How come most dont take shower ?

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I have ridden around 10k miles in sleeper's in the past two years. My observation is that 90% of sleeper passengers do NOT take a shower in the morning? I can not understand why? I consider a shower an essential part to starting my day right. Plus it is free for sleeper pax, so why would one skip it? I am not American, so perhaps culturally Americans are not fond of showering? But I notice they rarely have any body odor though!
 
Guest said:
I have ridden around 10k miles in sleeper's in the past two years. My observation is that 90% of sleeper passengers do NOT take a shower in the morning? I can not understand why? I consider a shower an essential part to starting my day right. Plus it is free for sleeper pax, so why would one skip it? I am not American, so perhaps culturally Americans are not fond of showering? But I notice they rarely have any body odor though!
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I'm with you. Personally, I can't get started without a shower. However, I don't think the not showering thing is a particularly American thing... I've come across some folks from the EU that just smelled BAD too... :)

I kind of enjoy taking my shower on the train... that little bedroom shower is a challenge and I love challenges!
 
It could simply be that people are not comfortable using a public shower.
 
I had no problem taking a shower on the Starlight last month, but we were probably doing under 50mph coming into Santa Barbara.

Actually, from what I've heard, it's the other way around--Americans are the ones that bathe daily and take long showers, and people from most other countries don't feel like they need a daily shower (substituting maybe a quick cleansing in a bidet or something).

It appears that both of our stereotypes are wrong!
 
90% of the people do not ride the entire distance of the train. Maybe people shower at home, ride the train and then shower at their destination, all in under 24 hours.
 
I am one of those types who, too, must take a shower in the morning.

I don't care if there isn't any hot water. I don't care if the car is bouncing back and forth. I would not even care if the door was missing/broken. :p

I have to have my morning shower. :lol:

However, I am quite glad that most of the other sleeper car passengers don't. I have yet to ever have to wait to take one, because the shower was already occupied.
 
Walt said:
I am one of those types who, too, must take a shower in the morning.
I don't care if there isn't any hot water. I don't care if the car is bouncing back and forth. I would not even care if the door was missing/broken. :p

I have to have my morning shower. :lol:

However, I am quite glad that most of the other sleeper car passengers don't. I have yet to ever have to wait to take one, because the shower was already occupied.
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That's music to my ears!

Don't like shower lines & it means less traffic next to my H room.
 
And this from a 63 year old.....having so many showers on the train is a "relatively" new thing.....back in the old days (both good and bad) before Amtrak, very few trains had showers.And very few of them were for the public. It usually meant one special sleeping car accommodation room---just one room---in just one sleeping car --- with a shower, and it was just for the two three passengers in that room-----and that was it for the entire train.

Those rooms were most commonly called "master rooms". I do recall the old Sunset Limited had a shower in the lounge car and it was for any sleeping car passengers.

Very few trains in the whole country had any sort of shower arrangement, probably no more than seven or eight. It was trains like the 20th Century Limited, the Broadway Limited, those kinds of trains. Not just "any old train." The pre-Amtrak California Zephyr had such a room but they called it a "drawing room"--a word used by other lines without the same meaning.

So, way back then I am sure we bathed as much as we did today I do not think the culture has changed that much. but somehow we did survive on the train---and that was when proportionately more of us were using the train, even for really long distances.

Coach restrooms used to be larger, perhaps some people were reasonably comfortable taking some sort of "sponge bath" around strangers in a coach restroom. Some coach restrooms had chairs and were sort of a "smoking room" they were not as utilitatian as they are now. Usually two toilets annexed off from the "lounge aspect' of a restroom.

A sponge bath meant strippng down at least the upper torso. In your sleeping car room, of course you could strip completely and use water, soap and more water, not running of course. The end result was not very satisfactory but it helpd a little.

In fact,as to the the discussion about what was better or worse between Amtrak and pre-Amtrak, the availabilty of showers is one of the things which always come down in Amtraks favor. Oh and this mgiht shock people today. As I recall, the possibiltiy of taking some kind of slight sponge bath in a public railroad staiton restroom was a little more allowable and tolerable and safer than would be the case today. Enough said on that point.

Anyway, we have a long pre-Amtrak history of almost no access to showrs on trains and we did survive ...so maybe it is more of a "perceived " need than anything else.
 
That's music to my ears!Don't like shower lines & it means less traffic next to my H room.
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The shower is at the opposite end of the car. H room is the one room past which none of the oher people in that car would need to pass to reach the shower.
 
I think that taking a shower anytime on the train would be great! I have yet to try it though as I have never slept overnight (In a sleeper that is). I am hoping to this summer sometime to Chicago. I can rough it though, kinda like the time I didn't shower for 14 days straight at the Philmont scout ranch in NM......we smelled glorious!!!!!!!! :blink:

If its as bumpy as I imagine it is in the superliner bathroom, I know I will be laughing as I try to make it work.

That being said.....I would think that one would enjoy the morning part of a trip after a hot shower and some delicious french toast. MMMMM
 
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Guest said:
My observation is that 90% of sleeper passengers do NOT take a shower in the morning? I can not understand why? I consider a shower an essential part to starting my day right.
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Though it certainly doesn't make up for the entire population you cite, there are certainly those of us who feel an evening shower to be the preferred "essential part" to one's day rather than the morning ritual. With a military career that often found my work days to be hot, sweaty, dirty and grimy (to include sometimes days and weeks at a time in miserable environments with neither the time nor facilities to shower), I find a certain sense of self indulgence in the simple pleasure of a clean body on clean sheets when I retire for the night. I can't imagine doing otherwise. This habit has carried over to my now more sedate lifestyle and I still find my evening ritual far more practical and preferable to the perhaps more common morning routine of others. Thus you wouldn't find me competing with you for that morning shower (and the limited hot water supply), and happily I wouldn't be competing with you for the evening shower.

Be thankful that not everyone is trying to use the shower on your schedule! :)
 
i haven't ever taken a shower on the train because:

1. i just don't get that dirty riding on a train. i'm not sweating or gardening or even getting dusty cleaning the house.

2. it's easy enough to wash any areas that need it with a washcloth at the sink.

3. the towels are wee-tiny -- fine for necessity, but not tempting otherwise.

4. i've never been on board for more than 20-30 hours, and i often want a shower to relax when i get where i'm going anyway. if i were riding for days on end, then sure i'd use the shower.

5. time in the shower is time i can't spend looking out the window. ;)
 
Walt said:
sweet tea said:
3. the towels are wee-tiny -- fine for necessity, but not tempting otherwise.
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At least on the Viewliners, there are "bath size" towels available in the shower compartment.
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Same on the Superliners, although sometimes the attendant will leave the towels in the luggage rack rather than in the shower changing room where space is limited.

The towels that one finds in one's room are only hand towels, not bath towels.
 
Are we talking specifically about the public showers or are we counting the showers in the bedrooms also?I don't think you can say 90% don't take one if you include the private room showers. Also, all you have to do for a bath towel is ask the attendant or just help yourself if he is not in his room.
 
ah, good to know. probably won't change my habits, but thanks for the information.
 
I tried the shower once last year,, well it was not a good experience,,, first I wasn't to sure how to work the shower,, gave up on trying, decided to just wash up at the bathroom sink,, Well, I went to open the shower door and it was stuck,, I pushed the bolt as hard as I could, didn't work. finally pushed the call button,, the people waiting to take a shower told me to push the bolt harder,, I did , finally got the door opened, but did notice there was a lot of scratch marks on the bolt, so don't think I was the only one that had trouble getting out,,, was wondering what would happen if someone was ill and could not get to the door,, is there any other way to open it from the outside..? I will be going from Chicago to Virginia next week,, and will try again,, hope it is not the same shower,, :). maybe I should take a hammer with me and save my hand ,,, LOL...
 
Can't speak for anyone else but....

After walking around the French Quarter in New Orleans before boarding the CONO next week, We're sure that we will be "all wet" and need a shower. We remember from last year the shower in the bedroom of the Superliners is ....claustrophobic, but we will definitely need one.

We're certain the same thing on the return from Chicago after walking around downtown Chicago.

Don't want to be thrown off the train, conductor and crew has enough to do already.

OK Why don't the signature line show up ?????

Donna n Paul Scott, La. BNSFmp149.1 Lafayette Subdivision

Operation Lifesaver Louisiana
 
ourlouisiana said:
Can't speak for anyone else but....
After walking around the French Quarter in New Orleans before boarding the CONO next week, We're sure that we will be "all wet" and need a shower. We remember from last year the shower in the bedroom of the Superliners is ....claustrophobic, but we will definitely need one.

We're certain the same thing on the return from Chicago after walking around downtown Chicago.

Don't want to be thrown off the train, conductor and crew has enough to do already.

OK Why don't the signature line show up ?????

Donna n Paul Scott, La. BNSFmp149.1 Lafayette Subdivision

Operation Lifesaver Louisiana
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Donna,

If you are talking about your signature line, I see it. Looks like this.

Donna n Paul Scott, La. BNSFmp149.1 Lafayette Subdivision

Operation Lifesaver Louisiana

Don't know if I got the color right, but it is there.
 
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You won't see the signature line while you're writing up your post, it is added after you click the "Add Reply" button to post your post.
 
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