Strangest Things You've seen in Coach

I am trying to compile a list of the strangest/wackiest things that you have seen happen in Long Distance Coach.

Mine would be the following:

1:Silver Star, a 40 year old man yelling at his stuffed 3ft dolphin named flip because the dolphin didnt help him carry his luggage in the rain.

2ennsylvanian, a 30 year old mother thinking its ok for her 6 year old daughter to sit completely nude in the aisle seat.

3:Capitol Limited, 20 amish women who every hour seemingly on cue each took out individual boxes..the biggest boxes of cereal I have ever seen, and poured it directly onto the fold down tray without a dish, bowl or even napkin.

4:Southwest Chief, 25 year old man trying to open the emergency window "Just a little crack" so he could keep his cigarette lit end out the window.

5:Crescent, 30 year old woman in the lounge car wanting the conductor to check everyones pockets because she couldnt ind her cell phone.

Im sure you have some way better ones.

not in coach, but in a sleeper on the Capital Limited, we had a passenger who boarded in South Bend, and told the SCA to not lower his bed, every hour or 2 he'd come out of his room fully dressed, go somewhere for 5 or 10 mins, then come back to his room, sit in his chair clutching his briefcase and closed the door. The man never went to bed, never made up his room, never even turned his light off that we could tell. It was like that all the way into DC. Even the SCA was getting a little freaked out by it (this wasn't too long after 9-11). I have no idea what it was all about or what his story was, but he could have just bought a coach seat and saved high bucket price. I was in the family room (solo)and he was he in one of the downstairs rooms also. The whole thing was very.. very.. strange to be honest.

Wow, that is odd. Passengers who keep a constant watch on other passengers creep me out. :unsure:

I was sat next to a guy who mid-journey was talking on his cell phone about how he was just going to LA for a day then would turn himself in to the cops. I've no idea what for, and I sure as hell wasn't going to ask.

Meat Puppet said:

3:Capitol Limited, 20 amish women who every hour seemingly on cue each took out individual boxes..the biggest boxes of cereal I have ever seen, and poured it directly onto the fold down tray without a dish, bowl or even napkin.

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Did anyone even think of being helpful, and offering this women something to use?

This is probably more common than not. Due to the ease of train travel, it does tend to be the mode of transit that many who are special needs gravitate towards. On my trip to Orlando a week and a half ago, a man got on the train in Deland to get off in Winter Park. Claimed to anyone who would listen that his family wouldn't let him drive any more. Then, he proceeded to announce VERY loudly every road we passed under, the Auto Train station, and even the elevated right of way we weren't on.

At ABQ several years back, there was a lady who was a self-appointed conductor who absolutely would not let people cross the tracks (even if necessary to get to the loading platform). It got to a point where she eventually got a whistle. Then wondered why no one had an empty seat next to them available for her...

Strangest thing in Coach? Hmmmmmmmmmmm! While riding on the Eagle from AUS to FTW, a guy came through the Coach I was in calling out "Tickets Please!" He was dressed in his Uniform and had his punch in his hand. Since there had only been two stops since the Trains originization in SAS (SMC and AUS where I boarded), and the Conductors pull tickets as you board the Train and the TA issues seat checks,and I knew ALL the Conductors on this Route, something seemed fishy! Come to find out he was an escaped resident from the State Hospitsal in SAS (for the Adult Mentally Challenged)and had done this before! The AC told me that he changed into his "uniform" in the bathroom, and that he would be met at TPL and either returned to SAS or offered a VP job @ 60 Mass! :lol: :lol: :lol:

This happened to me in Spain.

There used to be (maybe it still exists?) a train from Barcelona to Cerbere that connects with the night train there. This train was just a Barcelona commuter train that did all the milk stops along the way, but especially at weekends was crammed full with backpakers going from Barcelona to catch the night train and hardly anybody got on or off at the intermediate stops. There was a more expensive fast train running in parallel at more or less the same time but the budget travellers tended to gravitate towards this stopping train as it was cheaper and quite often there were people sitting on the floor and in the aisles etc.

Well, one day there was a Polish guy on this train and he didn't have a ticket. Also, he had a bicycle with him and didn't have a bicycle ticket either (or maybe bicycles were not allowed on that particular train, I can't remember)

The guy must have been a performing clown of some sort and was stil wearing his clown costume.

Anyway, the ticket inspector didn't like it and told him he should buy a ticket.

The guy said he has no money, and he offered the conductor a big yellow flower instead.

The conductor didn't think it was funny and got angry.

At the next stop he told the guy to get off the train.

The guy refused.

So the inspector said the train is stopping here until he gets off.

The train waited maybe half an hour, and the rest of us were getting worried about missing the connecting train.

So we asked the inspector how much the fare was, and offered to collect money on behalf of this guy.

But the inspector refused, saying the guy had to pay himself or get off.

No amount of pleading would make him change his opionion, and he even threatened to throw everybody else off as well if they kept insisting.

We also tried giving the Polish guy some money for a ticket but he refused. He didn't offer any explanation for his refusal.

Finally the police came and took him off the train and we continued our journey. Fortunately there was a lot of slack in the scehdule and we made up some of the lost time and caught the connecting train.

Meat Puppet said:

I am trying to compile a list of the strangest/wackiest things that you have seen happen in Long Distance Coach.

Mine would be the following:

1:Silver Star, a 40 year old man yelling at his stuffed 3ft dolphin named flip because the dolphin didnt help him carry his luggage in the rain.

2ennsylvanian, a 30 year old mother thinking its ok for her 6 year old daughter to sit completely nude in the aisle seat.

3:Capitol Limited, 20 amish women who every hour seemingly on cue each took out individual boxes..the biggest boxes of cereal I have ever seen, and poured it directly onto the fold down tray without a dish, bowl or even napkin.

4:Southwest Chief, 25 year old man trying to open the emergency window "Just a little crack" so he could keep his cigarette lit end out the window.

5:Crescent, 30 year old woman in the lounge car wanting the conductor to check everyones pockets because she couldnt ind her cell phone.

Im sure you have some way better ones.

Click to expand...

Oh, Boy! I am not s sure anyone can top those!!

Lazy Z said:

Meat Puppet said:

I am trying to compile a list of the strangest/wackiest things that you have seen happen in Long Distance Coach.

Mine would be the following:

1:Silver Star, a 40 year old man yelling at his stuffed 3ft dolphin named flip because the dolphin didnt help him carry his luggage in the rain.

2ennsylvanian, a 30 year old mother thinking its ok for her 6 year old daughter to sit completely nude in the aisle seat.

3:Capitol Limited, 20 amish women who every hour seemingly on cue each took out individual boxes..the biggest boxes of cereal I have ever seen, and poured it directly onto the fold down tray without a dish, bowl or even napkin.

4:Southwest Chief, 25 year old man trying to open the emergency window "Just a little crack" so he could keep his cigarette lit end out the window.

5:Crescent, 30 year old woman in the lounge car wanting the conductor to check everyones pockets because she couldnt ind her cell phone.

Im sure you have some way better ones.

Click to expand...

Oh, Boy! I am not s sure anyone can top those!!

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How did you get their ages?

Nancy said:

How did you get their ages?

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Good question. Inquiring minds want to know. :blink:

Texas Sunset said:

Wow, that is odd. Passengers who keep a constant watch on other passengers creep me out. :unsure:

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Good one -- made me snort out my morning coffee.

What is this "COACH"?

Nancy said:

Lazy Z said:

Meat Puppet said:

I am trying to compile a list of the strangest/wackiest things that you have seen happen in Long Distance Coach.

Mine would be the following:

1:Silver Star, a 40 year old man yelling at his stuffed 3ft dolphin named flip because the dolphin didnt help him carry his luggage in the rain.

2ennsylvanian, a 30 year old mother thinking its ok for her 6 year old daughter to sit completely nude in the aisle seat.

3:Capitol Limited, 20 amish women who every hour seemingly on cue each took out individual boxes..the biggest boxes of cereal I have ever seen, and poured it directly onto the fold down tray without a dish, bowl or even napkin.

4:Southwest Chief, 25 year old man trying to open the emergency window "Just a little crack" so he could keep his cigarette lit end out the window.

5:Crescent, 30 year old woman in the lounge car wanting the conductor to check everyones pockets because she couldnt ind her cell phone.

Im sure you have some way better ones.

Click to expand...

Oh, Boy! I am not s sure anyone can top those!!

Click to expand...

How did you get their ages?

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Probably the ages were simply guesses.

Wow! Too spooky even though Halloween is few nights away! I've got two of them-

In sightseer lounge on SWC, a mid 30s guy was pretending to shake salts on his hand and throw the salts away behind him. He kept doing it for about half hour interval.

In a sleeper car on LSL route, just after AU Boston Gathering ended, a guy (probably 40s) was wearing 1960s style business suit with hat keep walking down the aisle & looking into rooms even the rooms are occupied.

Oh my I could go on forever...here are the 2 wackiest..

on a Silver Service train, a guy who was most likely homeless, VERY intoxicated and who sat n the 1st row of coach, with what looked like every piece of mail he'd ever gotten (appeared to be in hit late 40s/early 50s)..

he then went into the lounge, proceeded to consume 3 or 4 little bottles of jack daniel's...eventually spreading out his mail all over a table, then spilling another bottle...

EVERYONE was staring at him and he was getting very loud....about 6 pax told the conductor that either HE got off at the next stop, or we were all going to get off and call the cops.

They tossed him off the train someplace in FLA into the waiting arms of the local police.

On the EB, in coach, another person was WAYYYY intoxicated. He was a very 'fluffy; individual....and in either Rugby or Minot (forget where) it took 2 cops and a couple train crew to muscle him down the steps, into a wheelchair and into the cop car.....I asked what the cops were going to do..they said, let him dry out, and stick him back on the train tomorrow....

there were more..including a 20-30ish guy in military green, who babbled incessantly for hours about nothing (i think this was on an EB too...) he eventually got off...but i swear i saw him again last year...the 1st time was in 2007!

gswager said:

...In a sleeper car on LSL route, just after AU Boston Gathering ended, a guy (probably 40s) was wearing 1960s style business suit with hat keep walking down the aisle & looking into rooms even the rooms are occupied.

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I would have reported that guy to the SCA or conductor IMMEDIATELY.

On a Silver Service train, S/B to Florida back in 2007, a group of young Miami thugs tried to take over the cafe car after its scheduled closing. We made an unscheduled stop somewhere in NC in the wee hours, and a bunch of NC's finest got on, made tracks for the cafe car one car ahead of my coach, and returned with a bunch of "prisoners". For all I know, they're all still guests of NC.

Ocala Mike

Aloha

The strangeist is a bunch of AU'ers riding cross country, just to ride trains. :giggle: :help: :wub: :lol:

Bierboy said:

gswager said:

...In a sleeper car on LSL route, just after AU Boston Gathering ended, a guy (probably 40s) was wearing 1960s style business suit with hat keep walking down the aisle & looking into rooms even the rooms are occupied.

Click to expand...

I would have reported that guy to the SCA or conductor IMMEDIATELY.

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It was not serious enough to report to SCA or conductor. In fact, he was well known by one of SCAs.

gswager said:

Bierboy said:

gswager said:

A guy (probably 40s) was wearing 1960s style business suit with hat keep walking down the aisle & looking into rooms even the rooms are occupied.

Click to expand...

I would have reported that guy to the SCA or conductor IMMEDIATELY.

Click to expand...

It was not serious enough to report to SCA or conductor. In fact, he was well known by one of SCAs.

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For all we know he's the original author of this thread. :lol:

GG-1 said:

Aloha

The strangeist is a bunch of AU'ers riding cross country, just to ride trains. :giggle: :help: :wub: :lol:

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The name of the thread is "Strangest Things You've seen in COACH". True AU'ers ride cross country in sleepers - most likely "paid" with AGR points!

jimhudson said:

Strangest thing in Coach? Hmmmmmmmmmmm! While riding on the Eagle from AUS to FTW, a guy came through the Coach I was in calling out "Tickets Please!" He was dressed in his Uniform and had his punch in his hand. Since there had only been two stops since the Trains originization in SAS (SMC and AUS where I boarded), and the Conductors pull tickets as you board the Train and the TA issues seat checks,and I knew ALL the Conductors on this Route, something seemed fishy! Come to find out he was an escaped resident from the State Hospitsal in SAS (for the Adult Mentally Challenged)and had done this before! The AC told me that he changed into his "uniform" in the bathroom, and that he would be met at TPL and either returned to SAS or offered a VP job @ 60 Mass! :lol: :lol: :lol:

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That just made my day!

Truth be told, he sounds like one of the more amusing, harmless guys that would get out from Eastern State in Williamsburg once in a while...and would end up at the nearby college dorms (the students were given instructions on how to call them in so they could be taken back "home").

I had an odd dinner on the Silver Meteor a few weeks back that belongs on this list...basically, an ex-building contractor from California who more or less settled into riding trains cross-country (I think he claimed somewhere around twenty runs of the Sunset Limited from CA to FL) once he made his pile. Anyhow...it was an "interesting" dinner because the gentleman was very disheveled and was constantly talking about a lot of new age things and some very...odd paranormal things he claimed had happened to him (one bit involved a phantom boxcar in the desert in Nevada, I believe on a non-existent rail spur) and so forth. All in all, he was very pleasant, but it was still a bit odd.

Another incident I saw was in the sleeper on the SWC. To put it simply, I do not know what happened, but the train was stopped at Lamy, NM for someone who was inebriated to be taken off, and one of the SCAs commented that "This is a family train, and we're not going to have any of that." He appreciated my joking inquiry "What, it's not the Montrealer?"

Anderson said:

All in all, he was very pleasant, but it was still a bit odd.

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That sounds like me you're talking about!

Don't you guys know you are NOT to talk about your fellow AU'ers in this thread?? :angry: :angry2: :help: