posted
I saw todays train #11 in Salinas today, and it had a slight abnormality in the consist. Normally it has a transition sleeper behind the baggage car, followed by two or three sleepers. Behind the sightseer lounge they usually have three to six coaches.
Today there were four sleepers behind the baggage car, and four coaches behind the sightseer lounge. The transition sleeper was bringing up the the rear! The low end door was at the back end. Anyone else catch this?
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
posted
I don't know the definitive answer,but from your description, it sounds like the crew car on the rear was being deadheaded to another location and was to be dropped off enroute, probably Oakland?
Posts: 181 | From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.A. | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
Perhaps the first of the four sleepers was supplemented for a B/O Trans. as noted above.
Posts: 553 | From: Flagstaff, AZ USA | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
I'm willing to bet two things. For one, as previously mentioned-that transition sleeper attached to the end was probably deadhead. Secondly, that would make the first sleeper behind the baggage car the acting transition dorm. The typical SUMMER consist for the Starlight is 3 sleepers/2 during the non-peak periods.
------------------ Patrick
Posts: 387 | From: Bakersfield, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
I am inclined to agree with amtraxmaniac about the forwardmost sleeper and the transition sleeper on the rear.
But I would comment that the three-sleeper consist is not limited to summer by any means. I have seen three sleepers on the Starlight at many other times during the year, though two are more commonly seen during the slower months.
posted
The wife and I were on the 11 train on 5/13 and amtrakxmaniac is correct. We also rode the 14 train in october and it had a crew sleeper and three passenger sleeper. I beleive that three passenger sleepers is standard and two is the exception. I was also told by our sleeping car attendant that the crew no longer gets a dorm car but a regular sleeper, I don't know what the difference is.
Posts: 11 | From: Scottsdale AZ USA | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Ah, I hoped that someone who had been there would come forth! Thanks for the inside story, az.
To answer your question about the dorm vs a sleeper, the dorm cars are called "Transition Sleepers" because they make a transition between high-level Superliner cars single level cars. One end has a door up high, the other end has a door down low to match with the baggage car (or any other single level car if Amtrak so chooses).
A Transition Sleeper has a crew lounge on the lower level, and the upper level has Standard rooms only, no Deluxe rooms.
According to a recent hotline on the NARP website Transition Sleepers were originally intended for both crew and paying passengers. Amtrak may be planning to sell Transition sleeper rooms regularly on the Texas Eagle. The full story is at http://www.narprail.org/hot295.htm about half way down.
Now, I don't know why Amtrak would be using regular sleepers for dorm cars. It doesn't make sense. There is still a shortage of regular sleepers, and the high revenue deluxe rooms are in there. There is no good reason I can see to use those cars for crew dorms. Perhaps you misunderstood the crewmember's comments, or I misunderstood yours.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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