Direction of Travel and Consist (Superliners)?

[RDT]

Hi guys,

I’m doing a cross country trip in August and have booked Roomettes for Capitol Limited and the California Zephyr from Washington to San Fran.

I’ve been trying to find out which side of the car I’ll be on, based on the roomette I’ve been allocated.

I’d like to be on the side with the best chance of being south facing so I’m able to use my SXM radio.

However, from what I read, this is likely to be dependent on the consist of the train.

For the record, I’m in car 2900 room 006 in the CL and car 0531 room 006 on the CZ.

What I’d like to know is how long before a train departs, is Amtrak going to know the side I’ll be on?

Ideally I don’t want to cause a fuss by changing the reservation, so I’m hoping I don’t need to take my chances of switching rooms on the day of travel (if they’d even allow that to happen).

Cheers

 

[Ryan]

You're not going to know until you get on the train, Superliners can run in either direction.

 

[the_traveler]

I have been on many trains where 1 sleeper had bedrooms first and the other sleeper had roomettes first.

 

[zephyr17]

Amtrak reservation centers will NEVER know. It isn't important to them as long as the car is in the consist and it isn't information they get. The only people that know really are the coach yard.

The only way you can figure it out in advance is to look at the incoming consist, and hope your sleeper is not switched out.

 

[Lonestar648]

Once the Incoming consist is in the yard, one or more of the cars may be due for maintenance. The yard will take out the car(s) for maintenance and insert the replacement cars, The yard crew pays no attention to the direction of any of the cars, The only car that can only face a certain direction is the Trans Dorm since one side has to connect to the baggage car and the other a superliner car. Until you walk out to your car you will not know which side you will be on.

Here is another unique happening with a sleeper. The direction of the 421 sleeper is traveling when it arrives in San Antonio from Chicago is reversed during the switch to the Sunset Limited because that consist is traveling in the opposite direction from the Texas Eagle.

 

[cpotisch]

No way to know on Superliners. They are bi-directional an have vestibules on both ends.