What features are important in a sleeper

[20th Century Rider]

Basic comfort... or lack thereof...

with recollections of discomfort caused by excessive overheating in a small area with little ventilation...

with recollections of a a fire alarm right outside my door that kept 'chirping' due to battery problem... and I was told it was a federal regulation that if I would remove that dysfunctional battery to stop the chirping... I could face federal charges!

with recollections of excessively loud partying neighbors... 'young one's' - two partying drinking couples who stuffed themselves into the roomette next to me.

with recollections of the techie 'beeps and squeaks' of game playing neighbors - the kind of noise that is stressful.

with recollections of grumbling attendants who provide no service but complain a lot.

 

[Dustyroad]

A deeper water bottle holder and a padded closet. I totally agree with the outside door lock. Make it a 4 didgit key pad.

 

[cocojacoby]

A deeper water bottle holder and a padded closet. I totally agree with the outside door lock. Make it a 4 didgit key pad.

I do believe the Viewliner II has deeper cup holders. A closet takes up a lot of room and hanging your cloths on the wall works well. I did leave my jacket in a bedroom closet once so I personally like the "open closet" design. Yes to the door lock.

 

[cocojacoby]

If the berths were oriented perpendicular to the direction of travel, the Roomettes could be wider (or conceivably narrower) than they are now and still achieve a similar density to what we have now.

NO!

As I mentioned above, I like the Amtrak Viewliner design. The base room orientation with longitudinal beds, gives you the ability to have large multiple windows all around which makes the rooms brighter and less claustrophobic. The European design, where the beds are all perpendicular, gives you a long claustrophobic narrow space with one tiny window at one end. Two people can't even look out the window together. I don't want to look at a wall for my journey. Amtrak did the right thing here.

USA trains are a lot more about the scenery and enjoying the travel. Most European style sleeper trains are designed for shorter overnight trips that travel mostly in darkness perhaps, but if I was going to take a train through Europe, I would definitely prefer a Viewliner style sleeper.

 

[Lana J C]

Cleanliness is #1, and a good car attendant. These are always the most important to me

 

[Tlcooper44]

NO!

Hah

USA trains are a lot more about the scenery and enjoying the travel. Most European style sleeper trains are designed for shorter overnight trips that travel mostly in darkness perhaps, but if I was going to take a train through Europe, I would definitely prefer a Viewliner style sleeper.

I don’t think it’s so cut and dry in terms of room orientation.

A lot of European sleepers are oriented this way, and still manage to have decent window viewing (Italian and British trains comes to mind), and enjoyment for passengers.

A lot of east coast Amtrak trains are less about the scenery than west coast trains. Silver Service, NE Regional, and LSL don’t exactly have scenic routes (especially compared with out west); I know sometimes it’s enjoyable, but those trains are less of land cruises than western routes. Amtrak could easily get away with Euro style utility sleepers on those routes.

Night Owl isn’t scenic at all. It’s dark the whole time....

 

[Maglev]

With the perpendicular orientation, having one walkway between two stacks of bunks is another way to increase density. But as @cocojacoby says, I am not necessarily in favor of this for all trains. I like to look out my window from the bed!

 

[20th Century Rider]

With the perpendicular orientation, having one walkway between two stacks of bunks is another way to increase density. But as @cocojacoby says, I am not necessarily in favor of this for all trains. I like to look out my window from the bed!

Exactly what the rail enthusiast... including myself... enjoys! Nothing is better than propping up at midnight to see the surreal views of a station alive with action... then the train begins to slide forward... platform lights left behind... and slumbering once again!

 

[Nick Farr]

Amtrak is Gov't owned and should be operated like a Gov't service, like the Interstate Highway system

Amtrak isn't government owned, it's a private corporation still technically owned by those who hold the stock given to legacy carriers.

Amtrak is essentially controlled and funded by its Federal and State government partners.

The reason this is important is that the will to do these things, to create "shareholder value" just isn't there like it is in a normal service entity.

That the train always stops in Ottumwa, IA as a point of pride for Iowa's 2nd district congressperson is actually more important for Amtrak than clean roomettes.

Throughout the world, passenger rail is only profitable when it's the fastest, most convenient or an epic/luxury experience.

There's enough edge markets to keep the existing services full even as the old cars start to age themselves out of service.

 

[Nick Farr]

How about a screen similar to what's available on aircraft?

When idle, it just sits there to let you know where you are in the journey, point out highlights of the trip, let you know of delays, etc.

How about one place to allow you to set the desired temperature of your room, let you know what announcements you want to hear, let you *order* drinks/meals from your SCA, let you set your reservation time, etc.

 

[20th Century Rider]

How about a screen similar to what's available on aircraft?

When idle, it just sits there to let you know where you are in the journey, point out highlights of the trip, let you know of delays, etc.

How about one place to allow you to set the desired temperature of your room, let you know what announcements you want to hear, let you *order* drinks/meals from your SCA, let you set your reservation time, etc.

Wouldn't that be nice! Unfortunately I have found that Superliner temperature controls just don't work and the heating cooling systems are antiquated and faltering. I don't think that the 'refresh' program will replace those systems [but wouldn't that be nice!]

It seems that newly approved funding is going to the very basics such as restoration of real food, basic furnishings, etc. So while the TE goes without the basic SSL and real food it is hard to imagine a tech miracle such as control screens in each room and at each seat being funded at this time. With European rail being so far ahead of us... they don't have these touch screens either.

But not a bad idea for the Superliner replacement in a few years.

 

[cocojacoby]

How about a screen similar to what's available on aircraft?

Wait, that's it. You know the Disney cruise ships have fake "Magical Portholes" in their interior cabins that are really LED screens that show live cams of the outside view. How about we do that in the rooms so we can get a 360 degree view of the surroundings? Pseudo cab rides anyone?

 

[sttom]

For me it depends on why I'm riding. If I'm riding for transportation, I'd be fine with a section just so I can lay down. Capacity is also a big one. Amtrak needs more trains running so the prices don't get outrageous. As for quality, I've heard people complain about the quality of the bed and the lack of outlets. But since a sleeper is unaffordable for me, I don't have a point of reference.

 

[Trogdor]

Amtrak isn't government owned

Page 9 of this document would like to disagree:

The United States government (the Federal Government) through the Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation (the DOT) owns all issued and outstanding preferred stock.

 

[Nick Farr]

Wouldn't that be nice! Unfortunately I have found that Superliner temperature controls just don't work and the heating cooling systems are antiquated and faltering.

They don't really work for anything but heating.

 

[Dustyroad]

I do believe the Viewliner II has deeper cup holders. A closet takes up a lot of room and hanging your cloths on the wall works well. I did leave my jacket in a bedroom closet once so I personally like the "open closet" design. Yes to the door lock.

The last LD trip I took had the shallow water bottle holders with longer bumpy distances. I wonder if they are deeper now? And I kept hearing a rattling noise until I figured out it was the hangers in the closet. It was a easy fix by taking them out. Is the open closet design on the long distance trains now?
Yes you are right about a bigger closet taking up more space. But the locks out side the door should have been in the plans for the new features in my opinion. Hopefully some day it will happen.

 

[Nick Farr]

Wouldn't that be nice! Unfortunately I have found that Superliner temperature controls just don't work and the heating cooling systems are antiquated and faltering.

Assuming we're stuck with the Superliners for a while, what can be done is adding a bit of extra control equipment in each room. Lever controls on the vents that lead to each room, as well as on the heating elements combined with temperature sensors in each room could work until new cars go into service.

 

[Nick Farr]

Page 9 of this document would like to disagree:

This class of Preferred Stock does not confer ownership rights. Generally, only Common Stock confers ownership rights. Preferred Stock is generally an instrument used, as in this case, to provide a priority to or a guarantee of dividends. This preferred stock is convertible at the option of the holders, so the government could come in and "own" Amtrak whenever they wish.

See Page 50 of the FY 20 Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Consolidated Financial Statements with Report of Independent Auditors, a section of which I quote here:

"The Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 (the Act) resulted in significant modifications to Amtrak’s capital structure. The Act abolished the voting rights and the liquidation preference of the preferred stockholder and abolished the requirement that additional preferred stock be issued by Amtrak in exchange for federal grants received"

The common stock with the voting rights is still largely held by the original roads or their successors.

Combined with the fact that Amtrak runs at a huge deficit and that, by law, the Federal Government is not responsible for Amtrak obligations creates a unique arrangement by which nobody really "owns" Amtrak in any conventional sense nor do its customers have any effective control over Amtrak.

It's really a business dictated to but not owned by the governments that fund it.

 

[Nick Farr]

Wait, that's it. You know the Disney cruise ships have fake "Magical Portholes" in their interior cabins that are really LED screens that show live cams of the outside view. How about we do that in the rooms so we can get a 360 degree view of the surroundings? Pseudo cab rides anyone?

This technology exists. The interior windows could be equipped with this kind of interactive screen, providing the ability for 360 views, programmable wake up lighting and the added benefit of a true "blackout" and privacy screen in lieu of a curtain.

The exterior windows could be fitted with just the blackout tech to make the room truly, truly dark for sleep.

 

[Mailliw]

...Siemens just got another order for more European sleepers for Night Jet. configurations same for all 33 =7 car sets.

But I'll say nothing is impossible..

The new Nightjet cars don't all have the same configuration; each trainset will have 2 sleeping cars, 3 couchette cars, 1 coach car, and one multifunction car (luggage hold, accessible compartment, & coach seating). If/when Amtrak orders new sleeping cars it seems perfectly reasonable to have basic and "deluxe" configurations like they did with the Superliners IIs. The overnight Northeast Regionals are an ideal route for sleeping pod type or neo-Slumbercoach accommodation.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Wait, that's it. You know the Disney cruise ships have fake "Magical Portholes" in their interior cabins that are really LED screens that show live cams of the outside view. How about we do that in the rooms so we can get a 360 degree view of the surroundings? Pseudo cab rides anyone?

Great idea but needs a lot of $$$ cents!

For me it depends on why I'm riding. If I'm riding for transportation, I'd be fine with a section just so I can lay down. Capacity is also a big one. Amtrak needs more trains running so the prices don't get outrageous. As for quality, I've heard people complain about the quality of the bed and the lack of outlets. But since a sleeper is unaffordable for me, I don't have a point of reference.

This makes sense!

 

[DCAKen]

Can't go past that without introducing serious problems with the window curtains, which are essential in a sleeper.

A solution to curved windows would be to use window shades instead of curtains. This would also provide blackout capability.

 

[Trogdor]

This class of Preferred Stock does not confer ownership rights. Generally, only Common Stock confers ownership rights. Preferred Stock is generally an instrument used, as in this case, to provide a priority to or a guarantee of dividends. This preferred stock is convertible at the option of the holders, so the government could come in and "own" Amtrak whenever they wish.

See Page 50 of the FY 20 Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Consolidated Financial Statements with Report of Independent Auditors, a section of which I quote here:

"The Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act of 1997 (the Act) resulted in significant modifications to Amtrak’s capital structure. The Act abolished the voting rights and the liquidation preference of the preferred stockholder and abolished the requirement that additional preferred stock be issued by Amtrak in exchange for federal grants received"

The common stock with the voting rights is still largely held by the original roads or their successors.

Combined with the fact that Amtrak runs at a huge deficit and that, by law, the Federal Government is not responsible for Amtrak obligations creates a unique arrangement by which nobody really "owns" Amtrak in any conventional sense nor do its customers have any effective control over Amtrak.

It's really a business dictated to but not owned by the governments that fund it.

I’m curious: where do you get the idea that preferred stock confers no ownership?

 

[jis]

I’m curious: where do you get the idea that preferred stock confers no ownership?

Does it even really matter in case of Amtrak, except for the basis of a 20 page pointless to and fro on AU? Afterall neither the common stock holders nor the preferred stock holders really control anything anyway. The control structure is now defined quite independent of that, and none of those get to vote to select the Board of Directors. So who gives a fork?

 

[20th Century Rider]

Does it even really matter in case of Amtrak, except for the basis of a 20 page pointless to and fro on AU? Afterall neither the common stock holders nor the preferred stock holders really control anything anyway. The control structure is now defined quite independent of that, and none of those get to vote to select the Board of Directors. So gives a form?

According to 'Investopedia' and other reliable sources:
Amtrak is a state-owned enterprise. This means that Amtrak is a for-profit company, but that the federal government owns all its preferred stock. Amtrak made $2.4 billion in 2020. Amtrak provides rail service to over 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/072115/how-amtrak-works-makes-money.asp
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...uled-but-the-rest-will-take-years-to-sort-out