Interesting Story about Transition Sleepers on LD Routes

fengshui · Aug 10, 2023

I heard from an Amtrak OBS recently that there have been some changes around transdorms on LD trains recently. As we all know, a lot of transdorms were mothballed or put in storage during COVID. As Amtrak came out of COVID, they ran quite a few trains without TDs, just giving the crew spots in the main passenger sleepers as needed. This worked in some ways, but I was told that one unique thing about the transdorms is that their fresh air intakes are on the bottom level of the train, not the top level. This was described as a benefit because TDs were always put closest to the engine, so having low intakes means they pulled in less engine exhaust. When they stopped using them, the normal sleepers now in the first car spot were pulling in a lot of harmful air, which was harming the OBS staff. The union complained (rightly), and for a while they switched the car layout to put the sleepers at the back of the train, which then made the customers suck the bad air instead. Supposedly this was eventually righted in recent weeks, and that Amtrak agreed to bring back the transdorms in their usual first-spot, restoring the original design with better air quality.

Has anyone else heard a similar story or does anyone have a confirmation for this? I thought it was interesting.

Palmland · Aug 10, 2023

This sounds so Amtrak. Finally restoring the TD because the employees complain after months of customers sucking the fumes. But, if true, glad they’re back.

Just-Thinking-51 · Aug 10, 2023

It’s not the air intake, it’s the door. With out a transdorm the first Superliner will get the engine exhaust. Some Superliner have better door seals than other. Sometimes metal boxes would be installed on the outside. Amtrak being Amtrak could not get a work around to stick. So hopefully it will be addressed soon. That said there is not enough transdorms in the fleet to add TD to all train sets.

Willbridge · Aug 10, 2023

This fits with the explanation by a coach attendant this July when I asked about the consist. Of course, I'm old enough to still find it odd to have sleepers ahead of the dining car.

flitcraft · Oct 6, 2023

Another FYI on transdorms is that they tend to have cleaner bathrooms. We were in a sleeper this summer on the Southwest Chief where all the toilets in one car were kaput for the entire trip. We were instructed to use the toilets in the other sleeper, which, in a two day trip with two full cars of users, got pretty trashed. I quickly discovered that the transdorm was on the other side of our car, and started using the toilet on that car instead. Not surprisingly, the OBS know better than to trash their bathrooms, and in any event, I saw bathroom cleaning stuff in the downstairs toilet, so somebody may have been tidying them as well. All I know is that it was a much better situation, given the toilet breakdown.

I did call Customer Relations to let them know about the bathroom breakdown on our 2 day trip. (I acknowledged that it was no one's fault, that the Superliners are amazingly robust given their age and hard use, etc.) The CR staffer apologized that she couldn't give us a full refund (!), which of course I didn't expect at all, but did issue us a $500 voucher. So...on Monday we leave on the Empire Builder in what I think is a low bucket bedroom, made even lower by the voucher.

GDRRiley · Oct 6, 2023

Just-Thinking-51 said:
It’s not the air intake, it’s the door. With out a transdorm the first Superliner will get the engine exhaust. Some Superliner have better door seals than other. Sometimes metal boxes would be installed on the outside. Amtrak being Amtrak could not get a work around to stick. So hopefully it will be addressed soon. That said there is not enough transdorms in the fleet to add TD to all train sets.

There should be close to enough, 47 were made while 50 lounge cars were. Amtrak still has 43 on their roster