Superliner A room vs other deluxe rooms

[RickIronton]

I know the A deluxe sleeper is smaller than the other deluxe sleepers and it's farther from the beverage station but for one occupant, it seems to be a better layout, especially to exit the sleeper.

I ask because I'm soon to book a sleeper to New Orleans.

 

[Shortline]

I don't mind it, but less floor space but not a huge deal, and I like a real wall between A and B vs the ones that are doors, those tend to rattle a bit and seem less sound insulated, but again, not by much...

 

[FormerOBS]

Room A is at the end of the car, which means more noise and lateral motion. The interior layout is a bit more cramped due to the location of the entry door. Same for room N (mirror image) in all-Deluxe Superliners.

Tom

 

[Sauve850]

When I travel alone I prefer bedroom A. No neighbors or door rattling. I notice no additional noise and have been in all rooms A-E and have done 25+ cross country trips.

 

[Lonestar648]

I have been most of the bedrooms and the rattling door/wall between E/D or C/B is more than annoying. If traveling alone, the reduced floor space is not a major factor. As far as the opening and closing of the doors, this varies based on the traffic flow. If the only people passing by are those in the Transition Car, then it is a non issue, but if there are a couple full sleepers, then traffic could be an issue. Overall, "A" is a good choice.

 

[C855B]

Two points:

1) The "movable wall" rattle can be solved by using a washcloth as a wedge. Don't use duct tape as advocated by some here, it damages the finishes and the goo is near impossible to remove. Yeah, it makes a point, but it only increases maintenance expenses for Amtrak.

2) Bedroom A is simply too small for two people to function. We had A on #27 three weeks ago and one of us inevitably had to take refuge in the shower for the other to change clothes. This was not a problem in the full-sized rooms. We felt slightly cheated in not getting a discount for the smaller room.

Fortunately for us, #27's sleeper is the last car on the train, so foot traffic wasn't too much of an issue. Come to think of it, the entire round trip our fellow passengers were civilized and never a factor in our experience. This is counter to several trips on the CZ, where we consistently have had hard partiers, loud talkers, smokers or other rowdies making things more or less miserable for everyone else.

 

[kbmiflyer]

My son and wife just had bedroom A on the CZ #6. There biggest complaints were how bumpy the ride was. Part of this was due to them being at the very tail end of the train (railfan window). However, bedroom A is over the trucks so it will be a rougher ride.

No complaints about the size of the room. My wife did take her shower downstairs as she thought the shower in the room as a whole was too small, but I think it is the same shower as the other bedrooms.

I have ridden in bedroom D before, and the noise through the door from Bedroom E was really annoying. The family in there wasn't loud or anything, but you could hear them all day.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Don't use duct tape as advocated by some here, it damages the finishes and the goo is near impossible to remove.

^ This.

Duct tape is just about the worst adhesive for this or any other non-emergency situation. If it doesn't involve a radiator hose then put that crap away. Duct tape's inexplicable longevity makes about as much sense as Fahrenheit thermometers and imperial rulers. Better solutions exist and are just as prevalent but I suppose you can't teach a lazy dog new tricks. It's time to put this half arsed solution to rest and to put the knuckleheads who recommend it out to pasture.

 

[niemi24s]

Duct tape is just about the worst tape for this or any other non-emergency situation. . . . It's time to put this half arsed solution to rest and to put the knuckleheads who continue to insist on recommending it out to pasture.

Would that include the SCA who used it - and quite effectively - on my last ride on the Lake Shore Limited?

I'm amazed at the number of people who complain about the difficulty of removing adhesive residue from Duct/Duck/Gorilla Tape but won't try kerosene, fuel oil or diesel fuel. Ewww-w-w-w! they say, it's smelly. Instead they'll use dish soap on a scratchy Chore Boy pad and proceed to do nothing but spread the residue around and scratch the surface below. Kerosene, fuel oil and diesel fuel are very good solvents for many (but not all) tape and label adhesives as well as pine and balsam tree pitch.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Duct tape is just about the worst tape for this or any other non-emergency situation. . . . It's time to put this half arsed solution to rest and to put the knuckleheads who continue to insist on recommending it out to pasture.

Would that include the SCA who used it - and quite effectively - on my last ride on the Lake Shore Limited? I'm amazed at the number of people who complain about the difficulty of removing adhesive residue from Duct/Duck/Gorilla Tape but won't try kerosene, fuel oil or diesel fuel. Ewww-w-w-w! they say, it's smelly. Instead they'll use dish soap on a scratchy Chore Boy pad and proceed to do nothing but spread the residue around and scratch the surface below. Kerosene, fuel oil and diesel fuel are very good solvents for many (but not all) tape and label adhesives as well as pine and balsam tree pitch.

So the fix for using incorrect tape with the wrong adhesion properties is to bring along some prohibited incendiaries?

 

[City of Miami]

Well, niemi, I don't usually care a bottle of kerosene, even TSA-sized, with me on trips to clean up the mess.

"BETTER SOLUTIONS EXIST." What are they, DA?? A foot of duct tape wrapped around a pencil was one of the first tips for Amtrak travel I picked up from AU. I have found it useful once or twice but not in a long time now.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

"BETTER SOLUTIONS EXIST." What are they, DA??

Off the top of my head, 3M removable tape, gaffer's tape, door wedges, mouse pads, sponges, cardboard, etc. No TSA troubles, no messy results, no flammable chemicals, and no silly redneck machismo required. ^_^

 

[andersone]

I join Red Green in my pledge to keep the holy duct tape alive. As for the residue heed the advice of She Who Must Be Obeyed. A squirt of WD 40 makes it all better now.

 

[niemi24s]

WD-40 is also excellent because If you look at its MSDS ... http://www.co.vermilion.il.us/MSDS/EMA/78-WD40.pdf ... you'll see it's mostly hydrocarbons in the kerosene-diesel fuel range. That's why it's such a good remover for a lot of adhesives. That's also why it makes such a good propellant for a potato canon! But I must confess that this silly machismo redneck much prefers plain old kerosene or #2 fuel oil over WD-40 in the spray can for such purposes because it's easier to control and use when in a small dish soap bottle. It's also much cheaper at about $3/gallon. If I was going to concern myself with removing tape residue aboard a sleeper, I'd simply saturate a 1" X 2" thick cotton cloth with #2 fuel oil and put it in a small zip-lock bag.

But this silly machismo redneck doesn't concern himself with such matters because this silly machismo redneck doesn't take tape with him.

 

[Ryan]

Gaff tape is so vastly superior in so many applications it amazes me that it isn't more well used.

 

[Sauve850]

Why should I or any paying customer be the one to solve the "moveable wall" noise?

 

[Manny T]

When you make a Sleeper reservation, can you request a particular bedroom by number or letter? Also, I assume if you can do this at all, you would have to phone Amtrak; it wouldn't be possible to reserve a particular bedroom online. Is that correct?

 

[Sauve850]

Sorry, "movable"

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Why should I or any paying customer be the one to solve the "moveable wall" noise?

You could always complain to the SCA instead. They might tape it up for you or wedge something between the panels. Or they might have some other method not previously listed. Or they might say it cannot be fixed or that they cannot hear anything.

When you make a Sleeper reservation, can you request a particular bedroom by number or letter? Also, I assume if you can do this at all, you would have to phone Amtrak; it wouldn't be possible to reserve a particular bedroom online. Is that correct?

You can request a specific room by phone during your purchase or after the fact regardless of how you made your original reservation. Unfortunately the website has no knowledge or awareness of rooms and cannot be used to select or modify specific rooms. The back-end systems do have the ability to track specific rooms and even seats but this information is not actionable or even displayable at the front end.

 

[Ryan]

Why should I or any paying customer be the one to solve the "moveable wall" noise?

You don't have to be, but if you want it done, why not exercise a little bit of self sufficiency and solve the problem?

 

[Manny T]

Thank you DA for the information.

I love this thread. It's is a great advertisement for Sleeping Accommodations on Amtrak by the people who know it best: walls rattle, doors fly open,* space is cramped, the ride is bumpy, and the solutions range from duct-tape and kerosene, fuel oil and diesel fuel, to wedged washcloths, pencils wrapped in tape, 3M removable tape, gaffer's tape, mouse pads, sponges, crumbled newspaper* and cardboard.

Oh, and don't forget the WD-40!

* That might come from another thread.

 

[crescent2]

Manny, I've never brought nor needed tape on my LD trips and I've always enjoyed them. It won't prove fatal if you skip it.

 

[SteveSFL]

If we prepare new riders for the worst, they might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Dakota 400]

I have never needed duct tape or anything else to silence noise in Amtrak's Sleeping Cars. Maybe, I am just oblivious to that in comparison to the normal railroad noises.

Bedroom A is one I have enjoyed twice. It's major advantage, if your Sleeper is the last car on the train, in the rainfan window. On the Desert Wind departing Los Angeles, what a magnificent view as we headed East!

I have found no difference in the ride quality nor the noise factor in Bedroom A as compared with others closer to the middle of the Sleeper.

Plenty of room for two, in my opinion, as well.

 

[Manny T]

Can you tell me if there is any rhyme or reason to whether the Sleeping Cars are first, right behind the engine, or last?

On the LSL, NYC sleeping cars are always last; on the Capitol Ltd., sleeping cars are always in the front.

What is it like out West?