’t think it has windows.

 

[Siegmund]

Of course if one can get right up close to the car there maybe
signage on the car side Superliner Sleeper/Coach

Yes, they are marked as Coach and Sleeper, and they have numbers on each end (32000s are sleepers, 34000s are coaches.) The numbers will also distinguish S1 from S2 - I find that easier than trucks.

Some but not all of the sleepers have half of the middle window blocked on the top level.

 

[Cal]

Some but not all of the sleepers have half of the middle window blocked on the top level.

That is also one way to distinguish SL 1's and SL 2's. SL 1's are the ones with the full window but half of it blocked. SL 2's only have half the window.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

S1 vs SII is trucks.

Transition sleepers have an odd window treatment at the front of the upper level. These are all SII cars.

the rest can easily be discerned by the lower level window treatment

Sleepers have three windows to one side and one to the other on the lower level

Diners have no windows on the lower level.

Sightseers have larger windows.

Coaches have three windows on one side, none on the other.

Baggage coaches have a baggage door and no lower level windows; they are also all SIs.

I do not know if there is a way to discern a snack-coach. If there is, those are also all SIs.

Knowing which cars must be a particular type allows for the identification of the other types because the differences in the trucks are considerable; contrary to what you might think, it is the SIs that have a more complicated truck originally designed to accommodate a long removed air-ride system. The complexities of maintaining it resulted in removal from the SIs and specification of a simpler truck on the SIIs.

 

[Duane Witte]

Photo #1 shows a transition sleeper. Notice small window at the front of the upper level.

Photo #2 shows a sleeper and diner. Sleeper has one small window on one end of lower level, two large and one small on the other end. Diner has none.

Photo #3 shows a regular coach with windows only on one end of lower level and a coach/baggage which has no windows on lower level with a large plug door where the windows would be.

Generally on superliner trains the sleepers are at the front of the train directly behind the locomotives and baggage(if it has one). The exceptions being the Sunset Limited and The Empire Builder which have sleepers on both end due to the separate sections.