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How many passengers in a Pullman __________ ?

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How many passengers in a Pullman __________ ?
Posted by cefinkjr on Monday, January 8, 2018 9:21 PM

Pullman Sections and Bedrooms could accommodate 2 adults but how many would a Compartment or a Drawing Room sleep?  Were they also single beds?

Chuck
Allen, TX

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, January 8, 2018 10:04 PM

There was room for two adults to sleep in an ordinary lower berth, but it was a little crowded. The berths in compartments, bedrooms, and drawing rooms had the same dimensions as those in open sections. The uppers were essentially the same size, but for a second person to get into the upper was a bit more difficult. The sofas in drawing rooms were, I believe the same width as a lower when the back was turned down to be used as a bed.

As well as I can tell , the berths in the lightweight sleepers were the same size as those in the heavyweights.

I am not really sure about the berths in the original bedrooms, but they may have been of the same design as the sofas in drawing rooms were. 

When standard Pullmans were used in troop train service, each lower was assigned to two men, and each upper was assigned to one man.

The berths in enclosed sections (not many were built) were narrower, for the porter needed room to get the mattresses down from the upper and to properly spread the bedding; I doubt that many slept two to such lowers. Had they been the same width, they would have reached from the exterior wall to the interior wall.

Johnny

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Posted by cefinkjr on Monday, January 8, 2018 10:55 PM

Johnny

You saw through my question. Smile

I am (slowly) assembling a representative troop train.  So far I've got a couple of 12 & 1 sleepers, a couple of 14 section cars and today acquired an 8-1-2.  I knew that three soldiers would be assigned to each section in a WW II MAIN train but I'm wondering how that applied to Compartments and Drawing Rooms.  Were they intended, in civilian use, for more than 2 adults and, if so, how many?

Chuck
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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 8:01 AM

Chuck, in heavyweight sleepers, as well as I can tell, the berths in the compartments and drawing rooms (except, of course, the sofas in the drawing rooms) were just like the berths in the sections. So, if four people wanted to share a drawing room, they could. Remember that the traveling public rented the rooms according to their needs and desires. 

Pullman did charge more for a room if more than one person used it--and the railroads had a minimum tariff, which was more than the cost of a single ticket, for each room. I don't think Pullman charged more if more than one person occupied a berth. Amtrak charges the same for a room, no matter how many people are in it. 

Johnny

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 10:21 AM

cefinkjr

Pullman Sections and Bedrooms could accommodate 2 adults but how many would a Compartment or a Drawing Room sleep?  Were they also single beds?

 
For overnight accomodations, a compartment could sleep two adults and a drawing room could accomodate three adults.  Roomettes were an accomodation for one.
I believe that the difference between a bedroom and a compartment was that a compartment was a bit larger and included an additional chair, similar to bedrooms in a Superliner.
The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Deggesty on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 11:12 AM

In heavyweights, a bedroom had one seat that was transverse to the exterior wall with an overhead berth, whereas a compartment was actually an enclosed section that extended almost the width of the car; both compartments and bedrooms had basins and toilet facilities .

Lightweight compartments were similar to lightweight bedrooms and were about a foot and a half longer than bedrooms (as I found in Canadian accommations; VIA describes both as "cabins for two"). Lightweight bedrooms came in three basic styles--one with a chair and a seat for daytime use with the berths along the outside wall, one with a sofa seat along an inside wall and the upper above it. and one with the berths along an inside wall with two chairs (the last is the arrangement in the Canadian cars).

My wife and I spent several nights together in a lower berth in lightweight cars.

Johnny

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Posted by cefinkjr on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 2:13 PM

Deggesty

My wife and I spent several nights together in a lower berth in lightweight cars.

Tried to book a Drawing Room or Compartment from Toronto to Vancouver several years ago but none were available.  Booked two Bedrooms en suite instead and left one made up during the day.  Great trip through a late October/early November winter wonderland.

Chuck
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Posted by rcdrye on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 6:59 PM

A large number of 12-1 cars assigned to troop train service had the drawing room doors removed, with the drawing room serving as an office for the military.  Most of those cars were non-A/C variants of plan 2410.

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Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 7:15 PM

I had the chance to tour a 10 section, 15 seat lounge with a pantry and 2 salons built in 1924.  The car is the Mount Baxter which was used in the filming of The Natural and is owned by the Midwest Railway Preservation Society here in Cleveland.  Enjoy the pics!

They had one section set up in night configuration:

The lounge area:

Normally you wouldn't take a pic of one of these, but hey!  This one's on a Pullman!  Laugh

Yes, those chairs are in the lavatory!  Excuse me, salon.  Smile, Wink & Grin

Robert Redford sat here:

Okay, this one's not so exciting:

Just the electrical cabinet.

 

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Deggesty on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 7:42 PM

That's really nice, Becky. Thank you.

I never slept in a heavyweight sleeper, though I did sleep in an upper in one of the first 6-6-4 lightweights--American Sailor, which ran on the first daily City of Portland. It was in use on the Seminole in the summer of 1966. The upper berths had windows.

As to use of drawing rooms on Mains, the Pullman conductor used one for his office.

Johnny

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Posted by MidlandMike on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 8:40 PM

Was the lounge section also the solarium?

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Posted by cefinkjr on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 10:55 PM

Great pics!  Thanks for posting.  They were indeed enjoyed.

BTW, those electrical cabinets --- and the linen lockers --- in my Walthers Pullmans are pressed into service as weight receptacles.  I like my cars about 1 oz over the NMRA standard for better tracking.  In most Walthers heavyweights, there is just enough room in the electrical cabinets and linen lockers to hold the needed .73 oz of #8 shot.

Lesson learned the hard way though: Don't rely on a cap to hold the shot in place. Carefully dribble Ambroid cement into the shot before capping the electrical cabinet or linen locker.  I accidentally dropped a 12-1 (in its box thankfully) and it's now on my work bench waiting to have the shot weight reinstalled.

Chuck
Allen, TX

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