Man, I'd kill for an upper berth with a window and skylight!
Long Distance (LD) fleet replacement RFP discussion H1 2024
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There's even specification that the elevators need to be operated "manually" with some sort of override system in the case of a "power failure." Not sure how that will exactly work. Rocky Mountaineer's bi-level Gold Leaf service has elevators in them I believe.
Two questions:
1) So do the coach seats - in this current copy of specifications - look like they are in line with what the current Superliner Coaches are offering, +/- a few degrees if regular coach or premium coach, or does it appear they will be drastically different? My opinion - they need to be able to recline, not just "slide" like the Venture coach seating......
2) The way I read the consist setup - from back to front its coaches, diner, cafe, first class lounge, sleepers. It would seem a little odd to me that the cafe is positioned where it is, and not directly adjacent to the coaches, especially if the first class lounge is meant to be for sleeper passengers only, which it seems is the case. However, I do believe that the cafe car is the one with sleepers on the lower level......Lot of traffic would seem to be walking through the diner to get to the cafe??? I would think that could even be switched later on, if needed.
1) So do the coach seats - in this current copy of specifications - look like they are in line with what the current Superliner Coaches are offering, +/- a few degrees if regular coach or premium coach, or does it appear they will be drastically different? My opinion - they need to be able to recline, not just "slide" like the Venture coach seating......
2) The way I read the consist setup - from back to front its coaches, diner, cafe, first class lounge, sleepers. It would seem a little odd to me that the cafe is positioned where it is, and not directly adjacent to the coaches, especially if the first class lounge is meant to be for sleeper passengers only, which it seems is the case. However, I do believe that the cafe car is the one with sleepers on the lower level......Lot of traffic would seem to be walking through the diner to get to the cafe??? I would think that could even be switched later on, if needed.
Pretty simple...usually some sort of hydraulic jack that has a manual "pump" handle to be deployed if the electric motor fails. Buses with wheelchair lifts all have them.
Searchable Copies
I got frustrated scrolling back and forth looking for things, so I found a PDF OCR engine to run the files through. Here are copies of the files that are searchable and text-copyable. No guarantee that they're 100% complete and error-free! (But I did run a Norton scan on them to check for malware.)
I hope these links work:
LD Spec Searchable pt1
LD Spec Searchable pt2
I got frustrated scrolling back and forth looking for things, so I found a PDF OCR engine to run the files through. Here are copies of the files that are searchable and text-copyable. No guarantee that they're 100% complete and error-free! (But I did run a Norton scan on them to check for malware.)
I hope these links work:
LD Spec Searchable pt1
LD Spec Searchable pt2
I am not as technically savvy as many posters here but I sorta skimmed through the first document. Fascinating read. The schematics are difficult to decipher and that would be a great help. My sense is that if fulfilled as laid out here Amtrak will finally truly have a world class fleet. But the one thought that enters my mind, as high as sleeper fares are now I can only imagine them in the future. WowI
I don't recall the details of the numbers in the RFP, but I'm guessing there will be just enough for the current network with spares and likely not enough for possible future expansion, which would be a shame.
I don't recall the details of the numbers in the RFP, but I'm guessing there will be just enough for the current network with spares and likely not enough for possible future expansion, which would be a shame.
Mailliw
OBS Chief
That kinda defeats the purpose of solo accommodation if it ends up costing more than a roomette? On the other hand the club bedrooms are a great idea. They make the family bedroom redundant and enable couples traveling together to both sleep in a lower berth. That's a big deal for people who have mobility issues, but don't need a wheelchair accessible accommodation.
Thank you, this is great!
Yeah, that takes care of the people who are renting 2 Roomettes across the aisle from each other. For those needing accessible, they have the Accessible Double, which has a single lower berth that sleeps 2.
For the "Standard 10 Car Consist" that's proposed, here's what I get for sleeper space:
3 - Premium Bedrooms (good for two people)
20 - Roomettes (good for two people)
8 - Club Rooms (good for four people)
32 - Solo Suites (good for one person, but the "divider" can be opened up)
4 - Accessible bedroom types/capacity
Compared to a present day (what should be) consist of two Superliner Sleepers and approx 6 roomettes sold in the Trans/Dorm Sleeper:
It's an interesting "mix" of sleeper space in the new proposed LD fleet consist, but I am surprised they are going with EIGHT of the Club Rooms that technically sleep four people. Missing seems to be the traditional larger bedroom (e.g. what are now rooms A through E on a Superliner Sleeper). But the Solo Suite may be a better option with no upper level berth and a divider that can open up. Still would have smaller space overall though, I would think. But then there is a cool overhead "skylight window."
Appears each sleeper car has only ONE or TWO common bathrooms and I am only seeing ONE common shower for passengers for the whole consist - in the Utility Car. That's all for passengers in the Solo Suites or bedrooms that don't have bathrooms or showers in their rooms. Not making any absolutes on that, just saying that's what I am seeing from the charts. The proposed new LD equipment is an interesting mix of sleepers though, and it does call for an increase of sleeper rooms and berths.
PS - How two people would be able to get into the upper berth of the Club Bedroom seems like an acrobatic exercise!!! LOL!
3 - Premium Bedrooms (good for two people)
20 - Roomettes (good for two people)
8 - Club Rooms (good for four people)
32 - Solo Suites (good for one person, but the "divider" can be opened up)
4 - Accessible bedroom types/capacity
- That's 67 "sleeper rooms."
- Approximate number of berths would be around: 118
Compared to a present day (what should be) consist of two Superliner Sleepers and approx 6 roomettes sold in the Trans/Dorm Sleeper:
- That's 46 "sleeper rooms."
- Approximate number of berths would be around 96
It's an interesting "mix" of sleeper space in the new proposed LD fleet consist, but I am surprised they are going with EIGHT of the Club Rooms that technically sleep four people. Missing seems to be the traditional larger bedroom (e.g. what are now rooms A through E on a Superliner Sleeper). But the Solo Suite may be a better option with no upper level berth and a divider that can open up. Still would have smaller space overall though, I would think. But then there is a cool overhead "skylight window."
Appears each sleeper car has only ONE or TWO common bathrooms and I am only seeing ONE common shower for passengers for the whole consist - in the Utility Car. That's all for passengers in the Solo Suites or bedrooms that don't have bathrooms or showers in their rooms. Not making any absolutes on that, just saying that's what I am seeing from the charts. The proposed new LD equipment is an interesting mix of sleepers though, and it does call for an increase of sleeper rooms and berths.
PS - How two people would be able to get into the upper berth of the Club Bedroom seems like an acrobatic exercise!!! LOL!
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Mailliw
OBS Chief
I think each sleeping car has a common shower for roomette and solo passengers. The crew accommodation is in the utility car, right? What's on the lower level of the lounge car? That seems like a good spot to add extra sleeper space.
One thing I want to add is that Amtrak should consider "Smart Glass" for the windows. That would make a very modern clean look without the hassle of curtains or shades which can be a hassle in many ways. This would be especially great for the "Sky Lights".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_glass
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_glass
Customer reaction on planes has been mixed.
jis
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Can you elaborate a bit?
Bombardier Transportation has intelligent on-blur windows in the Bombardier Innovia APM 100 operating on Singapore's Bukit Panjang LRT line, to prevent passengers from peering into apartments while the train is moving[21] and is planning to offer windows using smart glass technology in its Flexity 2 light rail vehicles.[22]
I have been wondering what the reason is in the current consists that has sleepers towards the front and the coaches towards the rear? I figure that there must be a logical reason?
Actually that has been reversed relatively recently for western trains. Sleepers on the rear offer a quieter ride. Baggage cars now on the rear supposedly improve the ride for the sleepers by reducing fishtailing. Amtrak went this way several years ago with the Florida trains and I do believe the Superliners were reconfigured more recently.
How relatively recentently? It seems like last September the sleepers were still towards the front.
jis
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The stuff used for 787 windows takes forever to change from one setting to another. While that may be suitable for a building it is not suitable for a moving vehicle where you pretty much want the window shade state to change instantaneously when you want. The scene you thought you wanted to see and photograph would be long gone by the time the shade changes state from blocked to clear, and even then there are distortions that remain. On many occasions I found myself punching the stupid button to try to get it to move faster while the mountain I was trying to photograph below passed away out of site and the window was still not clear of the weird blue/purple tint of various opacity. Terrible thing to have on a moving train IMHO. But then for geniuses who think it is OK to wrap windows to semi-opacity, of course such considerations are immaterial. They claim that no one looks out of the windows anyway. They are there just because they look nice, or something like that.
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jis
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I agree that they would be a good option for windows that are far out of normal human reach. But for windows next to me my preference always will be good old fashioned human hand operated shades. Much cheaper and requires less maintenance and less prone to breaking down. At least once I had the pleasure of flying on a 787 where my window was stuck in half opaque mode, which was just transparent enough to meet FAA requirements for open shade, in which case it is not a critical item to fix. So it will wait till whenever it is convenient. Apparently they have to remove the inside window piece and replace it to fix it. I can imagine how things will go in the tender care of Amtrak where there is not even a requirement for open shades on any windows at any time.
I am not a fan of the smart window idea. What happens when someone throws a rock at one of these windows or shoots a gun or BB gun at a passing train?
The shades that are currently used on the venture cars are adequate.
The shades that are currently used on the venture cars are adequate.
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