Just another reason to not travel in coach

[chandj]

Recently on the Capitol Limited from DC to Pittsburgh, I accidently left my blackberry in my sleeper when I got off the train. It was stolen--I did get it back but it had the photo card missing. This is either because photo cards can be wiped and resold or because some misguided soul thinks I take great pictures. In any case, I am witness that things can be stolen on trains, especially if you don't mind after them appropriately.

 

[George Harris]

The conductor can radio the engineer to stop the train, and he could do so pretty much whenever the heck he darn well wants to, and the FRA has nothing to say about it.

That was pretty much my understanding too.........

Doesn't an engineer up and stopping, unexpectedly and unplanned, the train cause "traffic" kinds of problems with any trains coming the other way (single track) and and trains coming from behind?

That is why they have signals, dispatchers, or on some lightly traveled lines manual block. Delays, maybe yes. Disasters, no. AS said earlier, it is by the rules regarded as better to make an unnecessary stop than to not have made the stop you should have made. Yes, a person causing difficulties, or having difficulties can be unloaded at a handy road crossing to the welcoming hands of the local law or an ambulance, as needed based on the situation. It is time to quit dreaming up unlikely and imaginary problems with doing what should have been done.

 

[caravanman]

Hi,

As a person who enjoys meeting folk from other backgrounds, I enjoy coach travel. I object to the title "Just another reason not to travel in coach..." What are the other reasons then?

Anyone can have items stolen, anywhere in the world... to single out Amtrak coach travel as a particularly theft prone mode of travel seems a bit extreme to me.

About ruined christmases, I find my christmas day blighted by people banging on about religion, but that's just little old atheist me..!

Ed

 

[Brandon V]

Xmas 2010 marks the 11th year of the passing of my mother.. on xmas day.. from health complications..... so.. there.

Imagine telling your grandkid on Christmas morning that his mother died a few hours ago.

Folks, what on earth do your Charles Dickens stories have to do with traveling in coach? I'm not against sob stories, but maybe you should start a dedicated thread if you want to compare your personal xmas hardships in public.

Try reading all of Brandon's post:

How could a lost camera screw up your christmas? everyone has their own problems. Xmas 2010 marks the 11th year of the passing of my mother.. on xmas day.. from health complications..... so.. there.

[snipped for brevity]

Sorry about the rant, but I really needed to vent. This is really going to screw up Christmas.

Thanks for pointing that out! What I was trying to say was, life's hard sometimes. S$$t happens life goes on... but to fume over a CAMERA..>A CAMERA? really.. theres other more important things to fume over than the loss of a CAMERA... much bigger fish to fry folks.

 

[guest]

I'm calling "BS" on this one...that train is too busy for the described activities to have occurred! I work on board 14/11, and we occasionally get people making claims of theft. Usually, one of two things have happened: (a) they misplaced their own ("stolen") items, and (b) items never existed, and they think they can get new (cameras, computers, etc.) stuff from Amtrak just by complaining, absent any evidence or witnesses.

I work in OBS as well, on the board, frequently on 14 of course; and I too have to call BS on this one. Especially where hard drugs are involved, most of the conductors I know, upon receiving a verbal report of such a situation, would have the local police at the next station board and search their belongings, and arrest the people with drugs. I have had multiple occasions of people whom either (a) I knew for a fact never had such an item on board claiming to have it "stolen" or (b) people so wildly out of it that they don't even know what car they're supposed to be in, never mind where there stuff might be. I can't tell you how often I've had people insist their stuff was stolen, only to walk them to the next car where their stuff was sitting on the luggage rack just where they left it...

 

[guest]

I'm calling "BS" on this one...that train is too busy for the described activities to have occurred! I work on board 14/11, and we occasionally get people making claims of theft. Usually, one of two things have happened: (a) they misplaced their own ("stolen") items, and (b) items never existed, and they think they can get new (cameras, computers, etc.) stuff from Amtrak just by complaining, absent any evidence or witnesses.

I work in OBS as well, on the board, frequently on 14 of course; and I too have to call BS on this one. Especially where hard drugs are involved, most of the conductors I know, upon receiving a verbal report of such a situation, would have the local police at the next station board and search their belongings, and arrest the people with drugs. I have had multiple occasions of people whom either (a) I knew for a fact never had such an item on board claiming to have it "stolen" or (b) people so wildly out of it that they don't even know what car they're supposed to be in, never mind where there stuff might be. I can't tell you how often I've had people insist their stuff was stolen, only to walk them to the next car where their stuff was sitting on the luggage rack just where they left it...

My question is: if this took place over a period of five hours, would not the car attendant have walked through at least once????? not to mention the conductor or any other Amtrak employee?????

 

[Anderson]

I'm calling "BS" on this one...that train is too busy for the described activities to have occurred! I work on board 14/11, and we occasionally get people making claims of theft. Usually, one of two things have happened: (a) they misplaced their own ("stolen") items, and (b) items never existed, and they think they can get new (cameras, computers, etc.) stuff from Amtrak just by complaining, absent any evidence or witnesses.

I work in OBS as well, on the board, frequently on 14 of course; and I too have to call BS on this one. Especially where hard drugs are involved, most of the conductors I know, upon receiving a verbal report of such a situation, would have the local police at the next station board and search their belongings, and arrest the people with drugs. I have had multiple occasions of people whom either (a) I knew for a fact never had such an item on board claiming to have it "stolen" or (b) people so wildly out of it that they don't even know what car they're supposed to be in, never mind where there stuff might be. I can't tell you how often I've had people insist their stuff was stolen, only to walk them to the next car where their stuff was sitting on the luggage rack just where they left it...

My question is: if this took place over a period of five hours, would not the car attendant have walked through at least once????? not to mention the conductor or any other Amtrak employee?????

The only way this would work in my mind, at least based on my LD experience (and granted, it wasn't on the CS), is that this would have to be a strange overnight segment on a near-empty LD train in the off-season and there was a reroute of the train cutting off stops and resulting in a long stretch where the train was running nonstop. Even then, though, I think the conductor and/or attendants would come through at least once or twice to sweep for pax for an upcoming stop (since in spite of their best efforts, you often get someone in the "wrong" car for a destination because of seating capacity limits).

 

[TimePeace]

I missed all the earlier posts in this thread -

The OP's story does lack credibility but if it is all true it is a shame.

I find the attitude some folks about avoiding even walking thru coach to be pretty darned elitist, however. Or silly. Sure, there is riff-raff in coach, as there is in all the rest of our society. Get used to it, it has ALWAYS been that way.

That set of photos of people is a disgraceful - imagine what sorts of wacked out young people would sit outside on the ground and play a guitar. How can that be considered acceptable behavior? It would be much better if those young people were holed up in a wealthy college dorm someplace listening to techno music on their ipod, or playing computer games about aliens and killing; much more normal than playing an actual musical instrument. Sheesh. I can't believe anyone would want to contaminate their camera a computer with such stuff. Yuck.

 

[Extra Board]

I worked On-Board-Services with Amtrak back in the 80's. As I recall, conductors loved nothing more than stopping a train in the middle of nowhere to have some fool dragged off the train by the local law enforcement. Never in a big city; the more rural the better. One walk through with a drug sniffing dog and those guys would have been toast. Having said that, your boy friend should have spoken up or at least been more vigilant of his belongs.

 

[caravanman]

This topic is from 2010... can we say goodbye to it anytime soon?

Ed

 

[TimePeace]

This topic is from 2010... can we say goodbye to it anytime soon?

Ed

I think the way it works is you can say goodbye to it any time you want - just don't read it any more.

Seriously and no malice intended, some of us didn't see it in 2010 and find it still pertinent now, apparently - otherwise we wouldn't be posting to it. And if moderators feel it is too old, they can delete or close it any time they please I guess.

Best to you.

 

[MiRider]

I missed all the earlier posts in this thread -

The OP's story does lack credibility but if it is all true it is a shame.

I find the attitude some folks about avoiding even walking thru coach to be pretty darned elitist, however. Or silly. Sure, there is riff-raff in coach, as there is in all the rest of our society. Get used to it, it has ALWAYS been that way.

That set of photos of people is a disgraceful - imagine what sorts of wacked out young people would sit outside on the ground and play a guitar. How can that be considered acceptable behavior? It would be much better if those young people were holed up in a wealthy college dorm someplace listening to techno music on their ipod, or playing computer games about aliens and killing; much more normal than playing an actual musical instrument. Sheesh. I can't believe anyone would want to contaminate their camera a computer with such stuff. Yuck.

Funny you mention that, Maine Rider, because on my last trip I missed walking through coach, seeing all of the people, and moving through the train.

I missed this thread too but it grabbed my attention because of the title.

I LOVE riding COACH!

I did it twice on the TE in June and I'm getting ready to do it again next month, my worst experience was a broken diner DAL-CHI, running out of food in the cafe with a cold, rude LSA with a disdainful attitude to boot.

The pax were just fine and there were a lot of kids and a very diverse group of pax on board both ways.

Lots of friendly folks in the SSL, coach, and at mealtime.

I also just finished a rt CHI - NYP trip on the LSL last week.

Coach going and a roomette coming back.

Since this was my husband's first experience, he really wanted to try a roomette.

He hated sleeping in both places so I suppose I'll be traveling LD solo in the future.

I hated the roomette and the SC in general - it's depressing and cut off from what I consider the camraderie and fun of traveling on a train.

The dude in the roomette adjoining ours had his headphones so loud that I could hear his tunes in our roomette.

Being able to afford SC accomodations doesn't mean you're going to get more considerate pax, that's for sure.

SCA was nice enough but was usually napping and, besides, exactly what could he do to make it more comfy in that cell?

The roomette seats are incredibly uncomfortable and cramped and, if you're the unlucky one (me) sitting next to the can in a Viewliner, it's even worse - like 2/3 of a coach seat.

The seats barely recline, no leg rests, and no foot rests - maybe okay for one person but definitely not for two.

I felt like a prisoner but I might try it again down the road on a superliner just to see if there's any difference.

At $457 for one night minus 2 meals each worth approx. $70, I fail to see the charm or value - our hotel room cost that much per night in NYC - another night in the city would have been worth it, but not a roomette.

ymmv

 

[I always rode the Southern]

I also just finished a rt CHI - NYP trip on the LSL last week.

Coach going and a roomette coming back.

Since this was my husband's first experience, he really wanted to try a roomette.

He hated sleeping in both places so I suppose I'll be traveling LD solo in the future.

I hated the roomette and the SC in general - it's depressing and cut off from what I consider the camraderie and fun of traveling on a train.

The dude in the roomette adjoining ours had his headphones so loud that I could hear his tunes in our roomette.

Being able to afford SC accomodations doesn't mean you're going to get more considerate pax, that's for sure.

SCA was nice enough but was usually napping and, besides, exactly what could he do to make it more comfy in that cell?

The roomette seats are incredibly uncomfortable and cramped and, if you're the unlucky one (me) sitting next to the can in a Viewliner, it's even worse - like 2/3 of a coach seat.

The seats barely recline, no leg rests, and no foot rests - maybe okay for one person but definitely not for two.

I felt like a prisoner but I might try it again down the road on a superliner just to see if there's any difference.

At $457 for one night minus 2 meals each worth approx. $70, I fail to see the charm or value - our hotel room cost that much per night in NYC - another night in the city would have been worth it, but not a roomette.

ymmv

If you hated the roomette on the viewliner, you will hate the roomette on the superliner magnified X10. It is much more uncomfortable than the viewliner. DH and I knock knees on the seats and the upper berth is usually referred to as the coffin.

We can tolerate a viewliner roomette for a night, but superliner is bedroom only.(thank heavens for AGR trips)

 

[Anderson]

I also just finished a rt CHI - NYP trip on the LSL last week.

Coach going and a roomette coming back.

Since this was my husband's first experience, he really wanted to try a roomette.

He hated sleeping in both places so I suppose I'll be traveling LD solo in the future.

I hated the roomette and the SC in general - it's depressing and cut off from what I consider the camraderie and fun of traveling on a train.

The dude in the roomette adjoining ours had his headphones so loud that I could hear his tunes in our roomette.

Being able to afford SC accomodations doesn't mean you're going to get more considerate pax, that's for sure.

SCA was nice enough but was usually napping and, besides, exactly what could he do to make it more comfy in that cell?

The roomette seats are incredibly uncomfortable and cramped and, if you're the unlucky one (me) sitting next to the can in a Viewliner, it's even worse - like 2/3 of a coach seat.

The seats barely recline, no leg rests, and no foot rests - maybe okay for one person but definitely not for two.

I felt like a prisoner but I might try it again down the road on a superliner just to see if there's any difference.

At $457 for one night minus 2 meals each worth approx. $70, I fail to see the charm or value - our hotel room cost that much per night in NYC - another night in the city would have been worth it, but not a roomette.

ymmv

If you hated the roomette on the viewliner, you will hate the roomette on the superliner magnified X10. It is much more uncomfortable than the viewliner. DH and I knock knees on the seats and the upper berth is usually referred to as the coffin.

We can tolerate a viewliner roomette for a night, but superliner is bedroom only.(thank heavens for AGR trips)

I don't like being "cut off" in the sleeping car, but I understand the security concern (given that the roomettes can't be locked from the outside) that makes it necessary even if Amtrak wanted to make it cease to be the case. Then again, I like the accommodations well enough, but I also travel alone and spend as much of my time as possible in the lounge. I do wish that it was possible to have a first class lounge on more of the LD trains. That's not because I want to avoid the "rabble" in coach, but rather because the single lounge car can get overcrowded on the Superliners (and heaven help us if they can ever add more cars to those trains...I know that's years off, but it's still quite the thought). If anything, though, such a car would be more welcome on the Florida trains...the Amfleet cafe/lounge tends to be just a hair underwhelming.

 

[MiRider]

I also just finished a rt CHI - NYP trip on the LSL last week.

Coach going and a roomette coming back.

Since this was my husband's first experience, he really wanted to try a roomette.

He hated sleeping in both places so I suppose I'll be traveling LD solo in the future.

I hated the roomette and the SC in general - it's depressing and cut off from what I consider the camraderie and fun of traveling on a train.

The dude in the roomette adjoining ours had his headphones so loud that I could hear his tunes in our roomette.

Being able to afford SC accomodations doesn't mean you're going to get more considerate pax, that's for sure.

SCA was nice enough but was usually napping and, besides, exactly what could he do to make it more comfy in that cell?

The roomette seats are incredibly uncomfortable and cramped and, if you're the unlucky one (me) sitting next to the can in a Viewliner, it's even worse - like 2/3 of a coach seat.

The seats barely recline, no leg rests, and no foot rests - maybe okay for one person but definitely not for two.

I felt like a prisoner but I might try it again down the road on a superliner just to see if there's any difference.

At $457 for one night minus 2 meals each worth approx. $70, I fail to see the charm or value - our hotel room cost that much per night in NYC - another night in the city would have been worth it, but not a roomette.

ymmv

If you hated the roomette on the viewliner, you will hate the roomette on the superliner magnified X10. It is much more uncomfortable than the viewliner. DH and I knock knees on the seats and the upper berth is usually referred to as the coffin.

We can tolerate a viewliner roomette for a night, but superliner is bedroom only.(thank heavens for AGR trips)

Ah, thanks for the heads up

I'm hoping to get the hubby to agree to an EB CHI - SEA trip next year but it looks like we'll have to spring for a bedroom if he's going to go at all.

 

[Amtrak George]

UPPER BERTHS (COFFINS) IN SUPERLINERS: If you have claustrophobia, beware these. I used to sleep in them all the time, but as I broadened my horizons (got a little bigger) and my tolerance for small spaces got less, I suddenly was uncomfortable. There is just not that much room between you and the ceiling, even in a bedroom.

Now if two of us travel, we either get a bedroom for one and a roomette for the other, or two roomettes across from one another.

Exception: on a short day trip, such as Memphis to New Orleans, we just get one roomette. We have been married for a long while and don't mind being close...it's just that neither of us can sleep comfortably in the Superliner upper.

There is one good thing about Superliner coach: the seats recline better and more comfortably than the roomette seating. I just can't handle overnight on coach anymore, I'm a light sleeper, too many interruptions, light problems, etc.