When I was with ICRR I spent a lot of time riding between Memphis and Chicago and Memphis and Birmingham on Pullman Plan 4099 cars on the Louisianne and Seminole (6sec 6rmt 4Dbr). My credentials allowed me a roomette, but I always booked the lower. For some reason, a lower slept better than a roomette. Ladders were of the folding variety for the uppers (The porter did not have to get it.) Once I booked late and had to take an upper--lowers were MUCH better.
I'm Alabamy bound
They'll be no heebie-jeebies hangin' 'round
Just gave the meanest ticket man on earth
All I'm worth to put my tootsies in an upper berth
Pullman608 When I was with ICRR I spent a lot of time riding between Memphis and Chicago and Memphis and Birmingham on Pullman Plan 4099 cars on the Louisianne and Seminole (6sec 6rmt 4Dbr). My credentials allowed me a roomette, but I always booked the lower. For some reason, a lower slept better than a roomette. Ladders were of the folding variety for the uppers (The porter did not have to get it.) Once I booked late and had to take an upper--lowers were MUCH better.
Most likely a function of where the berths and roomette's were located in the car.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Weren't the berths and roomettes at the ends of the cars?
Johnny
The prewar plan 4099 cars had 6 sections over the truck, 6 roomettes in the middle, and 4 double bedrooms (no toilet enclosure) over the other truck at the vestibule end. The postwar 6-6-4s were mostly built with the sections and roomettes on the ends, and the bedrooms (enclosed toilets) in the middle.
Even though the "best" rooms were supposed to be in the middle of the car, a lot of cars tended to wallow a bit, so the over-the-truck location might have made for a better ride. Most of the postwar 10 and 6's were arranged with roomettes 1 and 2 and bedroom A in the middle so you had a good idea of where you were relative to the trucks. Bedrooms were supposed to be on the right side of the car (along with odd numbered sections and roomettes) to minimize noise when meeting opposing trains on right-handed double track.
Thanks, Rob. My only ride in a pre-war 6-6-4 was in UP's American Sailor (which was in the consist of the first daily City of Portland out of Chicago) from North Cairo to Birmingham in June of 1966. The agent in North Cairo could not sell me space (I had jsut come up from Memphis on the Louisiane), but the porter took my money when I boarded and asked for an upper. I did not explore the car, but went to bed right away, and had time to wash and dress before detraining in the morning.
Incidentally, I always felt that the prewar bedrooms (and compartments) did not give enough privacy as to toilet arrangements.
Deggesty I always felt that the prewar bedrooms (and compartments) did not give enough privacy as to toilet arrangements.
At least they didn't just hand out plastic bags to passengers.
Something tugged at my brain as I remembered the layout of the upstair level on Superliner sleepers (essentially a 10-5). Postwar 10/6 sleepers from all builders used Pullman diagrams 214 and 215 which have the EVEN numbered roomettes on the right side (2 is still in the middle of the car and bedroom A on the end of the car with F in the middle. Main difference between diagram 214 and 215 is the bedroom layout, with 214 having all crosswise beds and 215 having lengthwise beds in B, D and F. Bedrooms on diagram 214 cars (mostly P-S, ACF) are at the "front", for diagram 215 cars (mostly Budd) in the "back".
UP and C&NW split a postwar 1950 order of six "American" 6-6-4's on the old plan (diagram 282)from ACF, then split a 1955 order with P-S with Wabash for "National" 6-6-4's with the bedrooms in the middle.
Interesting info. I rode in a bedroom with 2 friends on UP City of St. Louis, one slept in the upper and two of us in the lower. We had our own bathroom and it was on the right side of train but never knew why.
Rode in a regular Pullman with curtains on CP "Canadian" I paid extra for the lower and there was some confusion when we boarded at around midnight in Winnipeg. The conductor had to sort it out and ended up making some man sleep with his wife - instead of in a separate berth so he could put me in that one. The man kept saying I paid extra for a lower and I said so did I. We woke everyone else in the car up by the time it was taken care of. It was some glitch in the records and no-can't blame computers-this was before they were being used for everything.
Have rode in the deluxe bedrooms on Amtrak Empire Builder and SW Chief, for long trips wanted my own bathroom, but with prices now, I"ll take a roomette on my next trip.
If it was the same operator I remember from the sixties, he was not wound too tight. Whenever I had to deal with reservations from Cairo, I'd get on the phone with the bureau in Chicago rather than try to explain something to this guy. In all fairness, most of Cairo's passenger activities involved crew change.
Was it possible that no space was set aside at Cairo?
I have had some interesting experiences when having paid for a Pullman seat when boarding at a way station. The first such came when I changed from Southern's # 35 to the Crescent at Greenville, S.C. I had boarded at Charlotte and had not been able to sleep. When I boarded in Greenville, I was taken to the lounge--and went to sleep on one of the sofas. I woke in time to eat breakfast when we stopped in Gainesville--and a porter put me into a bedroom in RF&P's Caroline County. I had another seat in the same car a few years later when I was put into a bedroom suite when I boarded SAL's Silver Star in Tampa as I was on the way to St. Petersburg.
I was even sold a seat when there was apparently nothing available on the car--in May of 1972, I made a round trip from Birmingham to Decatur, Alabama and back, going north on the Floridian and taking the southbound back. When I boarded, I asked the porter about a room, and he told me that all the space was occupied. However, I proceeded to roomette number one, and surprised my financée, who was coming to visit me. I had not been certain that I would get up to Decatur in time, so I did not tell her that I planned to meet her there.
My sole experience with occupying sections at night was on VIA in 1983. It was unforgettable.
My wife and I were on vacation in June and had taken the ONR train from Toronto to North Bay. After a nice day or two there (including a tour of the ONR shops) we boarded the Toronto - Cochrane VIA train about 3 AM. I had reserved an upper and lower section for the two of us because we'd only be on board about 6 or 7 hours. What a great decision!
Each of us instantly found the width of the berth to be almost like a king sized bed. The mattress was much more generous and comfortable than Amtrak's and the 100% genuine wool blanket was of a type and weight that was a mere memory in the USA. I had the lower berth, with the window, and I still like to recall seeing the full moon rising on that clear, cold morning, as I snuggled in my warm berth as we sped through the pine woods and past frosty farms.
Still, in 1983 I knew these sections had not long to live; even then they were rare in North American railroading. I took in the spectacle of the car's heavy green curtains, the ladders, and the omnipresent porter and found the whole experience something to treasure for a lifetime.
Several days later we took the VIA train from Cochrane back to Toronto, but this time in a bedroom in what we'd today call a Heritage sleeper. It was a fine experience, but not quite as wonderful or comfortable as being in a lower berth when night turns into morning.
Sunnyland Rode in a regular Pullman with curtains on CP "Canadian" I paid extra for the lower and there was some confusion when we boarded at around midnight in Winnipeg. The conductor had to sort it out and ended up making some man sleep with his wife - instead of in a separate berth so he could put me in that one. The man kept saying I paid extra for a lower and I said so did I. We woke everyone else in the car up by the time it was taken care of.
Rode in a regular Pullman with curtains on CP "Canadian" I paid extra for the lower and there was some confusion when we boarded at around midnight in Winnipeg. The conductor had to sort it out and ended up making some man sleep with his wife - instead of in a separate berth so he could put me in that one. The man kept saying I paid extra for a lower and I said so did I. We woke everyone else in the car up by the time it was taken care of.
The other guy could have been hurt a lot worse -- if the conductor had bedded you down with his wife!
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