Superliner Roomettes - what's the difference?

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George K

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Just curious. On our cross-country trip last month, we had two kinds of roomettes:

1) The EB (#27) had a roomette with a closet - a door to a small compartment with a rail from which two hangers hang. Also, in the car, the shower (downstairs) had a glass door that shut with magnetic latches (iirc). The same was on #6.

2) The CS (#11) roomette was different. Instead of a closet, there was a hook, with a strap to hold your clothes and keep them from swinging into the seat adjacent. Shower had a regular shower curtain.

#2 struck me as being an older design.

That true? What's the age of both of those cars?

Any preferences (I liked #1 better!)?

Are there any other differences I missed?
 
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If I remember correctly, the car you encountered on the EB is an unrefurbished Superliner I. The car on the CS is a refurbished Superliner I. The cabinet was removed to create more space, and because it was somewhat pointless.
 
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One is the first generation of Superliners built b/t 1979-1981. The other is the newer Superliners built in 1994-1995. Look up Superliner(railcar) on Wikipedia for more info.
 
So, the Superliner with the "closet" that had a real shower door was "refurbished" into one that has a shower curtain?

I'm far from an expert, but it was my impression that the "shower curtain" car seemed older than the "shower door" car.

But yeah, the "closet" is kind of pointless.
 
The cars with the enclosed coat closet is a first generation superliner I, whereas the one with the open space for hanging clothes is a newer superliner II. Almost all of the I's have been refurbished, and thus should appear newer. I suspect showers were first installed in I's when they were being refurbished. I remember that as late as 1989 superliners did not have showers.
 
Just curious. On our cross-country trip last month, we had two kinds of roomettes:

1) The EB (#27) had a roomette with a closet - a door to a small compartment with a rail from which two hangers hang. Also, in the car, the shower (downstairs) had a glass door that shut with magnetic latches (iirc). The same was on #6.

2) The CS (#11) roomette was different. Instead of a closet, there was a hook, with a strap to hold your clothes and keep them from swinging into the seat adjacent. Shower had a regular shower curtain.

#2 struck me as being an older design.
I believe that's backwards.
The "closet" (#1) is the original Superliner I design (1979). The hook (#2) is the Superliner II design (1994). The "closet" was an incredibly impractical use of space; it doesn't fit modern winter parkas, so it's practically useless. (I suppose it's a design relic from before modern winter coats, which really only became common in 1970s.)

The bathrooms/showers were refurbished recently, in the 2000s, on (some of) the Superliner Is. You got a refurbished shower. So the glass door design *is* newer than the "shower curtain" design.

...I see others gave the same answer. :)
 
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Never was in any Sleeper that had a shower with only a shower curtain.

Superliner I's have a closet; Superliner II's do not and have the "hook" for hanging clothes. From a space storage perspective for carry-on luggage, I prefer Superliner II. More room under the hook for another small piece of luggage. The small closet on the Superliner I cars is OK for what one is wearing when one changes for overnight; with a winter coat in the closet as well, the clothes would be cramped. But, the shelf in the closet is a good place for the wash clothes, hand towels, and bath towels that were provided by one of my SCA.
 
I'll take a rehabbed I with the nice re-done bathrooms,curtains that actually match up and close, digital lighting and contols, and faux wood paneling any day over a II!!
 
Good point, Jim. I had no idea that the I's that we rode in were of an earlier generation. When we did the Coast Starlight, we were in a II, and thought it was an older model (shower curtain, no real "closet", etc.).

I preferred the refurb'ed One as well, though I see the point about the closet being a space waster.

What other differences are there? I was pleased with the noise (or quiet) and ride in both.
 
The Superliner I that I was in did not look like it had been re-furbished. The steps leading to the upper level were quite worn. I also noted that the # I's had only one hand rail on the steps; the #2's had hand rails on both sides of the steps.
 
Ideally you'd have the basic design of the IIs with the new bathroom modules and lighting of the refurbished Is...

...unfortunately, Superliners weren't designed to make that possible! They're very non-modular, and the refurbs were stopped after they turned out to be very expensive.

(The modular design of the Viewliners is far superior from the point of view of very-long-term maintenance. I expect Amtrak will be hanging onto the Viewliner shells for a very, very long time, perhaps even longer than the old Budds. The modular design means that remodeling Viewliners was specifically designed to be easy, as opposed to being the pain in the neck which it is with older designs.)
 
Different parts wear out at different rates. The stainless steel shells are supposed to last nearly forever, barring accidents. The trucks & underfloor gear, maybe 40 years? Windows, maybe 30 years? The interiors may last 40 years, but they start looking tatty and obsolete well before that, probably within 20 years.

Amtrak discussed this in slightly less detail in its various "fleet plans" (we're overdue for another fleet plan, aren't we)? Amtrak said that the point at which it was *commercially appropriate* to replace train cars was significantly shorter than the time when the trains were actually worn out, because newer cars got more ticket revenue and cost less to operate.

You don't see this in the short term. But with Amtrak's equipment being so old, you can now see it very clearly with some stuff:

-- the Superliner I "closets" -- they must have seemed important when the trains were being designed in the 1970s, but they seem exceedingly space-wasting now.

-- old incandescent/flourescent lighting vs. LED lighting

-- 1970s color schemes vs. more muted color schemes

-- The stupid "airline imitation" shape of the Amfleets, now unpopular for decades

-- the tight, winding stair in the Superliners vs. the straight, easier-for-the-infirm stair in Surfliners

-- the problematic cafe arrangement in California Cars vs. the more appropriate arrangement in Surfliners

Which is why the Viewliner "modular interior" system should be helpful for extending *commercial* lifespan. The part which most easily becomes dated and obsolete as people's clothes and luggage and habits change -- that's the part which can simply be pulled out and replaced in the Viewliners.

In the Superliners, they aren't modules; it's all built right in, and so it's a lot of slow work to change it.
 
Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

I apologize for all the questions, but this forum is such a resource for finding out information that I could never ferret out by myself. For example, the Wikipedia page on the Superliner cars didn't give me half the insights I got in this thread.
 
Hey, questions are good. :) I love learning information (pretty much any information) myself, and I'm happy to help out anyone else with the same tendency. :)
 
I'll take a rehabbed I with the nice re-done bathrooms,curtains that actually match up and close, digital lighting and contols, and faux wood paneling any day over a II!!
Agreed. I love the new bathrooms (they feel bigger, and the sink doesn't spray everywhere). The digital lighting and controls are nice too.

My only complaint about them is the lack of an "off" setting on the PA. I don't like being awakened at 6:30, especially since it's usually the cafe car attendant going all, "GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM," with his greeting. :angry:

Then again, the extra space in the bathrooms is wonderful. I missed that on my last trip, so I guess that makes up for the PA. I'd forgotten that the Superliner IIs had that awful, airplane-sized bathroom in the sleepers.
 
My only complaint about them is the lack of an "off" setting on the PA. I don't like being awakened at 6:30, especially since it's usually the cafe car attendant going all, "GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM," with his greeting. :angry:
Having never been in a room on a train, is this through a speaker on the wall?If so maybe use some duct tape and a nice, thick fabric pad taped over it. At least that's what I would do. Then again when I take out my hearing aids a bomb could go off when I am sleeping and all that would make me do is roll over on my other side.
 
My only complaint about them is the lack of an "off" setting on the PA. I don't like being awakened at 6:30, especially since it's usually the cafe car attendant going all, "GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM," with his greeting. :angry:
Having never been in a room on a train, is this through a speaker on the wall?If so maybe use some duct tape and a nice, thick fabric pad taped over it. At least that's what I would do. Then again when I take out my hearing aids a bomb could go off when I am sleeping and all that would make me do is roll over on my other side.
Another member who appreciates the advantages of deafness when sleeping. I slept fine through Kansas (rough tracks) and did not notice the rattling door in the morning till I put in my hearing aids. :p
 
My only complaint about them is the lack of an "off" setting on the PA. I don't like being awakened at 6:30, especially since it's usually the cafe car attendant going all, "GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM," with his greeting. :angry:
Having never been in a room on a train, is this through a speaker on the wall?If so maybe use some duct tape and a nice, thick fabric pad taped over it. At least that's what I would do. Then again when I take out my hearing aids a bomb could go off when I am sleeping and all that would make me do is roll over on my other side.
I'm going to do that on this trip since the SWC (in our experience) has the refurbished cars.

I have extremely good hearing, though, and I'm a light sleeper as it is. Even when we're able to shut off the PA, the PA speaker and people talking in the hallway wake me up. :p It's not quite as bad as the speaker in the room, though, which is right over my head. Earplugs help with the hallway noise but do nothing for the room speaker.

I keep thinking I should bring a travel fan. I sleep with a box fan at home, as the white noise drowns out all those little noises that wake me up. It might help on the train. I definitely notice when the air circulation turns off. Everything is so QUIET, so I hear every little sound (people, etc).
 
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