As repeated above, there is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever, not even a 'suggestion' by Amtrak, that sleepers will be oriented in any particular direction.
It's been my experience that USUALLY, the sleepers on 48/448 and 49/449 put the bedrooms in the front of the car, putting the bedrooms and odd numbered roomettes on the right side. (in direction of travel). I'm not sure about 50/51, but I think the bedrooms are in front as well. I ride the Cardinal about once every other year and my memory is fading fast at age 70. I haven't been on either Silver train or the Crescent in at least 15 years, so I have no idea which way the Viewliners usually face.
In the Superliners, the roomettes are USUALLY in the front of the car, putting the even numbered roomettes on the right side. The same is true with the transition sleepers as the steps down to single-level car level are in the front.
The Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited sleeper, aka Train 421/422 have always had the roomettes in the front of the car as well CHI-SAS. HOWEVER...depending on <I have no clue what or why>how the through sleeper gets switched at SAS, I've encountered a variety of orientations. Most recently, the through car from Chicago gets wyed and moved from the back end of the Texas Eagle to directly ahead of the Sunset Limited diner with its sleeper and dorm ahead of that. It's odd to wake up travelling the opposite direction as when you went to bed. Previously, both the sleeper and lounge stayed together, not wyed, and put at the back end of Sunset Limited #1. SO all bets are off with that car.
I haven't been on the Coast Starlight for a couple years, but I sort-of recall those sleepers had the roomettes in the front, too. Ditto the Capitol Limited. It's been too long since I've been on 7/27 8/28, so I can't recall which way those sleepers face.
A mentioned above, the vestibule on a Superliner provides a great photo position, if you don't mind being low to the ground. I usually clean the windows in the door once or twice per trip while at a station stop using paper towels from one of the bathrooms. If you're more courageous, I've opened those little windows, got my shot and closed them, all within a couple of seconds.
And whether it's a Viewliner or Superliner, I consider any vacant roomette on the other side 'fair game' for short periods, especially if it's the one across the hall from me. If it's still 'fresh' and not yet occupied on that trip, I disturb nothing while there, so a soon-to-board passenger for that room gets a clean one like what I got when boarding. The same is true if it's vacant as the passenger has gotten off the train and the attendant has made up the room. It could be that a different passenger for that room will board a bit further down the line. This is especially true on trains that are 2 nights journey.
But to repeat what the others said, there's no guarantee what side will have the bedrooms and even numbered roomettes as the car may have been a replacement for a bad order one, or even wyed while spending a day or two at the shop. And as all Superliners are bi-directional, there's been times when the entire train was not wyed at the end of the run due to lack of time or other things. In those cases, the engines run around the train and pull it 'backwards' on the return run, putting the even number roomettes and bedrooms on the left side of the train.
And it was (of course) lower level which I really liked. There was more privacy and the bathroom was right nearby. I am taking the Zephyr and inquired about the lower level (was originally assigned upper level). I was given a choice of #13 or #14,. I picked #13 again. Figured it worked for me last time.
Hope I made the right choice...
