The Pullman Company did have some lightweight section sleepers, where they experimented with sliding aluminum door panels, instead of the traditional heavy fabric curtains....
Bingo.
Pretty much; the major difference is both berths can be sold independently (the upper is cheaper).
Well, something that was designed to run at upto 200kph better ride well at the pokey speeds at which they operate in North America!
Interesting! Thanks.Well, something that was designed to run at upto 200kph better ride well at the pokey speeds at which they operate in North America!
Incidentally, I do agree about the superior ride quality when compared to the Budd cars. It is quite noticeable. Fortunately unlike Amtrak who seem to have endless problem trying to figure out the right flange profile to use since the [profile used in the NEC is different from the ones used by freight railroads, VIA seems to have settled on a single one, since they do not yet have to worry about operating speeds of 200+kph. One of the reasons that Viewliners ride poorly on the NEC is this subtle difference in flange profiles.
Honestly I have been seated in one probably six times in total on VIA, but it was always while our regular room (or my roomette if travelling alone) was being made up for bed or returned to day mode. The attendant would ask passengers to wait in a vacant one during the service. (Amtrak often use a vacant roomette the same way - at least in my Superliner experiences.) The great pic in Post 298 is the more recent upholstery update in the Budd Manor and Chateau sleepers; previously they were "less modern", and the blue VIA ex-CN sleepers could be be described as "more plush" - more from being old than intentionally. My wife never wanted to try a section since one's "stuff" was out in the open when in the lounge or diner and on few solo trips I was more comfortable in an "unshared" accommodation, plus for a considerable time VIA did not include meals with section tickets.
"Sitting in a box" is a very apt description of a VIA roomette. Very similar to Amtrak's old slumbercoach rooms IMHO. Superliner roomettes are great by day and if sleeping alone. Travelling couples who don't like upper bunks should try for two across the hall from each other... gets you two lower bunks and a view out both sides for less than a bedroom.
The fumes from the electric engines in Europe are atrocious - much worse than diesel.
In defense of sections: I actually prefer a lower berth to a roomette. The upper has no window, so it's not for me. I haven't checked the specs, but the section beds seem wider -- and certainly much wider than an Amtrak roomette bed. Super comfortable bed, a huge window, plus the bed doesn't need to be folded up to access the toilet, as the VIA roomettes require. Seats are plenty wide for day use, wide enough for two people to sit side by side if desired, plus on the Canadian we spend most of our waking hours in the domes, lounges or diner anyway.Yes......they are still popular here! There's only 3 Sections in each Chateau or Manor car with 3 lower berths and 3 uppers for a total occupancy of 6 people. The space occupied by the fourth section was converted to a public shower. You can see that here on the right (where the ladders to the uppers are stored)........
ha.
Again, please stay on topic of Amtrak dining cars (as opposed to toilets in roomettes, fumes in tunnels, etc.). It should be noted that posts that quote removed posts (because they were political and/or off topic or because they quote a removed post) will also be removed.
Roomettes don’t require it, you can still use the restroom down the hall just like when you are in a section.
I’ve always wanted to ride in a section just for the fun of it. For 4 days I want a private room though. Maybe one day if I get off in Jasper I’ll finish the journey in a section.
I bought a section when I rode the Pullman Rail Journeys on the city of New Orleans... but one of the managers knew me so he upgraded me to a bedroom in the tail car. I’m not complaining
That would likely be a detriment to Western territory built or maintained for Superliner service. We'd probably need longer platforms, risking a visit from the ADA sledgehammer, or suffer a reduction in capacity. It might make more sense to consider dogeared dual levels that can pass through the NEC and using those nationwide.
Contemporary human knowledge is built on the foundation of numerous cultures and civilizations sharing problems and selling solutions to each other. The idea that we should ignore information located outside some arbitrary boundary just because "they" came up with it is beyond my ability to comprehend. I personally think Amtrak could benefit from a larger pool of established solutions that are less provincial and more results oriented.
