A The reasoning for sleeping in a bed feet first when it is positioned next to the window and parallel to the direction of travel is sound: If a fast-moving train decelerates rapidly in a derailment, it’s better to have your feet slam against the front wall instead of your head. This is exactly what the Amtrak service manual dated April 30, 2014, prescribes in instructing how sleeping car attendants should make up lower berths in Superliner or Viewliner roomettes.
Before the current fleet was deployed, the pull-down beds in Heritage roomette sleepers were also always made feet first by Pullman porters, because the reading light, room controls, and call button were on the wall next to the daytime seat and opposite the in-room toilet and wash stand. Cars were usually turned so roomette seats always faced forward.
Superliner roomettes have opposite-facing seats with reading lights – and the cars can be positioned to move in either direction, so many attendants place the lower berth pillow closest to wall controls which contain the call button, loudspeaker volume, and overhead light switches rather than below the opposite panel with the 110-volt outlet and temperature knob.
Viewliner pillow placement is always away from the toilet for obvious reasons. Reading light location also dictates where the head should go in upper berths of both Superliners and Viewliners, not the direction of travel. Veteran Amtrak attendant Lou Drummeter points out that the Pullman Co.’s 1952 “Porter’s Duties” manual says “beds shall be made with the heads towards the engine” except that the “head of a folding wall type berth is made at the reading light end.” The instructions add that “employees will comply with all special requests of passengers who desire beds prepared with the head in the opposite direction from customary practice.” So taking a cue from Pullman, if you prefer the “feet first” option (as I do) when traveling in a Superliner roomette lower berth, just tell the attendant or rearrange the bedding yourself. – Bob Johnston
The last few times that I was in a Superliner bedroom upper bunk, the bedding and pillow were set up on the opposite end from the reading light. Was this some sort of oversight or was there a reason?