coach vs roomette

[IggyBot]

"That, and those faucets spray everywhere."

I tend to carry alcohol wipes - but when brushing teeth sometimes use the faucet if I forget bottled water. The spray issue is a problem in every bathroom I have used - coach class or sleeper car - long distance or regional.

I must have been lucky I have never come across the smelly coach class. I have seen some scary passengers - some that look in need of a shower - but can't think of a time where someone was offensive odor wise. When in coach long distance - which is rare anymore - I would always have toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant for use. Not really sure why most passengers wouldn't have similar items with them. Even so on a long day and 1/2 to 2 day trip - clean teeth and armpit protection still doesn''t seem make me feel completely freshened up. That sleeper shower makes a big difference.

I have seen both aspects of bathrooms - some really kept up well - mostly in sleepers - but even in coach. But the amjority are dirty and rarely if ever given a cleaning during the trip. My most digusting experience happened a few months back in a sleeper on Ciy of New Orleans - I think a crew member was the source of the mess and didn't bother flushing or cleaning up after themselves.

I'd actually bet many people who don't treat public spaces / restrooms kindly - have just as digusting homes. Interesting thing is - sometimes it is the prim and proper looking people that many times leave the biggest messes.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

We can go on just as hard about the Sleeper pax who leave the Shower Room looking worse than a sty of Feral Hogs!

 

[neroden]

The coach bathrooms were filthier than any back woods gas station within 2 hours and continued to get worse for 2 days.

I've found that the condition of the bathrooms gets worse the longer it's been since the train left its initial station. So the shorter routes do better; the LSL is usually fine until the very last hour or two. It's unusual for the bathrooms to be in bad shape after the first 2 hours, but pretty common after 2 days. The cleaning at the terminal is much more thorough than the attendants can do on board, I think.

The completely defective "spray everywhere" faucet design on some of the cars (it's not on the rebuilt Superliners, but the rebuilding program was never finished) doesn't help. I'm not sure which cars have this design.

 

[neroden]

I'd actually bet many people who don't treat public spaces / restrooms kindly - have just as digusting homes.

Guuuh. You should see the bathrooms in the homes I've visited. A lot of people's bathrooms are disgusting. A lot of people's homes are disgusting, period, way more disgusting than an Amfleet II. There have been a lot of houses where I did not want to touch the carpet, period.

 

[SarahZ]

These are the "spray everywhere" faucets. I despise these so, so much. I've seen them in Coach on the SWC every time we've traveled in Coach. The only difference is the color of the counter. They aren't yellow anymore. I think they're grey? Blue?

These aren't quite so bad. I've gotten good at pressing up gently enough to get a good flow of water without it spraying off my palm. I've only seen these on corridor trains such as the Wolverine and Blue Water:

These are the sinks in the sleepers. I love this design because the water pressure is just like a sink at home. I think the water runs for a bit after you push the tap down, but I can't remember, even though we just traveled in December. I want to say it does. I don't remember holding the tap down to keep the water running:

 

[SarahZ]

That's a pic from the new Viewliners. Is that a surge-protected outlet I see? Does this mean we might be able to use flat irons and such in the bathrooms? I don't remember seeing those before.

 

[NorthShore]

Every other public restroom sink in the country seems to be going over to infrared faucets. Why hasn't Amtrak done the same? A low flow faucet shouldn't be a difficult matter, either.

 

[TinCan782]

That's a pic from the new Viewliners. Is that a surge-protected outlet I see? Does this mean we might be able to use flat irons and such in the bathrooms? I don't remember seeing those before.

That's not a surge protected outlet but probably a "ground fault interrupter" (GFI) outlet. It is designed to reduce the chance of electrical shock and are generally required when an outlet is located near water such as kitchen and bathroom sinks, etc. Used in residential and commercial applications.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Every other public restroom sink in the country seems to be going over to infrared faucets. Why hasn't Amtrak done the same? A low flow faucet shouldn't be a difficult matter, either.

Perhaps the mechanics of this type of faucet do not hold up well to the constant vibration they would be subject to. They would be nice to have otherwise. I too have learned to master the paddle-type faucet levers, easing them down gently enough to get a reasonable flow of water. Of course they growl and grumble then, but that saves the spray of water from going everywhere, especially the front of your pants :angry:

 

[Allypet]

I can never get the faucet to work right on the superliners on the AT, no matter how gently I push down. I have found a way to cup my hand to keep the over spay to a minimum. I do clean up any spilled water on the counter top. But for brushing my teeth, the AT puts little half sized bottles of water in the sleepers which are perfect to brush your teeth with. I hope these don't see the axe.

 

[SarahZ]

That's a pic from the new Viewliners. Is that a surge-protected outlet I see? Does this mean we might be able to use flat irons and such in the bathrooms? I don't remember seeing those before.

That's not a surge protected outlet but probably a "ground fault interrupter" (GFI) outlet. It is designed to reduce the chance of electrical shock and are generally required when an outlet is located near water such as kitchen and bathroom sinks, etc. Used in residential and commercial applications.

Oh! That explains why I always see them in bathrooms and kitchens. I figured it was because you usually had high draws in those rooms (fridge, microwave, blow dryer, etc).

When I stayed at a hotel a while back, the room outlet said "household items only", and the bathroom outlet said "hair dryers ok". So, I figured those outlets were designed to handle higher loads and cut power before the circuit breaker had a chance to kick in.

I guess I put the mental pieces together incorrectly.

 

[andersone]

My money is on a GFI. It is designed for wet applications and in function should keep you from becoming a crispy critter in an Uh-oh. Smart person keeps electricity away from water,,,,,

 

[oldtimer]

My money is on a GFI. It is designed for wet applications and in function should keep you from becoming a crispy critter in an Uh-oh. Smart person keeps electricity away from water,,,,,

Even the deluxe rooms on the superliner I's had outlets GFI protected. A full GFI and reset are located behind the trash receptacles under the sink and the whole series of rooms are gang GFI protected from the electrical locker.

Sorry Sarah, high heat producing devices need a lot of current and if you do get away with using one it is because no one else is drawing much current on that specific circuit. If others avail themselves to the power at the same time the circuit breaker may trip and the SCA may not have the knowledge (or possibly fears electricity) to reset it. It is on a panel that also handles 480 volt 3 phase power.

 

[SarahZ]

Oh, no... I would never do that. I just didn't know what a GFI was until Frensic explained up there. I would never use something like that without knowing if it was okay. That's why I asked about the outlet in the picture.

 

[RCBev]

I rode both the EB last summer and the SW Chief just recently in coach .. I would say the SW Chief's rest rooms toward the last day of the trip (we got off in Missouri) were getting sketchy. I always cleaned up after myself by wiping down the sink and such. I think next time, I will bring a small container of sanitary wipes with me.

 

[fillyjonk]

I really hate that selfish attitude I hear sometimes - "Someone else is getting paid to clean this up." Well, maybe so, but that doesn't give you the right to be a pig. Sometimes I shudder when I think about what their houses must look like.

And even if there is someone getting paid, what right does someone have to make that person's life more miserable by creating a mess for them? (I used to work the dishroom in my college cafeteria. The stuff people would do to their plates - intentional stuff, not just stubbing their cigarette out in the uneaten jello - made me sick. I always had to schedule my shift for well after I ate....)

I wonder if part of the reason the sleeper-coach bathrooms (for the roomettes) stay better is just that there are fewer people using them. (That said - I know I wipe the countertop after washing my hands and make sure the place is okay when I leave it....)

 

[ehbowen]

If I have ever yet encountered a sleeping car attendant or coach attendant who thought that his/her job description included cleaning the restrooms, even if that meant just emptying the trash, it has not been evidenced.

 

[neroden]

If I have ever yet encountered a sleeping car attendant or coach attendant who thought that his/her job description included cleaning the restrooms, even if that meant just emptying the trash, it has not been evidenced.

I've seen it in the sleeping cars. Not often but sometimes.

 

[getbent]

I think that sleeper restrooms stay a little nicer because you happen to know everyone sitting around you. You'll see them in the hall and then see them in the dining car. It's easier to single out who's the sloppy one, so people try harder.

 

[SarahZ]

I think that sleeper restrooms stay a little nicer because you happen to know everyone sitting around you. You'll see them in the hall and then see them in the dining car. It's easier to single out who's the sloppy one, so people try harder.

That, and assuming the people in the bedrooms use their own restroom, you have five (I think) restrooms split between 15 roomettes, the Family room, and the H room. In the Coaches, you have a much higher person/restroom ratio.

 

[JayPea]

I've yet to see very many coach attendants who did much, period. As for the sleepers, the majority of the time that I've ridden the bathrooms seem to be pretty well kept clean. It does help when passengers take the few seconds to clean up after themselves