Mailliw
OBS Chief
Would a fully articulated married pair of sleeping cars count as 1 car for ADA purposes? What if 1 of the cars had more than one ADA Bedroom?
Future Amtrak Sleeper ideas
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Would a fully articulate married pair sleeping car comply? Technically yes, but not in the spirit of the regulation.
So slapping 2 sleepers together on three trucks may or may not be acceptable.
If your rail car has more than one ADA bedroom, of course your meet the minimum standards of one per sleeper.
The FRA ADA regulations as stipulated in
PART 38 - AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) ACCESSIBILITY SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES
is one thing. In addition to that there is the NGEC defined regulations and detailed interpretation and application of the FRA ones to specific car configuration. IIRC the 42" aisle width comes from there, not from the CFR. I am sure when NGEC specifies fully articulated Sleeping Car pairs they will specify how the FRA Regs apply to it, and most passenger carriers have signed on to being compliant with the NGEC specified interpretation, and even the FRA plays a key role in pushing service providers in that direction. Unfortunately it is much harder to get hold of the latest NGEC specifications unless you are more than just a casually interested party..
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MODERATOR'S NOTE: A number of posts on preferences and experiences with shared or en suite restrooms and various other current sleeper configuration experiences have been moved to its own thread at:
www.amtraktrains.com
Please post current experiences and restroom preferences related posts in that thread and leave the New Sleeper ideas thread to radical departures from current practices, like for example, non-conventional ideas of accommodation like Lie Flat seats , Slumber coaches , Capsules etc.
Thanks you for you understanding, cooperation and participation.
Restroom and other experiences in Sleepers
For a future Bedroom would you perfer; a larger room with a wet bath or a smaller room with a dry bath?
www.amtraktrains.com
Please post current experiences and restroom preferences related posts in that thread and leave the New Sleeper ideas thread to radical departures from current practices, like for example, non-conventional ideas of accommodation like Lie Flat seats , Slumber coaches , Capsules etc.
Thanks you for you understanding, cooperation and participation.
A preproduction model (Roco)
of the new nightjet pod and couchette car.
Not the best screenshot ever, so the source video is provided.
of the new nightjet pod and couchette car.Not the best screenshot ever, so the source video is provided.
At present Talgo 22 is mostly Glossyware. A prototype was built and apparently demonstrated to VR. It was offered to VR in Finland for Commuter Service. Finally what VR bought were essentially what we call Multi-Levels with gangway at mid level, but entry doors at the lower level, and running on standard 4 wheel trucks. After that order VR ordered double deck Sleeper trains, but not from Talgo, but from Skoda, and those also have gangways at mid level. They also ordered more multi-levels for day trains from Skoda.
I doubt anyone will seriously try to operate single axle based rolling stock on our rickety infrastructure in the US. It is bad enough in places with the regular two axle trucks.
But wonders never cease. Talgo has a chance to offer it in response to the Amtrak LD RFP, and then we'll see how it goes.
I doubt anyone will seriously try to operate single axle based rolling stock on our rickety infrastructure in the US. It is bad enough in places with the regular two axle trucks.
But wonders never cease. Talgo has a chance to offer it in response to the Amtrak LD RFP, and then we'll see how it goes.
A better option would probably be an Ultradome based fleet but there are apparently clearance problems with them in Chicago. May be fixable may be not?
The manufacturer of Ultradomes is no more. Its successor company which does notionally offer the Ultradome in its catalog, which is basically the Colorado Railcar catalog has no manufacturing facility. Any order it might receive will be fulfilled apparently under contract by the company which was known as American Railcar Company which mainly was in the business of leasing freight cars and repairing them. They recently reincorporated as American Industrial Transport. I doubt that any of this cast of characters would even be able to qualify.
I think most people know that. No reason the concept can't be made by another manufacturer.
New Carriages For Rocky Mountaineer Delivered
Without much publicity, Stadler delivered in 2018 and 2019 a batch of ten double deck cars to Rocky Mountaineer (RM), which runs luxury train services in western Canada.
www.railvolution.net
Of course, anything can be manufactured. The question is how soon and for what price. The other relevant question that Amtrak has to answer is what sort of fleet composition they want going forward.I think most people know that. No reason the concept can't be made by another manufacturer.
New Carriages For Rocky Mountaineer Delivered
Without much publicity, Stadler delivered in 2018 and 2019 a batch of ten double deck cars to Rocky Mountaineer (RM), which runs luxury train services in western Canada.
Anyway without significant funding running into many tens of millions of dollar (which is unlikely to come to pass) nothing higher than the Superliners can operate into Chicago Union Station, so this is just a theoretical discussion.
The Physics of it is somewhat involved. However, just to get a taste of the issues involved see this discussion:
TTOX and other two axle car designs - Trains Magazine - Trains News Wire, Railroad News, Railroad Industry News, Web Cams, and Forms
Trains magazine offers railroad news, railroad industry insight, commentary on today's freight railroads, passenger service (Amtrak), locomotive technology, railroad preservation and history, railfan opportunities (tourist railroads, fan trips), and great railroad photography.
cs.trains.com
mlanoue
Service Attendant
This video on You Tube shows a train with a small business class section that has lie-flat seats. (I think you can lie flat on them.It never actually shows anybody using them.). That section starts at 1:50 into the video.
Hong Kong to Beijing by High-Speed Train
Hong Kong to Beijing by High-Speed Train
Wow! It's like looking into the future
The Siemens glossy on the Novo shows lie flat seats in one of the of the end cars. But typically they are 2x1 so they won;t be cheap. They are characterized as Business Executive Class which is what full service First Class with elaborate food service is called in the latest Eurospeak.Wow! It's like looking into the future
But of course one could select narrower lie flat seats and fit 2x2, and reduce pitch enough to fit 40+ seats per car.
MisterUptempo
Lead Service Attendant
I'm putting this info here, in hopes that others can discuss the merits of these new sleeper trains and what features should make it into new Amtrak sleepers-
-These trainsets will be built off Stadler's Flirt200 platform.
-Potentially, EMU and EDMU sets will be built.
-Sleeping compartments will come in 2-bed and 4-bed flavors.
-This story declares the trains will commence revenue service in 2027. Every other source I've seen thus far says manufacture starts in 2024, testing in Norway starts in 2025, revenue service in 2026.
-First sets will be assigned to Oslo-Bergen route.
Sleeper accommodations
Coach and Business/1st Class seating (whatever they call it)
MORE TO COME
The whole story can be found here.
-These trainsets will be built off Stadler's Flirt200 platform.
-Potentially, EMU and EDMU sets will be built.
-Sleeping compartments will come in 2-bed and 4-bed flavors.
-This story declares the trains will commence revenue service in 2027. Every other source I've seen thus far says manufacture starts in 2024, testing in Norway starts in 2025, revenue service in 2026.
-First sets will be assigned to Oslo-Bergen route.
Sleeper accommodations
Coach and Business/1st Class seating (whatever they call it)
MORE TO COME
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MisterUptempo
Lead Service Attendant
More renderings of Norske Tog's new Stadler Flirtnex sleepers.
Kids' play area-
Bike storage area-
Bistro car-
Kids' play area-
Bike storage area-
Bistro car-
EMU, not too surprise. I just wonder if we can find the necessary distance between city’s to equip a HSR trainsets into a sleeper service.
Sleep at 175 mph to your destination.
I'm putting this info here, in hopes that others can discuss the merits of these new sleeper trains and what features should make it into new Amtrak sleepers-
The whole story can be found here.
-These trainsets will be built off Stadler's Flirt200 platform.
-Potentially, EMU and EDMU sets will be built.
-This story declares the trains will commence revenue service in 2027. Every other source I've seen thus far says manufacture starts in 2024, testing in Norway starts in 2025, revenue service in 2026.
-First sets will be assigned to Oslo-Bergen route.
Sleeper accommodations
Coach and Business/1st Class seating (whatever they call it)
MORE TO COME
Very sharp. Definitely modern. Consider me old fashioned, I still prefer beds parallel to the window. There's nothing like laying in bed looking out the window of a moving train.
Mailliw
OBS Chief
Great pics! The sleeping compartment day seating mode looks bizarre though. Two small seats beside a low flat surface?
a high floor FLIRT or FLIRT sleeper could work on the NEC but given the limits of DMU flirts I don't see it being used across the national network.
If the low flat surface were in the middle, it would work better for meals, games, etc.
So cute! (And the pretend "Viking ship" is very appropriate for a Norwegian train.) This reminds me of the play area at the children's museum in Kankakee we used to take our kids to when they were little (20-25 years ago), which featured a "pirate ship" kids could climb around and "fish" from.
I'll second that. The typical European across-the-car bed setup leaves you with a smallish window at one end and a claustrophobic long narrow room which also allows only one person to really enjoy the view. I guess for a short overnight trip, like on the Night Owl, it would be okay but not for the rest of Amtrak's more scenic longer routes.
I also hate the permanent rear facing coach seats but look . . . the cafe car has actual human-loving table seating!
P.S. Note the clever fold down "step" for reaching the top bunk. Looks a little scary actually but no reason Amtrak couldn't make a similar more substantial foldout ladder.
