How well do you sleep on a train?

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Home versus Amtrak Coach?

  • I sleep better at home

    Votes: 27 100.0%
  • I sleep better in Amtrak Coach

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    27
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AAARGH!

Conductor
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
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1,067
Location
Cleveland, OH
On another thread, how well people sleep on the train was being discussed. So I was wondering how well people do on the three train classes (coach, roomette, bedroom) versus at home.

For classification purposes, count the H room and family bedroom as bedrooms.
 
I'd want to meet the guy who picks Amtrak coach over sleeping at home! ;-)

So long as it's night time and everything has calmed down I can sleep pretty good in a roomette or bedroom but nothing mobile can compete with a stationairy mattress of my own choosing at home. Well, maybe if you had a king or queen foam mattress on a private car, that might be my ideal sleeping experience.
 
I'd want to meet the guy who picks Amtrak coach over sleeping at home! ;-)
So long as it's night time and everything has calmed down I can sleep pretty good in a roomette or bedroom but nothing mobile can compete with a stationairy mattress of my own choosing at home. Well, maybe if you had a king or queen foam mattress on a private car, that might be my ideal sleeping experience.
While almost anyone would perfer a sleeper over coach when traveling, the choice of riding coach versus not riding a train is an easy one for most of us!

I personaly have no trouble sleeping one night in a coach all things considered but admit I voted for home vs. the coach and roomette, but chose the bedroom over home! I spent years riding planes/trains and busses( :rolleyes: ), learned to sleep on almost anything but my Queen size new bed is a pretty sweet night's sleep but as the old saying goes" Home is where the heart is" and mine is on a train! ;)

As to the_traveler, he doesnt count, some people are fortunate enough to have two homes (ie a summer or vacation home and the family manor)but he has ChezTravelerEast/West/ and every LD train in America! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
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I've found that, regardless of where I'm at, my first night sleeping away from home is typically pretty restless. The same was true of the only 2 night LD trip that I've done so far (e/b CZ last fall) so I'm not sure how much being on a train contributed to what I usually experience anyway. The 2nd night on the CZ I slept a whole lot better than the 1st night but still not 100% as soundly as I would at home in my own bed. I also think that it would be foolish to expect that to even be possible for most people with the movement, horn noise, and the stopping and starting that occurs throughout the night on a train. All part of the experience... :)
 
Needs more choices:

A) Better on Amtrak

B) Equally Well

C) Better at home

Or even:

A) Much Better on Amtrak

B) Slightly Better on Amtrak

C) Equally Well

D) Slightly Better at home

E) Much Better at home
 
I don't sleep well anywhere, that is not home. Be it hotel, ship, or train.

I'm just too paranoid about the bed and the bedding to feel comfortable, especially after watching the 60 Minutes' exposé.
 
I have slept on several different trains - the Zephyr, Lakeshore LTD, Capitol, Pennsylvanian, in Coach, Business, Roomettes and Bedrooms. I am 6' 2", so trying to be comfortable is not always easy. Coach is miserable to try and sleep - and then the only way to TRULY get any sleep is if you're in a window seat. It's too bad they can't come up with lock-in-place headrests on the sides of the coach seats so you can at least put your head against one side or the other. If you're in an inside seat, forget it. You spend the entire time just trying to keep from either falling on the person in the window seat or falling into the aisle.

Business Class on the Pennsylvanian was VERY easy to fall asleep. In fact I was trying to stay awake and watch the scenery, but just couldn't do it. I have also always brought my own memory foam pillow with me on the trains, which really helps - especially that person who mentioned bedding - bring your own pillow!

I've been in both a Roomette and Bedroom on the Lakeshore. Viewliners are MUCH easier only because of the roominess - and having your own toilet is nice, too. The Bedroom on the Lakeshore was a little nicer just because I am a side sleeper and I liked the extra width.

I took the Zephyr from Chicago all the way to Emeryville this past Christmas. The first night I had a Roomette and it was my first time in a Superliner Roomette. The diagrams on the website mistakenly make the Superliner Roomette to be the same dimensions as the Viewliner and they're not even close. Even with the bunk above out of my way, trying to move around in the one foot by two foot space when the bed was down was near impossible and uncomfortable - but sleeping was wonderful! The bed seemed a bit roomier than the Viewliner, but I've always slept great in a Roomette or bedroom on the train. I fell asleep early - 7:30 and woke up around 3:30 or 4am, looked out the window at millions of stars above, barely hearing that constant horn, and the movement and train noises put me right back to sleep again. That's probably because my bedroom growing up was right next to the laundry room and the only time my mom could get any laundry done was when we got into bed. I still cannot fall asleep in complete silence and need some kind of white noise. The train is perfect. Plus having spent every Summer growing up at my grandparents in Kennewick, who had a 3 track train switch right next to the house, I quickly became VERY used to train horns and the beat of a train going by. The 2nd night on the Zephyr, I was upgraded to a bedroom and that was perfect. Great room and amazing sleep.

I would love to rig my bed so it could simulate an easy train movement along with the sounds. Man, I would sleep well!
 
Needs more choices:
A) Better on Amtrak

B) Equally Well

C) Better at home

Or even:

A) Much Better on Amtrak

B) Slightly Better on Amtrak

C) Equally Well

D) Slightly Better at home

E) Much Better at home
I agree with you Ryan-I would choose better at home-hubby doesn't sleep next to me in the bedroom on the train.

The roomettes are just too small for a long trip for us.

At home we have a select comfort bed, with flannel sheets & memory foam pillows.

The rocking of the train does seem to compensate somewhat for the lack of other 'amenities' that we have at home.

I think the best 'improvements' they could provide would be a memory foam topper & better quality bedding.
 
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Another group of choices could have been Top or Bottom bunk. Personally, I sleep like a log in the top bunk of the roommette. Not so well on the bottom.
 
Considering that I have no problem getting some good sleep even in International Coach on airlines like Continental, you can pretty much guess that I have no problem sleeping on a train. However, a nice King size bed at home is always going to be better than anything else. If it was on a train in a PV that would be excellent too :)

Oddly enough, if I had to choose among train sleepers and the new lie flat business class beds on many airlines I'd choose the latter, mainly because I can lie there and watch stuff on the excellent AVOD system. That is as close to nirvana as you can get under those circumstances. Now only if I could plug my iPhone into the system with a video connection that would be perfect! My Bose noise canceling headphones can already be plugged into the system with no problem.
 
I have never ridden coach on Amtrak overnight. Last time I rode coach was on KCS Southern Belle between Minden, LA, and Baton Rough, LA in the 1950's as a high school student. Still voted sleep better at home.

Since I have to travel via air to get to ride Amtrak, I alway go sleeper and sleep equally well in Roomettes or Bedroom as I do at home so I voted sleep better on Amtrak in roomette and bedroom. For me as many of you, traveling via sleeper car on Amtrak and Via Rail is an adventure and I always sleep well when I am happy and enjoying my traveling adventure.

To all those arguing over the daily Eagle versus the daily Sunset SAS to NOL I just say: Bring Amtrak back to NASHVILLE, TN! We have not had Amtrak service since the Floridian from Chicago to Miami was cut in 1970. There is no way you can tell me a Chicago, Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta to Florida would not be a huge success. Of course, CSX doesn't want the competition for the tracks.
 
I have yet to take a Amtrak bedroom though I have done roomettes. The poll will not let me skip that question so I assumed there was no great difference in quality of sleep.
 
I would personally never go overnight in coach (I need a bed to sleep in and be laying down) -- but I sleep better on the train than at home. I always have to many things to worry about doing when I am at home -- the hardest decision I have to make on a train is what time to eat at!!! It's by far the most relaxing way to travel... hence I use most of my 4 weeks of vacation time on Amtrak!!!
 
I sleep about 80% as well on a train as at home. Usually too keyed up to sleep much the first night,but, say a long trip across this country or Canada it levels off pretty close to normal.
 
I answered the poll from my limited experience of two train trips. I sleep better at home - my bed, my pillow, my house, etc. Now if the poll was train versus the airplane, the train wins hands down. By the way, I had to answer all three to vote. I've haven't been in a bedroom yet.
 
I generally sleep very well in a roomette the second night.......... because i sleep poorly in a roomette the first night!

But seriously, on my last overnight trip, Sacramento to Denver in May, I slept better on the train than I ever have before. I attribute this to a couple of things

1) I was riding solo in the Family Room..... the last accomodation available on the train that day when I booked my trip (using AGR points).

2) I have been dieting for about five months and have lost a significant amount of weight...... by the end of summer I should be back to my 'Basic Training' weight for the first time in 20 years!

So, take someone suddenly about 40 pounds lighter and put him in the wider downstairs bedroom berth......... and good sleep is likely!
 
I sleep better at home. Now on our recent Galesburg to LA trip, I slept better the first night. On the way back, I slept better the first night also. Doesn't make sense why though. On the way out we got a roommette. On the way back a bedroom. We have also tried to sleep in coach. Yuck. Have had roommettes more than coach. First time with a bedroom with bath and toilet (loved that part). Have had the family bedroom and that wouldn't have been too bad but

I had to sleep in the little bed. Squish.
 
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