Access on both levels would NOT be an “easy way” to satisfy ADA issues with Superliners. Superliners have low floors, so the trucks at each end completely prohibit going between cars on the lower level. This is also why the lower level on Superliners and Superliner derivatives are only a little over half the length of the whole car.
As long as you have to have the flexibility to change out individual cars to adjust capacity or sideline bad-order units, and you have to maintain compatibility with the standard freight locomotive coupler height for a potential rescue situation, and you have to fit it all within the standard North American loading gauge plates...you're not going to be able to have access on both levels. Besides, the diner kitchen has got to go somewhere....
None of those issues are showstopper, unless there is some reason for sticking with 16' tall, like Superliners, which is not really anything to do with standard American loading gauge.
While the "Ultra-Domes", ran over the ARR, the cars were actually owned by Princess Cruise Lines. These cars were rebuilt from former Southern Pacific, PS 'gallery' commuter cars, and were built to operate as "pairs". One car had the two dining room's on the lower level, the other car had the galley. One car had full seating on the upper level, the other car had half seats, then a small gift shop, followed by an open-sided observation deck. Later designs built from scratch,
I was more concerned with the lack of an axle in the Talgo suspension allowing two level passage. If you had a permanent trainset then only the ends might need standard couplers. https://www.serina.es/empresas/aecientificos/talgo/Foto8gran.jpgjis said:
Good to know. Yeah I knew they ride on conventional trucks.
Don't be surprised if you see more single unit LD trains.
That is clearly incorrect, since you can build a bilevel on a base floor 4’ above rail, riding on standard trucks, with two 8’ high floors within a 20’ tall standard loading gauge in the US.
Nope, not even close. Let me put it this way. The Lake Shore Limited (New York section) is 20 hours end-to-end, making it one of the shortest long distance routes, yet it needs three consists. Here’s why.
And BTW, there are actually only 14 long distance routes. Still, the fact that the vast majority of them have WAY more than 2 consists more than makes up for this. :help:
There are 16.
Whoops, forgot about the AT. I don’t count the Palmetto as a true long distance train because it doesn’t have sleepers or a dining car. I guess we are talking about diesel locomotives for the national network, so maybe it should be counted, but still, under that logic (that any non-state supported route which uses diesel counts as an LD train), then you would also have to count the Springfield Regionals and Pennsylvanian...
