Would a 320lb 6ft2in tall man be comfortable in coach?

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iliketrains

Lead Service Attendant
Joined
Aug 19, 2018
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252
Would a 320 lb 6ft 2in tall man be comfortable in Superliner coach on a 24 hour trip?
 
The coach seats do not have arm rests, so said man may be comfortable, but his seat mate may not be comfortable. (I am nowhere near that size, but have traveled on Amtrak quite a bit and have seen large men and women in coach).

The booths in the dining car may be tight, so sitting in the dining car and/or at a table in the lounge, may not be comfortable. Some booths are tighter than others.
(I remember traveling to the Seattle Gathering years ago and we had many "large" men in our 8 person group. It was an extremely tight fit in the PPC booths. It turned out that the middle booth was more roomy, and the attendant generally saved it for the largest members in our group) :)
 
I'm 6 foot even and float between 300 and 310 pounds. I personally travel in Sleepers when possible for overnight trips. The one overnight trip that I don't book sleepers is Train 66. That's because I can only book as high up as Business Class. Normally 66 has Business Class in the 2x1 seating. I will have some trouble sleeping most of the time. The one time that I rode 66 and it had a Full Business Class car I slept better then in the 2x1 configuration. This was the first time I rode in a Amfleet with the refreshed seats.
 
If the man does not have a seat mate he will be fine. If coach is not overly crowded, the train crew will likely take his size into consideration and hold off on assigning a seat mate to him as long as possible. But no guarantees.

For What It's Worth, I used to weigh in at 275 lbs and I had no difficulty whatsoever in Amtrak coach. But yes, the dining car booths could be a bit cramped, particularly on the now-retired Heritage (eastern single-level and Coast Starlight PPC) equipment.

Edit To Add: Please also note that while Amtrak will not sell a second coach seat to a passenger simply because they want two seats to themselves, they will sell a second reserved seat to a passenger which requires it due to size. The large man could call Amtrak and ask to purchase a second reserved seat due to his size; while I don't know where the formal cutoff is I would think that 320 lbs. would qualify.
 
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I’m only 5’ 10”, 240 and I bump my head all the time (my friends tell me that’s my excuse for how I am). I think it’s more me not paying attention to my surroundings pertaining my head more than anything. Of course that only happens when I ride coach or business class. I suppose at OPs height, more caution has to be practiced. As far as the size of the seats, I’ve not noticed...however there is more room in the roomettes so if you’re riding alone you can put your feet up on the other seat and stretch out. I always do that, but obviously can’t otherwise in coach/BC.
 
"E.M. Frimbo" fit, so will you. Of course he rarely rode coach! I did meet "him" in the rear of a Rio Grande Zephyr Obs in the '70s with Tony Hiss and two other companions and they "fit," were having a jolly time...

Mr. "Frimbo" was a rather large man.
 
Instead of buying 2 Coach Seats , book a Roomette, if by yourself, since the Top Bunk known as " the coffin" is a challenge for anyone.

If traveling with someone consider a Bedroom if it's not too Expensive.( in this case look @ 2 Roomettes)

Otherwise Coach seats have plenty of Room except in Amfleet Is.

I
 
I used to be 5’5” and 360 pounds. The coach seats on a Superliner were just fine width-wise, even though I’m heaviest through the hips. I never crossed the line between seats. I’m positive they’re around 23”.

The diner booths were a little tight, but I could sit comfortably. It depends on how you carry your weight. I always sat on the aisle so I could scoot over a bit and give the person next to me more room.
 
That is a good point, body proportions vary widely. I for one am fairly large, but I don't have prticularly long legs so I rrely have problems with legroom, but set width matters. I know some people ho aren't especially tall, but they have xl legs for their height, legroom is a real issue.
 
The coach seats do not have arm rests, so said man may be comfortable, but his seat mate may not be comfortable. (I am nowhere near that size, but have traveled on Amtrak quite a bit and have seen large men and women in coach).
There's no center armrest, and thus no separation between adjacent seats, but I would say each seat gets one armrest.
 
Would a 320 lb 6ft 2in tall man be comfortable in Superliner coach on a 24 hour trip?
Sizewise I'd say it's the equivalent of an older-style airline first class seat. I've seen rather large individuals do just fine. There's ample legroom and they're really, really wide. As noted there's no center armrest, which may be a positive or negative depending on who's asking. It's a positive because you're not strictly hemmed in by the armrest, but if you're sitting next to another passenger then that person might not think it's great if you're intruding over the center line.

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There may be options to book two seats if you think it's going to be an issue. It's certainly possible to pay for a second seat for a large musical instrument. You might need to call in to inquire how to buy a second seat just for size, although Amtrak Superliner seats are so large that I don't think it would be an issue. And I could see an attendant just making sure that someone of large size won't have a seatmate after making an assessment.
 
There is definitely enough leg room!! And the seat width looks good too. The reclining room is also great. Now we just need to hope that we are not forced to ride a bus due to service interruption.
 
There is definitely enough leg room!! And the seat width looks good too. The reclining room is also great. Now we just need to hope that we are not forced to ride a bus due to service interruption.
Yeah. I recent rode on a contracted thruway bus and the legroom was a little more than typical airline coach. I also rode in an Amtrak California Car which doesn’t recline and where the legroom isn’t quite like a Superliner. They had some older Superliner cafe cars on Capitol Corridor, and I liked sitting in the upstairs seats.

Also, the legroom is so much that I can’t imagine anyone complaining about a passenger in front reclining all the way. The trays also have to extend a long way to reach passengers. The come down and then need to be pulled back.
 
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