What is a Railroad Style Bedroom?

A railroad-style bedroom refers to a bedroom that is part of a railroad apartment layout—a housing style common in older urban buildings (especially New York City). In this layout, rooms are arranged in a straight line, one after the other, like train cars on a railroad.

Characteristics of a Railroad-Style Bedroom

• Pass-through space: The bedroom often doubles as a hallway—other rooms may only be accessible by walking through the bedroom.
• No dedicated hallway: Instead of a corridor separating rooms, each room connects directly to the next.
• Privacy challenges: Because it may serve as a passage, this type of bedroom can lack privacy unless the apartment is reorganized or modified.
• Narrow and long: Rooms (including bedrooms) are usually more rectangular, reflecting the linear structure of the apartment.

Example

Imagine a railroad apartment where the front door opens into the living room, followed by a bedroom, then another bedroom, and finally the kitchen at the rear. In this case, the middle bedroom is a railroad-style bedroom because people must walk through it to reach the rooms beyond.

Sometimes, tenants reconfigure the space (e.g., adding partition walls or using the room as an office/den instead of a bedroom) to improve privacy.