# Where do long distance train drivers sleep? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081 "2026-06-21T21:00:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/1 "2026-06-21T21:00:40Z")
A long distance train driver presumably may start his shift in one city, then at the end of a full working day he may end up in another city hundreds of miles away. Where does he sleep? Does he have to get a hotel? Does the station have it’s own accommodation for drivers? Or maybe my premise is wrong. Does a driver maybe drive halfway, then change trains and drive another train back to his starting station? I suppose the answer probably varies from location to location. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2026, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/2 "2026-06-21T21:16:55Z")
I live in a town where the railroad is a fairly large employer. I’ve known a few engineers (not ‘drivers’) who operated the engine on freight trains. IIRC, their shift couldn’t be longer than 10 or maybe 12 hours. So if they were an engineer on train that left Chicago, their ‘shift’ would end perhaps when the train arrived in Kansas City. At that point, a new crew would take over. The crew leaving the train would spend the night in a hotel contracted by the railroad company. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/3 "2026-06-22T03:26:52Z")
They are doing “crew van” on some of the long-haul routes in Aus now. “Specially designed crew-van carriages, equipped with sleeping quarters and facilities for domestic activities, provide accommodation for drivers during non-work periods.” I think perhaps part of the reason is that the small towns that used to have crew-change barracks have disappeared, taking the crew-change barracks with them. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/4 "2026-06-22T04:16:23Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > The crew leaving the train would spend the night in a hotel contracted by the railroad company. Thanks for the reply. Would this hotel cater exclusively to train crew? Or open to general public? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/5 "2026-06-22T06:19:39Z")
At least in the USA where trains are few and the country is large, no hotel could survive on just the handful for train workers staying in any given location. > [@Railer13](#): > > I’ve known a few engineers (not ‘drivers’) Note that @Peter_Morris is British. Train operators are ‘drivers’ there. You didn’t ask, but airline practice is similar. When the shift ends, the company has pre-arranged a hotel and transportation from airport to hotel. Often a van operated by the hotel itself, sometimes a local transport company. What gets difficult, for both airlines and railroads / railways is when delays result in a crew running out of legal shift time in an awkward unplanned location. At least for airplanes, that always happens, by regulation at an airport, not halfway between here and there. I understand that under at least some circumstances, when a train crew runs out of legal work time, they just halt the train wherever out in the countryside, then wait for the company to run a van out to them to rescue the crew and perhaps bring a spare crew to keep the train moving forward. That sounds like a grueling end to an already too-long day. Especially in the US’s wide open spaces where towns might be a 2-hour drive apart. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/6 "2026-06-22T12:19:49Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Note that @Peter_Morris is British. Train operators are ‘drivers’ there. Thanks. Did not know that. Ignorance fought again! > [@LSLGuy](#): > > they just halt the train wherever out in the countryside, then wait for the company to run a van out to them to rescue the crew and perhaps bring a spare crew to keep the train moving forward. That happens around here frequently. There’s a dedicated company that does nothing but shuttle train crews hither and yon. It must not be great work, as they are always advertising for drivers. I often drive a highway that parallels a busy rail freight route. It’s not uncommon to see a train parked on a stretch of rail where there are two sets of tracks, waiting for the relief crew. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/7 "2026-06-22T15:08:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Note that @Peter_Morris is British. Train operators are ‘drivers’ there. And also in Georgia, I guess. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wuFId1RYSZE/maxresdefault.jpg "R.E.M. - Driver 8") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuFId1RYSZE) ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/8 "2026-06-23T12:46:11Z")
When I drove Cab, crew change was a long and profitable trip. A set rate for various pickup points. ---
**Author:** ![Humbagger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Humbagger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Humbagger)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/9 "2026-06-23T13:10:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I understand that under at least some circumstances, when a train crew runs out of legal work time, they just halt the train wherever out in the countryside, then wait for the company to run a van out to them to rescue the crew and perhaps bring a spare crew to keep the train moving forward. That sounds like a grueling end to an already too-long day. Especially in the US’s wide open spaces where towns might be a 2-hour drive apart. Since that van must start in a place where there is a spare crew, I wonder if that place might be something like a railyard or station and if it would not be easier and faster to also keep something like a powered draisine to ferry the crew. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/10 "2026-06-24T09:02:40Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Thanks for the reply. Would this hotel cater exclusively to train crew? Or open to general public? I’ve not heard of hotels in Aus, tho there is no reason to believe not, but railway barracks were such a standard part of the system that they were used for crewing as well. There used to be more fettlers huts along the remote railways than hotels, and any place with a crew change would have had enough other railway workers to justify barracks. [inHerit - State Heritage Office (dplh.wa.gov.au)](https://inherit.dplh.wa.gov.au/public/inventory/details/c7889f5d-02ce-4fbb-9df7-7e312f3ec0ff) “The timber framed and clad railway barracks are typical of the type. The four units are situated with a central passage way, and separate wet area facilities. The four “rooms” are included under the main gable roof with weatherboard curtain wall.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/11 "2026-06-24T14:19:59Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > facilities for domestic activities Is _that_ what the kids are calling it these days? > [@LSLGuy](#): > > I understand that under at least some circumstances, when a train crew runs out of legal work time, they just halt the train wherever out in the countryside, then wait for the company to run a van out to them to rescue the crew and perhaps bring a spare crew to keep the train moving forward. That sounds like a grueling end to an already too-long day. Especially in the US’s wide open spaces where towns might be a 2-hour drive apart. I was waiting to get on the Amtrak at Maricopa AZ, when the main line was single track, and all the UP crews were overtime, so they just stopped on the main, between there and Tuscon, wherever they were when hours ran out. So we were hours late until they got new crews in and moved the three (IIRC) freights between the station and the Amtrak. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/12 "2026-06-24T15:13:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I understand that under at least some circumstances, when a train crew runs out of legal work time, they just halt the train wherever out in the countryside This was a factor in the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. The train in question was stopped on the main line 11 km uphill from Lac-Mégantic for a required crew change. The crew (actually just a solitary engineer) inadequately set handbrakes on the train and left it with its lead engine idling awaiting whenever the replacement crew would get there. The engineer then called a cab to a hotel in nearby Lac-Mégantic. The train was unattended and inadequately handbraked on the main line when the engine maintaining the airbrakes caught fire and shut down, allowing the air brakes to fail and the train to roll downhill to its date with disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/13 "2026-06-24T20:42:02Z")
Do they ever just carry two crews with onboard sleeping accommodations? I once spoke to an attendant on the old Montrealer which ran a 20 hour trip between Washington and Montreal. She was an aspiring novelist and started the trip in Washington at 2PM, arrived in Montreal at 10 AM the next (at least if they were on-time) slept till 4 in hotel built atop Central Station, then got back on the 5PM return trip and arrived (maybe) around1PM in Washington two days after it started. She got paid for 40 hours and had five days off to write. But it didn’t occur to me ask about the operating crew. I guess it is possible that they changed somewhere in Massachusetts. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/14 "2026-06-24T21:05:19Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Do they ever just carry two crews with onboard sleeping accommodations? In North America, for freight trains/railroads, I can’t say that it’s _never_ done, but it’s probably vanishingly rare. The railroads have pushed for years to reduce the cost of train operators (engineers and conductors), and double-staffing a train is expensive. Based on everything I’ve read, Amtrak (which operates the long-distance passenger service in the U.S.) doesn’t generally run with second operating crews, either, except possibly on their longer routes. I can’t speak for VIA Rail in Canada, or any of the private excursion trains like the Rocky Mountaineer. If a train runs on time, having the crew “time out” during the run shouldn’t happen, because the railroads have crew bases regularly situated across their routes, to facilitate crew changes during long routes before the crew times out. But, trains break down, signals break down, there are accidents, etc., and those sorts of delays are what lead to trains stopping in the middle of nowhere, and the call for a van with a replacement crew. ---
**Author:** ![dcbwhaley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcbwhaley/32/21437_2.png) [@dcbwhaley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dcbwhaley)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/15 "2026-06-28T09:40:55Z")
Historic. But the record breaking runs by British steam hauled trains such as the Flying Scotsman were done that way. The engines were quiped with “corridor” tenders so that the replacement crew travelling in the front coach could swap with the exhausted working crew without stopping the train. It was the physical effort of manning the cab not lack of hours that required the crew change. Most of the Nigel Gresley designed locomotives for the LNER were so equipped. And the crew consisted of a **driver** and a fireman ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/16 "2026-07-14T10:15:22Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > The train was unattended and inadequately handbraked on the main line when the engine maintaining the airbrakes caught fire and shut down, allowing the air brakes to fail and the train to roll downhill to its date with disaster. [hijack] I have to disagree with the blame placed on the engineer. The real blame belongs on the people who owned that railroad. They were basically running it into the ground, doing the absolute minimal maintainance to keep it barely running. Because of that, the trains running along that line were restricted to (IIRC) 10 mph. Which is why the engineer had to stop at Lac-Mégantic instead of going all the way to its destination without changing the crew. Furthermore, their engines had minimal maintainance, which is why that engine caught fire. That disaster would not have happened if the railroad had been managed correctly. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Nightaudit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightaudit/32/17181_2.png) [@Nightaudit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightaudit)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/17 "2026-07-15T23:20:17Z")
No we just contact directly with the Railroad or some third party booking agency that handles the crew rooms on behalf of the railroad… same thing with airline crews… Southwest , Alaskan Airlines and Air Lingus uses them. American used to handle all their crew rooms in house directly with the hotel but now American Airlines is now shifting the contract management to a third party called API. [About Us | API – Accommodations Plus International](https://www.apiglobalsolutions.com/about-us/) Railroad specific API information: [Rail | API – Accommodations Plus International](https://www.apiglobalsolutions.com/rail/) Also API handles the “distressed passenger” process for when you get stranded at the airport…. So don’t get mad at the front desk staff, if the ordeal at the airport doesn’t end when finally get to the hotel, it’s not our fault that process is so complicated and convoluted. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/18 "2026-07-18T06:11:22Z")
Train engineers (locomotive engineers) in the US must adhere to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Hours of Service laws, which limit on-duty time to a maximum of 12 consecutive hours. After hitting their limit, they are guaranteed a mandatory 10 consecutive hours off-duty, and cannot work more than 6 to 7 consecutive days without extended rest. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-long-distance-train-drivers-sleep/1031081/19 "2026-08-09T14:05:31Z")
I recall reading somewhere that the term “red light district” is derived from the rail crews overnighting in the more disreputable parts of town. Apparently they would hand a red light outside to show where they were in the morning. It sounds somewhat unlikely to me.