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We went down to the station here in SBA today to do a quick "meet and greet" with friends headed north on #14. The sleepers are back at the front of the consist and they had a "REAL" Parlour Car which was, they said, fully staffed. Things are looking up.
Frank in cooling SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Any reason why the sleepers are once again spotted at the front of the train? I have always preferred them on the rear where they should be. Good news about the parlour car.
Posts: 524 | From: Toronto Ont. Canada | Registered: Mar 2001
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#5(15) which I observed yesterday, still has Sleepers rear (where they belong).
The change to place Sleepers on the rear was apparently made so that revenue space could be sold in the unoccupied Roomettes of the T-Dorm. Those cars have far more space than is needed to accommodate the reduced crew consists arising from the SDS initiative.
My understanding was that Amtrak sought and obtained agreement with the Employees' (representatives) that, in exchange for assigning not less than two Coach Attendants, to have one such also attend the T-Dorm revenue space. That Attendant would be paid at the higher Sleeper Attendant rate. Apparently, revenue space is no longer being sold in the Starlight's T-Dorm.
It would be nice to learn that Amtrak was motivated to make the change to ensure Sleeper passengers a more restful night's sleep, but efficient utilization of on-board employees appears to be the determining factor.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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The Chief's (3 and 4) still got them on the rear, at least for now.
Perhaps change is just around the corner though with the October timetable.
But then again the Starlight has always been a unique western train. Even in phase III days, the sleepers were not on the rear of the Starlight.
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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I personally prefer to have them at the front, however Amtrak needs the extra revenue and space with all the recent increased ridership.
Posts: 1082 | From: Los Angeles, CA. USA | Registered: Aug 2003
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On our recent trip on the 14 there was one sleeper in the front and the rest were in the rear behind the lounge car, dining car, and then a real Pacific Parlour car. We were glad to not be some of the few who had to walk all the way through the coach cars to get to the Parlour car!!! Our friends who followed a few days behind us on the route did not have a real lounge car and they were stuck up in the front sleeper. They said it was hardly worth it to walk to lounge and just stayed in their room mostly.
Posts: 45 | From: San Diego, CA | Registered: May 2002
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Sleepers belong at the rear of the consist. It's quieter and away from the engine.
Posts: 134 | From: New York, New York USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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For ride comfort and noise, I have no strong preference for rear or front sleepers. There are, however, distinct advantages to each.
Up front I do like to hear the muffled sound of the horn as I'm drifting off to sleep. I find it comforting. Makes me feel like I'm living in an old romantic movie. For us photographers, being close to the front makes it easy to grab a few photos of the locomotive at smoking/fresh air stops.
The rear offers better photo angles of the whole train seen through the windows in curvy mountainous regions. Easy access to the back door window is also nice.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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In the dead of night, when the engine blows it's whistle (and I do believe it is still properly referred to as a whistle, just as on ships - cars and trucks have horns, trains and ships have "whistles" - no matter the manner in which the sound is produced), you can still hear it, even in the very last car.
Posts: 134 | From: New York, New York USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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Probably the best benefit I've seen, or should I say smelled, with sleepers on the rear are little to no diesel fumes.
On the last trip I took with sleepers up front the fumes were pretty bad. Of course the Chief was running with 4 P42's at the time. The first trip I took on the Chief after it changed to sleepers up front I noticed this right away.
On my most recent trip (sleepers on the rear) the fumes were none existent. But interestingly, burning brakes was more noticeable. Especially in the very last car.
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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Has nobody noticed that being at the back is more "jerky" than being right behind the engines? I mean, starting from a stop can result in a "tug" that is more noticeable at the rear than at the front.
Like Mr. Toy, I have no particular preference because of the pros and cons of each approach.
Geoff M.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Geoff M. wrote: "Has nobody noticed that being at the back is more "jerky" than being right behind the engines? I mean, starting from a stop can result in a "tug" that is more noticeable at the rear than at the front."
Yep. That's the coupler slack running out. Conductors in the old caboose days had to hold on for dear life when a long freight train ran out its slack at the 'boose with a heckuva jerk.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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The potential noise and smoke from the engines has probably been an important reason for putting sleepers in the back.
No real bearing on the topic, but it calls to mind Terry Pindell's passage speculating that the reason some locomotives have their toilets situated in the nose is to discourage the crew from taking too much time on the throne. "If s--- happens," he wrote, "it will happen there first."
Posts: 144 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Outside of tunnels I've never smelled exhaust even when in the frontmost sleeper. I only smell it when going through long tunnels, or shorter ones slowly. Then it doesn't seem to make any difference where the car is.
Posts: 2649 | From: California's Monterey Peninsula | Registered: Dec 2000
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1) In the Colorado canyons with 5/6, with the wind just right, I've smelled diesel fumes in head-end sleepers.
2) If you're feeling slack action on an Amtrak train, the engineer needs a few Brownies. Titelock couplers have been a feature of passenger cars since the Streamliner days, with current short trains esp on Superliners ... there isn't an excuse for slack action!
Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I observed #5(27) passing 18.34 "more or less" on time.
The Sleepers were "on the head'.
Since this appears to be a "50-50 divide" issue, I pass any comment other than my reportage.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Caught #4 briefly last night (Oct 17, 2007) near the new Buena Park station. Coach Baggage on the rear.
Cannot confirm if Sleepers were up front, nor if the last Coach Bag was non-revenue. Seemed to be more cars then normal so possibly non-revenues heading east (not uncommon at all for the Chief). But at track speed there it's hard to see anything. She flew by.
Anyone along the line might want to check it out.
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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Hmmmmm.....Southwest Chief is still running them on the rear, huh? Okay--thanks for the update. The Coast Starlight changed back to sleepers up front many weeks ago. I wonder why they've kept them on the rear for the SWC?
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Capitol Limited sleepers in front on recent trip to DC. A little drone from those loco whistles in the night was like a lullaby**smile** Railroad Bill
Posts: 87 | From: Ohio | Registered: Apr 2007
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