Autotrain

[JenG]

Can someone tell me the location of our rooms on the auto train and where the car is in relation to the dining car?

Car 5244

Room 0004

Car 5343

Room 013

Are there any pros and cons to each room? This will be my first trip on a superliner!

Thank you!

I'm sorry, I'm not great at finding things with the search function and I hope this is posted in the correct location.

 

[jis]

All I can say is Room 4 is upstairs and Room 13 is downstairs. Beyond that, as far as car position in the train goes, maybe one of our ex-Auto Train OBS folks can shed some light. But if I had to guess I'd guess that 44 is is four cars from the Diner and 43 is 3 cars from it. But that is just a wild a$$ guess.

 

[Ryan]

They go odds/evens aware from the diner/lounge, so both the xx43 and xx44 cars are two cars away (with the xx41 and xx42 cars being closer).

Can't remember if the sleeper lounge is on the odd/even side, so it'll be 2 cars away on one ride and 3 away on the second.

Tom will be along momentarily to school both of us.

Downstairs room 13 is in a hallway with 3 other roomettes and the family bedroom. Lower, so less views (not that it matters that much on the Auto Train). Luck of the draw on if you'll get noisy kids in the family room or not.

Upstairs room 4 is towards the center of the car. Easier on the motion.

Personally, I think that the "goodness" of any room vice another is a bit overblown. If I'm on the train, it's good enough for me. Bonus points if the bedroom couch is facing forward, but that's generally a crapshoot.

 

[PVD]

Superliners are a little less predictable than VL as to left/side right side because of the need to have the VL vestibule face the diner, and on some trips one side is better than the other. As you pointed out, Auto Train's main attraction is not the breathtaking scenery.

 

[JenG]

Thanks for the information!

 

[FormerOBS]

Ryan, thanks for the vote of confidence.

Normally six sleepers. The diner and the lounge are in the middle, with three sleepers ahead and three behind. If nothing has changed, the order will be, from south to north:

5244 (5344)

5242 (5342)

5240 (5340)

Dining Car

Lounge Car

5241 (5341)

5243 (5343)

5245 (5345)

There will be two cars between your sleeper and the dining car, on both legs of your trip.

Room 4 is upstairs; room 13 is downstairs. Otherwise, they're the same. In my experience, some people dislike rooms close to the end of the car because of the noise and extra motion, but both of these rooms are fairly near the center. You may experience more noise in 13 than 4 due to being closer to ground level.

This info ignores the coach section and the crew car, which are not relevant to this discussion.

Tom

 

[JenG]

Is there still a separate lounge car for the sleepers? I thought it was removed?

 

[CCC1007]

Is there still a separate lounge car for the sleepers? I thought it was removed?

It was removed for a while, then they started loosing reservations for sleepers from people that don't like having one lounge for 600+ passengers

 

[Albo5000]

Are the Superliner Lounge cars used on any other route than the Auto Train? (Not the Sightseer Lounge's)

 

[FormerOBS]

Sightseer Lounges are often used on the Auto Train, for the sleepers as well as for the coach section. I don't know the status of the unique cars that were specifically rebuilt from diners for use as Auto Train lounges. They may be used on the Auto Train as well, but I don't know. Crews preferred the rebuilt cars, and passengers usually preferred them in all respects except the smaller windows.

Tom

 

[KmH]

Are the Superliner Lounge cars used on any other route than the Auto Train? (Not the Sightseer Lounge's)

What is a Superliner Lounge car?

All the Superliner Sightseer Lounge (SSL) cars are a bi-level car with a Café and seating downstairs and seating upstairs.

It's my understanding the AutoTrain uses 2 Superliner SSL cars. One for the Sleeper passengers and 1 for the Coach passengers.

 

[Ryan]

A Superliner Lounge car (*NOT* a SSL) is a unique lounge captive to the Auto Train fleet. Diner-like windows and tables, but no kitchen downstairs (as Tom indicated in the post immediately above yours, they were rebuilt from diners). Instead, there's what once was the "smoke box" for smokers before smoking onboard went away.

Once upon a time, there were no SSLs on the Auto Train, but as they've been sidelined by wrecks, SSLs have crept in.

 

[Albo5000]

captive to the Auto Train fleet

Welp, that answers my question. Thank you!

 

[PVD]

The special nature of the Autotrain makes it home to a few unique car types. They also have the "Deluxe Sleeper" which has bedrooms where the roomettes would normally be. Don't see those in service anywhere else.

 

[jis]

The special nature of the Autotrain makes it home to a few unique car types. They also have the "Deluxe Sleeper" which has bedrooms where the roomettes would normally be. Don't see those in service anywhere else.

There are six such - 32500 - 32505, named thusly:
Palm Bay

Palm Beach

W. Graham Claytor, Jr.

A. Philip Randolph

Palm Harbor

Palm Springs

The Auto Train Lounges, there are five - 33100 - 33104.

 

[FormerOBS]

Gee-Whiz fact:

Names (lettering in blue) were removed from the sides of those sleepers several years ago, but retained on the end doors. After a period of over a year, the names were restored to the sides of the W. Graham Claytor, Jr. and the A. Philip Randolph; but the new lettering was black and the font was different --- less attractive to my eye. The name location was also different because of other changes to the overall livery. Sadly, Mr. Randolph's name was misspelled the second time around, and the last time I saw the car it still carried the misspelled name with an extra L in Philip on both sides. So sad to do that to the man most responsible for the creation of the Pullman Porters' Union, to say nothing of his contributions to Civil Rights.

I tried to point this out at the time, but nobody seemed to care enough to do anything about it.

Tom