Dormitory Car

[trainchild]

I am new to this board and sure enjoy the posts. I am taking a couple of trips in August, CS to OKJ coach and then CZ from EMY to CHI and switching to CL on to Toledo. My sister and I have a roomette, room 019 and Car 640. After reading all the various posts on the sleeper cars, bathrooms and showers, I was curious where our room was and called Amtrak. The gentleman stated it was in the dormitory car for the crew, upper level, following the locomotive and baggage car. This doesn't sound like an ideal location, any insight for me? Also, any weight limit on the upper bunks. I am a BBW.

I have never had a roomette and have always done short trips on coach, but really, any time spent on a train is a good time for me.

 

[AAARGH!]

The car is a transitional sleeper and is half crew quarters and half roomettes. I took one last year on the CZ and enjoyed it. The only downside for me was the train horn noise.

I initiated a thread on which is better, the transitional sleeper or the regular sleeper. Click HERE to go to it.

I am 235 lbs. / 5'7" so I am big also. I had no trouble in the upper bed. It is NARROW! There is hardly room to turn over. Once, the train learched and I rolled into the protective netting. Without it, I would have been on the floor! Getting into the top bunk can be a bit tricky also.

 

[the_traveler]

HERE are diagrams of the locations of the rooms. (The dormitory/crew car is at the bottom of the page.)

FYI - The car number (640) just means it is a sleeper on train #6.

 

[Rail Freak]

HERE are diagrams of the locations of the rooms. (The dormitory/crew car is at the bottom of the page.)
FYI - The car number (640) just means it is a sleeper on train #6.

Just next to the Diner, right???? :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

 

[J-1 3235]

HERE are diagrams of the locations of the rooms. (The dormitory/crew car is at the bottom of the page.)
FYI - The car number (640) just means it is a sleeper on train #6.

Just next to the Diner, right???? :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

I believe the 30 or 31 car is adjacent to the diner; the 40 car would be nearest to the baggage car.

Mike

 

[the_traveler]

If it is a transition car, it is (almost) always next to the baggage car - most often the 1st passenger car at the front of the train.

 

[Trogdor]

The sleeper rooms in the Transition Sleeper are the same as the rooms in any other Superliner II sleeper. It's just that the layout of the car is different in terms of the location of the shower, restrooms, etc., and you'll be closer to the engine. Inside your room, though, you wouldn't notice the difference.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

The smell and the horn are all part of the fun, dude!

 

[had8ley]

Just two things that I would like to mention about the Transistion Dorm; one, IF there is no baggage car then you are right next to the engine (s). GE, who manufactured the Genesis engines, is notorious for having engines that smoke terribly. The engines are shorter than the Superliner cars so the smoke tends to rise and enter into the upper floor where you will be (this is not to say that there will not be a baggage car as there usually is on this train.) The other good thing is that the public shower is on the upper floor as the crew has their own downstairs. It is downstairs in the regular revenue cars.