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The Stewardess's
bedroom/office quarters on board the Overland:
Although the car was built after the war, the room is typical of
prewar construction -- that is, the sink and toilet are in the same
room as the bed. Most post war constructed cars featured a toilet
annex in each multi-bed room that helped ease the awkwardness of
using the facilities while the room was occupied by your travelling
companion. The room was designed with the popular "full
width" (perpendicular to the length of the car) lower sofa berth
(which folded down for night use) plus the upper which folded away
into the wall when not needed. |
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The balance of the features were
typical of bedroom appointments: lighted mirror, folding sink, toilet
with vanity seat cover, rubber bladed fan, independent heat control,
mini closet and waste receptacle. It appears that a 110 volt outlet
was added as an after thought (tapped through the wall from a
barbershop outlet).
An important item missing that
would always be found in a normal public sleeping car space ... the
ever present "shoe locker" that would allow the sleeping
car porter to exercise that time honored, nocturnal tradition of a
shoe shine. Some items present that wouldn't normally be found: a
folding table built onto the wall (for any paper work the stewardess
might have to complete?) and a privacy curtain similar to the classic
dark green open section curtain. I suppose for added privacy should a
male crew member seeking an audience with the Stewardess, forget his
manners and barge in without knocking. After all, at that time, it
was still very much a man's world out on the railroad.
In the railroad vernacular, a
bedroom is always a two person room (as opposed to a roomette, a
single person room or a drawing room, which sleeps three). I am
puzzled by the fact that the railroad had the room built with two
beds ... maybe the thought was the room could later be used for both
the barman and waiter that might be assigned to the car. |
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