There's a single common washroom on the upper level of a sleeper car and three (I think) on the lower level. These are all strictly washrooms -- sink and toilet. The shower is a separate unit on the lower level, which makes sense because you're only waiting for people to finish their shower, not using the toilet, brushing teeth, etc.. Towels *are* provided by Amtrak in the shower.

Personally, I've never had a dirty washroom problem when I've been on Amtrak. A little water on the sink, but nothing too bad and nothing disgusting. However, I don't think they routinely clean the washrooms along the way -- there's a sign in each washroom and the shower reminding the passengers to clean up after themselves.

Luggage2: We will be boarding the train at Akron oh, which I believe is an unattended station. We board in the middle of the night. What do we do with our luggage when we board?
Is there a storage area on the coach car for coach passenger luggage? We are taking coach to Chicago and getting a sleeper there for the rest of the trip.

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In my opinion, Amtrak's "Sighseer Lounge" cars are far superior to the old domes. You are seated facing a floor-to-ceiling window! The old domes act like solariums and can become very stuffy, even in winter!

If they're ventilated correctly, the old domes are MUCH better than the Superliner lounge, since they offer a 360 degree panaromic view. One can sit up there and watch the signals change as the train passes, and see well in advance what spectacular views are coming. This is impossible in the Superliner Lounge.

There is normally one sightseer lounge car on each superliner-equipped long-distance train. Seating IS on a first-come, first seated, basis. The seats are lounge or sofa types, not at all like coach seats.

I can answer that for the Standard Bedroom. One time I measured the space under the seats. The space is 9.5" tall, 23" wide and 26" deep. If you have any small bags less than 9.5" thick they will fit under the seats. There is also a small hanger rod (in Superliner II) or small closet (in Superliner I) for a hanging garment bag. There is also a large community luggage rack at the bottom of the stairs in all Superliner cars, both coaches and sleepers. These will take the big pieces easily.

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

" In my opinion, you get a much better view of passing trains from the sightseer. Passing through a single-track through truss bridge at 80 MPH in a conventional dome can be a bit unnerving! "

Bottom line, single level trains should all have domes. I'd like to see Talgos with domes. Bi-level trains can't have domes, so we must compromise.

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

Several more questions....
Regarding the sightseer lounge vs dome cars... can I actually see a picture of a sightseer lounge car anywhere on the net?

Mr. Toy mentions Superliner I and Superliner II. I didn't know there were 2 types of Superliner cars. What is the difference? Is one a standard and one a deluxe ?

Chris mentioned staying in Seattle and taking the 760 in AM to Van BC. Do you have any recommendations for reasonably priced accomodations in Seattle that would be fairly close to the amtrak station?

The train station in Van BC.....is it far from where the cruise ships dock?

Does the cascade have a good reputation for being pretty much on time from Seattle to Van bc and vice versa? The cruise ship leaves at 5 pm so I would want to be in Van bc no later than 2 pm.

One more question that just came to mind....Is there a passenger train that has a run from Van bc or Seattle clear up to Denali National Park or that area??? I haven't heard of one but maybe there is one through a private line?? It would be nice if either amtrak or via would initiate one! It prob would be a very expensive venture!!

This is a navigable site of the inside of a Sightseer Lounge: http://www.360360.com/cgi-bin/photos/showipi1.cgi?/ipix/superliner/sl205_hires.ipx
The Superliner I cars are pretty much the same as Superliner II's. They seem to have the same number of amenities. The car deco (drapes, chair color, etc.) may differ.
You can usually tell a Superliner I from II by the trucks (wheelsets). On the I's, you will be able to see more of the wheels, while on the II's, there would appear to be a metal "ring" around it, with a few curves in it (it might make more sense when you see one!).
The II's may have smoother traveling, because of the redesigned trucks. (Anyone can feel free to jump in at any time and edit this!).
Hope it helps, though.

Here is a Superliner II Sleeper: http://lib2.clark.cc.oh.us/amtrak/amtSUPER/amt32501.jpg

There is a sliding door on each sleeper compartment, isn't there? Not just a curtain.

"Chris mentioned staying in Seattle and taking the 760 in AM to Van BC. Do you have any recommendations for reasonably priced accomodations in Seattle that would be fairly close to the amtrak station?"

Depends on what you call reasonable. I stayed at the Pioneer Square Hotel, a 5 minute cab ride from King St. Station, for about 150 + tax with a AAA discount. Nice, old historical, recently refurbished. I'm sure there's cheaper, but not as close. And lots of restaurants in the neighborhood too.

"The train station in Van BC.....is it far from where the cruise ships dock?"

Not sure - maybe 10-15 minutes by cab, but that's just a guess.

"Does the cascade have a good reputation for being pretty much on time from Seattle to Van bc and vice versa? The cruise ship leaves at 5 pm so I would want to be in Van bc no later than 2 pm."

I checked it every day for a week before I took it. It was always within 15 minutes. Early a couple times. Mine arrived at noon, cleared customs by 12:15. You should have no problem, barring some major delay.

"One more question that just came to mind....Is there a passenger train that has a run from Van bc or Seattle clear up to Denali National Park or that area??? I haven't heard of one but maybe there is one through a private line?? It would be nice if either amtrak or via would initiate one! It prob would be a very expensive venture!!"

Nope, Alaska's not connected by any rail line to either Canada or USA.

quote:

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Originally posted by Kent Loudon:
Both Superliner and "heritage" diners have table seating for four, with movable chairs. Passengers are assigned "tablemates" on a first-come basis. If you appear in the diner as a group, you can be seated together.

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Someone sent me some other web sites to check out also. One is www.amtrakvacations.com/traveltips/body.html ( I don't know how to highlight it so all you have to do is click on it to bring it up...sorry) It has helpful info but much of it was info you folks have already given me.

Another one has the schedule of the empire builder listed, but you can prob find any schedule listed. It is www.libertynet.org/~dvarp/amtrak/w_empbld.html

There is also a site that told about the route of the empire builder between Seattle/Portland and Chicago. It gave a little history of the amtrak stations and towns and regions and other useful things. www.trainweb.com/routes/route_07/rg_7old.htm

Maybe most of you already know of these sites but I didn't so I was happy to receive them. (computer stuff is still pretty new to me)