Superliner
.jpg)
Superliners are double-decker cars operated by the US railroad company Amtrak . Amtrak uses these cars on all long-distance trains west of the Mississippi River as well as the City of New Orleans (Chicago-New Orleans), the Capitol Limited and the Auto Train . The first series (Superliner I) was supplied by Pullman Standard from 1978 to 1981 , the second series (Superliner II) from 1993 to 1995 by Bombardier Transportation , these cars were built in Barre , Vermont .
The Superliners are a further development of the hi-level cars operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway since 1954 and replaced the cars of the predecessor companies of the Amtrak ( Heritage Fleet ) in long-distance transport .
The cars are larger and heavier than other Amtrak cars. They are 85 feet (25,908 mm) long, 10 feet, 2 inches (3099 mm) wide, and 16 feet, 2 inches (4928 mm) high. These cars weigh an average of 157,000 pounds (71 tons). The transition between the cars is on the upper floor. Superliner cars are approved for 161 km / h (100 miles / h). The bogies of the Superliner I wagons were delivered to the USA by Waggon Union from Siegen from 1976 and are Minden-Deutz bogies of the MD76 type, which have been adapted for increased axle loads.
Types
Superliner coaches usually have 74 seats, of which 62 are arranged on the upper deck in the 2 + 2 arrangement with a row spacing of 1.27 m. On the lower deck there are 12 places, a wheelchair area, toilets and the boarding room. Most of the lower floor is used to transport luggage. Instead, some cars have a large hold for checked baggage, a children's play area or a reserved business class seating area on the lower deck.
Most sleeping car ( Sleeper ) offer a total of 44 seats. On the upper deck you have five large two-bed compartments with their own toilet / shower (bedrooms) and ten small two-bed compartments (roomettes), on the lower deck a family compartment (with four beds, two of which are for children), a disabled-accessible two-bed compartment, four roomettes as well as toilets, a shower and Luggage racks. The family and handicapped compartments take up the entire width of the car. The large two-bed compartments can also be occupied by one adult with two children; it is possible to combine two large two-bed compartments to form a suite.
In addition to the regular sleeping cars, there are also cars known as transition sleepers with a car transition at normal height at one end, which can be used together with one-story cars. These cars are equipped with small two-bed compartments (roomettes) on the upper deck and are mainly used as accommodation for the train crew. On the lower deck there is a sleeping compartment suitable for the disabled and a break room for the train crew. As planned, no trains made up of superliners and single-story seating or sleeping cars will be formed, so that the transition cars are usually coupled with luggage cars .
Lounge cars can be used by coach and sleeping car passengers. These are provided with armchairs and large picture windows through which travelers can enjoy the landscape. There is a snack bar and tables in the lower floor.
In the dining car ( diner ), the kitchen is below and the dining room above. A goods elevator transports food and dishes between the two levels.
Further developments
From the Superliner, two car series for Californian day trips were derived, the California Car and the Surfliner . These cars each have two entrances on the lower deck and are capable of push-pull trains .
Remarks
- ↑ a b Jim Loomis: All Aboard: The Complete North American Train Travel Guide pp. 148-149
- ^ A b c Brian Solomon: Amtrak Voyageur Press, 2004 ISBN 0760317658 , pp. 131-133
- ^ Karl Gerhard Baur: Bogies - Bogies. EK-Verlag , 2nd edition, Freiburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-88255-147-1 , pp. 174-196.
- ↑ [1]
