The Superliner is a type of bilevel intercity railroad passenger car used by Amtrak, the national rail passenger carrier in the United States. The design was based on Budd's Hi-Level vehicles, employed by the Santa Fe Railway on its El Capitan trains. Pullman-Standard built 284 cars, known as Superliner I (lounge pictured), from 1975 to 1981; Bombardier Transportation built 195, known as Superliner II, from 1991 to 1996. Car types include coaches, dining cars, lounges, and sleeping cars. Most passenger spaces are on the upper level, which features a row of windows on both sides. Boarding is on the lower level; passengers climb up a center stairwell to access the upper level. The first Superliner I cars entered service in February 1979, with deliveries continuing through 1981. Amtrak assigned the cars to both long-distance and short-distance trains in the Western United States. The first permanent assignment, in October 1979, was to the Chicago–Seattle Empire Builder.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superliner_%28railcar%29

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1846:

The Donner Party, an American pioneer group which became known for resorting to cannibalism when they became trapped in the Sierra Nevadas, left Independence, Missouri, for California. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party

1942:

World War II: Soviet forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launched a major offensive in eastern Ukraine, but were encircled and destroyed by German troops two weeks later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Kharkov

1982:

Juan María Fernández y Krohn attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II with a bayonet in Fátima, Portugal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Mar%C3%ADa_Fern%C3%A1ndez_y_Krohn

1998:

Four students were shot and killed by Indonesian soldiers at Trisakti University in Jakarta, which led to widespread riots and eventually the resignation of President Suharto nine days later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trisakti_shootings

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

motherhood statement: (chiefly Canada, US) A vague, feel-good platitude, especially one made by a politician, that few people would disagree with. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/motherhood_statement

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a Hospital that it should do the sick no harm.   --Florence Nightingale https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale