Last year i travelled on the Builder from Chicago. It was great to travel on the last waggon (sleeper) of the train, so there was a great possibility to enjoy the view from the window at the end of the train and reach this point without a small walk. In which direction of the two trains mentioned is a sleeper at the end of the train?
All my travels on the Zephyr were when the train was split up on route for different destinations, so sleepers might have been at both ends. However, since the splits have been eliminated, I believe the sleepers are always at the back end, and the trains are "wyed" at both ends, so the coach seats are facing the right way. I believe the Chief is oriented the same. Most western trains have more than one sleeper, so you still might not be on the last car. It has been a few years since I took either train, so things might have changed.
This past March and April, I made to trips on the California Zephyr--and found that all of the sleepers were at the head end, and the coaches were at the rear. Since the 0540 and 0640 cars (those with the accomodations for the On BoardService Crew) were just behind the baggage car previously, it seems that someone decided to have all of the sleepers together instead of keeping the 030-31-32 cars on the rear. I do not know what, if any, changes have been made in the consist of other trains. I, for one, did enjoy being able to look back at where we had been without having to go through most of the train.
Johnny
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