Roomette
Encyclopedia
A roomette is a type of sleeping car
compartment in a railroad passenger train. The term was first used in North America
, and was carried over into Australia
and New Zealand
. Roomette rooms are relatively small, and were generally intended for use by a single person; contemporary roomettes on Amtrak
, however, include two sleeping berths.
The bed in a roomette folds into one of the end walls of the compartment when not in use, and a seat folds upwards to replace it. Thus the bed is parallel
to the side of the train, in contrast to twinette
berths, which are perpendicular
to it. Because of the narrow width of the compartment, when the bed is folded down, it occupies most of the floor-space of the compartment, sometimes very nearly all of it in older designs.
Roomettes often have their own toilet and wash basin which folds into the wall, as well as hot and cold taps. In older-style roomette cars, the corridor runs down the car in a straight line, and the floor area of the compartments is rectangular. Because the bed occupies most of this area when folded down, the toilet cannot be unfolded and used while the bed is down. This means that if the passenger wishes to use the toilet, they must temporarily fold the bed at least partially upwards.
The floor-plan in newer roomette cars is somewhat different, and was designed to remedy this shortcoming. The corridor zigzags slightly down the car, and the floor-plan of each roomette forms a trapezium
with two right angle
s (following non-North-American use of the word "trapezium" - this word and "trapezoid" swap meanings depending on whether they are used in or out of North America). The bed occupies the rectangular area closest to the side of the car, and there remains a small right-angled triangular
area of floor space which remains clear, its hypotenuse
adjacent to the corridor, which zigzags the opposite way once at the start of each roomette on each side, dovetailing with the triangular area in each roomette. This extra floor space is sufficient to unfold the toilet and wash basin, so that they can be used while the bed is still folded down.
Unlike twinette
s, roomettes do not include a shower; passengers use a communal shower at the end of the car, and also a toilet in the same location if they wish. Occasionally older roomettes do not have their own toilet either.
From 1949 to the mid 1990s, the train running between Adelaide
and Melbourne
, Australia
, called The Overland, used roomette cars of both the basic designs described above, the majority being of the older design.
. The roomette was an innovation for its day, providing a relatively economical, fully enclosed sleeping accommodation for the individual traveler, a marked change from the open-berth sleeping accommodations that were the standard of the era. Roomette and other private-room sleeping accommodations quickly gained popularity, and became the standard in the United States
after World War II
. Similar equipment later became commonplace in Canada
and Mexico
, as well.
The basic roomette design pioneered by Pullman remained standard in North America until well after the advent of Amtrak
in 1971. The roomette section of a sleeping car included a central corridor with rooms on either side. At night, each room contained a small single bed, placed longitudinally, which occupied nearly the entire area of the room. The bed could be folded away when not in use, exposing a padded bench seat at one end of the room and a toilet at the other. A small washbasin was also provided. A mid-twentieth century sleeping car could contain approximately 22 roomettes, though it was more common for a car to include a mix of roomettes and other private-room sleeping accommodations. The most common sleeping car type of the era contained ten roomettes and six "double bedrooms," which were designed for use by two people. Sleeping cars containing roomettes of this basic design remain in use today in Canada.
Amtrak designed new types of sleeping-car accommodations when it began constructing new long-distance equipment in the late 1970s, and today it uses two primary types of sleeping cars. Most long-distance trains use double-deck Superliner
equipment, while a few eastern trains use single-level Viewliner
cars. Roomettes on these sleeping cars include single bench seats on both ends of the room; the seats fold together to form a single bunk bed, and an upper bunk folds down from the ceiling. Superliner roomettes do not include private toilets or washbasins, but Viewliner roomettes do.
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
compartment in a railroad passenger train. The term was first used in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and was carried over into Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Roomette rooms are relatively small, and were generally intended for use by a single person; contemporary roomettes on Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, however, include two sleeping berths.
Australia
In Australia, a roomette is designed for use by one person. The width of each compartment is typically slightly less than half the width of the sleeping car it is in, with a corridor running down the centre and the compartments on both sides. The number of roomettes in a sleeping car can vary slightly, but it is commonly 16, 18, or 20.The bed in a roomette folds into one of the end walls of the compartment when not in use, and a seat folds upwards to replace it. Thus the bed is parallel
Parallel (geometry)
Parallelism is a term in geometry and in everyday life that refers to a property in Euclidean space of two or more lines or planes, or a combination of these. The assumed existence and properties of parallel lines are the basis of Euclid's parallel postulate. Two lines in a plane that do not...
to the side of the train, in contrast to twinette
Twinette
A twinette is a sleeping-berth compartment for two persons in a train. The term "twinette" is in common use only in Australia and New Zealand ; thus the double-berth compartments described here are those found in trains in Australia or New Zealand.The width of each twinette compartment is...
berths, which are perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
to it. Because of the narrow width of the compartment, when the bed is folded down, it occupies most of the floor-space of the compartment, sometimes very nearly all of it in older designs.
Roomettes often have their own toilet and wash basin which folds into the wall, as well as hot and cold taps. In older-style roomette cars, the corridor runs down the car in a straight line, and the floor area of the compartments is rectangular. Because the bed occupies most of this area when folded down, the toilet cannot be unfolded and used while the bed is down. This means that if the passenger wishes to use the toilet, they must temporarily fold the bed at least partially upwards.
The floor-plan in newer roomette cars is somewhat different, and was designed to remedy this shortcoming. The corridor zigzags slightly down the car, and the floor-plan of each roomette forms a trapezium
Trapezium
The word trapezium has several meanings:* - a quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides ....
with two right angle
Right angle
In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle that bisects the angle formed by two halves of a straight line. More precisely, if a ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the adjacent angles are equal, then they are right angles...
s (following non-North-American use of the word "trapezium" - this word and "trapezoid" swap meanings depending on whether they are used in or out of North America). The bed occupies the rectangular area closest to the side of the car, and there remains a small right-angled triangular
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
area of floor space which remains clear, its hypotenuse
Hypotenuse
In geometry, a hypotenuse is the longest side of a right-angled triangle, the side opposite the right angle. The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the...
adjacent to the corridor, which zigzags the opposite way once at the start of each roomette on each side, dovetailing with the triangular area in each roomette. This extra floor space is sufficient to unfold the toilet and wash basin, so that they can be used while the bed is still folded down.
Unlike twinette
Twinette
A twinette is a sleeping-berth compartment for two persons in a train. The term "twinette" is in common use only in Australia and New Zealand ; thus the double-berth compartments described here are those found in trains in Australia or New Zealand.The width of each twinette compartment is...
s, roomettes do not include a shower; passengers use a communal shower at the end of the car, and also a toilet in the same location if they wish. Occasionally older roomettes do not have their own toilet either.
From 1949 to the mid 1990s, the train running between Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, called The Overland, used roomette cars of both the basic designs described above, the majority being of the older design.
North America
The term "roomette" dates from 1937, when the first sleeping cars with such accommodations were constructed by the Pullman CompanyPullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
. The roomette was an innovation for its day, providing a relatively economical, fully enclosed sleeping accommodation for the individual traveler, a marked change from the open-berth sleeping accommodations that were the standard of the era. Roomette and other private-room sleeping accommodations quickly gained popularity, and became the standard in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Similar equipment later became commonplace in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, as well.
The basic roomette design pioneered by Pullman remained standard in North America until well after the advent of Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
in 1971. The roomette section of a sleeping car included a central corridor with rooms on either side. At night, each room contained a small single bed, placed longitudinally, which occupied nearly the entire area of the room. The bed could be folded away when not in use, exposing a padded bench seat at one end of the room and a toilet at the other. A small washbasin was also provided. A mid-twentieth century sleeping car could contain approximately 22 roomettes, though it was more common for a car to include a mix of roomettes and other private-room sleeping accommodations. The most common sleeping car type of the era contained ten roomettes and six "double bedrooms," which were designed for use by two people. Sleeping cars containing roomettes of this basic design remain in use today in Canada.
Amtrak designed new types of sleeping-car accommodations when it began constructing new long-distance equipment in the late 1970s, and today it uses two primary types of sleeping cars. Most long-distance trains use double-deck Superliner
Superliner (railcar)
The Superliner is a double decker passenger car used by Amtrak on long haul trains that do not use the Northeast Corridor. The initial cars were built by Pullman-Standard in the late 1970s and a second order was built in the mid 1990s by Bombardier Transportation...
equipment, while a few eastern trains use single-level Viewliner
Viewliner
The Viewliner is a single-level car type used by Amtrak on eastern routes. With the exception of a prototype dining car named "Indianapolis" , all cars built so far are sleeping cars and are assigned names that include the word "View."- Early design :...
cars. Roomettes on these sleeping cars include single bench seats on both ends of the room; the seats fold together to form a single bunk bed, and an upper bunk folds down from the ceiling. Superliner roomettes do not include private toilets or washbasins, but Viewliner roomettes do.