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AMERICA’S TRAINS’ CARS
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America’s Trains (“ATs”) Cars are retired Amtrak or VIA Rail (Canada) passenger cars acquired from the railroads or private owners: they are ungraded and remodeled.
ATs’ primary markets for individual and group Journey by Rail vacation products are luxury and ultra-luxury vacation consumers. Car design and facilities optimally satisfy their interests. Cars may require mechanical repairs to exceed Amtrak and regulatory requirements. Floorplan redesign and interior improvements create spacious passenger density, optimum passenger comfort and quality equal to the best foreign luxury trains (there are no others in the U.S.).
There are several bedroom categories. Within five years America’s Trains’ fleet will include about 38 cars with around 140 bedrooms.
Cars may travel alone if they are self sufficient (with full dining facilities), or as part of different train sets having up to several cars.
Additional domestic and foreign growth will include additional Cars after five years.
A few activity cars traveling with train sets will provide special entertainment, event space and in some instances a sound proofed generator that provides electricity for multiple cars when head-end (engine) power is not available or some time when a train set of cars is parked, which is in addition to independent power generators on Cars.
Reservations are typically made over 10 months prior to the departure date of a selected Journey. This gives ATs time to finalize improvements on initial additional cars after advance sales confirm high occupancy, reducing premature capital costs, avoiding excess bedroom inventory, and allowing lower fares. Therefore, a Journey customer may purchase a Journey product on a Car that is not yet in service.
Exterior paint livery designs will blend multiple car exteriors and be different and enhanced compared to the examples on the cars described below.
High (Two) Level Cars
The full upper and about 50% of the lower level of high level cars provide about 1,230 sq. ft. of useable interior passenger space.
High (two) level cars include self sufficient full service cars with bedrooms, full dining and lounges.
Some high level cars have limited food service, more bedrooms and lounges. They can travel with other high level or single level cars that provide full dining.
A high level transition car can be joined to high level cars at one end and single level cars at the other.
Dome Cars
The full lower and about 25% of the upper level of dome cars provide about 1,025 sq. ft. of useable interior passenger space.
Dome Cars are self sufficient full service cars with bedrooms, full dining and lounges.
Single Level Cars
Single level cars provide about 800 sq. ft. of useable interior passenger space.
They include: sleeping cars with four to six bedrooms, some with a lounge; lounge cars with no or up to a couple of bedrooms, a bar and lounge; dining, lounge cars with up to three bedrooms, a full kitchen and dining room, see an original car; and, activity Cars.
Single level cars include self sufficient full service cars with two or three bedrooms, full dining and lounges, like the Carnation
Types of cars may vary based on specific consumer interests, unimproved car availability, and evolving consumer demand.Go to the following types of cars for related information.
High (two) Level Cars
Dining, Lounge Cars
Dome Cars
Sleeping Cars
Activity Cars
Private Cars
BEDROOM CATEGORIES
Bedrooms match the best of luxury foreign train examples seen here.Bedrooms have en suite bathrooms, a safe, minibar, wifi and television when geographically possible, bathrobes that passengers can take home, deluxe toiletries, 24 hour room service, hair dryer, and other fine guest accessories. Bedroom layouts may vary and sizes may be slightly different based on the characteristics of individual rail cars and whether they have one or two level cars.Beds are from twin to king sizes, based on the bedroom category.
Different bedroom categories include the following:
1. Optimum Suites, about 200 ft2 (18.5 m2) may be included in future Cars.
2. Grand Suites, about 120 ft2 (11.15 m2) with a king bed or two twin beds; on single level or the lower level of two level cars.
3. Master Suites, about 96 ft2 (8.92 m2) with queen or king beds or two twin beds.
4. Deluxe Doubles, similar to but smaller than a Master Suite, about 88 ft2 (8.16 m2) with queen beds or two twin beds in some bedrooms.
5. Classic Doubles, about 68 ft2 (6.32 m2) with a lower double and an upper twin bed, for two or single passengers.
6. Duplex Suites on some private ex “business” cars may be retained and enhanced to emphasize the ‘classic’ interior of a Car; duplex suites are two bedrooms each having a large or two lower twin beds, private toilets and sinks, and a shared connecting shower.
7. Crew cabins that are similar to Classic Double bedrooms may be infrequently used to accommodate single or extra passengers. Extra crew may sleep in Amtrak sleeper cars.
AMERICA’S TRAINS, OPERATING OVERVIEW
By the 1970s airline service and improved highways had replaced railroads as a primary way to travel in the United States; Amtrak assumed responsibility for passenger train operations. This led to the disappearance of and there has been no ongoing regular, scheduled, luxury vacation train service in the United States.Amtrak’s normal objective is to move people between stations as quickly as possible, stopping just long enough for light maintenance and to let passengers get on and off the trains. There has been no regular train service designed to provide vacations, no luxury passenger railroads, and none that allow passengers to stay on board during extended stops so that they can enjoy off-car activities while traveling by train.
America’s Trains fills this void with Journeys by Rail on luxurious rebuilt railroad cars that travel as part of Amtrak or other trains, with extended en-route layovers at boarding, disembarking and en-route destinations where cars park and allow passengers to enjoy a wide variety of off car activities while living on board their luxurious resort on tracks. Cars are dropped off by one and picked up by another Amtrak or other train at en-route layover locations.
Older passenger cars are repaired to exceed Amtrak mechanical specifications. Interiors are rebuilt to provide ultimate passenger comfort and service.
Up to five cars traveling together as a train set provide luxurious sleeping, lounge and dining facilities with from 4 to 22 deluxe double occupancy bedrooms. There are some bedrooms available for single passengers.Self sufficient private cars with two or three bedrooms may travel as part of a Train Set, or can operate alone to provide very exclusive vacations for small groups and families on routes selected by passengers.
A few activity cars with special event capabilities or that are configured for traveling displays, on board presentations or meetings will travel with Train Sets. Some activity Cars may have a sound proffed electrical genertor able to provide power to several Cars when its not available fron an engine or while perked.