Passenger car sleeper designations

[hon30critter]

I have seen lots of passenger car descriptions that apparently refer to the number and types of accomodation but for some of them I haven't a clue what they mean. For example, the January MMR Walthers ad refers to a 4-4-2 and a 5-2-2 sleeper configuration for their UP City Streamliner. Most of the other configurations are obvious like a 5 Double Bedroom Buffet Lounge or a 44 Seat Coach, but I would like to understand the details of the other configurations. Can anyone give a basic tutorial on what the numbers mean? Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Dave

[Motley]

I'm also curious, I was just wondering the same thing. Good question, I'm sure someone will chime in with the info.

[Randy Stahl]

There are a few good books on Pullman cars . The basic Pullman car consists of  "sections" most cars had them as in the old days all government employees had to use sections instead of the more private and luxurious accommodations. A sectioned car had seats facing in opposite directions in pairs. the person with the cheapest seat had the upper berth and he rode facing backwards. The upper berth had no windows either. In the evenings the porter would make up the beds by placing a mattress between the two lower seats and pull down the upper berth. He would then run the privacy curtains down the aisleways. 

 

Most Pullman car designations began with the number of sections in a car. For example a 12-1 car had 12 sections or 12 pair of opposite facing seats the could be made into an upper and lower berth. The sections although they were cheap offered little privacy so Pullman started changing the floor plans to include roomettes, bedrooms and other floor plans. A 12-1 had 12 sections and one bedroom. A 10-1-2 had 10 sections and 3 private rooms or roomettes. In later years the sections disappeared entirely and roomettes became the first number. The 4-4-2 had 4 roomettes, 4 single bedrooms and one double bedroom.

[G Paine]

Classic Trains, Summer 2008 had an excellent series of articles on Pullman cars. One article had descriptions of the different types of bearthing including drawings of how they were set up for day and night use. You can get a back issue at

http://www.kalmbachstore.com/modeltrains-railroading-railroading-magazines-classic-trains-magazine-back-issues-2000-present.html#paging

[hon30critter]

Randy: Thanks for the insight. I actually got to travel from Toronto to Vancouver and back in 1964 onboard the Canadian. We had an upper berth in a 'section'. I'm not at all suprised that we had the cheapest accomodation (we didn't have a lot of money), and as a matter of fact I remember as a 10 year old thinking that the people in the roomettes etc must be pretty important to have that luxury. As a tribute to the CPR staff, we were treated pretty well.

 As an aside, I met up with a young man who knew the engineer and managed to get us invited into the cab for about 130 miles! Talk about breaking the rules!! I will never forget literally seeing the deer in the headlights.

I am modelling the late 50's. What combinations would have been in use then (CPR)?

Dave

[schlimm]

Randy Stahl

Most Pullman car designations began with the number of sections in a car. For example a 12-1 car had 12 sections or 12 pair of opposite facing seats the could be made into an upper and lower berth. The sections although they were cheap offered little privacy so Pullman started changing the floor plans to include roomettes, bedrooms and other floor plans. A 12-1 had 12 sections and one bedroom. A 10-1-2 had 10 sections and 3 private rooms or roomettes. In later years the sections disappeared entirely and roomettes became the first number. The 4-4-2 had 4 roomettes, 4 single bedrooms and one double bedroom.

Some corrections and more detail on Pullman configurations:

Heavyweights:

10-1-2 = 10 section, 1 drawing room,  2 compartments

12-1 = 12 section, 1 drawing room

8-1-2 = 8 section, 1 drawing room,  2 compartments

6-3 = 6 compartments,  3 drawing rooms

Streamlined equipment:

4-4-2 = 4 double bedrooms, 4 compartments, 2 drawing rooms

6-4-6 = 6 roomettes, 4 double bedrooms, 6 sections

10-6 = 10 roomettes, 6 double bedrooms

6-5-2 = 6 roomettes, 5 double bedrooms, 2 compartments