Sleeper 9712...Wow!

[tricia]

That works too; I was just thinking they'd be locked by default so only the passengers booked could access. No system will please everyone. Using a PIN system eliminates the need for physical keycards, but some passengers may have trouble keeping track of their PIN. On the other hand passengers may forget to take their keycard with them to the diner/toilet/shower and lock themselves out anyway. Letting passengers use their phone as a key raises issues of its own, and would still need a backup option. The SCAs presence should alleviate lockouts.

Any system where the door locks with the key left behind in the room is going to have the SCA up all night opening doors for sleepy passengers who walk down the hall to the bathroom without their key. Not a good scenario.

 

[Mailliw]

I meant they'd locked by default after the SCA reset them for the next passenger; not necessarily all the time like hotel rooms.

 

[Qapla]

Using a disposable card that needs to be used to lock/unlock the door would be a workable solution.

The door would not lock unless they used the card to lock it so no leaving the card in the room and locking them out. Each card can be programmed "on the spot" the way motel room keycards are programmed. The SCA could decommission the card when they ready the room for the next guest.

It should be a card that only needs to be placed against a "hot spot" not one that needs to be passed/slid/swiped through a slot.

By using disposable cards the SCA would not need to try to retrieve the cards while passengers get off the train (especially when some are only steeping off for "fresh air" while others are leaving the train) and the passenger would have a souvenir to take with them ... the cards could be emblazoned with the Amtrak logo and maybe even the train name.

 

[Mailliw]

That works too, just put a bucket in the car so passengers can leave them for recycling if they don't want a souvenir.

 

[Twinkletoes]

The double Slumbercoach rooms didn't seem smaller to me. Part of that may have been the higher ceiling than in Superliner roomettes. The one-passenger roomettes had a regular rather than narrow single bed. You did in the original style have to open the door to raise it to use the toilet (not the sink) and that's why there were curtains on the outer side of roomette doors, but the later style had a slightly narrower bottom third of the bed so you could stand on the floor to raise it, and no curtains were involved.

I remember these. It was a nice comfortable bed. I believe that there also was a toilet at the end of the car for use when the bed was down.

 

[railiner]

I remember these. It was a nice comfortable bed. I believe that there also was a toilet at the end of the car for use when the bed was down.

You are correct...all the Heritage sleepers, including the Slumbercoaches had a 'public toilet' in the car.

 

[west point]

there may be some safety considerations in case of an incident ? Thinking especially about fire ?

 

[Ferroequinologist]

the design depended on tolerances that the fabrication wasn’t delivering.
[/QUOTE]

Sorry, what does this mean?

 

[PVD]

The factory didn't get the job done according to the plans.

 

[IndyLions]

the design depended on tolerances that the fabrication wasn’t delivering.

Sorry, what does this mean?

The factory didn't get the job done according to the plans.

...what PVD said - with the added comment that the design of a common product (e.g. not a space ship) that depends on tolerances that are not easily met - is a poor design.

I'd be more inclined to believe that they got the design wrong on the latch.

 

[IndyLions]

Any system where the door locks with the key left behind in the room is going to have the SCA up all night opening doors for sleepy passengers who walk down the hall to the bathroom without their key. Not a good scenario.

I couldn't agree more with tricia on this one. I, for one - have dragged my tired self (and my luggage) up and down elevators countless times when keycards provided by hotel desk clerks didn't work for one reason or another.

The current latch does allow you to latch your door from the inside and for Amtrak employees with a key/tool to access your door in an emergency - that's good. They just didn't make any accommodation for the door to shut and stay shut when closed from the outside. And of course it doesn't work as reliably as it needs to, either.

 

[Qapla]

This video was posted near the end of March -

 

[IndyLions]

It’s a really good video. It was one of the reasons my photos and trip report were delayed a bit. It kind of prompted me to post more pictures and measurements than I otherwise would have - because frankly the video did a great job of covering all the basics and more.

 

[Qapla]

We don't mind duplication ... the more info the better