Coach Passengers Access To Sleeper Cars

Do the coach passengers have the ability to walk thru the sleeper cars?? Or is this off limits to them. I was thinking about the coffee station located in sleeper cars...maybe grab a cup now and then....possible???

PJRACER said:

Do the coach passengers have the ability to walk thru the sleeper cars?? Or is this off limits to them. I was thinking about the coffee station located in sleeper cars...maybe grab a cup now and then....possible???

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Nope, sorry.

Sleepers are designated for them only. However, not that I'm condoning such actions, but I would say you might have a very slim, slim chance of getting away with it. I don't know what the consequences are if you were to get caught though. I wouldn't try it.

It's not a great idea! Getting put off the train in the middle of nowhere is not worth a cup of coffee, bottled water or juice! Either book a room or go to the cafe and buy your refreshments!

The juice sucks anyway.

Coffee's pretty good though... still not worth it.

I talked a co-worker and his wife into taking the train from Emeryville to Truckee. It was his first train ride so I said he, and his wife, should try to walk through a sleeper if they could. I told them they were likley to be stopped and they were, by the dining car crew.

Dont they serve the same coffee that you have to buy in the cafe?

Shawn Ryu said:

Dont they serve the same coffee that you have to buy in the cafe?

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It may be the same brand, but it's made in a coffee machine in each sleeper car & it's free! Or should I say, included in your ticket price!

I travel with a netbook, gps puck, broadband card, camera, etc and wouldn't want coach passengers walking through my sleeping car. Not that other sleeper passengers wouldn't steal but the more people walking through the greater the chance of having something lifted.

Bill J

Oh, oh......just a question people......hope I didn't rattle too many cages. The answer "Rail Freak" gave was all I needed......thanks for the advice.

Sleeper cars are stictly off limits to coach passengers. There is no reason that a coach passenger has to be allowed access. The halls are narrow and the bedroom and roomette doors do not lock from the outside. It is a privacy and security issue that sleeper passengers enjoy.

I would say that if a coach passenger ventured into a sleeper, the SCA would ask him/her to leave but if they are helping themsleves to the coffee, bottled water etc, they would probably be ejected from the train.

There was an incident on the AutoTrain a while back involving a fracas with a couple of college kids heading South at the beginning of the semester year. They ended up being put off in Florence S.C. in the middle of the night and put in police custody. Needless to say their cars went on to Sanford.

People have been put off Amtrak trains for violating the rules or for extreme behavior.

PJRACER said:

Oh, oh......just a question people......hope I didn't rattle too many cages. The answer "Rail Freak" gave was all I needed......thanks for the advice.

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Welcome to the world of online discussions!

ALC_Rail_Writer said:

PJRACER said:

Oh, oh......just a question people......hope I didn't rattle too many cages. The answer "Rail Freak" gave was all I needed......thanks for the advice.

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Welcome to the world of online discussions!

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I really liked your comment Rail_Writer, it was small but mighty. It made me smile

There would probably be only a handful of exceptions to coach passengers being able to walk through a sleeper car. The only one I can think of is the Chicago to Minneapolis coach that's hitched to the end of Empire Builder. They would have to walk through the Portland, Ore. sleeper (and coach) to get to the dining and lounge cars.

I still wouldn't try to snag the coffee from the Portland sleeper though.

RTOlson said:

There would probably be only a handful of exceptions to coach passengers being able to walk through a sleeper car. The only one I can think of is the Chicago to Minneapolis coach that's hitched to the end of Empire Builder. They would have to walk through the Portland, Ore. sleeper (and coach) to get to the dining and lounge cars.

I still wouldn't try to snag the coffee from the Portland sleeper though.

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Why not? Some of Empire Builder "Welcome Aboard" sparkling wine ended up in the MSP coach last summer, while some of the Sleeper passengers got none. It was a nice treat for the MSP coach passengers.

dlagrua said:

Sleeper cars are stictly off limits to coach passengers. There is no reason that a coach passenger has to be allowed access.

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I would mostly agree, except for the a fore mentioned circumstance.

If you really want to see one of the sleepers just get off at an intermediary station stop and then re-board at the sleeper car from the ground. That being said, I honestly couldn't imagine why anyone would go through any trouble just to drink the weird room-temperature juice-like products or the stale smelling coffee. But, to each his own.

I'm surprised it took this long for someone to mention the 807/808 coaches. And before the Cardinal sleeper was placed at the front, it was between the CHI-IND coaches and the cafe.

I can remember one trip east in the Portland sleeper this year when the SCA made a big announcement in St. Paul about the #808 coach, warning us that she'd have to allow coach passengers from that car through. You'd have though that they had cooties...

On the other hand, I'm fortunate to not travel with the valuable electronics others carry.

When I was on the eastbound PDX Sleeper earlier this year, as soon as we pulled into St. Paul, our SCA stashed the coffee station goodies so wander through Coach pax wouldn't dry them up but let us know where they were. She said that has been an ongoing problem.

Ispolkom said:

I can remember one trip east in the Portland sleeper this year when the SCA made a big announcement in St. Paul about the #808 coach, warning us that she'd have to allow coach passengers from that car through. You'd have though that they had cooties...

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You mean they don't?

dlagrua said:

Sleeper cars are stictly off limits to coach passengers. There is no reason that a coach passenger has to be allowed access. The halls are narrow and the bedroom and roomette doors do not lock from the outside. It is a privacy and security issue that sleeper passengers enjoy.

I would say that if a coach passenger ventured into a sleeper, the SCA would ask him/her to leave but if they are helping themsleves to the coffee, bottled water etc, they would probably be ejected from the train.

There was an incident on the AutoTrain a while back involving a fracas with a couple of college kids heading South at the beginning of the semester year. They ended up being put off in Florence S.C. in the middle of the night and put in police custody. Needless to say their cars went on to Sanford.

People have been put off Amtrak trains for violating the rules or for extreme behavior.

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What would happen to their cars?Towed to impound?

Kurn said:

dlagrua said:

Sleeper cars are stictly off limits to coach passengers. There is no reason that a coach passenger has to be allowed access. The halls are narrow and the bedroom and roomette doors do not lock from the outside. It is a privacy and security issue that sleeper passengers enjoy.

I would say that if a coach passenger ventured into a sleeper, the SCA would ask him/her to leave but if they are helping themsleves to the coffee, bottled water etc, they would probably be ejected from the train.

There was an incident on the AutoTrain a while back involving a fracas with a couple of college kids heading South at the beginning of the semester year. They ended up being put off in Florence S.C. in the middle of the night and put in police custody. Needless to say their cars went on to Sanford.

People have been put off Amtrak trains for violating the rules or for extreme behavior.

Click to expand...

What would happen to their cars?Towed to impound?

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No, most likely they'd just be parked in the guest parking areas until such time as the owner came to get it or made other arrangements.

AlanB said:

Kurn said:

dlagrua said:

There was an incident on the AutoTrain a while back involving a fracas with a couple of college kids heading South at the beginning of the semester year. They ended up being put off in Florence S.C. in the middle of the night and put in police custody. Needless to say their cars went on to Sanford.

Click to expand...

What would happen to their cars?Towed to impound?

Click to expand...

No, most likely they'd just be parked in the guest parking areas until such time as the owner came to get it or made other arrangements.

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I think it would depend on the length of detention or incarceration. At first the cars would probably remain with Amtrak and be charged an hourly or daily fee for their storage. However, making arrangements to pick-up your car isn't going to be easy while you're in custody and whatever funds you may have access to will probably be used first and foremost for bail and to defend yourself in court and/or pay whichever penalties are assessed against you. If the cars aren't picked up in short order they could eventually run afoul of Amtrak's obligation to keep them and could be handed over to a private impound service. Given enough time the impound lot could impose fees into the thousands of dollars, even to the point of exceeding the value of the vehicle itself. As if that wasn't bad enough some states allow the impound lot to take ownership of vehicles that are left too long and sell them to recoup their fees. These actions could be contested if you were free on bail with enough money left over to pay court costs but if you're stuck in a jail cell in another town you might end up losing your vehicle entirely with little or no recourse.

Any way to just see what the sleeper car looks like inside and perhaps an empty roomette or bedroom? I have seen pics but nothing quite like seeing the accomodations for oneself?

Dan