If you are reading this message in the

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might look scrambled unless you are using a

mono-space type font. To see the diagrams

properly, use your web browser to visit:

"http://trainweb.com/accommod/2000cafe.html"



The meeting was held upstairs in the baggage

room in Los Angeles Union Station. A mock up

of the cafe area for the new San Diegan

equipment had been assembled in this area.



The first thing that we learned was that the

cafe car would not look exactly like this

mock up. The purpose of mock up was to get

reactions from the staff who would work in

the car and customers who use the car. It

was obvious that the moch up did not allow

for a free flow of traffic through the

purchase area.



Nothing was totally finalized at this

meeting, but the current design proposal

calls for the area where you purchase items

to be very similar to what you will find

now downstairs in the cafe downstairs in

the Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car. You

will enter the purchase area toward the

right side of the room where food items

will be in refrigerators and shelves above

and below counter level. You will probably

take one of the cardboard carrying trays

and slide it along a rail shelf as you

select items while moving around the area.

This is identical to the arrangement in

the current Superliner Cafe area and is

not unlike what you find in most cafeterias.



Just like in the current Superliner Cafe

area, the microwaves will be located by

the Cafe Car Attendant so that he can

heat any items that need warming while

he adds up and collects the money for your

purchases.



The most serious problem in this new cafe

area is the lack of space. Unlike the

California Cars, downstairs is the only

area that will be used for selling food

and the only area where there will be

tables for eating food. Upstairs in this

car is regular revenue coach seating,

unlike the Superliners where there is the

Sightseer Lounge, or the California Cars

where the entire car is for the cafe.

Since these new trainsets will accommodate

about 450 passengers, it is assumed that

most people will bring their purchases

back to their seats and use the seatback

tables.



There are a number of items that have a

tremendous impact on further restricting

available space. First, since the cafe

is downstairs, it is between the trucks

and is thus much shorter than upstairs.

Second, for cost saving, this car will

use the same shell as all the other

passenger cars (the same shell used by the

California Cars). The car shell has 2 sets

of big automatic double doors on each side

of the car just after each truck.



Picture it this way:

+-------------------------------------+

|     |DOORS|             |DOORS|     |

|TRUCK|     |             |     |TRUCK|

|     |DOORS|             |DOORS|     |

+-------------------------------------+

So, while the coach section occupies the

full length of the car upstairs, the cafe

has to fit in the small area limited by

the trucks and double doors. This area

has to fit both the purchase section and

seating section.



Over the truck will be the steps leading

upstairs. There will be a set of stairs

at each end of the car and they will go

straight up without a corner just as in

the California Cars.



Since one set of stairs will be behind

the counter in the cafe purchase area,

it is expected that this set of stairs

and doors will not be used by passengers.

Instead, they will be used for stocking

the cafe car and for emergency evacuation.



This remaining space could have looked

like this:

+-------------------------------------+

|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|Purchase Area    |

|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|MMMMMMMMMM       |

|                             M Shelf |

|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|         M Items |

|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|oXXo|MMMMMMMMMM       |

+-------------------------------------+



oXXo

oXXo  represents 4 people at a table.



But, evidently there are strong legal

requirements for an ADA (Americans with

Disabilities Act) accessible restroom

in the cafe area. Thus the result shown

to us was:

+-------------------------------------+

| ADA     |oXXo|oXXo|Purchase Area    |

| Restroom|oXXo|oXXo|MMMMMMMMMM       |

|---------+                   M Shelf |

|                             M Items |

|           XXo|oXXo|MMMMMMMMMM       |

+-------------------------------------+

Seating in the cafe area is reduced from

seating for 32 people to seating for 11

people. Tables on one side of the car

need to be for 2 rather than 4 people to

accommodate the width of a wheelchair in

the aisle and one seat is removed from

the end table so that a wheelchair can

pull up to it.



As a sidenote, as long as we are talking

about restrooms: unlike the Superliners

and California Cars, there will be at

least one restroom on the upper level of

every coach car.



The proposed design of the seating itself

seemed very practical. The back of the

bench seats was curved. The tables were

large, but not as large as the present

tables in the Superliner Diners or Cafe

areas. This should allow enough space

between the table edge and the back of

seats to accommodate larger people.



I'll be adding further details to the web

page during this week with other info about

the new design. For now, I'll keep it all

under the page for the new cafe car as

those are the only significant details that

have been released so far.

(http://trainweb.com/accommod/2000cafe.html)



There will be walk on accommodations for

bicycles as in the California Cars, but

they will be more user friendly. Surf

Boards will be accommodated, if not in the

passenger area, then still in the baggage

area. Baggage space will be in all of the

new trainsets (it is in the cab control

car) and not in just some of the trainsets.



Much attention has been paid to the color

scheme to both reflect the California and

Pacific Coast region as well as the selection

of colors and materials that will not show

dirt and wear and can be cleaned easily.



The windows will be the same as those on

the California Cars so they can maintain

one inventory of replacements. I have no

problem with these windows at all. The size

is excellent and their placement relative

to the height of the seats is ideal for

both adults and children.



Another topic that I hope to post

relatively early this week is about the name

of the San Diegan Service. Evidently the

name "San Diegan Service" will be history,

literally. This name was ideal for the

first 50 years of service when these

trains just provided service to San Diego

and the cities along the way from Los

Angeles. Now, however, the route serves

cities as far north as San Luis Obispo,

218 miles north of Los Angeles. A new

name is sought that reflects the entire

area served by this route. I have further

information about where you can send your

feedback and will post it shortly as the

feedback is wanted by July 1, 1998.