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  • Well actually Anderson said:


    Edit 2: I think LAX-SYD/BNE only really ends up being long enough because it also crosses the equator (whereas a lot of the Europe-US routes end up being polar-ish).
Actually, the Europe - US routes are not Polarish at all. Specially headed east they are often a little south of Iceland and sometimes a lot south of it. The westbound go a little further north to avoid having the entire jet stream on their nose, but seldom too far north of the southern tip of Greenland. But things vary from day to day depending on the shape and strength of the jet stream and location of other weather features enroute.

OTOH, flights from Asia are a different matter, specially the westbounds. They tend to go far north of the Arctic Circle to avoid the jet stream entirely. Eastbound, depending on where they are going they tend to take the grat circle route, unless the jet stream is blowing strong, in which they take a longer southerly route to take advantage of the jet stream.

For example, on the EWR - SIN flight, depending on the state of the winds, I have flown it across the North Pole, over Siberia and once over Caspian Sea, the Stans and India. The latter was really goofy since my destination was Kolkata. We basically flew over Kolkata to Singapore and then I backtracked later in the day to Kolkata. OTOH, westbound flights even from Delhi or Mumbai, often head straight north after avoiding the Himalayas by flying over Afghanistan. They often go all the way north to the Arctic Ocean near Murmansk or a little east of there, and then essentially do the "Atlantic Crossing" over the Arctic Ocean to northern Greenland. How far north they will go depends on the shape and strength of the jet stream.
 
Now back to Cabins .... let's see if I can upload a few photos....

The photos are taken inside an ex-CB&Q (Denver Zephyr - Silver Slumber) Slumbercoach that is preserved and in reasonably good shape, with Amtrak furnishing and decor. The photos in order are:

  1. Corridor - notice the alternating level entry and step up entry to the alternating lower and upper singles.
  2. Double - like the Viewliner Roomettes
  3. Single lower in the process of being converted from daytime configuration to night time configuration
  4. Single lower night time configuration
  5. Single upper daytime configuration
  6. Single upper night time configuration
Corridor.jpg

Double.jpg

Single Lower Converting from Day to Night.jpg

Single Lower Night.jpg

Single Upper Day.jpg

Single Upper Night.jpg
 
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Now back to Cabins .... let's see if I can upload a few photos....

The photos are taken inside an ex-NP Slumbercoach that is preserved and in reasonably good shape, with Amtrak furnishing and decor. The photos in order are:

  1. Corridor - notice the alternating level entry and step up entry to the alternating lower and upper singles.
  2. Double - like the Viewliner Roomettes
  3. Single lower in the process of being converted from daytime configuration to night time configuration
  4. Single lower night time configuration
  5. Single upper daytime configuration
  6. Single upper night time configuration
View attachment 10880

View attachment 10881

View attachment 10882

View attachment 10883

View attachment 10884

View attachment 10885
Where did you take (or find) these?
 
Flights from Asia are a different matter, [especially] the westbounds. They tend to go far north of the Arctic Circle to avoid the jet stream entirely. Eastbound, depending on where they are going they tend to take the [great] circle route, unless the jet stream is blowing strong, in which they take a longer southerly route to take advantage of the jet stream. For example, on the EWR - SIN flight, depending on the state of the winds, I have flown it across the North Pole, over Siberia and once over Caspian Sea, the Stans and India.
I've traveled Westbound to Asia from LAX, SFO, DEN, DFW, IAH, ORD, & JFK without a single flight north of the Arctic Circle.  Typically they fly well South of Alaska, at least insofar as the airshow map displays.  Not saying that polar flights don't exist, just at that they're not exactly common for folks outside of the Northeast.
 
I didn't know there were any slumber coaches left in that condition. I think it's safe to see that I'll be making my way over there when I'm in FL next month. Thanks! 
Anthony says there may be another one in some museum in Atlanta.

Gold Coast Museum also has the US Car No. 1, used by FDR and Truman and perhaps other Presidents too. The bulletproofing on the "Ferdinand Magellan" is amazing, specially those glass panels in the windows.

Incidentally, here is a very interesting page about  Amtrak (and a few other) Heritage Sleepers
 
Devil said:
I've traveled Westbound to Asia from LAX, SFO, DEN, DFW, IAH, ORD, & JFK without a single flight north of the Arctic Circle.  Typically they fly well South of Alaska, at least insofar as the airshow map displays.  Not saying that polar flights don't exist, just at that they're not exactly common for folks outside of the Northeast.
You are correct, flights from East Asia follow the routing you mention. Flights from South and West Asia however follow a different routing. My error in not being more specific.For the reallly ULHs sometimes they just fly around the world going eastwards for both the outbound from the US and the return to the US. The San Francisco to Delhi non stop apparently does that, as did the (and possibly again does) EWR - SIN - EWR nonstop.
 
Some more info about the one near Atlanta....

The Slumbercoach (Loch Arkoig originally built for the 20th Century Ltd.) near Atlanta is in the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth GA about 25 miles NE of Atlanta.
 
I didn't know there were any slumber coaches left in that condition. I think it's safe to see that I'll be making my way over there when I'm in FL next month. Thanks!
You’ve gotta be kidding me. Apparently the museum is closed on until January 5th. In Florida. WHY????
 
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The Slumbercoach (Loch Arkaig originally built for the 20th Century Ltd.) near Atlanta is in the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth GA about 25 miles NE of Atlanta.
Jis(hnu}, it should be noted that the eighteen Slumbercoaches were not built on order for any road; they were built "on spec".  Budd quickly received purchase orders  for four from "the Q" and followed by two from the B&O. Twelve sat at Budd until the NYC agreed to lease four, the NP bought four naming them "Loch--", the B&O acquired three and the MP one (lease/purchaser, I know not) for a Wash-San Antonio line.  That put all of 'em in revenue service.  The NYC released theirs at expiration and were bought by the NP.  The eight were sold to Amtrak. The four B&O-MP cars were also acquired by Amtrak. The first two were eventually purchased by Amtrak, but only after the B&O sold them to a third party.  Amtrak paid "dearly" for those final two; where the proceeds ended up, I ask not.
 
Anthony says there may be another one in some museum in Atlanta.

Gold Coast Museum also has the US Car No. 1, used by FDR and Truman and perhaps other Presidents too. The bulletproofing on the "Ferdinand Magellan" is amazing, specially those glass panels in the windows.

Incidentally, here is a very interesting page about  Amtrak (and a few other) Heritage Sleepers
Great link, thanks for posting!

Those "Harbor Series", 16-10 Slumbercoaches (Or in NYC  parlance, Sleepercoaches) were my favorites, as they contained the four "bonus" single rooms, that were actually built as double rooms, but were only fitted with a single berth, giving lucky occupants a large room, with a large window, at the same price as the duplex single rooms in the same car.... :cool:
 
But then who wants to own a Bus??😄😊
We visited friends one day during our recent sojourn in Florida. They've bought a mobile home in what I could only describe as a "high end" park - not at all what comes to mind when one thinks of a trailer park. There were a few of these recent buses converted to mobile homes there in addition the purpose-built ones. We were told some were worth big bucks and people lived in them year-round - staying in FL for the winter, then heading north to an equivalent park.

Not something I would consider personally, but...
 
We visited friends one day during our recent sojourn in Florida. They've bought a mobile home in what I could only describe as a "high end" park - not at all what comes to mind when one thinks of a trailer park. There were a few of these recent buses converted to mobile homes there in addition the purpose-built ones. We were told some were worth big bucks and people lived in them year-round - staying in FL for the winter, then heading north to an equivalent park.

Not something I would consider personally, but...
I understand, I was teasing Railiner!

Ive seen some of the Tour Buses that Stars ride in and they can cost Millions!!!lol 😉
 
I understand, I was teasing Railiner!

Ive seen some of the Tour Buses that Stars ride in and they can cost Millions!!!lol 😉
I hear you. Not to stray too far off-topic, but CBS Sunday Morning did a profile a couple of years ago on Chris Tomlin - a highly regarded Christian artist, and his tour bus was worth around $1.5M. Impressive, but I'm thinking not in the league of more well-known celebrities.
 
We visited friends one day during our recent sojourn in Florida. They've bought a mobile home in what I could only describe as a "high end" park - not at all what comes to mind when one thinks of a trailer park. There were a few of these recent buses converted to mobile homes there in addition the purpose-built ones. We were told some were worth big bucks and people lived in them year-round - staying in FL for the winter, then heading north to an equivalent park.

Not something I would consider personally, but...
There's actually a big difference between what you described as a "mobile home", which usually never leave the site they are first placed on...they are really better described as "factory-built homes"; and "motor homes", which are self-powered, and built for travel.
 
I like the option of the overnight sleeper bus for LAX TO SAN FRAN. I don't know how it would fit Amtrak schedules. Chicago to Cleveland would work if anybody was going there. Hopefully they provide a better way of getting into and out of a upper bunk than planting your foot on someone face while they are in a lower bunk. The bunk sizes look much bigger than the top bunk of superliners that I've stumbled and bumbled into and out of, not to mention lying in the bunk thinking this car just left the rails when the jerking and jolting suddenly stops and it's dead smooth.
 
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