Superliner Roomette-Which direction am I facing?

[Mitch]

I'll be traveling west on the Texas Eagle. If I'm in the seat facing the front of the train, will the window be on my left or right?

Thanks

 

[SarahZ]

It depends on which side of the train your roomette is on. If you're on the left side of the train, the window will be on your left. If you're on the right side of the train, the window will be on your right.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know which side you'll be on until you board.

 

[the_traveler]

Even on trains that have 2 sleeping cars, the first could have "even" rooms on the left while the second has "odd" rooms on the left.

 

[Mitch]

Just realized i didn't give quite enough info in my original post. I will be in roomette #4. I was wondering if even number rooms are typically on the left or right side of the train or f they get mixed.

Thanks,

Mitch

 

[offroad437]

It depends on the yard crew and what train/line they pulled from. There is no standard.

 

[SarahZ]

Just realized i didn't give quite enough info in my original post. I will be in roomette #4. I was wondering if even number rooms are typically on the left or right side of the train or f they get mixed.

Thanks,

Mitch

As I said, there is no way to know which side you'll be on until you board. The cars can be put on in either direction, so it depends on which way the car is "flipped".

If there is scenery you want to catch and you're on the "wrong" side of the train, you can always head to the lounge to take pictures out of both sides of the train.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If individual seats and rooms on specific sides were bookable in advance I'd happily pay a reasonable fee to make a selection on routes where it mattered. Unfortunately that's never been an option as Amtrak apparently makes zero effort to align the cars in any particular orientation. It's possible Amtrak might be able to snag another hundred dollars per car per trip with an option to guarantee specific locations ahead of time. Maybe extra money isn't something Amtrak is interested in chasing. Either that or passing over a turntable or through a wye is far more complicated than it looks.

 

[zephyr17]

Unlike the sleepers of the past, the Superliners have no orientation and can run either direction. The roomettes on either side of the hall "face" in opposite directions so on any trip 1/2 of the roomettes face "forward" and half face "backward". In 10-6s they all faced the same way.

 

[George K]

On our trip on the EB, we were on the south side (the left) of the train in our roomette as we traveled west. The passenger across the aisle told us that he requested to be on the north side when he booked.

Sounds like BS to me - right?

 

[Ispolkom]

On our trip on the EB, we were on the south side (the left) of the train in our roomette as we traveled west. The passenger across the aisle told us that he requested to be on the north side when he booked.

Sounds like BS to me - right?

Or the agent said, sure, and then booked him into whatever roomette came up. The guy had a 50% chance of getting what he wanted, and the agent had a zero percent chance of hearing about it if he didn't.

 

[George K]

The guy had a 50% chance of getting what he wanted, and the agent had a zero percent chance of hearing about it if he didn't.

 

[TinCan782]

I was about to say "sit in the other seat and you will face the opposite direction"! :giggle:

But, I guess he was inquiring about which side of the train.

 

[neroden]

Viewliners are kept in a consistent orientation for obscure ADA reasons, but Superliners aren't. I'm actually a little surprised that they aren't, because they retain their orientation through most operations in Chicago, and DC, and LA... and probably everywhere else.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I understand part of the reason for Viewliner orientation is to have a vestibule with exit doors adjacent to the Diner in the event it becomes necessary to quickly evacuate the train; Heritage Diners do not have exit vestibules.

 

[FormerOBS]

"Heritage Diners do not have exit vestibules." Very true. They do have small side doors that are used to load stock. You can enter the car through those doors if you climb up a vertical ladder which is built into the side of the car.

Many years ago, when my train used Heritage equipment, we began boarding the train. The station personnel made an announcement that included the usual "Please board only at a door where you see a uniformed member of the crew."

In the midst of boarding, we looked up to see an elderly couple at the diner supply door. He was standing on the platform with his hands on her backside, trying to push her up the diner ladder; she was about halfway up the ladder, struggling to open the door, and half sitting on his shoulder.

You can't make this stuff up.

Tom

 

[Bob Dylan]

Nice story Tom! Sounds like something out of a Half Roach Comedy from the 1920s!!!!

 

[JayMadison]

My experience is that the sleeping cars are sometime flipped (bedrooms toward the back of the train), so other than telling if your upstairs (1-10) or downstairs there's really no way to know, but I usually spend most of my time in the lounge anyway.

 

[boxcarsyix]

My experience is that the sleeping cars are sometime flipped (bedrooms toward the back of the train), so other than telling if your upstairs (1-10) or downstairs there's really no way to know, but I usually spend most of my time in the lounge anyway.

Me too. The lounge is the place to be during the day.

 

[TrainLoverJoy]

I have a very specific preference of roomette orientation on my LD trips. Perfect for me is roomette #3 looking left out the window as we're moving forward. I do get #3 frequently, but the last 4 trips I'm going backwards in that particular seat! There are a couple trains where the odds of heading in the right direction are a little better with an even number roomette.....such as the Zephyr where the sleeper is the last car...I did guess that one right twice.

But with the Eagle (Chi-Lax and Lax-Chi) which I've taken several times I didn't particularly care which way it started because it would always change direction after the San Antonio switch. But believe it or not, the last trip in October I was headed in the "wrong" direction both legs.

My husband thinks I'm nuts to have a preference at all, and willingly changes seats so I am always looking forward....but there's just something about looking left that I like better.

 

[TinCan782]

I may book Bedroom E, or Roomette 2 if available but, don't give much thought (or concern) as to which side of the train I'm on or which direction I'm facing.

There are similar discussions on cruise ship forums as well.