Can You Still Book Rooms in the Superliner Crew Car?

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Train Attendant
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I liked this ability, because you know which side of the train you'll be on. Is it still possible?

If so, on what trains is it available?
 
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I know you can do so on 7/8. I'm pretty sure I saw it available on 29/30 as well. I haven't checked the other Superliner trains, so I couldn't answer for those.

However, I believe they tend to open up those rooms after the rest of the train has sold.
 
The only train where one cannot get a room in the Trans/Dorm is the Auto Train. All other trains that use Superliner cars will sell into the Trans/Dorm at varrying rates. The EB typically sells the fewest number of rooms, since that train has the most crew members and they need more rooms.

However, AFAIK, they won't sell the rooms in the Trans/Dorm until all the roomettes are sold in the rest of the sleepers.
 
Well, I've recently been unable to book "20" rooms on the Southwest Chief, even when others are available. Which tells me they're not selling crew car rooms. And on the Starlight, I consistently haven't been able to specify a 20-series room.
 
And again, AFAIK they won't sell Trans/Dorm rooms until all the regular roomettes are sold out.

I suppose that it's also possible that it could be how your approaching the issue too. If you just ask for room number 20 for example, most agents aren't really aware of how the room numbers run. They'll just look at inventory for a room #20 in the first sleeping car open. There won't be a room #20 in that car. They have to know to pull up the Trans/Dorm car number and then look for #20. If you know the car number, then you can try requesting a room in that car and see what happens. But otherwise, just requesting room #20 is unlikely to produce any results and that again assumes that they are even allowed to sell Trans/Dorm rooms before all the regular sleeper roomettes are gone.
 
Stupid question what's AFAIK??

When I rode the EB East from SEA-ESM and a few days later from ESM-SEA the Transition Sleeper was somewhat sold. A friendly conductor on both trains said that about 2 or three rooms were sold in the dorm.

Steve
 
The only train where one cannot get a room in the Trans/Dorm is the Auto Train. All other trains that use Superliner cars will sell into the Trans/Dorm at varrying rates. The EB typically sells the fewest number of rooms, since that train has the most crew members and they need more rooms.
However, AFAIK, they won't sell the rooms in the Trans/Dorm until all the roomettes are sold in the rest of the sleepers.
Its obvious why the crew car is always fulled to capacity on the AutoTrain. Since it is a 17 hour non-stop run; after the last dinner meals have been served, the lounge closes and the beds are all pulled down, almost the entire crew retires for the evening. When the train arrives in Sanford around 9 AM, the crew departs, goes shopping, enjoys some recreation and returns around 2 PM for the 4 PM departure. They work three days per week. The AutoTrain crew is largely based in Virginia but numerous employees keep a car in the employees lot in Florida so that they can get around during break time. As far as I can tell;its the best route for Amtrak workers.
 
The only train where one cannot get a room in the Trans/Dorm is the Auto Train. All other trains that use Superliner cars will sell into the Trans/Dorm at varrying rates. The EB typically sells the fewest number of rooms, since that train has the most crew members and they need more rooms.
However, AFAIK, they won't sell the rooms in the Trans/Dorm until all the roomettes are sold in the rest of the sleepers.
Its obvious why the crew car is always fulled to capacity on the AutoTrain. Since it is a 17 hour non-stop run; after the last dinner meals have been served, the lounge closes and the beds are all pulled down, almost the entire crew retires for the evening. When the train arrives in Sanford around 9 AM, the crew departs, goes shopping, enjoys some recreation and returns around 2 PM for the 4 PM departure. They work three days per week. The AutoTrain crew is largely based in Virginia but numerous employees keep a car in the employees lot in Florida so that they can get around during break time. As far as I can tell;its the best route for Amtrak workers.
Actually the only reason that the crew car is filled to capacity on the AT is simply because it has the largest train crew of any Amtrak train. The AT is one train that still retains the Chief of On Board services (COB), it has two cafe cars, two dining cars (both with heavy staffing), two sleeping cars with no attendant's room, and several coaches (each with it's own attendant). And they all need a place to sleep.

In fact while I'd never really given it much thought before, I suspect now that I'm thinking about it, that the crew probably overflows into one of the regular sleepers. You've got 4 LSA's, 4 coach attedants (minimum), 4 cooks, 6 waiters (SA's), 2 sleeping car attendants, and 1 COB for a minimum grand total of 21 employees all needing rooms. The Trans/Dorm only holds 16, 17 if you put someone in the H-room. Crew members are entitled to their own rooms, so even though each room can hold 2 people, they are limited to 1 person per room.
 
The only train where one cannot get a room in the Trans/Dorm is the Auto Train. All other trains that use Superliner cars will sell into the Trans/Dorm at varrying rates. The EB typically sells the fewest number of rooms, since that train has the most crew members and they need more rooms.
However, AFAIK, they won't sell the rooms in the Trans/Dorm until all the roomettes are sold in the rest of the sleepers.
Its obvious why the crew car is always fulled to capacity on the AutoTrain. Since it is a 17 hour non-stop run; after the last dinner meals have been served, the lounge closes and the beds are all pulled down, almost the entire crew retires for the evening. When the train arrives in Sanford around 9 AM, the crew departs, goes shopping, enjoys some recreation and returns around 2 PM for the 4 PM departure. They work three days per week. The AutoTrain crew is largely based in Virginia but numerous employees keep a car in the employees lot in Florida so that they can get around during break time. As far as I can tell;its the best route for Amtrak workers.
Actually the only reason that the crew car is filled to capacity on the AT is simply because it has the largest train crew of any Amtrak train. The AT is one train that still retains the Chief of On Board services (COB), it has two cafe cars, two dining cars (both with heavy staffing), two sleeping cars with no attendant's room, and several coaches (each with it's own attendant). And they all need a place to sleep.

In fact while I'd never really given it much thought before, I suspect now that I'm thinking about it, that the crew probably overflows into one of the regular sleepers. You've got 4 LSA's, 4 coach attedants (minimum), 4 cooks, 6 waiters (SA's), 2 sleeping car attendants, and 1 COB for a minimum grand total of 21 employees all needing rooms. The Trans/Dorm only holds 16, 17 if you put someone in the H-room. Crew members are entitled to their own rooms, so even though each room can hold 2 people, they are limited to 1 person per room.
Alan: I'd say that's a pretty good description of the way the AutoTrain operates. I remember the food service car supervisor telling us that he had a bedroom like us and its a certainty that the conductor does too. The sleeping car attendants may bunk downstairs (I believe that it may have been mentioned). They need the room with a call board so I'm pretty certain that they are in the same car as the sleeper passengers.

For those that have never ridden on this route; as the longest passenger train in the world (3/4 mile in peak season) a trip certainly includes every amenity that Amtrak offers on long distance routes. The dinner food is actually pretty good. The movies they show tend to be a bit bland though so we bring along a laptop. Last time we rode there were over 180 automobiles on board. Figuring an average of 2-4 per car that could represent 360 - 500 passengers! No wonder they need a large crew. We have taken four trips on the AutoTrain and I can tell you from experience that its difficult (but quiet) to sleep in the next to last sleeper car. Sleeping a few cars towards the front of the train makes for a smoother trip. At night the train moves along at 70+ MPH and the freight line track is not all that smooth.
 
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Alan: I'd say that's a pretty good description of the way the AutoTrain operates. I remember the food service car supervisor telling us that he had a bedroom like us and its a certainty that the conductor does too. The sleeping car attendants may bunk downstairs (I believe that it may have been mentioned). They need the room with a call board so I'm pretty certain that they are in the same car as the sleeper passengers.
I'm not sure how the Supervisor got a bedroom, unless one went empty and he pulled rank to get it, as Amtrak does not block out Bedrooms for crew; only roomettes.

As for the sleeping car attendants, of course the attendants in the regular sleepers still occupy room #1 with the call board in it. However on the Deluxe Sleepers which feature only bedrooms on the upper level, I'm pretty sure that the attendant doesn't have a room downstairs in that car. I believe that all 4 roomettes are sold. When I've got a few minutes I'll have to go through my stubs but I'm pretty sure that on one occasion I had 3 of the roomettes and the family room booked into one of the Deluxe sleepers and the attendant wasn't in that fourth room.

At night the train moves along at 70+ MPH and the freight line track is not all that smooth.
The AT never exceeds 70 MPH, as that's the maximum allowed speed for the Auto Carriers.
 
. . . I can tell you from experience that its difficult (but quiet) to sleep in the next to last sleeper car. Sleeping a few cars towards the front of the train makes for a smoother trip. At night the train moves along at 70+ MPH and the freight line track is not all that smooth.
Without trying to hijack this thread, may I ask if the same experience is obtained by riding the Portland sleeper, the last car on the EB?
 
In fact while I'd never really given it much thought before, I suspect now that I'm thinking about it, that the crew probably overflows into one of the regular sleepers. You've got 4 LSA's, 4 coach attedants (minimum), 4 cooks, 6 waiters (SA's), 2 sleeping car attendants, and 1 COB for a minimum grand total of 21 employees all needing rooms. The Trans/Dorm only holds 16, 17 if you put someone in the H-room. Crew members are entitled to their own rooms, so even though each room can hold 2 people, they are limited to 1 person per room.
A TAS in the deluxe car told me that what is normally room 11 is their room, complete with call board and so forth.

And by the way, if you really want a rough ride, ride the rear sleeper on the Lake Shore Limited!
 
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