First Superliner experience

[Twin Star Rocket]

In 1980 I planned a vacation trip to Glacier National Park. I had passed near the park on the EMPIRE BUILDER in 1976 on a grand rail tour of the U.S. on a Railpass but I did not stop there. In 1980 I would.

I left San Jose for Seattle in early September on the COAST STARLIGHT. It was still a conventional consist.

Out of Seattle the EMPIRE BUILDER left with new Superliner cars. I was impressed! I rode in a Superliner coach to West Glacier and spent about a week in the park.

On the return I had a Superliner roomette back to Seattle.

I believe the EMPIRE BUILDER was one of the first Western long-distance trains to be Superliner equipped--if not the first.

My train log does not show the COAST STARLIGHT having Superliners until February 1981. I took a January 1981 trip and my log makes no mention of Superliner equipment.

P.S. Anyone else recall the electronic piano in the bottom level of the lounge car?

 

[E60JPC]

I rode the newly Superliner-equipped San Francisco Zephyr and Southwest Limited in March 1981 and, yes, I do remember the piano on the lower level of the SSL!

 

[railiner]

They equipped the transcontinental trains, as new Superliner's became available, from 'north to south', due to the extreme winter weather effects on the old equipment...

So, yes...the Empire Builder was equipped first.

 

[ehbowen]

From the same general time period (would have been filmed very shortly after the re-equipping):

Continental Divide (trailer)

Edit To Add: Looks from the trailer as if it wasn't filmed on Superliners; I thought it was...but I haven't seen the movie in 36 years.

 

[NativeSon5859]

I was late to the Superliner game. First ride in fall of 1997, CONO from JAN to NOL. Before that all my experiences were on the single level CONO and Crescent.

I did love the Dome Coach on the pre-Superliner CONO.

 

[cpotisch]

I was late to the Superliner game. First ride in fall of 1997, CONO from JAN to NOL. Before that all my experiences were on the single level CONO and Crescent.

I did love the Dome Coach on the pre-Superliner CONO.

I was even later to the Superliner game. My first ride on one was EMY-CHI in August of 2016.

 

[Maglev]

My first impression of Superliners was tempered by my earlier experience riding ex-Santa Fe Hi-levels in 1977. I will never forget walking out to the platform in Chicago and seeing double-deck cars for my train, The Lone Star. On that same trip, I would also ride Hi-levels on the Sunset Limited and Southwest Limited.

The first time I rode a Superliner was in a Bedroom from Oakland to Chicago in 1994. We connected to the Broadway Limited, and our Heritage Sleeper Bedroom was a real letdown with its stained upholstery. I feel the same way going from a refurbished Superliner I to a worn-out Superliner II nowadays.

 

[frequentflyer]

First ride in a Superliner was 1984 on the " Eagle" (nee Inter American).

1. Half the consist had faded stripes ( I guess from the paint stripper and sent back out until it came back paint work) since Amtrak was repainting from Phase 2 to 3 (why get them delivered in phase to begin with?)

2. Superliner Is had the airbag suspension I believe and would "hop" over the slightest imperfections in comparison to the Ex Santa Fe High level coaches and dorm cars in the same consists. Superliner IIs had the similar steel springs trucks.

3.Struck by how eerily quiet the cars were when moving slow around 30 mph or slower. Weird, no sense of movement but the view outside the window changed. Very eery on tracks leading into and out of Chicago Union.

4. Superliner coaches have very good AC systems. At night its down right Artic how cold those cars can get.

Do not know what the future holds for the Superliners with rumors of its replacement being single level versions of Siemens cars. Enjoy these great cars now while we still can.

 

[Maglev]

4. Superliner coaches have very good AC systems. At night its down right Artic how cold those cars can get.

I'd add that the heating system can be very effective in sub-zero temperatures--but as with the AC, there are perhaps too-numerous instances of total failure.

 

[jis]

AFAIR sometime in late 1981 or very early 1982 on the Empire Builder. Brand spanking new consist.

 

[Maglev]

I think I actually remember seeing a Pullman builder's plate in a Superliner. Sad, I think I'm more likely to find builder's plates on e-Bay than ever seeing one where they belong in a passenger car.

 

[cpotisch]

4. Superliner coaches have very good AC systems. At night its down right Artic how cold those cars can get.

You say that like it's a good thing. I don't think I've ever spent a comfortably warm night on a Superliner.

 

[Railroad Bill]

After riding lots of Superliner sleepers, I would say most had heating units that worked well enough to make the room comfortable. The air circulation blowers sometimes keep the upper bunk a bit chilly, but I have not been uncomfortably cold at night. Better to be a bit chilly than stifling hot for sleeping.

 

[zephyr17]

I had one roomette where the floor heater on the Empire Builder was heating uncontrollably. It was like being inside a toaster. The attendant offered to move me to the empty "H" room where the heat wasn't working at all. All in same car, heat out of control in one room, completely bad order in another. Despite it being December, I took the unheated "H" room. The attendant gave me extra blankets. The shower drains froze up, too, so by the second morning, the showers were locked off.

The funny thing is that only two roomettes had the uncontrolled heating problem, 1 & 2, the rest were apparently all right. Some plastic thing the attendant had on the floor of 1 melted.

I'd much rather be too cool than overheated at night.

 

[cpotisch]

I'd much rather be too cool than overheated at night.

Usually I would agree with this, however it was the manner in which the car cooled down at night during our three nights in the Family Bedroom, that made it so miserable. When I would go to bed the room would be at a comfortable temperature, but then it would get really cold in the middle of the night, and I would wake up and have to track down more blankets and layers while half-asleep. So because the temperature fluctuated so much, I had the choice of either adding layers in the middle of the night when it had cooled down, or put on those layers in advance and be way too hot when I go to sleep. A functional heating system would have solved all of that.