How well do the showers work or dont work in sleepers?

[steamtrain6868]

and like many people I enjoy a hot shower but---How well does the sleeper vent out the Humidity?

 

[Bierboy]

In all my LD trips, I've never had a problem with the showers or the humidity...see my sig for the trips I've taken.

 

[rrdude]

Never had a problem at all. Sometimes the shower "controls" need a bit of fiddling to figure out best temp, flow, on/off, but only once in ten or so years do i remember "no water".

I then went to the next sleeper, no problem.

 

[Tony]

I like hot showers too, and never had a problem.

Well, except when the car hits a bump, and I get up bouncing off the shower walls. I have learned to attempt to take my shower while we are stopped at a station.

 

[the_traveler]

You may see the mirror steam up, just like at home, but the humidity level is just like a shower at home - unless you have an industrial sized fan right above your shower at home that draws out all the humidity in the bathroom!

 

[WICT106]

Let's tell the truth, here. Showers aboard the trains can be a hit-or-miss proposition, and there have been numerous passengers who have been disappointed in the showers. The pressure can be so low as to have water trickle out, and some cars never seem to have adequate temperature controls. That having been said, I enjoy at least having the option of taking a shower while aboard.

 

[amamba]

I had some issues with water pressure on the shower in my bedroom on the CS this year. I found the water pressure to be much better in my bedroom shower on the SWC. I didn't have any issues with heat/humidity or fogging up the train, but I don't like my showers that hot, either.

I also found the bedroom shower to be a little tight, but if you are skinnier than me it might not be an issue. I am also pretty short (only 5' tall), but I can see how the height of the shower head could be an issue for tall men.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Let's tell the truth, here. Showers aboard the trains can be a hit-or-miss proposition, and there have been numerous passengers who have been disappointed in the showers. The pressure can be so low as to have water trickle out, and some cars never seem to have adequate temperature controls. That having been said, I enjoy at least having the option of taking a shower while aboard.

^ This. The showers can be great or terrible, hot or cold, clean or dirty, stocked or empty. There is no way I'm aware of to know in advance what sort of shower you'll find. If you have more than one sleeper on the train you can usually use the other sleeper's showers if the ones in your car are non-functional.

 

[BuzzKillington]

Just watch out if you put your arms up in the shower, there is a light in the ceiling that tends to get very hot. I burned my hand on it one time... I think it was a shared Viewliner shower.

 

[Sam31452]

Always remember: there's another shower in the next car. So if the shower is dirty or not working, just head for the next sleeper or crew dorm.

(AFAIK this won't work on a few trains like for example the Cardnal)

 

[Guest]

I am also pretty short (only 5' tall), but I can see how the height of the shower head could be an issue for tall men.

What about for tall women? I'm a female, nearly 6' tall. Would there be a height issue for me? I'm used to 'shower stooping' even in some of the higher end hotels I stay in; don't know how some one 7' tall could do it.....

 

[NE933]

The worst problem is the water: sometimes it can get very hot and you have to be careful not to burn yourself. The pressure can quickly change as well: a trickle one second, following by 'spitting' out the next. This usually happens when the train changes speed, and it seems the water in the tanks rushes to the end opposite where the feeder pipes are.

There are lots of common sense things that can be done (I hope CAF reads this!) to make it better, including a drainage barrier that is strangely present in the Viewliner Handicapped Bedroom but no other place. Simple and ingenious, any water sloshing out of the shower floor will drain out through a grating instead of flooding the carpet of the room. All the other showers rely on an ineffectual one inch high rubber gasket that doesn't stand a chance of trapping accumulated water.

Also, if we can change the on/off and hot/cold controls into one single, spring tensioned Moen-style chrome knob, it would make a shower safer and more enjoyable. Hopefully Amtrak and CAF are high on the learning curve after having many decades of showers on board railcars.

 

[the_traveler]

I am also pretty short (only 5' tall), but I can see how the height of the shower head could be an issue for tall men.

What about for tall women? I'm a female, nearly 6' tall. Would there be a height issue for me? I'm used to 'shower stooping' even in some of the higher end hotels I stay in; don't know how some one 7' tall could do it.....

I'm a male and 6' tall, and have never had a problem in the common shower on the lower level. I've never used the shower in the bedrooms, but they are shorter and not as roomy. Even when I do have a bedroom, I always use the one on the lower level!

 

[NE933]

I am also pretty short (only 5' tall), but I can see how the height of the shower head could be an issue for tall men.

What about for tall women? I'm a female, nearly 6' tall. Would there be a height issue for me? I'm used to 'shower stooping' even in some of the higher end hotels I stay in; don't know how some one 7' tall could do it.....

I am direct and honest (well, i try) while avoiding the insultive: certain body shapes will not go well with an Amtrak shower. Tall folks have longer limbs to work with, and bending your leg upward to reach your shins and feet might be a challenge. As well, buxom women or burly, barrel chested men who have a large skeletal frame will simply have no room to maneuver. But physical diffulties aren't the only thing: people on strong medications (*raising both hands wildly!!*), especially which has a sedative effect, or causes dizziness, should wait until the effects wear off. Also, a person who has balancing issues or tends to be awkward in certain instances, might slip if the train lurches.

So does this mean that anyone who qualifies into the above descriptions should be deprived of the pleasure of bathing on rails? Heck no, but it will mean you'll need to do some planning. The poster above who said he or she uses the shower when the train is stopped in a station is a good example. I would also go light on the soap, getting by on just the needed amount to do the job, so there is more gripping power and it takes less time to rinse away.

If you can, bring one of those sponges on a long handle so that standing on one leg to wash the other can be avoided.

 

[GG-1]

So does this mean that anyone who qualifies into the above descriptions should be deprived of the pleasure of bathing on rails? Heck no, but it will mean you'll need to do some planning. The poster above who said he or she uses the shower when the train is stopped in a station is a good example. I would also go light on the soap, getting by on just the needed amount to do the job, so there is more gripping power and it takes less time to rinse away.

Aloha

There is a saying "one hand for the train and one hand for yourself" There are good grips in the shower.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Ive only used the Shower in a Bedroom once (on the Empire Builder) and agree with the_traveler / :giggle: that the Shower Downstairs is much easier to use especially in a Rehabbed Superliner I. I didn't much care for the Shower on the Cardinal since it was the only one and I found it not too clean and it was busy most of the night and morning when i rode from CHI-PHL last year for NTD! Superliner IIs, IME, seem to have better Hot water but YMMV!! In a couple of cases the Shower in the TransDorm was much nicer and cleaner than the one in the First Revenue Sleeper, wonder why?? :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[boxcar479]

I am a small guy 5'5" 160# I travel mostly in bedrooms on the train, but I usually use the community shower, as it has more room. My wife on the other hand is 5'9" and umbahumbabumba # prefers to shower in the small shower in the bedroom. I haven't had any problems with water temp. or pressure that I recall. Taking a shower while the train is stopped is a good idea UNLESS it is a service stop. They turn the water off while they refill the water tanks. I suggested to my wife to take a shower while the train was stopped,which she got started, as soon she got her hair lathered up the water shut down. She never lets me forget that one. :blush:

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Showers on the train are meant to be enjoyed, though as safely as possible. There is nothing quite like being stark naked, your glasses off, on a rocking rolling 79 mph monster.

How many of your relatives and friends even know trains have showers? Or food, or lounges or comfortable seats or anything else?

Of course some might do best showering at longer station stops.

For any of the inconvenience, I, too, have encountered I still felt clean afterward.

Here is the real litmus test: Next time you think about how imperfect that train shower was, think back and try to remember how that shower on Delta or on Greyhound went.

Let the glass be half full, folks.

 

[steamtrain6868]

What about breaking down the trip into segmants...If you have the time.....I find that smaller citys like Erie PA and Rochester,Normal IL are nice towns to visit and have low cost hotels....I also found that the Mayflower hotel and the Pennysvania had Day Rates....The Day rates were used by Amtrak and railroad personell to sleep in between shifts

 

[ScottC4746]

and like many people I enjoy a hot shower but---How well does the sleeper vent out the Humidity?

I have had both shared shower on the SS Ltd 1 and private on SS Ltd 2 and both were adiquit. Don't expect your home shower but dont expect a garden hose either. Temperature seemed to be pretty good, I am not much and very hot showers so it suited my need. Sudden temperature drops did not seem to occur as I would have expected which was nice. The private shower I was suprised my toilet paper did not get wet, but it matters not as I usually take my own roll instead of the Amtrak issued continuous wipe quality but that is another thread.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Here is the real litmus test: Next time you think about how imperfect that train shower was, think back and try to remember how that shower on Delta or on Greyhound went.

Here's my litmus test: Next time you think about how imperfect that train shower was, think back and try to remember even needing a shower on any number of foreign HSR networks. Let the bar remain high, folks. Don't let Amtrak off the hook just because they're willing to sell you a mediocre shower for twice the price of flying.

 

[ButFli]

There is a saying "one hand for the train and one hand for yourself"

Hang on a second... :giggle:

 

[John King]

I recently took showers on the CL and TE both ways - 4 showers - no problems. Wish I was in one right now, in fact. Looking forward to a shower on the Crescent this summer.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

While I am a large guy (I have trouble with Superliner II and unrefurbed I public toilets, forget about showers) I have not had many problems with the shower. On one Viewliner, I think on the Lake Shore, I had no hot water. Fortunately, I tested this before showering and didn't even get undressed.

But the recurring problem I have had on about 5 different trains of all three potential car types is busted timing controls such that you have to keep pressing that timer button, either every 5 seconds or on a constant basis.

What about breaking down the trip into segmants...If you have the time.....I find that smaller citys like Erie PA and Rochester,Normal IL are nice towns to visit and have low cost hotels....I also found that the Mayflower hotel and the Pennysvania had Day Rates....The Day rates were used by Amtrak and railroad personell to sleep in between shifts

Break your trips into segments? I ride trains primarily to get from a given point A to a given point B. Taking the train is a time luxury I can't afford. Like not being a fake, it is an extravagance I can't afford but indulge in anyway at great personal expense. I'm not talking money in either case. To live up to the incontrovertible standards I have set for myself, including being honest, being me alone, and not putting up with indignity, I make my life ten times harder.

I don't know about the other posters on this board, but to avoid the possibly mediocre AmShower for an often even worse hotel shower while "breaking up" my trip and taking my incredibly valuable and extremely pressed time... fuhgeddaboudit.

 

[Peter KG6LSE]

I have only done roomettes but I have had good experinces with the "AmShower ". Mind Ill be up front .I am in college in a dorm so shared showers are the norm ,Thus my standards are low ..

That said .I find it fun attempting to stay upright while in motion . I have good balence so its easy .

Peter ...