Don't snap towels at conductors

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Joined
Jan 17, 2019
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An item from the Police Blotter in the Flathead, Montana Beacon:

"9:32 p.m. A man got kicked off Amtrak’s Empire Builder in Whitefish after he snapped a towel at the conductor. The man was told that he could ride the train tomorrow if he behaved."

I wonder if he made the next day's train.
 
I'm sorry to say I didn't see this happen. I got on in Whitefish the day it happened - when I got to Seattle I had a "this wasnt you was it?" email from the friend who had dropped me off.
 
Being thrown out of the train in the cold seems pretty harsh to me--just out of curiosity (quiet day here with time on my hands), I did a google map for the Whitefish Amtrak station, and I don't see any hotels anywhere near there. He could eat at Jersey Boys Pizzaria, but after that things would go downhill pretty fast I would think!:eek: (Unless the station is heated and open all night, in which case a hard bench would have to do. Maybe they let him keep the towel to use as a pillow.)
 
Being thrown out of the train in the cold seems pretty harsh to me

Well, I suppose if the conductor had asked to have the police meet the train, the guy's sleeping arrangements for the night would have been taken care of - but in the long run he's probably glad it wasn't handled that way.

Mind you, the price of a Whitefish hotel is quite an expensive fine. There are a few places in town - I seem to recall a newish one two or three blocks south, and a couple more established places, and at least one 24/7 grocery store, within a mile to the south down highway 93. I don't know if the waiting room is left unlocked all night - I kind of doubt it, so as to discourage homeless from coming in after the ticket and car rental counters close. But very possible that by the time all the bars in Whitefish closed for the night, the waiting room would be open again for the morning eastbound train.
 
Whitefish has plenty of hotels but unfortunately few of them are inexpensive. A number of them are a reasonable walk from the station. Prices seem to have risen in recent years even at the Cheap Sleep.
 
Did he wave a paper towel in the conductors direction? Was he in a sleeper and and trying to dry off his towel as the conductor walked by?

So many questions!
 
My impression is that snapping a towel at the conductor was probably the last straw in a series of behavioral issues with this passenger. I doubt this was an isolated incident.
Normally this is what I would have assumed as well, but in the era of binary logic and zero tolerance even minor events often result in extreme measures.
 
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My impression is that snapping a towel at the conductor was probably the last straw in a series of behavioral issues with this passenger. I doubt this was an isolated incident.
Normally this is what I would have assumed as well, but in the era of binary logic and zero tolerance even minor events often result in extreme measures.
It certainly seems like there's more to the story and there was an escalation somewhere along the line. I've seen very inebriated passengers get a wide degree of latitude on a train where in a non-captive environment they would have been 86'd the second time they made themselves known to the on-duty employees.

That said, there are conductors who will put up with more than they should and others who will threaten to detrain someone if they give them a cross-eyed look (they're often the ones who aren't thrilled to be chaperoning "freight that talks" in the first place). Still, I'm always incredulous when I hear multiple reminders during a relatively short trip about the need to wear shoes while onboard, so it doesn't surprise me too much that there are people who might need a harsh lesson in public conduct.
 
Seen in the light of the federal law against interfering with flight crew (https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/46504), being 86'd from the train seems like a pretty light consequence.

With flight crew, interfering with them carries up to 20 years in federal prison. It doesn't even have to be an assault or intimidation---just getting in their way. Obviously not everyone who does so goes to prison for it, but if he had been doing this on an airplane, he probably would have been met at the gate by federal law enforcement. So I think he got off lightly.
 
Remember the American Airlines first class customer who was met at the gate because he asked for orange juice with his breakfast? Look it up. Fascinating read.

I’ve seen an Amtrak conductor on a power trip throw a guy off the train with a police escort simply for arguing with her about not opening up a closed coach car. He was across the aisle from me, I saw the whole thing. She escalated it. Not him.

Now I don’t know anything about this towel guy...
 
Snapping a towel at a conductor? I'd love to hear the backstory on this one.
"Freight that talks"... that's a good one.

It's too bad that those of us who are unrepentant rabid Amtrak fans don't get to ride as often as we like, and the Anti Amtrakers seem to ride all day long. And ***** about it.

As Slim Pickens' character (Mr. Taggart) in Blazing Saddles remarked, "I am depressed!".
 
It's too bad that those of us who are unrepentant rabid Amtrak fans don't get to ride as often as we like, and the Anti Amtrakers seem to ride all day long. And ***** about it.
I consider myself an unrepentant passenger rail fan but I've never seen the appeal of fanning Amtrak specifically. I probably sound anti-Amtrak on here but outside of the forum people assume I'm pro-Amtrak. When friends or family travel with me they are often shocked by the service standards, especially when Amtrak staff bark orders or snap at minor mistakes, and are surprised I'm willing to put up with it. One difference I've noticed is that Amtrak's critics often reference specific events and spell out exactly what they didn't like while Amtrak's proponents tend to use vague platitudes and a fear or dislike of other options to defend their fanaticism.
 
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but if he had been doing this on an airplane, he probably would have been met at the gate by federal law enforcement. So I think he got off lightly.

If he'd wanted to do this on a plane, he'd have to use one of those tiny scented wet-wipes you pull out of a tin foil packet--probably wouldn't have the same effect.
:)
 
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