Amfleet
Engineer
There was a rumor posted on Trainorders, from a member who I believe is an Amtrak employee; that the names of sleeper accomadation (Standard Bedroom, Deluxe Bedroom, etc) are going to be changed on November 1. Standard Bedrooms are to be renamed Roomettes and Deluxe Bedrooms are to be renamed to Bedrooms. I would think that Accessible Bedrooms and Family Bedrooms would keep their names respectively.
The accomadation names, Roomette and Bedroom, are a throw back to the old 10-6 Heritage sleepers. A Roomette was a small room designed for one passenger; the room included a seat, a bed that dropped down from the ceiling, as well as in room facilities. A Bedroom was a larger room designed for two passengers; the room included either two seats or a large sofa seat, two beds that dropped down from the wall, as well as enclosed in room facilities.
IMHO, I feel that the name change is a wrong move if it does take affect. For one a Roomette cannot be compared to a Standard Bedroom. While the Standard Room is about the same size as a Roomette it does hold two passengers, compared to a one passenger Roomette, plus only on the Viewliners can you find in room facilities. Now while a Deluxe Bedroom is quite similar to a Bedroom, the Deluxe Bedroom is a bit larger and could hold more than 2 passengers (I’ve seen families of 4 fit into these rooms). At the same time I’ve always felt that Standard Bedroom can be a bit miss leading. While it does hold two passengers, it is a tight squeeze, and is much more comfortable when traveling solo. Up until 1997, or so, Standard Bedrooms were called Economy Bedrooms, but the price did not fit to well with the word ‘economy’.
The accomadation names, Roomette and Bedroom, are a throw back to the old 10-6 Heritage sleepers. A Roomette was a small room designed for one passenger; the room included a seat, a bed that dropped down from the ceiling, as well as in room facilities. A Bedroom was a larger room designed for two passengers; the room included either two seats or a large sofa seat, two beds that dropped down from the wall, as well as enclosed in room facilities.
IMHO, I feel that the name change is a wrong move if it does take affect. For one a Roomette cannot be compared to a Standard Bedroom. While the Standard Room is about the same size as a Roomette it does hold two passengers, compared to a one passenger Roomette, plus only on the Viewliners can you find in room facilities. Now while a Deluxe Bedroom is quite similar to a Bedroom, the Deluxe Bedroom is a bit larger and could hold more than 2 passengers (I’ve seen families of 4 fit into these rooms). At the same time I’ve always felt that Standard Bedroom can be a bit miss leading. While it does hold two passengers, it is a tight squeeze, and is much more comfortable when traveling solo. Up until 1997, or so, Standard Bedrooms were called Economy Bedrooms, but the price did not fit to well with the word ‘economy’.