Take a look at this photo of the Portland section of the Empire Builder. Note the second car from the rear. It has no lower level windows. Aside from diners, which this is not, what variety of Superliner has no lower level windows?
Posted by SunsetLtd (Member # 3985) on :
That's one of the Coach-baggage cars. Bottom windows are covered up because behind them is the Baggage area. There is a giant door cut into the side of the car to place baggage in. Most of these cars are former Coach-smoking cars. They are always used on the Portland section of the Builder for checked baggage Spokane-Portland. They are also regulars of the Sunset during its off-peak season when there is not enough baggage for a full baggage car.
OK, but then why would a coach-baggage car be consisted in mid-train and not directly behind the loco or at the very end?
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
When the Builder is split into two sections in Spokane, the sightseer lounge and all cars behind it are cut off the end of the train to go to Portland. The Coach-Baggage still functions as a coach with complete seating on the upper level and bathrooms in the lower level. So it can go anywhere in the train sequence.
Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :
I've seen a car like this once or twice on the Starlight when I've been down picking up tickets at SBA. What is the layout downstairs? Is there access to the restrooms from the second level?
Frank in Sunny SBA
Posted by MDRR (Member # 2992) on :
Hi Frank, the layout downstairs is identical to the regular coaches except, the area where the coach seats would be,(downstairs),contains an empty room except for a couple shelves on the wall to help with baggage sorting. Hope this helps.
Tom
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
Thanks for clearing that up. I always thought coach-baggage cars had windows.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
Actually, Mr. Toy, I have seen coach-baggage cars with windows on the EB. Sometimes they were simply a regular coach with the lower level seats removed, but it said "Coach Baggage" on the outside. Others have doors to load the baggage in directly from the outside. Maybe all of those had no windows. There could be several variations that have changed over time.
The number of checked baggage stations greatly decreased prior to David Gunn, so the volume probably decreased too. The regular baggage cars may be the oldest on the Amtrak LD fleet. From a cost-reduction standpoint, coach baggage cars may have made sense to the critics on some routes. But to me it is stupid to reduce revenue space. On the EB, they are very practical and appropriate for the Portland section of the EB.
Posted by PaulB (Member # 4258) on :
I have a picture here so we can all stop wondering what's on the lower level
I was standing in the doorway looking into the baggage area. If I turned 180 degrees around, I would walk past a small "open" baggage area that is found on all Superliner coaches, then the doors, then the restrooms.
Posted by Judy McFarland (Member # 4435) on :
What a great photo, Mr Toy! Is that Mt. Rainier in the background, or do I have my geography messed up?
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
Judy - the mountain in Mr. Toy's photo is probably Mount Hood, if that is the Portland section of the EB -- I don't believe Mt. Rainier is visible from the Portland section.
Posted by tommers207 (Member # 3930) on :
I believe my coach car on the last trip I took on the Southwest Chief was like that. Instead of seats downstairs it just had a big luggage area. On my return trip on the CZ we had a snack bar downstairs that was being used for luggage storage.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
If you scroll down from Mr. Toy's photo, there is some discussion of which mountain is in the background. Since Mt. Hood is across the river from the EB, either the river curves around in the background, or it is another mountain.
Being so barren a landscape would suggest eastern Washington, which is some distance from Mt. Hood. It sure looks like Mt. Hood though. Great photo.
Posted by HopefulRailUser (Member # 4513) on :
You will see Mount Hood as soon as I finish my report. Mountain looks the same, countryside not the same.
Posted by RRRICH (Member # 1418) on :
If you look carefully at Mr. Toy's photo, directly above the last 2 coaches, you can see what appears to be the basalt canyon of the Columbia River Gorge again in the background -- this would imply that the route does in fact curve around to the left of the photo and back again, so the majestic white peak would be Mt. Hood......
(that's the geologist in me coming out!!!)
BTW, I believe Mt. St. Helens is too far away from the EB Portland route to be seen from the train, and Mt. St. Helens does NOT look like the mountain in the photo -- and no way is it Mount Rainier........ Gotta be Mt. Hood!!
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)