Re: As it was from the Factory

drgw0579 Wrote:
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> Yes, the wood slat seats must have been unbearable
> for modern butts to endure, but the riders of the
> day were probably used to much worse.

Rader Sidetrack Wrote:
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> Note that on the "factory photo" above, one can
> see the release latches and the bunks themselves
> that then fold down to make sleeping platforms.
>
>
> And as far as these "tourist sleepers" being
> rather spartan sleeping spaces, consider that
> emigrants from Europe arrived by ship in the
> 1890s, and conditions in 'steerage' aboard those
> ships were significantly more primitive
> than the railroad Tourist Sleepers.

I believe that the seats slide together and the seat backs slide down to make the lower bunk. Amtrak roomettes use the same system today, albeit with cushions.

Regarding comfort, you need to remember the conditions that the "huddled masses" were escaping in the first place. My great grandfather was from Denmark, and came over circa 1870 when he was about 20. In his family biography, he said that he received his very first pair of (wooden) shoes at age 13 (in northern Europe!), and his first pair of leather shoes at age 23. His group traveled from New York to Utah in a chartered box car because it was cheaper than a coach. I'm sure that they were thrilled with the comfort of not having to walk, which is what his wife did at age three, because there was no room for her to ride in the wagon.