leemell
Conductor
The Viewliners that we were on had sleepers, diners, sightseer lounges and COACHES.
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Coach seats on LD trains
- Thread starter June the Coach Rider
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Amtrak Cajun
OBS Chief
Coach is coach, regardless of what the equipment may be called, either by name or technicality . 
Lets try not to derail this thread with technicalities. Haha.
Lets try not to derail this thread with technicalities. Haha.
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
If youa re talking about Amfleet IIs, then I disagree. I prefer Amfleet IIs ever so slightly over Superliner Coaches.
TimePeace
Disillusioned.
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HeheheCoach is coach, regardless of what the equipment may be called, either by name or technicality .
:huh:
So far, my wife and I have made 4 long distance round trips (3 to the west coast, 1 to the east coast), and all of them have been in coach. We have not had any problems sleeping for the most part. I usually sleep better on the second night than the first, but that is often true in a hotel as well. Ear plugs or MP3 player usually help.
While the seats are pretty comfortable, I have noticed that they could use a little more padding (or maybe I need more padding in the seat ). We always take along lightweight blankets, and I have begun using mine as extra seat cushioning. I also take along my own full-size pillow, which is a nice added comfort.
As far as placement within the cars, on the bi-level trains I've noticed too much noise from the doors between the cars and too much light coming from the center stairs. Mid-way up or back is nice, but as was mentioned earlier, watch out for the window pillars, both with the seat upright and when it is reclined.
While the seats are pretty comfortable, I have noticed that they could use a little more padding (or maybe I need more padding in the seat
). We always take along lightweight blankets, and I have begun using mine as extra seat cushioning. I also take along my own full-size pillow, which is a nice added comfort.As far as placement within the cars, on the bi-level trains I've noticed too much noise from the doors between the cars and too much light coming from the center stairs. Mid-way up or back is nice, but as was mentioned earlier, watch out for the window pillars, both with the seat upright and when it is reclined.
Ben_G
Service Attendant
If you get to pick your own seat on a Superliner....try and get the one stair side in front of the stairs. Great window, just pull the curtians back behind the seat if you want. Also nobody sitting behind you so reclineing the seat or moving curtians will not cause problems also tray tables are at these seats.
We noticed the older cars the seats reclined a bit more than the newer ones, but the newer ones had a little more padding in the seat. To tell the differance look for a line of LED lights along the floor on one side, that is the newer.
We noticed the older cars the seats reclined a bit more than the newer ones, but the newer ones had a little more padding in the seat. To tell the differance look for a line of LED lights along the floor on one side, that is the newer.
Call this a personal curiosity about Amtrak's coach seats in general, but...
Does anyone have some insight on why Amtrak never had an armrest between the two seats? The lack of one stands out most with me. A folding one where, if a degree of separation and a place to rest your other arm on is not desired, it could simply be pushed up and out of the way to create the situation found now. Being on a train is a social environment, but sometimes you just want that small physical line between you and a complete stranger sitting in the seat next to you.
Just one of those odd facts about Amtrak that makes you scratch your head.
Does anyone have some insight on why Amtrak never had an armrest between the two seats? The lack of one stands out most with me. A folding one where, if a degree of separation and a place to rest your other arm on is not desired, it could simply be pushed up and out of the way to create the situation found now. Being on a train is a social environment, but sometimes you just want that small physical line between you and a complete stranger sitting in the seat next to you.
Just one of those odd facts about Amtrak that makes you scratch your head.
I have no insight but I hate the lack of separation between seats.
I really don't recall having as many issues with personal space encroachment in the past as I do today.
Which is why I ALWAYS sit in an aisle seat.
I DO NOT want your body parts touching mine!
MEN - READ THIS!!!
Why in the hell do the majority of you sit with legs splayed out into the personal space of others??? :angry:
Why???? Pisses me off to no end and, honestly, I don't want to get confrontational about it.
If you're seated next to someone you're not friends/intimate with, please sit with your legs closed.
I've had this happen with EVERY male (with the exception of one - story below) on every train and my husband finally saw it with his own eyes at a concert this week. :angry:
I wound up smooshed as far as I could go next to my husband while mr. man sat entitled and splayed out in my personal space.
Seriously, it doesn't matter if your booty is in the seat, if your legs/knees are past the side edge of the seat, you're a rude @$%)#@!
Anyhoo
I've fantasized about designing a fan-like accoutrement that would fold up compactly and attach to the hard part between the seats somehow.A big triangular piece of plexiglass would be better :lol:
Story: The only man that never encroached on my personal space on the train was my favorite seatmate ever.
It was on the CONO last spring.
I couldn't help but notice that when he sat down, he closed his legs and made himself compact.... weird.
We made some idle chit chat which wound up escalating into movies we liked (he recommended Eat Pray Love because I hadn't seen it) and more.
We shared stories of growing up in the mean streets of Chicago, me on the north side, him at the Robert Taylor Homes.
Then I had to ask... yep, he was an ex-con with a scary story but one of the nicest, people I've ever met and we had a great trip together.
Man, if it takes prison to teach personal space lessons, then we've got problems.
OlympianHiawatha
Engineer
When I've looked at pictures and films of pre-Amtrak trains, I seldom if ever saw an armrest between the Coach seats unlike on an airliner.
rusty spike
OBS Chief
I don't have any idea why Amtrak does not use center, folding armrests, except that, historically, passenger train "chair cars" almost never had them. And maybe the railroads used that as sales feature to upgrade pax to Pullman sleeper or parlor car service.
As far as the airliner center armrest, they are a must. With seats that are 17" wide (a good 6 " narrower than an Amtrak Superliner coach seat). there would be way too much "body-part" contact if it weren't for the plane's armrest.
I think the armrest would be a welcomed addtion; maybe the new Viewliners witl have them.
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Acela, and I believe the California cars as well, have armrests between the seats.
Trainmans daughter
OBS Chief
Don't hold back, Joanie. Tell us how you really feel! Yours is one of the best comments I've seen on this forum. Thank you for saying what so many of us have been thinking for years!I have no insight but I hate the lack of separation between seats.
I really don't recall having as many issues with personal space encroachment in the past as I do today.
Which is why I ALWAYS sit in an aisle seat.
I DO NOT want your body parts touching mine!
MEN - READ THIS!!!
Why in the hell do the majority of you sit with legs splayed out into the personal space of others??? :angry:
Why???? Pisses me off to no end and, honestly, I don't want to get confrontational about it.
If you're seated next to someone you're not friends/intimate with, please sit with your legs closed.
I've had this happen with EVERY male (with the exception of one - story below) on every train and my husband finally saw it with his own eyes at a concert this week. :angry:
I wound up smooshed as far as I could go next to my husband while mr. man sat entitled and splayed out in my personal space.
Seriously, it doesn't matter if your booty is in the seat, if your legs/knees are past the side edge of the seat, you're a rude @$%)#@!
Anyhoo
A big triangular piece of plexiglass would be better :lol:
Story: The only man that never encroached on my personal space on the train was my favorite seatmate ever.
It was on the CONO last spring.
I couldn't help but notice that when he sat down, he closed his legs and made himself compact.... weird.
We made some idle chit chat which wound up escalating into movies we liked (he recommended Eat Pray Love because I hadn't seen it) and more.
We shared stories of growing up in the mean streets of Chicago, me on the north side, him at the Robert Taylor Homes.
Then I had to ask... yep, he was an ex-con with a scary story but one of the nicest, people I've ever met and we had a great trip together.
Man, if it takes prison to teach personal space lessons, then we've got problems.
Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
I don't think I do this too often and I don't think all men are that bad. Maybe it's just because I've been taught through repeated long hours on Greyhound for thrity years.MEN - READ THIS!!!
Why in the hell do the majority of you sit with legs splayed out into the personal space of others??? :angry:
Why???? Pisses me off to no end and, honestly, I don't want to get confrontational about it.
If you're seated next to someone you're not friends/intimate with, please sit with your legs closed.
I've had this happen with EVERY male (with the exception of one - story below) on every train and my husband finally saw it with his own eyes at a concert this week. :angry:
I wound up smooshed as far as I could go next to my husband while mr. man sat entitled and splayed out in my personal space.
Seriously, it doesn't matter if your booty is in the seat, if your legs/knees are past the side edge of the seat, you're a rude @$%)#@!
Anyhoo
A big triangular piece of plexiglass would be better :lol:
Yes, I can speak for the California cars. I cannot speak for Acela, and likely will not have the chance in the foreseeable future (even though I'm in DC in a week.) They DO have armrests between the seats.
I'm referencing the rest of the Amtrak fleet, primarily the LD seats, as you could in all potential be placed next to a complete and non-social stranger for multiple days and have no physical barrier between them. This is, IMHO, a rather severe downside to the otherwise vastly superior product on Amtrak.
Mind you, I do everything I can to avoid coach for any trip longer than 5 hours if a class above is offered, but I also like having a place to rest my arm on both sides of my body. Just a small gripe of mine, and it is my personal gripe that I know will have no effect, but alas. Amtrak! If corporate should stumble across this thread, in future seating arrangements PLEASE include an armrest between seats on all your cars!
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fillyjonk
OBS Chief
- Joined
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- 582
I've traveled over night both in coach and in sleeper. Coach can be fine if you fall asleep easily (I do not) and are not bothered by noise (I am - I wear earplugs but some noises penetrate even those). I would dare say coach is probably more fun if you're traveling with someone else and if you're the kind of person who can "roll with it" no matter what happens. (I am not and having loud or uncongenial seatmates makes for an unpleasant trip)
Back in the early 00s, when Amtrak was less-heavily used, if I traveled on an "off" day (like, not the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or something), I could pretty well count on having two seats to myself - so I could "stretch out" across them for at least most of the night.
Not always - I remember one Thanksgiving trip when it was crowded - and this was back when they had the separate smoking car. The guy next to me insisted on being in the window seat, but he also insisted on getting up, it seemed like every 45 minutes during the night, for a cigarette. I also had a bad experience one run with someone I will simply describe as a "creeper."
After that, on my dad's persuasion, I tried sleeper.
I will never go back. I realize that the sleeper car is not worth it to many people, and it's probably arguably a foolish expense for a single traveler. But, for me, I love it. The biggest thing for me is the privacy and the quiet. And the fact that as a woman traveling alone (though not as young, and therefore, more "invisible," than I used to be), I don't have to deal with potentially unwanted attention. (I am sure most men who travel the trains are right gentlemen, but that one creeper I had to deal with kind of scared me).
Also, I admit there's a bit of smug comfort in hearing the announcement "We have a very full train today. If you are traveling in coach alone, please clear the seat next to you as you WILL be getting a seatmate" and being able to look over at the empty roomette seat across from me.....Maybe not a very nice sentiment, but it is nice to have that quiet and privacy.
The last time I rode overnight in coach (after having to leave the sleeper due to its being bad ordered), even with earplugs I was awake most of the night because of someone who was snoring exceptionally loudly. I've also had other people complain to me recently (when I wind up sitting with them in the dining car) that coach is "loud" and the car attendant does "nothing" to enforce quiet hours. I don't know if that's true or not but several people have complained of it on the last few trips I've been on...
Back in the early 00s, when Amtrak was less-heavily used, if I traveled on an "off" day (like, not the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or something), I could pretty well count on having two seats to myself - so I could "stretch out" across them for at least most of the night.
Not always - I remember one Thanksgiving trip when it was crowded - and this was back when they had the separate smoking car. The guy next to me insisted on being in the window seat, but he also insisted on getting up, it seemed like every 45 minutes during the night, for a cigarette. I also had a bad experience one run with someone I will simply describe as a "creeper."
After that, on my dad's persuasion, I tried sleeper.
I will never go back. I realize that the sleeper car is not worth it to many people, and it's probably arguably a foolish expense for a single traveler. But, for me, I love it. The biggest thing for me is the privacy and the quiet. And the fact that as a woman traveling alone (though not as young, and therefore, more "invisible," than I used to be), I don't have to deal with potentially unwanted attention. (I am sure most men who travel the trains are right gentlemen, but that one creeper I had to deal with kind of scared me).
Also, I admit there's a bit of smug comfort in hearing the announcement "We have a very full train today. If you are traveling in coach alone, please clear the seat next to you as you WILL be getting a seatmate" and being able to look over at the empty roomette seat across from me.....Maybe not a very nice sentiment, but it is nice to have that quiet and privacy.
The last time I rode overnight in coach (after having to leave the sleeper due to its being bad ordered), even with earplugs I was awake most of the night because of someone who was snoring exceptionally loudly. I've also had other people complain to me recently (when I wind up sitting with them in the dining car) that coach is "loud" and the car attendant does "nothing" to enforce quiet hours. I don't know if that's true or not but several people have complained of it on the last few trips I've been on...
crescent2
Conductor
I am one of those people who can't sleep "in public" so, like fillyjonk, I prefer the sleeper units, too. But if you can sleep on a plane, you should be able to sleep in coach, especially if you are seated with a companion. I personally can't imagine sleeping in the seat next to a stranger, though, but that's just me (older female). Many people travel in coach overnight just fine, so it's really simply a personal decision. And you have much more space than on a plane.
Editing to say that I just noticed the OP was by June. Since you use a cane, I'd suggest at least looking into getting the accessible unit where possible. In our experience there was a good price break (especially with meals included in the price) and it really made it easier for my mobility-limited hubby to travel, as well as being very nice for me, too.
Either way, have a great trip!
Editing to say that I just noticed the OP was by June. Since you use a cane, I'd suggest at least looking into getting the accessible unit where possible. In our experience there was a good price break (especially with meals included in the price) and it really made it easier for my mobility-limited hubby to travel, as well as being very nice for me, too.
Either way, have a great trip!
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crescent2
Conductor
Back again. June, someone on the other thread just pointed out that by being on the lower level, if you choose to go to any other car, it would require climbing those stairs more often. You can only get from car to car on the upper level. So that is something else to consider that I wasn't thinking of. I'm not sure if you can get the discount if you don't request the accessible unit, but maybe you can on the western trains because some of the lower level seats can be reserved for mobility-limited passengers.
There are roomettes and coach seats on both levels, so once you decide which level is best for you, be sure to mention that you have mobility limitations when you reserve. As other posters have pointed out, the fare might be lower and you would be assured of getting the level you need (and not being asked to move if you choose to reserve the lower level). Also, you could have meals brought to you if needed. I guess it depends a lot on how difficult those stairs will be for you to climb. (Sorry if I'm making this sound more complicated than it is!)
There are roomettes and coach seats on both levels, so once you decide which level is best for you, be sure to mention that you have mobility limitations when you reserve. As other posters have pointed out, the fare might be lower and you would be assured of getting the level you need (and not being asked to move if you choose to reserve the lower level). Also, you could have meals brought to you if needed. I guess it depends a lot on how difficult those stairs will be for you to climb. (Sorry if I'm making this sound more complicated than it is!)
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Swadian Hardcore
Engineer
I agree with fillyjonk and crescent2, I always try to get a Sleeper. I could probably fall asleep is Coach but it just feels a lot more relaxing and comfortable in a Sleeper. That why I've developed the good old trick of trying to get a daytime bus instead of an overnight train if I can't afford a Roomette. Coach is better than a bus but not when overnight compared to day!
I did quite a few nights in coach last year/this year - including a few times on the Capitol Limited, once on the Cardinal, and on my winter trip on the Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and CONO. I will say it was tolerable, though not ideal. The seats do recline, but not all the way - so you'll have to sleep sitting partially up unless you have an empty seat next to you that you can use (which someone may wake you up to sit in) or camp out in the lounge car (I saw some people do the latter on my trips). Earplugs, a pillow/blanket, and sleeping mask will help a lot - but even then, it can be tough at times. I enjoyed the trips I took, though (with the possible exception of the Cardinal with its shortage of dining-car food) - much of my time during the day was spent in the lounge or dining car.
In any case, for my next LD trip, I'm going in a roomette on the Texas Eagle and Southwest Chief LAX-CHI/CHI-LAX - given that the TE was an AGR redemption and I got low bucket on the SWC, I figured it was worth it. Also, the last couple times I did coach (which was the Capitol Limited and Cardinal) I had a rougher time with it than my long winter trip - and I'd been wanting to try a longer trip in the sleepers (so far, my only experience is a couple roomettes on the LSL to TOL with the thruway bus to ARB).
In any case, for my next LD trip, I'm going in a roomette on the Texas Eagle and Southwest Chief LAX-CHI/CHI-LAX - given that the TE was an AGR redemption and I got low bucket on the SWC, I figured it was worth it. Also, the last couple times I did coach (which was the Capitol Limited and Cardinal) I had a rougher time with it than my long winter trip - and I'd been wanting to try a longer trip in the sleepers (so far, my only experience is a couple roomettes on the LSL to TOL with the thruway bus to ARB).
Old man vagabond
Train Attendant
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- 39
I don't sit that way, anywhere.
And when I've been on a train, I stick my feet straight forward, on or off the footrest, as I usually have a small bag with my medicine, water, and snacks on the floor ~ and my legs rest atop the bag.
Heading North
Service Attendant
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2008
- Messages
- 178
I've seen photos of the original Amfleet I coaches with some sort of rigid divider (metal?) between the seats. Anyone else remember that? Not terribly comfortable... But, even the airplane-style dividers aren't always great. I once had a rather wide seatmate on a red-eye flight and ended up bruised from the armrest. On other flights without a seatmate I'd lift the armrest to try to sleep, but it doesn't fold flush. Just suggesting that the remedies aren't perfect either.
Amtrak Cajun
OBS Chief
Joanie, I for one never sit the way your post describes. Its not all males that do this, you just happened to run into the rude ones that do.
I always push myself against the window *if in a window seat*, or if I am in the aisle seat, I try to make myself as compact as I can.
To fillyjonk. I am a single traveler, and the sleeper that I had on the CONO and Crescent was well worth it for me. The privacy *and sleep space* is well worth the price. I also enjoyed that feeling of, "Im glad I have a sleeper" when I heard that the CONO was full departing Chicago.
I always push myself against the window *if in a window seat*, or if I am in the aisle seat, I try to make myself as compact as I can.
To fillyjonk. I am a single traveler, and the sleeper that I had on the CONO and Crescent was well worth it for me. The privacy *and sleep space* is well worth the price. I also enjoyed that feeling of, "Im glad I have a sleeper" when I heard that the CONO was full departing Chicago.
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