"You have to return to your place now"

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nti1094

Service Attendant
Joined
Apr 9, 2015
Messages
147
I'm on the SWC today and wanted to grab some video of the semaphores on the glorieta sub. Since I'm in a sleeper I walked to the back window, but after two or three minutes the car attendant told me I "had to return to my place now."

Anyone else experienced this on Amtrak? I know they usually keep coach passengers from the sleepers, but is it also customary to do the same the other way?
 
Never had this problem. When I traveled on the CS, EB and SW last winter in a sleeper, I made several trips to the coach section without any issues. When the coach attendant looked at me, I would tell that I was touring the train and taking pictures.
 
I've been kicked out of the back vestibule on single level equipment but never on a Superliner.
 
Never had this problem, I would ask the conductor why I had to move, very very politely, if their reason is safety related, or something I can change, then sure, but if they are just being mean, I'll still comply, but at least I know the reason (if there is one).
 
I have often gone to the rear coach for photos and video over the years and never has anyone said anything, except one time the Conductor needed to open the door to check something and he wanted all passengers far away, which made plenty of sense.
 
It was not a closed car, and I was not blocking anyone. it was right behind her set of seats she had set aside for the coach attendant. I decided not to make it an issue and just returned to my sleeper. I really miss the days of the sleepers being on the rear. (except for the few years of all that M&E on the back)

I did get a couple of shots:

ImageUploadedByAmtrak Forum1496723034.343269.jpg
 
I'm on the SWC today and wanted to grab some video of the semaphores on the glorieta sub. Since I'm in a sleeper I walked to the back window, but after two or three minutes the car attendant told me I "had to return to my place now."

Anyone else experienced this on Amtrak? I know they usually keep coach passengers from the sleepers, but is it also customary to do the same the other way?
No. And no it is not customary to prohibit sleeper passengers from the coach cars.

Always question authority when it seems they are over stepping their bounds.
 
I'm on the SWC today and wanted to grab some video of the semaphores on the glorieta sub. Since I'm in a sleeper I walked to the back window, but after two or three minutes the car attendant told me I "had to return to my place now."

Anyone else experienced this on Amtrak? I know they usually keep coach passengers from the sleepers, but is it also customary to do the same the other way?
No. And no it is not customary to prohibit sleeper passengers from the coach cars.

Always question authority when it seems they are over stepping their bounds.
I can't agree more. When I traveled Chicago to Indy during Boxing Day and December 27th (aka the Boxing Day Trip), I had a security agent that was clearly on a power trip when I was just about to board the Hoosier State back to Chicago for filming in the public areas of the station.
 
When the Eagle used to do the back-up moves into the FTW Station,most of the friendly Conductors would let you hang out with them while backing long as you didn't bother them with chatter/questions during the move!

Car attendants assuming Conductors roles and Power tripping are a PITA!
 
I can recall this happening once, but I don't recall on which train nor where I was at the time. But, it happened before there was a ticket check by the Conductor.
 
Had this happen to me on Empire Builder from Whitefish, MT to Chicago in Julyl, 2016. I was in the last car, a sleeper, and the attendant told me to stay away from the back door. She had piled ALL the dirty laundry in bags on the floor by the door. I was very unhappy with the power trip she was on.
 
Never had this problem, but I know that train staff isn't very keen of people walking in their car or Coach passengers walking around in Sleeping Cars.
 
Never had it happen though I may never have done it on a train with sleepers up front. Several times backing into Denver I've hung out there with conductor. He was happy to chat when he wasn't on the radio. No problem. If it's a car attendant telling you to not stand there, I'd try to find the conductor in a calm situation and just ask if he would explain what the issue is. "Back in the old days" I'd stand in the open-air vestibule at the tail end of the DRGW Zephyr. View was superb especially w/o the hideous Interstate down the Colorado canyon.
 
Never had it happen though I may never have done it on a train with sleepers up front. Several times backing into Denver I've hung out there with conductor. He was happy to chat when he wasn't on the radio. No problem. If it's a car attendant telling you to not stand there, I'd try to find the conductor in a calm situation and just ask if he would explain what the issue is. "Back in the old days" I'd stand in the open-air vestibule at the tail end of the DRGW Zephyr. View was superb especially w/o the hideous Interstate down the Colorado canyon.
That's interesting...every time I rode the RGZ, dome observation car Silver Sky carried the markers...that's a round-end car... :)
 
Last train that I know of that had an open air observation platform on that route was the Exposition Flyer, which was discontinued in favor of the California Zephyr (with its enclosed round-end dome obs) in 1949...
 
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I have not any problems doing this, though one time on the SWC my uncle and I who were traveling in sleepers were in the rear coach to film footage of the train going through the S curves between Las Vegas and Lamy, and the coach attendant told us we might have to go back to our sleeper at Albuquerque as they were expecting the coach to completely fill up by then. That was completely understandable. We were going to leave long before that anyway.
 
Thinking about walking around the train, Sleepers have always been off limits to Coach passengers and at the origin and just before final destination everyone is to be in their own cars, either to have the Conductor ticketing or safety arriving. Otherwise, there isn't any reason for asking someone to return.
 
Slightly off topic, and nothing to do with Amtrak.

I was in Spain with my partner some years ago on the Talgo that does Murcia to Barcelona. The rear car half of the rear car is actually not for passengers but has enclosures that contain switchgear and I think also a generator or freuancy converter for the HEP.

You can nevertheless walk down this car as there is a bathroom at the far end. No idea why. Maybe they couldn't find another suitable location for it.

Besides the bathroom there is a door with a railfan window, looking out onto the track.

We stoiod for some time looking out. And then, probably more out of silliness than anything else, my girlfrid pushed the lever to open the door, pretty sure that it would be locked.

It turned out it wasn't

It was even more embarrassing when we realized we could get it back shut. Despite several attempts to close it we couldn't get the mechanism to engage.

We didn't want to leave it wide open like that as it might be dangerous if somebody wasn't looking where they were going.

So we looked for the conductor to explain the problem. He was not amused.
 
I just got done with the first leg of a round trip from Holland MI to Portland to Seattle and back. I was in room 9 of the PDX sleeper (2730) and was thrilled when I discovered the location of where it was. The railfan window was a bit dirty but a few people, including me, took pictures. Also, we took on a private car in WFH which was added to the Seattle portion in Spokane. I watched it being attached. Nothing was said in objection by Amtrak staff.
 
Always question authority when it seems they are over stepping their bounds.
Just do so with the knowledge that a possible outcome of this scenario is that the coach attendant will report you to the conductor as someone who is disobeying the instructions of a crew member. I suspect most conductors would have a brief conversation with you and quickly sort it out, either in your favor or not in your favor. But there's always the chance you'd be met by law enforcement at the next stop.
 
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