What is this goofy Superliner car?

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Aaron

Aaron

Lead Service Attendant
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Mar 20, 2012
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313
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Tucson, AZ
I'm still sort of new to train travel, so I haven't ridden in every type of equipment yet or anything like that. But, I saw something I didn't recognize last night and wanted help identifying it.

I rode overnight on #2 from LAX to TUS and was in a coach car, number 31032. Seemed fairly new upholstery and seats and things. Upon boarding, I saw them loading baggage where the lower level seats would be. Must be a coach/baggage car, I thought. I haven't ridden in one of these. Later, when I was wandering around, I noticed that the sign above the stairs pointed down for the restrooms and the "Cafe". Cafe? Huh? I went downstairs to use the restrooms, and noticed that at the end of the restroom hallway, on the opposite end of the car from the baggage compartment, was a door marked "Lounge". I didn't check to see if it was unlocked, nor did I take any pictures, because it was late and I was sleepy.

So, what is this coach/baggage/lounge car? Do all coach/baggage cars have a hidden lounge? If so, are they ever used for any train? If not, what normally goes in that spot?
 
Aaron said:
I'm still sort of new to train travel, so I haven't ridden in every type of equipment yet or anything like that. But, I saw something I didn't recognize last night and wanted help identifying it.

I rode overnight on #2 from LAX to TUS and was in a coach car, number 31032. Seemed fairly new upholstery and seats and things. Upon boarding, I saw them loading baggage where the lower level seats would be. Must be a coach/baggage car, I thought. I haven't ridden in one of these. Later, when I was wandering around, I noticed that the sign above the stairs pointed down for the restrooms and the "Cafe". Cafe? Huh? I went downstairs to use the restrooms, and noticed that at the end of the restroom hallway, on the opposite end of the car from the baggage compartment, was a door marked "Lounge". I didn't check to see if it was unlocked, nor did I take any pictures, because it was late and I was sleepy.

So, what is this coach/baggage/lounge car? Do all coach/baggage cars have a hidden lounge? If so, are they ever used for any train? If not, what normally goes in that spot?
Click to expand...
Did it look like this?

According to the OTOL roster, that # falls into the "coach/baggage" category, with 44 still active.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sounds like a trans dorm car I was in a couple of years ago on the CONO. Behind that "lounge" sign is a spacious ladies' dressing room with a separate shower stall and changing area, running the width of the car.
 
I'd have to take a closer look, having seen the signs at the top of the stairway a million times but never paid attention, but I think the "cafe" sign is supposed to include an arrow pointing either right or left, telling passengers which way to walk (to another car) to get to the cafe.

I doubt anyone in the history of Amtrak has ever paid attention to that sign to see that it's correct.
 
Trogdor said:
I'd have to take a closer look, having seen the signs at the top of the stairway a million times but never paid attention, but I think the "cafe" sign is supposed to include an arrow pointing either right or left, telling passengers which way to walk (to another car) to get to the cafe.

I doubt anyone in the history of Amtrak has ever paid attention to that sign to see that it's correct.
Click to expand...
They have been pointing correctly on the AT, in all my trips so far...
 
Trogdor said:
I'd have to take a closer look, having seen the signs at the top of the stairway a million times but never paid attention, but I think the "cafe" sign is supposed to include an arrow pointing either right or left, telling passengers which way to walk (to another car) to get to the cafe.
Click to expand...
That's the way I remember those signs for the Cafe. Hadn't thought of them in a long time.
 
AutoTrDvr said:
Trogdor said:
I'd have to take a closer look, having seen the signs at the top of the stairway a million times but never paid attention, but I think the "cafe" sign is supposed to include an arrow pointing either right or left, telling passengers which way to walk (to another car) to get to the cafe.

I doubt anyone in the history of Amtrak has ever paid attention to that sign to see that it's correct.
Click to expand...
They have been pointing correctly on the AT, in all my trips so far...
Click to expand...
Easy to do when the Cafe is always the same direction. :D
 
On my latest CZ run, someone posted a computer printed paper sign above the Sightseer Lounge stairs pointing one way to Coaches and the other to Diner and Sleepers. I know it is easy to get turned around if you aren't paying close attention, especially at night when you have no immediate clues to which way the train is moving.
 
For what it's worth there used to be a Superliner Coach / Lounge with an actual cafe' / lounge on the lower level where the baggage area or H seating is on other Superliner cars. I have no idea what the cars were numbered or anything, but I remember seeing them on the Texas Eagle about 20 years ago.
 
TVRM610 said:
For what it's worth there used to be a Superliner Coach / Lounge with an actual cafe' / lounge on the lower level where the baggage area or H seating is on other Superliner cars. I have no idea what the cars were numbered or anything, but I remember seeing them on the Texas Eagle about 20 years ago.
Click to expand...
They still exist. Numbered in the 35000-series.

Heartland Flyer uses one. Pere Marquette used one until last week (when it was converted to single-level to provide coaches for the extra Builder set). Some Northern California trains use them when there aren't enough California cafe cars to go around. Otherwise, they just provide extra coach capacity and the lower level stays closed.
 
OlympianHiawatha said:
On my latest CZ run, someone posted a computer printed paper sign above the Sightseer Lounge stairs pointing one way to Coaches and the other to Diner and Sleepers. I know it is easy to get turned around if you aren't paying close attention, especially at night when you have no immediate clues to which way the train is moving.
Click to expand...
and when you've spent too much time with the alcoholic beverages (happened to me once that I went the wrong way).
 
Aaron said:
I'm still sort of new to train travel, so I haven't ridden in every type of equipment yet or anything like that. But, I saw something I didn't recognize last night and wanted help identifying it.

I rode overnight on #2 from LAX to TUS and was in a coach car, number 31032. Seemed fairly new upholstery and seats and things. Upon boarding, I saw them loading baggage where the lower level seats would be. Must be a coach/baggage car, I thought. I haven't ridden in one of these. Later, when I was wandering around, I noticed that the sign above the stairs pointed down for the restrooms and the "Cafe". Cafe? Huh? I went downstairs to use the restrooms, and noticed that at the end of the restroom hallway, on the opposite end of the car from the baggage compartment, was a door marked "Lounge". I didn't check to see if it was unlocked, nor did I take any pictures, because it was late and I was sleepy.

So, what is this coach/baggage/lounge car? Do all coach/baggage cars have a hidden lounge? If so, are they ever used for any train? If not, what normally goes in that spot?
Click to expand...
This is the car, right? http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2873201

This is a Coach/Baggage Car. Doesn't the SL have a full bag now? I thought they added one.

Trogdor said:
TVRM610 said:
For what it's worth there used to be a Superliner Coach / Lounge with an actual cafe' / lounge on the lower level where the baggage area or H seating is on other Superliner cars. I have no idea what the cars were numbered or anything, but I remember seeing them on the Texas Eagle about 20 years ago.
Click to expand...
They still exist. Numbered in the 35000-series.

Heartland Flyer uses one. Pere Marquette used one until last week (when it was converted to single-level to provide coaches for the extra Builder set). Some Northern California trains use them when there aren't enough California cafe cars to go around. Otherwise, they just provide extra coach capacity and the lower level stays closed.
Click to expand...
Here is #35001, one of those Coach/Lounge Cars. http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=716688

Looks pretty similar to a regular Coach Car.

BTW, anybody know what this is? http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=2207641 Apparently a Superliner II Family Coach (#34504), but I've never heard of that. They're all 34500-series.
 
The through coach for the Sunset / Eagle is a 34000 series because they need lower level seating available.

The coach-baggage cars are simply used for their seating capacity. Sometimes, they might use the baggage space for convenience, just because it's there.
 
I took the Pere Marquette into Chicago on Thursday, August 2nd and it was still using three Superliner Coaches, one with a cafe on the lower level, one with the standard lower level seating, and one with Baggage on the lower level being used for everyone's bags and strangely as a second doorway for faster boarding at Grand Rapids, there was a stool outside it and the conductor gestured for me to get on board there after the train entered nearly an hour late. When was it converted to Horizons, it wasn't last week?

I would have been very disappointed when I rode it if they had been Horizons, I rode MegaBus up through the night just to knock that train off my list, and a fun 5am 24-hour diner experience too while I was walking and waiting around for it to leave late. I managed to stay awake courtesy of caffeine until we got to the Junction with the shared LSL/CL and Wolverine/Blue Water Trackage before an hour power nap into Chicago happy I could recline in my Superliner Coach Seat and not jammed into a narrow Horizon Seat I actually think the Amfleet-Is have slightly more legroom.
 
The Pere Marquette switched to single-level either Thursday or Friday.
 
So nobody knows what a Family Coach is? The regular 34000 series Coaches did not have the label Family Coach. It says the Family Coaches were converted from regular Coaches. Maybe they are the Arcade/Kiddie Cars?
 
They are the arcade cars (formerly "kiddie cars"). I don't know if "family coach" was an official name for this car or not, but that's what it is.

Their days are numbered. Their next incarnation is expected to be a test with business class seating on the lower level.
 
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