hi55us

https://www.universalhub.com/2021/am...between-boston

Doesn't look bookable yet, checked every Monday in April and May, beyond me why with 3x weekly service on the Long Distance routes they haven't been trying to sell sleeping car space on the few regional trains that are running.

WeekendTraveler

That’s great news; thanks for sharing.

Agreed: surely there are Viewliner sleepers just sitting unused these days. I took the Silver Star in a sleeping car from NYC to Washington. It was the best Northeast Corridor trip I’ve ever taken and I’d think that some people who wouldn’t otherwise travel these days would be willing to do so in a private room.

Longboater

Booking is now available. Given the number of new Viewliner II sleepers being delivered, Amtrak has quietly accepted delivery of 12 of the 25 new Viewliner II sleepers in order since April 2020 with 16 in total been delivered so far, I have to assume this will be permanent. There are multiple differences between the Viewliner I and Viewliner II, most notable that roommettes no longer have the weird sink/toilet combination. Also, a notable difference is the speed rating. Viewliner I sleepers are rated only for 110 mph while the Viewliner II sleepers, baggage, baggage/dorm, and dining cars are rated for 125 mph. So, given the current schedule of trains 65, 66, and 67 being unchanged timing wise, I believe it is very likely Viewliner II's will be regularly offered on these trains.

danib62

Pricing seems to be messed up, right now it will offer me a roomette for 1 at $288 but adding a second adult jacks the price up to $438 when the coach price is $49. Also my companion coupons don't seem to be doing anything when I apply them...

Often1

It's a good chance to penetrate the market when air frequencies are awful. The price is very attractive if one eliminates a hotel night in the process.

Bedrooms are available for $332 and besides the extra space, include an "ensuite" shower, meaning that one can arrive into WAS fully cleaned up & dressed for the day (without having to get up particularly early for the limited shared facilities).

AndyPatterson

I remember thinking about doing the sleeper on a WAS-BOS trip in late September 2001, when some people were still uncertain about flying... But I realized that with about 18 train stops en route, I would likely be woken up at each stop by the train's coming to a stop and then starting up again. Unlikely to get an uninterrupted night's sleep, so I ended up flying, and it worked out fine.

Also, what's the ventilation like in the sleepers -- can you control the temperature and air volume individually, or does the conductor do that on a car-wide basis?

WeekendTraveler

Yes, each room has its own temperature and fan controls.

I find the curtains on Viewliners not effective at completely blocking out light, but eye masks (which you can get at Target) do the trick. I sleep fine on the Crescent.

AndyPatterson

Thanks for clarification on the individual temperature/fan controls.

Looking at the Crescent schedule, I see that it makes slightly fewer "night-time" stops than does the NE Regional. If we assume that the 10 pm stop is "bedtime" for most of us (!), then there are about 9 stops to 630/700 am. Happy to hear that you can sleep through that many stops, but not everyone could...

Bear96

I never notice station stops when I am asleep on the train, unless it is a long one with noise outside or in the hallway with lots of people boarding / disembarking, or cars / engines being swapped in or out so there is a loss of power and extra movement, etc.

But just the normal 30-second stop in Podunk at 0300 so Maw and Paw can get off or on, never. And I am a fairly light sleeper.

WeekendTraveler

I always seem to wake up in Charlotte, due a long layover in a brightly-lit station, but otherwise, stops along the Crescent route are not intrusive (mostly small towns, often with the station only on one side of the train).

danib62

I had the same issue with Cleveland on the Capitol Limited. Bright city lights and me not shutting my shades all the way woke me up. Other than that I slept like a baby.

Often1

Many people find the train relaxing. Others do not.

It certainly beats sitting up in an open car in any class and gives one the evening in Boston with the next workday in Washington.

physioprof

This discussion reminds me of an overnight train I took in northern europe over 30 years ago. It seemed like every station stop they added & subtracted a bunch of cars, so it was like every hour about fifteen minutes of bumping, slamming, and shuddering. Needless to say, I didn't sleep at all...

WeekendTraveler

Why do these trains run so slowly, leaving between 9:30pm and 10pm and arriving between 7am and 8am? They are much slower than regular day trains.

Wouldn't leaving later or arriving earlier make them more competitive vs. flying?

If I don't get to Boston or Washington until 8am on the train, why not just fly?

danib62

It's timed to let you get a full night's sleep and also to be able to work around nightly maintenance crews.

This is getting you downtown at 8am. The equivalent flight means you'd need to wake up at like 4am in order to get to the airport by 6am, no thanks unless you want to be a zombie for the rest of the day.