Transitional Dorm

[printman2000]

Many years ago I rode in that twice transition Coach/dorm. It was on the Chief and great for the the groups (Boy Scouts going to Philmont)
What ever happen to these cars? Did they get scrapped (could of been old ATSF hi-Levels?), or became something trans Dorms

Amtrak used the Hi-Level transition cars until they received the Superliner transition sleepers.

 

[AAARGH!]

I keep hearing about Transitional Dorms. What are they. What do they look like?

It's a Superliner sleeper with a low level gangway connection at one end which connect to the baggage car gangway (which obviously is a single level vehicle)

It has crew quarters downstairs and roomettes upstairs.

Neil, IIRC, there are NO roomettes downstairs on the Transition Sleepers. Only bathrooms, showers, and an office.

The front half of the upstairs of the transition sleeper has the crew's roomettes, while the back half is for revenue (AKA us).

My first LD trip was in a transition sleeper. The only downside for me was the horn noise, but I got used to it by the second day.

 

[AlanB]

I keep hearing about Transitional Dorms. What are they. What do they look like?

It's a Superliner sleeper with a low level gangway connection at one end which connect to the baggage car gangway (which obviously is a single level vehicle)

It has crew quarters downstairs and roomettes upstairs.

Neil, IIRC, there are NO roomettes downstairs on the Transition Sleepers. Only bathrooms, showers, and an office.

The front half of the upstairs of the transition sleeper has the crew's roomettes, while the back half is for revenue (AKA us).

My first LD trip was in a transition sleeper. The only downside for me was the horn noise, but I got used to it by the second day.

Correct. The only sleeping quarters downstairs in a Trans/Dorm is the H room. And again, most cars have an H room, but a handful do not.

 

[printman2000]

Correct. The only sleeping quarters downstairs in a Trans/Dorm is the H room. And again, most cars have an H room, but a handful do not.

I forget, what do they have where the H room would normally be?

 

[DET63]

If you really want some go to the regular sleeper and they should have it (and aren't you toatally entitled to have any coffee/juice, etc from any sleeper you want if you're a sleeper pax?).

Yes, you are entitled, but some sleeping car attendants can get very upset when they see people doing that. I suspect that one reason that they get upset is the fact that it's often an indication that their counterpart in the other sleeper isn't doing his/her job catering to their charges.

I have to agree with Alan. Though "upset" is an understatement.

In the Viewliners, it use to be the "norm" to find that in your car that either the coffee pot didn't work, or there simply wasn't one. The SCA would apologize, and suggest using the coffee pot in the next Viewliner. I still remember attempting to do that, and getting verbally harassed and chased away by that Viewliner's SCA.

I would go back, tell my SCA about it, and he would then go to the dining car to fetch me some coffee. That would also make me feel even more uncomfortable since I am perfectly capable of walking to the dining car myself.

You may be capable of walking to the diner, but you're paying the big bucks for (among other things, of course) the privilege of not having to do so for a cup of coffee. If you still feel guilty, however, add a buck or two to the SCA's tip.

 

[the_traveler]

while the back half is for revenue (AKA us)

They don't get revenue from me! I would be on an AGR award!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Correct. The only sleeping quarters downstairs in a Trans/Dorm is the H room. And again, most cars have an H room, but a handful do not.

I forget, what do they have where the H room would normally be?

Basically, a Superliner coach bathroom setup, but with a shower in both men's changing room and womens lounge. Actually, when I was in the trans-dorm, I showered using the womens lounge because the mens lounge shower had no curtain. My girlfriend stood watch in the the lounge itself.

 

[Neil_M]

Neil, IIRC, there are NO roomettes downstairs on the Transition Sleepers. Only bathrooms, showers, and an office.

Yeah, I was referring to the office set up rather than any sleeping space.

 

[Shanghai]

I have been in the transdorm car (roomette) twice and I prefer it over the regular sleeper. The bathroom is more convenient with

the shower and there is less noise than in a regular car.

 

[Guest]

In case you need to own one of your own. :blink:

Amtrak Transition Sleeper

 

[printman2000]

So do the Trans Sleepers without an H room lack the small windows on that end of the downstairs?

 

[sunchaser]

In case you need to own one of your own. :blink:

Amtrak Transition Sleeper

:lol: :lol: :lol: Great price! But I don't think it would be very functional for most of us! We are all too big! :lol:

 

[AAARGH!]

Neil, IIRC, there are NO roomettes downstairs on the Transition Sleepers. Only bathrooms, showers, and an office.

Yeah, I was referring to the office set up rather than any sleeping space.

I took 'quarters' to mean sleeping space as opposed to office space. Perhaps this is another difference between the Queen's english and American english. No big deal of course.

 

[AlanB]

So do the Trans Sleepers without an H room lack the small windows on that end of the downstairs?

Certainly on the right side, aka the engineer's side of the car, there is no window. That side is all bathrooms. I'm thinking that there was a window on the fireman's side of the car, but I'm not sure if it was in the normal place of if it had been moved a bit. And I'm not even positive that it was there, but for some reason I seem to think that I recall seeing a window on that side.

 

[printman2000]

Looks like 39000-39010 are the ones without the H room. These cars are lacking the small H room windows on both sides of the cars.

 

[CNW]

I had the "getting scolded experience" on the Southwest Chief. I had taken coffee from another sleeper. I get up very early and can smell or not smell coffee pretty quickly. When I was "caught" in the other sleeper the attendant scolded me then later I heard her complaining to my SCA. Even later there was a sign which I naturally felt had been penned for my benefit stating. 'Coffee must be gotten in your assigned car'. Of course I have been careful not to get caught since. Not really the type of attitude that serves passengers or the attendants well. Suppose someone did have to make an extra pot of coffee later in the morning. I'm sure they have their reasons, but ideally it shouldn't be visited on the passengers. I like to ride and of course I have many more positive experiences than negative.

 

[Shanghai]

CNW, do you think that taking a cup of coffee from a sleeper car other than your assigned car warrants immediate disembarkation??

 

[CNW]

On that particular train on that particular day it was made to seem like quite a serious offense. I was new to riding and easily intimidated even though I felt it was ridiculous. Remember I hadn't had my coffee yet!

 

[guest old timer]

CNW's coffee experience reminds me of an incident long, long ago when I was just out of college and traveling on the Super Chief to Chicago (from LA) for a job interview. I had a ticket giving me all meals. At breakfast the first morning, I filled out the menu form and marked that I wanted two cartons of milk.

Well, you would have thought that the Earth had caved in at that moment. The waiter took my form to the dining car steward, who marched over to my table and asked why I thought that I deserved TWO milks, instead of one? I said that I liked drinking milk (still do to this day) and that one of the tiny paper cartons was insufficient.

He was not about to budge. I would have to pay for the privilege. So I forked over 15 cents.

CNW's story shows that pompous indignation hasn't disappeared from the train world.