Best roomette on the Capitol Limited

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Kbyrdleroydogg

Train Attendant
Joined
May 27, 2017
Messages
95
Location
Chicago, IL
I just booked on the Capitol Limited and got a roomette on the 1st level, room#14. Am I bad for keeping it? Should I get a roomette on the 2nd level?
 
Some passengers prefer lower level and others prefer upper level. Some that prefer the upper level, prefer closer to the middle of the train and others do not because too much activity and talking near the restroom and coffee machine.
 
I don't think there is a bad roomette on a train!

This is the right answer! :D

I've been in number 14 before and it was actually my personal favorite. While it's right next to the family room, the family that was in the room was very quiet and the kids were extremely well behaved. I even mentioned that to their mother.
 
Plus, the nice thing about the lower level is that you can easily get to your luggage on the same level so you can dash out, get your clothes, back to the room, change, etc. And the shower is right there so you'll have visibility. Only negative is it's not as private at station stops with the window at platform level, but I've never found that to be a major issue.
 
Only negative is it's not as private at station stops with the window at platform level, but I've never found that to be a major issue.
Did you ever try to see into a lower level sleeper room from the outside?
 
My favorite Superliner roomette is #14. Whenever I book for Superliner travel, I always call and ask specifically for #14. Some of the agents don't know how to do it, but some do.

In November, I booked my annual AGR points joyride/vacation for after Easter and will be spending all 8 nights in #14 aboard 5 different trains: #29, #421, #14, #8, and #30. As others have replied, it's quiet with almost no foot traffic in the hallway, especially if the Family Room is not occupied with young children. Having the shower so close makes it easy to know when it's open. And although it's not so 'private' being on the lower level at station stops, I can easily get out and clean the window whenever the platform is on my side.
 
I've usually picked room #2. Its upper level (quieter, better view), and but close to shower, stairs, luggage (lower) bathrooms, and coffee machine (upper). The attendant is often in #1, so you are first to get service, etc. I take my microwave meals, and sit in the lounge.

On a side note, just took the capital limited into Pittsburgh. My new favorite small city.
I can appreciate that its one of the few small cities that still has a downtown stop. But it doesnt use the original station. Instead, they dump passengers off in some dark alley.
 
I’ve never been outside the station, but I would not say that “they just drop you off in a dark alley”! You make it sound like the train just stops at a grade crossing, opens the door and then leaves. It doesn’t sound like it stops at a station with an agent, has checked baggage service and indoor seating.
 
I lived in Pittsburgh when much younger. Obviously, since I moved to a small town in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains region over a quarter century ago, it wasn't for me any longer. But I still visit once every couple years, and have to admit they have come a long way since the 1980s when most of the heavy industry died. It's all about education, medical, and cutting edge technology now. It COULD have become another Detroit but for a heavy dose of forward-thinking political will. (And some of the old-timers there have nothing good to say about THAT!) If I was willing to live in a big(ish) city these days, I'd have to consider Pittsburgh!

As for Amtrak, the fabulous old Pennsy station was left to deteriorate, and was sold to developers to repurpose into an imaginative -- for its time -- apartment and condo development. The old rotunda is back to its glory days, and the cavernous waiting room has become a venue for large gatherings. Amtrak has something more akin to an Amshack there (a pity!), and still uses the same trainshed as 100 years ago. It is well located downtown tho, and a walk across the street provides a near-intermodal experience. I guess you could consider Liberty Avenue a dark alley, but none of the locals do.

http://www.civicartsproject.com/2012/05/24/pennsylvania-station-pittsburgh/
 
I’ve never been outside the station, but I would not say that “they just drop you off in a dark alley”! You make it sound like the train just stops at a grade crossing, opens the door and then leaves. It doesn’t sound like it stops at a station with an agent, has checked baggage service and indoor seating.

The last time I detrained in Pittsburgh, in 2017, they had a ticket counter that was staffed, plus wheelchair assistance. Since both the CL and Pennsylvania have baggage cars, they have other staff there to load and unload. Current timetables indicate this has not changed since 2017. There is indoor seating on both the waiting room level and just before you enter the trainshed.

It is not what you'd expect for a major city station, for sure, but it has basic amenities. It is "akin" to an Amshack by comparison, but not really that spartan.
 
It is not what you'd expect for a major city station, for sure, but it has basic amenities. It is "akin" to an Amshack by comparison, but not really that spartan.

But unlike Buffalo or Cleveland, Pittsburghs grand station is just above amtrak.... but converted to an upscale apartment building.

I was more disappointment that I followed the escalator down, right outside into a dark alley. We then walked into the waiting room thinking we took a wrong turn. I asked where the ConnectCard machine was, and they didn't have one. You have to go to the "bus" Penn Station.
 
I might describe it as a dark, partially-covered driveway, rather than alley, but I can understand why one might call it an alley.
 
I might describe it as a dark, partially-covered driveway, rather than alley, but I can understand why one might call it an alley.

Are y'all thinking of the parking area, just off Liberty Ave.? Notice the y'all, not yinz. It's been over 25 years since I was a "yinzer;" Yinz is Pittsburghese for y'all. LOL

I guess it's dark(ish) in that lot but most "alleys" are like rather narrow single-lane streets. This isn't. You just walk a few steps to the parking lot entrance, cross Liberty Ave., and enter the bus station. The crossing is below and close to the RR bridge the CL uses. (From the lot) to the left is downtown proper. To the right is a gateway to the Strip District, a former farm produce hub which has found a new calling as a nightlife/restaurant/shopping area. https://www.discovertheburgh.com/strip-district-guide/

Liberty Ave. is at least 2 lanes wide right there, possibly more and with a little lighting, so I'm thinking that's not what is being called an alley.
 
Are y'all thinking of the parking area, just off Liberty Ave.? Notice the y'all, not yinz. It's been over 25 years since I was a "yinzer;" Yinz is Pittsburghese for y'all. LOL

I guess it's dark(ish) in that lot but most "alleys" are like rather narrow single-lane streets. This isn't. You just walk a few steps to the parking lot entrance, cross Liberty Ave., and enter the bus station. The crossing is below and close to the RR bridge the CL uses. (From the lot) to the left is downtown proper. To the right is a gateway to the Strip District, a former farm produce hub which has found a new calling as a nightlife/restaurant/shopping area. https://www.discovertheburgh.com/strip-district-guide/

Liberty Ave. is at least 2 lanes wide right there, possibly more and with a little lighting, so I'm thinking that's not what is being called an alley.
Awhile back, my wife and I took the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh and then walked (c.11PM) to our hotel. No problem. No dark alley. Then we spent two terrific days in Pittsburgh, walked everywhere -- to Fort Pitt at the confluence of the rivers, to a funicular and up it, along the ridge to a restaurant with a stunning view, down the other funicular, to a Pirates game ("we" won), and to a symphony orchestra concert, before taking the CL back to DC.
The only problem: we had to buy two extra hotel rooms, because the CL arrives at 11 and then departs c.5:30AM. But of course coach fare is much cheaper than sleeper fare.
 
I just booked on the Capitol Limited and got a roomette on the 1st level, room#14. Am I bad for keeping it? Should I get a roomette on the 2nd level?

I especially like roomette 14 on the lower level of superliner sleepers -- and often request it when traveing alone -- because it has a blank wall instead of a second window to the hallway. This provides more privacy and less light intrusion into the room at night. So long as there are no rambunctious children in the adjoining family bedroom, it is very quiet also. On my last trip, the family bedroom was unsold, so the SCA used it as his domicle instead of roomette #1 upstairs.
 
Awhile back, my wife and I took the Capitol Limited to Pittsburgh and then walked (c.11PM) to our hotel. No problem. No dark alley. Then we spent two terrific days in Pittsburgh, walked everywhere -- to Fort Pitt at the confluence of the rivers, to a funicular and up it, along the ridge to a restaurant with a stunning view, down the other funicular, to a Pirates game ("we" won), and to a symphony orchestra concert, before taking the CL back to DC.
The only problem: we had to buy two extra hotel rooms, because the CL arrives at 11 and then departs c.5:30AM. But of course coach fare is much cheaper than sleeper fare.

Sounds like a great mini-vaycay. Pittsburgh's downtown, near North Shore, closeby Strip District etc are all very walkable. They have multiple festivals and other events -- ranging from a major arts festival, fireworks, Pride weekends, veterans' and St. Pat's parades, outdoor concerts, etc. that use Point State Park (Fort Pitt). The city has started sporadically closing one of the numerous bridges between downtown and the North Shore so they can be their own public venue for certain events as well. Almost none of this happened back when I lived there; good to see the positive changes. In the past decade the number of people actually choosing to LIVE downtown has exploded (repurposed older buildings, new high rises).

https://www.visitpittsburgh.com/events-festivals/

Even if one didn't want to spend the night, many pax arriving on the Pennsylvanian would have enough time to sample a bit of this prior to a connection to the westbound Cap Ltd.
 
Never had much preference. No one roommette seems any more or less desirable than another to me. I do understand the stairs can be a real issue for many though. If possible I'd rather be farther away from the dining car although the system seems to assign rooms starting with those closest first, implying that more people would find that to be preferable.
 
I just want to be as far away from the locomotive and its horn as possible. I rode the Texas Eagle to Los Angeles and it was great being in the last car from San Antonio to LA. Likewise the Lake Short Limited has it's NY sleepers on the back.
 
My experience with #14 was horrible. The family room was occupied by a family with young kids (which is fine, of course) and their grandparents were in a roomette down the corridor. The problem? They all decided to travel with their doors open. The kids played and made noise, the corridor was their playground, and parents and grandparents chatted back and forth via the corridor. I asked the conductor if I could move upstairs. Fortunately a roomette was available and he moved me.

So obviously, one's experience in #14 may be good or bad -- like most things on Amtrak. It's not a slam dunk either way.
 
My experience with #14 was horrible. The family room was occupied by a family with young kids (which is fine, of course) and their grandparents were in a roomette down the corridor. The problem? They all decided to travel with their doors open. The kids played and made noise, the corridor was their playground, and parents and grandparents chatted back and forth via the corridor. I asked the conductor if I could move upstairs. Fortunately a roomette was available and he moved me.

So obviously, one's experience in #14 may be good or bad -- like most things on Amtrak. It's not a slam dunk either way.

You would think the SCA or conductor would tell the adults to control their kids. They sure have no issue telling me to close my door if I want to listen to music on my cell phone at a low volume (no earphones--can't wear them).
 
Back
Top