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I've asked them (via a FOIA) for the safety cards; they're still working on getting them to me. The ones on the safety cards aren't entirely accurate anyways. But they should at least help me in placing the basic safety equipment icons.
They have also long since gotten rid of printed (or printable) timetables. Yes, you can get the info you need from the web, but it involves a lot of clicking and no way to see the whole of a route at once.
I've been working on creating a new website for car floor plans. These will show you where your room or seats are, as well as the location of a handful of other things in the cars. Not all the cars are finished, & I'll be adding more periodically as I finish making them.
If you need help with the Talgos, let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'm on them regularly. I will point out there's 3 different layouts; business class, coach (cars 3, 5, 7, 9), and "ADA" coach (4, 6, 8). I'm not sure the diner, which can be used as overflow/unreserved seating, is worth mentioning too.
Both are based off from somewhat official drawings. The Viewliner 1s from the safety placard mounted in the train & the Viewliner 2s from drawings released by the interior manufacturer.
Over the last three years have have been in a roomette (9) or bedroom (1) I think for ten segments over about 5 trips. Those were different legs of a multiple segment trip or on the Crescent one way and Carolinian back south. All on Viewliner I or II. I am willing to bet good money, as in a ticket in a bedroom for the full length of the Crescent that when one enters the Viewliner cars the handicap bedroom and then the A and B bedrooms are on the front of the car closer to the engine than the roomettes, and when entering one turns right past the bedrooms and then back left to go past the last bedroom then right again to walk down the center hallway between the roomettes. Just as the website above shows.
I very likely have a video on this if you want me to look. The craigmashburn website syncs with my memory 100% and that includes a trip on the Crescent 6 weeks ago. I wonder if you have an image that has been flipped. Is there any text on your images that are reversed. The roomette numbers seem to be flipped left for right side as well. We tend to book early and so often have room 2 in the VL1 car that is 2010 on the Crescent. And that is on the left side of the train going north. I know this as I was able to see the bus depot at Greensboro where we departed, and the Danville station and the mountains in the distance between Danville and Lynchburg. I certainly have video of downtown Greensboro I took and can pull up our tickets which I have saved in PDF form to verify the room was indeed roomette 2.
This is a GREAT website by the way and very impressed with what you have for the images that are clean and readable. Well done! Please, don't take my comments as criticism but just helping you get this website even better. Since the eastern trains with Viewliners tend to always have cars with the bedrooms facing the front of the train getting this correct might be important for someone in a roomette wanting one side of the train or the other. (I generally suggest the left side on the Crescent going north due to what side most of the stations are in NC and VA and what I think is the more scenic sides to look at .) From all I have been told the Superliner tend to be flipped from time to time and which side or the train is facing which cardinal direction may change from trip to trip.
Anyway good job on this website and if you like I should have some video proof if you want me to dig around a bit.
Yes the Viewliner sleepers are definitely flipped. IRL, you turn right when you walk into the car from the bedroom end, with the hallway on the right side of the car. The bathroom pair on the view IIs is also on the right and the shower on the left IRL.
There’s info on which cars, which routes available on Amtrak, YouTube, etc. These are priceless community created commodities and serve detailed niche. Less is more. But yes, u/MannnOfHammm having all info in one place is needed; ideally on the company website.
This actually helps a lot, as I've been working on a fantasy consist for my fictional train-traveling band novels. The restrooms and shower rooms have always been a bit of a sticking point.
That said, did you see the designs for the Superliner replacements that Amtrak's issuing a Request For Proposal for?
Great project! If you find yourself with some extra time after drawing out all the ones currently listed, I see you're missing the equipment used on the Piedmont, which uses two different types of single-level coaches and baggage lounges that are totally distinct from the rest of the fleet.
It'd be low on the list, Ventures are next followed by Surfliner (I have reference information for them). Then it's filling in some of the gaps, whenever Amtrak gets me the safety cards. The other Cali cars & the Talgos are on the list down there as well (I though I had reference for the Talgos, but it's for the old ones)
So, if you run out of things to do (before you run out of energy to do them!) do you think it would be possible to cross-ref YOUR data, against that site that has all the Amtrak equipment BY CAR NUMBER?
Just in the section headers would be enough -- so the diehards could know whether they're getting into a Something I [33001-33099] vs. Something II [36001-36099]?
Where did you find actual floor plans? The things I've had a hard time finding is actual dimensions between spaces in the sleeper rooms, and the storage. The room dimensions are a general idea on the website, but once seating, sinks, ect. is included the room gets much smaller. Head room when upper bunks are utilized is another that has limited resources.
These are not dimensioned. I've acquired various technical drawings of train cars over the years, but they rarely have the interior dimensions you are seeking. They have enough detail to make what I've done, but not much more.
I don't know if this helps with any interior dimensions but when the bottom bed is made on a superliner, the space between the edge of the bed and the sink cabinet is probably eight or 9 inches. I have to shimmy sideways to get to the door if I wish to go out and do something
😳
Nice work overall! Your Acela First Class floor plan shows two restrooms though, but in all my rides there has been only one. The other smaller 'restroom' is a conductor office of sorts
Omg. Thank you so much! I am nervous as hell doing the Zephyr by myself (65f), but now with pictures, I am so less stressed. I’m traveling from Bflo to Chicago in coach, but then with a roomette on Zephyr from Chicago to SF.
Now, I can’t wait! (Just a little stressed about luggage situation - backpack and a carryon suitcase, but a larger suitcase to check.).
Idiot me stumbled on this while watching someone’s trip report on YouTube and now am using it religiously to get my family prepped to do some trips this year. Great work!
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Hell yeah this is great.
It is honestly so dumb that Amtrak doesn't produce these on its own so I am glad someone is doing the hard work.
They have them on the safety cards, all they have to do is put them on the website. Baffles me why they haven't.
I've asked them (via a FOIA) for the safety cards; they're still working on getting them to me. The ones on the safety cards aren't entirely accurate anyways. But they should at least help me in placing the basic safety equipment icons.
Any other interesting Amtrak FOIAs you have in the works?
The Amtrak we know and love.
Soooo true!
They have also long since gotten rid of printed (or printable) timetables. Yes, you can get the info you need from the web, but it involves a lot of clicking and no way to see the whole of a route at once.
RPA stepped in for the timetables -- including VIA and state operated services. RPA even manages to keep them up to date.
https://www.railpassengers.org/resources/amtrak-timetables/
They had them in sleeper rooms in 2022 and maybe some of 2023. Not since, though.
I've been working on creating a new website for car floor plans. These will show you where your room or seats are, as well as the location of a handful of other things in the cars. Not all the cars are finished, & I'll be adding more periodically as I finish making them.
The website is excellent and the floor plans are very nice to look at! Thank you.
If you need help with the Talgos, let me know and I'll see what I can do. I'm on them regularly. I will point out there's 3 different layouts; business class, coach (cars 3, 5, 7, 9), and "ADA" coach (4, 6, 8). I'm not sure the diner, which can be used as overflow/unreserved seating, is worth mentioning too.
Are you sure the Viewliner sleepers are correct? Seems I turn right on the hallway when you have me turning left and vice versa.
Both are based off from somewhat official drawings. The Viewliner 1s from the safety placard mounted in the train & the Viewliner 2s from drawings released by the interior manufacturer.
I am guessing you have been to this website before https://www.craigmashburn.com/amtrakcardiagrams.html
Over the last three years have have been in a roomette (9) or bedroom (1) I think for ten segments over about 5 trips. Those were different legs of a multiple segment trip or on the Crescent one way and Carolinian back south. All on Viewliner I or II. I am willing to bet good money, as in a ticket in a bedroom for the full length of the Crescent that when one enters the Viewliner cars the handicap bedroom and then the A and B bedrooms are on the front of the car closer to the engine than the roomettes, and when entering one turns right past the bedrooms and then back left to go past the last bedroom then right again to walk down the center hallway between the roomettes. Just as the website above shows.
I very likely have a video on this if you want me to look. The craigmashburn website syncs with my memory 100% and that includes a trip on the Crescent 6 weeks ago. I wonder if you have an image that has been flipped. Is there any text on your images that are reversed. The roomette numbers seem to be flipped left for right side as well. We tend to book early and so often have room 2 in the VL1 car that is 2010 on the Crescent. And that is on the left side of the train going north. I know this as I was able to see the bus depot at Greensboro where we departed, and the Danville station and the mountains in the distance between Danville and Lynchburg. I certainly have video of downtown Greensboro I took and can pull up our tickets which I have saved in PDF form to verify the room was indeed roomette 2.
This is a GREAT website by the way and very impressed with what you have for the images that are clean and readable. Well done! Please, don't take my comments as criticism but just helping you get this website even better. Since the eastern trains with Viewliners tend to always have cars with the bedrooms facing the front of the train getting this correct might be important for someone in a roomette wanting one side of the train or the other. (I generally suggest the left side on the Crescent going north due to what side most of the stations are in NC and VA and what I think is the more scenic sides to look at .) From all I have been told the Superliner tend to be flipped from time to time and which side or the train is facing which cardinal direction may change from trip to trip.
Anyway good job on this website and if you like I should have some video proof if you want me to dig around a bit.
Yes the Viewliner sleepers are definitely flipped. IRL, you turn right when you walk into the car from the bedroom end, with the hallway on the right side of the car. The bathroom pair on the view IIs is also on the right and the shower on the left IRL.
There is another website that shows the VL cars as flipped. I think some are copying each other a bit. Not the end of the world.
This is amazing! I don’t know how much extra work it’d be but it would be cool to have labels of which routes use which cars
There’s info on which cars, which routes available on Amtrak, YouTube, etc. These are priceless community created commodities and serve detailed niche. Less is more. But yes, u/MannnOfHammm having all info in one place is needed; ideally on the company website.
This actually helps a lot, as I've been working on a fantasy consist for my fictional train-traveling band novels. The restrooms and shower rooms have always been a bit of a sticking point.
That said, did you see the designs for the Superliner replacements that Amtrak's issuing a Request For Proposal for?
Great project! If you find yourself with some extra time after drawing out all the ones currently listed, I see you're missing the equipment used on the Piedmont, which uses two different types of single-level coaches and baggage lounges that are totally distinct from the rest of the fleet.
It'd be low on the list, Ventures are next followed by Surfliner (I have reference information for them). Then it's filling in some of the gaps, whenever Amtrak gets me the safety cards. The other Cali cars & the Talgos are on the list down there as well (I though I had reference for the Talgos, but it's for the old ones)
Have you contacted Rail Passengers Association to see if they are interested -- or even know of -- your project?
[Director of Community Engagement & Organizing Joe Aiello ([jaiello@narprail.org](mailto:jaiello@narprail.org))]
Nicely done, sir!!
So, if you run out of things to do (before you run out of energy to do them!) do you think it would be possible to cross-ref YOUR data, against that site that has all the Amtrak equipment BY CAR NUMBER?
Just in the section headers would be enough -- so the diehards could know whether they're getting into a Something I [33001-33099] vs. Something II [36001-36099]?
Here, it's this one: https://on-track-on-line.com/amtk-roster-cars.shtml
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Where did you find actual floor plans? The things I've had a hard time finding is actual dimensions between spaces in the sleeper rooms, and the storage. The room dimensions are a general idea on the website, but once seating, sinks, ect. is included the room gets much smaller. Head room when upper bunks are utilized is another that has limited resources.
These are not dimensioned. I've acquired various technical drawings of train cars over the years, but they rarely have the interior dimensions you are seeking. They have enough detail to make what I've done, but not much more.
I don't know if this helps with any interior dimensions but when the bottom bed is made on a superliner, the space between the edge of the bed and the sink cabinet is probably eight or 9 inches. I have to shimmy sideways to get to the door if I wish to go out and do something 😳
Nice work overall! Your Acela First Class floor plan shows two restrooms though, but in all my rides there has been only one. The other smaller 'restroom' is a conductor office of sorts
Omg. Thank you so much! I am nervous as hell doing the Zephyr by myself (65f), but now with pictures, I am so less stressed. I’m traveling from Bflo to Chicago in coach, but then with a roomette on Zephyr from Chicago to SF.
Now, I can’t wait! (Just a little stressed about luggage situation - backpack and a carryon suitcase, but a larger suitcase to check.).
Is this still being updated?
Contact me if you would like references for the NextGen Acela interiors.
I don't get why or how Amtrak accepted the Acela II design to have seats with no windows. That's just messed-up stupidity.
Idiot me stumbled on this while watching someone’s trip report on YouTube and now am using it religiously to get my family prepped to do some trips this year. Great work!
Amazing. This is so helpful.
How do you know which kinds of train you would be riding?
This is really cool!
This is so great, thank you. Also so much helpful information in the thread.
Thiz zite lookz great