Sleeper Car Trips

[BLOND37]

the longest i have been on a train is DC to PVD... though usually its NYC to PVD... if i wanted to take a longer trip - and keep in mind PVD is my home station - i'd want to take a trip where i have sleeper room.. what trip would be good for me as a beginner... also the train runs even at night while i'd be sleeping right?

also where does the water come from on a train?

 

[AlanB]

Living in PVD, I'd suggest either the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago or a Silver Service train from NYP to some destination in Florida. The Lake Shore is a bit shorter of a ride and more scenic than the Silvers, although not wonderfully so when compared to the western trains.

Yes, the train keeps running at night even while you're sleeping.

And water is held in tanks in each car of the train. At certain stations where the operating crews change and the engines are refueled, like say Toledo, more water can also be added to each car if they are running low.

 

[BLOND37]

Living in PVD, I'd suggest either the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago or a Silver Service train from NYP to some destination in Florida. The Lake Shore is a bit shorter of a ride and more scenic than the Silvers, although not wonderfully so when compared to the western trains.
Yes, the train keeps running at night even while you're sleeping.

And water is held in tanks in each car of the train. At certain stations where the operating crews change and the engines are refueled, like say Toledo, more water can also be added to each car if they are running low.

How long of a trip is the lake shore ltd from bos to Chicago?

 

[AlanB]

Living in PVD, I'd suggest either the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago or a Silver Service train from NYP to some destination in Florida. The Lake Shore is a bit shorter of a ride and more scenic than the Silvers, although not wonderfully so when compared to the western trains.
Yes, the train keeps running at night even while you're sleeping.

And water is held in tanks in each car of the train. At certain stations where the operating crews change and the engines are refueled, like say Toledo, more water can also be added to each car if they are running low.

How long of a trip is the lake shore ltd from bos to Chicago?

Not including getting to/from Boston, it's about 22 hours each way, so two nights and 44 hours total, plus a layover in Chicago of about 12 hours.

 

[p&sr]

also where does the water come from on a train?

From the faucets.

The faucets get it from the water tanks, as Alan says. And the water tanks are filled at Stations. By a hose.

Where does the hose get the water? From the faucets. Same old story.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

also where does the water come from on a train?

From the faucets.

The faucets get it from the water tanks, as Alan says. And the water tanks are filled at Stations. By a hose.

Where does the hose get the water? From the faucets. Same old story.

thats of course of you get a attendant that will re-fill the tanks. theirs been stores were attendants REFUSED to refill the tanks.

 

[Guest]

also where does the water come from on a train?

Western trains are filled from a crystal clear spring in the Rockies.

Eastern trains are filled from an open sludge pipe, near some refineries, in NJ.

 

[cmthru]

The water on the AutoTrain is downright awful. Tastes like it came from rusted pipes. We bring our own bottled water.

 

[AlanB]

Eastern trains are filled from an open sludge pipe, near some refineries, in NJ.

There are no re-watering stops in NJ, sorry. Trains are watered in Sunnyside yard, which gets its water from the NYC water system long rated one of the best tasting waters around.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Eastern trains are filled from an open sludge pipe, near some refineries, in NJ.

There are no re-watering stops in NJ, sorry. Trains are watered in Sunnyside yard, which gets its water from the NYC water system long rated one of the best tasting waters around.

No wai. NJ has the best tasting water around, and I dun care what other people say.

 

[the_traveler]

the longest i have been on a train is DC to PVD... though usually its NYC to PVD... if i wanted to take a longer trip - and keep in mind PVD is my home station - i'd want to take a trip where i have sleeper room.. what trip would be good for me as a beginner

Even though part of it would be a duplicate of your previous rides (WAS-PVD), I would recommend going PVD to BOS on a regional then connecting to the LSL to CHI. On the return, you may want to take the CL from CHI to WAS and then connect to a regional back to PVD.

This way, you can try both types of sleeping cars. The LSL uses Viewliners (single level) while the CL uses Superliners (bi-level - as on western trains)!

 

[sky12065]

where does the water come from on a train?

Wow! Nobody's noticed the rain catchers on the roof of each car? Must be Amtraks best kept secret!

 

[ourlouisiana]

Is that what the SA's are doing when you can't find them, filling the water bottles with the rainwater from the roof tray ???

What about the bottled water they serve you, it comes from the municipal water system where ???

 

[PRR 60]

Here's a tip. Never, ever drink water from a tap on a train (or a plane). The water may be fine going in, but how about the tank and the plumbing on the train? This is not like a building plumbing system that stays filled with water all the time. This system empties, fills, empties, and fills. In the summer the system gets hot. Enclosed, damp, warm environments are not conducive to maintaining 100% safety.

I treat the water on a train like a third-world water system. I use bottled water for drinking, and wash with the train water. I even rinse after bushing teeth with bottled water. That may be overkill, but I figure that helps me ensure a more restful trip, and reduces the the chance that I might have the necessity of testing the capacity of the other side of the on board plumbing system.

Just a thought.

 

[BLOND37]

Living in PVD, I'd suggest either the Lake Shore Limited from Boston to Chicago or a Silver Service train from NYP to some destination in Florida. The Lake Shore is a bit shorter of a ride and more scenic than the Silvers, although not wonderfully so when compared to the western trains.
Yes, the train keeps running at night even while you're sleeping.

And water is held in tanks in each car of the train. At certain stations where the operating crews change and the engines are refueled, like say Toledo, more water can also be added to each car if they are running low.

How long of a trip is the lake shore ltd from bos to Chicago?

Not including getting to/from Boston, it's about 22 hours each way, so two nights and 44 hours total, plus a layover in Chicago of about 12 hours.

how is food (lunch/dinner) handled on the trains like this... someone mentioned seatings?

i assume they have two train drivers...?

 

[Amtrak839]

The water on the AutoTrain is downright awful. Tastes like it came from rusted pipes. We bring our own bottled water.

I love the Auto Train water. It does taste funny, but I don't mind it, probably because I grew up drinking it.

 

[Joel N. Weber II]

how is food (lunch/dinner) handled on the trains like this... someone mentioned seatings?

My experience in 2008 (May and December) taking the Lake Shore Limited from BOS to CHI/SOB is that dinner was served shortly after departing ALB (a little after 7 PM the first trip, and somewhere around 8:30 the second trip because the train was late departing NYP). Lunch seemed to be a matter of just wandering over to the pretend dining car when I felt like eating.

i assume they have two train drivers...?

When you take the train from Rhode Island to Manhattan, I believe the engineer and conductor switch at New Haven, so you get one engineer for the Boston/Rhode Island to New Haven segment and another from New Haven to Manhattan. On an overnight trip, you'll probably have more than two operating crews during the full length of the trip. But there will be a sleeping car attendant or coach attendant with you for the whole trip.

 

[the_traveler]

i assume they have two train drivers...?

Train operating crews (the engineers and conductors) by law can only work a certain number of hours, so they change every 6 to 7 hours. That's why you hear about "crew change points". (The onboard staff - like the dining car crew and car attendants - stay with the train from the beginning of the run to the end.)

Dinner is by reservation. Lunch may or may not be. If it is, the LSA come thru the train to make them. (Sleeping car passengers get first choice.) Breakfast is first come - first serve.

 

[AlanB]

how is food (lunch/dinner) handled on the trains like this... someone mentioned seatings?
i assume they have two train drivers...?

If you took the LSL to Chicago, and you went coach, then things could be very different for you. But assuming that you get a sleeper like the title suggests, then under the old way of doing things you would go to the cafe car and show your ticket to get something for lunch. I haven't yet heard that Amtrak has resumed that practice now that they've restored sleeping car service, but I would expect that they have done so.

Dinner will happen after the Boston section combines with the New York section in Albany. They may give you a specific time or they may just send everyone in the sleeper down to the diner at once. Breakfast will be first come first served.

You'll arrive into Chicago before lunch, so lunch will be on your own in either the station or in Chicago.

Now if you return on the LSL, the you'll also need to do dinner on your own dime in the station. You will have a wine and cheese tasting upon boarding, but no real food unless you go to the cafe car and buy it. Breakfast will be first come, first served and they generally do the same for lunch, which is an abreviated service if the train is running on time. For dinner, you'll be back to the cafe car, which again I'm assuming that you'll just show your ticket and be able to pick from the items in the cafe.

Should you return on the Capitol as someone suggested, then you would get dinner out of Chicago. Reservations are usually taken when you check into the Metropolitan lounge, but can still be obtained onboard although prime times may be gone by then. Breakfast would be first come fiirst served, and lunch is usually the same and once again abreviated if the train is on time. You'll have to buy dinner either in the station in DC or onboard the NEC train in the cafe car.

As for engineers, it depend on where the crew change points are. Some streches there may only be one person in the cab, on others there will be two.

 

[AlanB]

When you take the train from Rhode Island to Manhattan, I believe the engineer and conductor switch at New Haven, so you get one engineer for the Boston/Rhode Island to New Haven segment and another from New Haven to Manhattan.

Only on Regional trains does the crew switch in New Haven. That's a throw back to pre-electrification of New Haven to Boston. Back then, when the engine changed, the crew changed.

Acela crews run through from Boston direct to NYP with no change in New Haven.