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A car attendant is a railroad employee placed in charge of a single coach,
LOUNGE-CAR ATTENDANT (r.r. trans.) alternate titles: sandwich seller; vendor
at www.occupationalinfo.org {{commons category, Sleeping car attendants Personal care and service occupations Railway occupations
A car attendant is a railroad employee placed in charge of a single coach, sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car.
...
, or lounge car
A lounge car (sometimes referred to as a buffet lounge, buffet car, club car or grill car) is a type of passenger car on a train, in which riders can purchase food and drinks. The car may feature large windows and comfortable seating to create a re ...
on a medium-to-long-distance passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
.
Their duties vary according to the type of car, but most typically include managing passenger seat assignments (in order to avoid separating parties of two or more), assisting the conductor
Conductor or conduction may refer to:
Music
* Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra.
* ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas
* Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
with tickets, making announcements, opening and closing doors, assisting passengers with boarding and detraining, monitoring the safe operation of onboard systems, and generally ensuring the safe operation of the car. In addition, sleeping car attendants (formerly called "Pullman porters") typically convert the individual accommodations from "day" mode to "night" mode, rather than leaving that to the passengers, and set out coffee and juice for their passengers each morning. (Sleeping car attendants, however, typically have fewer passengers to serve than coach attendants). Lounge car attendants typically operate food and beverage service, sell souvenirs and other non-food items, operate onboard motion picture service, and keep tables clean.
On scenic trains, it is not unusual for car attendants to double as tour guides.
Full-service dining cars normally have a steward
Steward may refer to:
Positions or roles
* Steward (office), a representative of a monarch
* Steward (Methodism), a leader in a congregation and/or district
* Steward, a person responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other ins ...
, supervising several waiters and a kitchen staff, rather than a single attendant; with the car attendants, these people form the onboard service crew, often supervised by a Chief of Onboard Services or "Train Boss," separate from and subordinate to the conductor.
References
LOUNGE-CAR ATTENDANT (r.r. trans.) alternate titles: sandwich seller; vendor
at www.occupationalinfo.org {{commons category, Sleeping car attendants Personal care and service occupations Railway occupations