posted
Hi all - We are only 10 days away from our trip on the #14 and are getting excited. I now have my tickets and am in car 1432, room 9. I see that room 9 is the end roomette. Can I tell anything about placement of the car by the number, e.g. relation to the dining car or, should we be so lucky, the Parlour Car? Also, is there a front and rear end to sleeper cars or can they be inserted in either direction? Naturally I am hoping to be on the ocean side of the train. And of course we are pleased with the new found timeliness of the train - well, maybe not timely but it has been better.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Hi Vicki, Your trip sounds great, this should answer your concerns. Car 32 is the last sleeper between the Crew car, and the 31 car. The Dining Car is located past the 31, and 30 sleepers. I have traveled in Roomette #10 a few times, and have been on the ocean both times, so unfortunately you will most likely not be on the ocean side going north. As for the Pacific Parlour Car, it is definitely not a guarantee anymore. Amtrak was using 5 Parlour cars originally. 1 has been vandalized in Portland, 1 is confirmed to be in use in Los Angeles, and I believe some are in Beech Grove (Amtrak shops in Indiana). If you have a Parlour Car you are lucky, but don't be too disappointed if you do not.
Have a great trip!
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged |
posted
Vickie, there is really no way to tell in advance what side you will be on. We had #4 going north and it was not on the ocean side. Had the consist been the way it was for the previous poster it would have been. We were lucky however,There was an empty room on the ocean side and the attendent let us sit there for the ocean views. So if you find yourself in that position check and see if there is a vacant room and ask to sit there. It is possible if you have a nice conductor to ask to be changed to that room. (nothing ventured nothing gained), If push comes to shove just go down to whatever type of lounge there is and sit there. Have a great trip !!!
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks for the info, both of you. Second question - we are booked on the Surfliner from San Diego to LA at 12:00 pm. We will be at the station quite a bit earlier and there are trains at 9:30 and 10:30. If there is room available on one of those trains can we change our tickets? And is there a place to store our luggage at San Diego if we have to kill a few hours?
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by HopefulRailUser: Hi all - We are only 10 days away from our trip on the #14 and are getting excited. I now have my tickets and am in car 1432, room 9. I see that room 9 is the end roomette. Can I tell anything about placement of the car by the number, e.g. relation to the dining car or, should we be so lucky, the Parlour Car? Also, is there a front and rear end to sleeper cars or can they be inserted in either direction? Naturally I am hoping to be on the ocean side of the train. And of course we are pleased with the new found timeliness of the train - well, maybe not timely but it has been better.
All railroad cars, passenger & freight, have "A" & "B" ends. In Superliner sleepers, the bedrooms are on the "A" end, roomettes on the "B" end.** Usually the bedroom end of the car is toward the dining car, the roomette end away from same. On the Starlight, this would put room 9 away from the ocean on #14 & next to the ocean on southbound #11. IIRC, the Cascades views are best from the right side going north, so if you're going beyond Klamath Falls, you should have great scenery right from your room.
**The exception is some sleepers used on the Auto Train, which are all-bedroom on the upper level. In those cars, bedroom A is on the "A" end of the car.
Posts: 73 | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
posted
Thanks 1702. We are going all the way to Seattle so we will get some good views on the east side in Oregon and Washington. And we will move about, let's be optimistic and say we will be going to the Parlour Car! #14(15) was back to 5 hours late, darn.
-------------------- Vicki in usually sunny Southern California Posts: 951 | From: Redondo Beach, CA | Registered: Aug 2006
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by 1702: Usually the bedroom end of the car is toward the dining car, the roomette end away from same.
Hmm, it's always been the other way around for me - economy* rooms next to the diner, deluxe rooms next to the crew car. I know they're not guaranteed to be the same way around every time, but I've had a 100% success rate so far!
* - wrong name but more obvious to me.
Geoff M.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
I last rode the Starlight northbound in July 2005. I was in roomette 3. The deluxe bedrooms (now bedrooms) were behind me and behind that was another sleeper, the Pacific Parlour, and Diner.
This is consistent with the operation 1702 describes but, as we all know, any number of situations could cause the train's consist to operate differently from one day to the next.
So......on my trip I had the ocean view from my room and a Pacific Parlour car to enjoy the next day through northern California and Oregon. A good thing as we arrived in Portland just shy of 8 hours late!
-------------------- David Pressley
Advocating for passenger trains since 1973!
Climbing toward 5,000 posts like the Southwest Chief ascending Raton Pass. Cautiously, not nearly as fast as in the old days, and hoping to avoid premature reroutes. Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
we have always been situated with the bedrooms forward and the roomettes ( economy rooms) aft so to speak. I always ask for the car closest to the diner and room c. In econ. room days we always got room 4. I guess there is no real reason for the placement it just seems to happen. Someone did tell me a long time ago ( so I am not really clear on the details) that it all depended on which side of the train the doors were to open.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic
