I have been reading this forum for over a year and still trying to get my husband on the train.. This may seem like a dumb question and I have probably read the answer somewhere but I hope someone will clarify. Are there two different kinds of lounge cars? I look at pictures that are posted, some lounge cars seem to have booths, others seem to have chair and sofa type chairs that look out to the windows. Are certain lounge cars on certain trains? Thank you and keep posting those trip reports, they are all very interesting to me.
Lounge Cars
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On your Superliner long-distance trains (any overnight train traveling west of Chicago, plus the City of New Orleans and the Capitol Limited), you have the Sightseer Lounge car, with large wraparound windows that curve at the ceiling, allowing for an improved view. Seating wise, these cars have some booths in one half of the car, and some smaller chairs that face the windows on the other side.
Eastern long-distance trains (except for the Capitol Limited) don't quite have as nice of lounge facilities. Those trains are single-level tend to have cars with all booths, and smaller windows that aren't as impressive for viewing the scenery. Short-distance trains outside of the West Coast may have cafe/lounge cars that are similar to the single-level long-distance cars (from a passenger's perspective, there are some technical differences between those and the long-distance cafe/lounge cars, but most passengers probably couldn't tell the difference), with booths, or they may have half lounge, and half passenger seating (generally reserved for business class). The exact type will depend on the train.
The Auto Train, running from Virginia to Florida, has its own special lounges.
Some Superliner trains also have what's known as the diner-lounge (sometimes referred to as the "Cross Country Cafe"). This has a hybrid seating arrangement with some normal booths, and some three-seat booths that face the inside of the car. Those cars will eventually be reconfigured to have all normal booths. The upper level of this car also has a walk-up counter which can be used for food service (as opposed to the Sightseer Lounge, which has the food service counter on the lower level).
The Coast Starlight has what is known as the "Pacific Parlour Car" which is a first-class lounge. It is similar to a Sightseer Lounge with the wraparound windows, but has the "sofa" type seating you may have seen, as well as some booths and tables. That train will also have a Sightseer Lounge for all passengers (the Parlour is only for sleeping car passengers).
West coast short-distance trains have their own special food-service cars. The Pacific Surfliner actually doesn't have a lounge car of any sort, but instead has food service out of the lower level of one of the coaches. Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains have an upper-level lounge that also sells food and beverages. The Cascades route has two cars that serve the purpose of the cafe and lounge. The "Bistro" car is the food-service car, with a couple of small tables, but not really for lounging. The "dining" car has booths and tables for lounge seating, as well as eating. In the past, actual dining car meals were served on trains 510 and 517 to Vancouver, but I don't know if that is still the case.
Eastern long-distance trains (except for the Capitol Limited) don't quite have as nice of lounge facilities. Those trains are single-level tend to have cars with all booths, and smaller windows that aren't as impressive for viewing the scenery. Short-distance trains outside of the West Coast may have cafe/lounge cars that are similar to the single-level long-distance cars (from a passenger's perspective, there are some technical differences between those and the long-distance cafe/lounge cars, but most passengers probably couldn't tell the difference), with booths, or they may have half lounge, and half passenger seating (generally reserved for business class). The exact type will depend on the train.
The Auto Train, running from Virginia to Florida, has its own special lounges.
Some Superliner trains also have what's known as the diner-lounge (sometimes referred to as the "Cross Country Cafe"). This has a hybrid seating arrangement with some normal booths, and some three-seat booths that face the inside of the car. Those cars will eventually be reconfigured to have all normal booths. The upper level of this car also has a walk-up counter which can be used for food service (as opposed to the Sightseer Lounge, which has the food service counter on the lower level).
The Coast Starlight has what is known as the "Pacific Parlour Car" which is a first-class lounge. It is similar to a Sightseer Lounge with the wraparound windows, but has the "sofa" type seating you may have seen, as well as some booths and tables. That train will also have a Sightseer Lounge for all passengers (the Parlour is only for sleeping car passengers).
West coast short-distance trains have their own special food-service cars. The Pacific Surfliner actually doesn't have a lounge car of any sort, but instead has food service out of the lower level of one of the coaches. Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin trains have an upper-level lounge that also sells food and beverages. The Cascades route has two cars that serve the purpose of the cafe and lounge. The "Bistro" car is the food-service car, with a couple of small tables, but not really for lounging. The "dining" car has booths and tables for lounge seating, as well as eating. In the past, actual dining car meals were served on trains 510 and 517 to Vancouver, but I don't know if that is still the case.
The Pacific Parlour car looks like this:
Seating end
Eating and drinking end
Seating end
Eating and drinking end
Rail Freak
Engineer
Does anyone have pix of the Auto Train Lounge Cars?
Thanx
RF
Thanx
RF
battalion51
Engineer
I believe they've switched to red cushions since this was taken, but the concept is still the same:
Rail Freak
Engineer
ThanxI believe they've switched to red cushions since this was taken, but the concept is still the same:
When I first glanced at the photo, I thought "CCC"!
RF
PerRock
Engineer
Reading this brought up a question. Is there any rule of thumb as to which trains get the SSL with the tables on the upper deck?
peter
peter
C
Choo Choo
Guest
The Eastern long distance lounge cars pale in comparison to the Superliner lounges. They almost make you feel claustrophobic.
B
barbark
Guest
"Beer" the magic word... I'll tell him that.. .haha thanks!
They didn't reinstate the dining car service on 510/517 after the Talgo equipment came back last year. I rode them in April and can confirm they only have "Bistro" service now. Of course, the little "diner" is still in the consist, but they don't serve there. You can take your food in there and sit and eat it, though.
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I'll try to find one and post it but the AutoTrain Lounge car looks like a dining car with a bar in the middle. Nothing special. Meanwhile here is the Capitol Limited Sightseer Lounge car
Here is the Autotrain lounge car:
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spacecadet
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I agree - I prefer to just stay in my own car on the east coast trains. It's really too bad, because the east coast used to have some classic lounge cars back in the old days and Amtrak continued to run them more or less into the 90's. But they wore out and cost more to maintain than the Amfleet lounges, which really aren't very relaxing.
Though I do think they could be configured in a way that would make them a little nicer. The booth design just makes them feel like a "dead" dining car all the time, and there's nothing more depressing on a train than that.
I just wonder why they didn't keep the idea of the traditional observation car. Some of those had observation domes almost the full length of the car.
Observation cars, as in the often-rounded, end-of-train car? Or dome cars?
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
The traditional Observation Car is the end of train round or blunt tail found on many streamliners or open platform found on the heavyweight consists. They didn't survive too long with Amtrak.
spacecadet
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Like Eric, I'm not totally sure if you mean observation cars or dome cars (they're two different things)...
Dome cars never ran on the routes that currently use single-level equipment due to clearance issues, although there are obviously some east coast routes that don't have those issues (Capitol Limited, Auto Train, etc.) and unless something's changed recently (I've been away from here for a while), those routes should now have Superliner sightseer lounges like western trains. Not sure about the Cardinal at this point.
Amtrak did inherit a bunch of observation cars, but they were among the first of the heritage fleet to go... the problem was the operations required to keep them in the back of the train. They had to be wyed, whereas most trains in the Amtrak era are just switched at the yard so the cars are in the right order, but they're not turned around. Amtrak did have a few observation cars that could be used mid-train in either direction and they did use them that way, but they looked weird mid-train and often backwards and probably had their eccentricities when used that way, so they didn't stay around very long.
There were some dome-observation cars, if that's what you mean... though they'd have the same clearance problems as mid-train dome cars, so their potential use in the east was limited.
Amtrak did have some amazing regular single-level lounges, though. I remember taking the Silver Meteor back in the late 80's and they were still running a "pub car" that had a grand piano and a bar on that train.
PerRock
Engineer
It kind of makes me wonder how hard it would be to make a Viewliner dome car. I doubt you'd get the old "solid" glass dome; but something similar to a Sightseer wouldn't be that bad.
peter
peter
As discussed in other replies, the lounges with the plush chairs and upgraded interior are the Coast Starlight's Pacific Parlor Cars. There has been a lot of debate as to whether PPC like cars should be added to other LD train, but there is simply no capital funding availability to do so.
One of my illusions before I began taking trains in 2005 was that LD trains all had upscale lounges like the PPCs where first class (sleeper) passengers met and interacted. That is not the case. The lounge cars on other LD trains are at best, "functional", but not very inviting, or conducive to socializing. For now, we need to be grateful for what we've got and hope that in the future, better lounge cars are a fiscal reality. Don't hold your breath.
spacecadet
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I think the sightseer lounges on Superliner trains are pretty good, and this coming from the guy who was just lamenting the loss of the real old-style lounges that Amtrak inherited. Whenever I take a Superliner train, I end up spending about 90% of my time in the lounge, and I've met plenty of people that way (some I was happy to meet, others... not so much. You do meet some characters on the train). I think the huge windows and the roominess of the car make it pretty relaxing, and the seating layout is good for a lounge - there are both single and double seats, and if I remember right some of them can swivel and some are in a fixed position, so there are options for how you arrange yourself in a group.
I've never taken the Coast Starlight but I've seen pictures and I'm sure the PPC is a major upgrade, but I still think the standard sightseers are similar enough to most of the old west coast lounge cars. Almost to the point that I always wonder how long until some bean counter at Amtrak gets rid of them for not being utilitarian enough. We can't have people actually enjoying themselves on the train!
I, too, am somebody who relishes the old style lounge cars, dome cars, observation cars etc.
However, I am very happy in a sightseer lounge today. Spending time in that car is a big part of the trip on the trains that have them.
Spending time in an eastern single level lounge is one of the low points of the trip. Somebody above said it is like a dead dining car and I agree.
On two separate occasions in recent months I have spent time in single level lounge cars with fellow AUers and that is about the only fun I have had there in some period.
And let us hear it for the PPC!!
However, I am very happy in a sightseer lounge today. Spending time in that car is a big part of the trip on the trains that have them.
Spending time in an eastern single level lounge is one of the low points of the trip. Somebody above said it is like a dead dining car and I agree.
On two separate occasions in recent months I have spent time in single level lounge cars with fellow AUers and that is about the only fun I have had there in some period.
And let us hear it for the PPC!!
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