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National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org
Pictures & Descriptions Amtrak’s First Rebuilt Superliner I Sleeper
On Thursday, August 19, 2004, NARP was invited to inspect Amtrak's first fully-rebuilt Superliner I
sleeping car. The work was done at Amtrak's Beech Grove (Ind.) shops.
Some notes about the car:
- The sleeper, car #32016, was involved in the wreck of the Sunset Limited
at Lissie, Tex. in July 1999.
- This is the first Superliner Sleeper to receive a full rebuild. It was not simply
a wreck damage repair.
- Virtually everything on the car is new: flooring, curtains, wall coverings, bathrooms,
shower, upholstery, heating/air conditioning, etc.
- The bathrooms are perhaps the most improved feature in the car. While
they take up the same space, they seem much larger and more user-friendly.
- The toilet system itself has also been replaced with a new module manufactured by a Maryland
company. If you are a frequent Northeast Corridor rider and were surprised at the sight of a
Superliner sleeper (Car #32001) parked at the MARC heavy overhaul facility at Martin State Airport (east of Baltimore),
the car was there to receive the new system.
- The shower facility is also a big improvement. It features a Viewliner-
style door (instead of curtain) and, like the bathroom, has more space, despite
taking up the same amount of area.
- The wood paneling in the car is not real wood, rather it is heavy-duty wall covering material. It gives the car
a very first-class look.
- All rooms feature new curtains that extend to the bottom of the window. The Beech Grove employees that rode with
with the car said that the curtains kept the light out very well.
- There is an emphasis on dark upholstery to reduce the effects of dirt and wear.
- When one enters Deluxe Bedroom "A" (which is smaller than the other four deluxe rooms)
it does not seem as small as it used to, probably due to the new bathroom door.
- In the photos below, there are parts that appear to be orange. Don't worry...they didn't
forget to remove the 70's carpeting! This is the same wood paneling material as in the
photo of the stairway and the deluxe bedroom. In order to make the pictures web-friendly, the
resolution had to be reduced a bit.
The car will soon go into service as the dorm car on the City of New Orleans and Texas Eagle (which share
equipment). This is being done for two reasons: to get employee feedback about how the car works and open the car to
limited public use to get feedback from passengers (eight Standard bedrooms in the dorm car are sold to the public on these
two trains).
Update: After operating as discussed above and also on the Capitol Limited, this car and others that have been outshopped by Beech Grove are being cycled into Amtrak's re-launched Empire Builder. Full details of the re-launch are contained in a news release from Amtrak.
The car is an excellent example of the work that is done at Beech Grove and also
why a full federal appropriation is necessary to continue such efforts. I congratulated the two Beech Grove employees (who were traveling with the car) for their fine work on behalf of NARP and all rail passengers. Needless to say, they are very proud of the car.
David Johnson
NARP Assistant Director
August 19, 2004 (operational plan for car updated August 8, 2005)
Click on the links below to view pictures of the car!
Top of stairs, with beverage area, note wood paneling cover
Entry to deluxe bedroom
New shower module in deluxe bedroom
Two deluxe bedrooms ensuited, note wood paneling cover
Upstairs standard bedroom hallway, note improved lighting
Standard bedroom, note new curtains
One of four bathrooms for standard room passengers
Shower for standard room passengers
Etching on door in shower (varies by car)
Counter and mirror space in shower
Family bedroom
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