Obsolete Superliner Features

[SarahZ]

Don't both Superliners and Viewliners have little metal plates to cover where the little ashtrays use to be?

I've seen them on Superliners and whatever cars Amtrak uses on the Wolverine (not Amcans... the other ones... Horizons?)

 

[chakk]

The upper bar area on the SSLs on the CZ were sometimes used by an A/C working between GJT and SLC to sell CZ-branded souvenirs. I own several nice polo shirts that I purchased from this gentleman.

BTW, are the coffee cups purchased many years ago aboard the CZ and other name trains still recognized by OBS staff as being "bottomless"? I haven't carried mine on the CZ for many years since I chose to stop drinking coffee cold turkey.

 

[the_traveler]

All Amtrak trains (Amcans, Superliners, Horizons, Viewliners, etc...) have those metal plates.

 

[OBS]

The upper bar area on the SSLs on the CZ were sometimes used by an A/C working between GJT and SLC to sell CZ-branded souvenirs. I own several nice polo shirts that I purchased from this gentleman.

BTW, are the coffee cups purchased many years ago aboard the CZ and other name trains still recognized by OBS staff as being "bottomless"? I haven't carried mine on the CZ for many years since I chose to stop drinking coffee cold turkey.

You might be hard pressed to find too many employees that even remember those cups...

 

[FreeskierInVT]

Wonder what would a person try to plug into that back in the days when they are only allowing razor only??

Microwaves, probably.

I just had a very, very good laugh reading through that thread :giggle:

 

[Alexandria Nick]

Don't both Superliners and Viewliners have little metal plates to cover where the little ashtrays use to be?

I have this suspicion that artifacts of little ashtrays are going to somehow out live smoking itself. It'll be 2100, smoking is illegal everywhere, and somehow there's still little ashtrays in the seats of suborbital supersonic airliners.

 

[ayezee]

Don't both Superliners and Viewliners have little metal plates to cover where the little ashtrays use to be?

I have this suspicion that artifacts of little ashtrays are going to somehow out live smoking itself. It'll be 2100, smoking is illegal everywhere, and somehow there's still little ashtrays in the seats of suborbital supersonic airliners.

Sorry but outlawing smoking would work as great as the drug war has....terrible idea plus hopefully all the cars with evidence of Amtrak's smoking days will be gone by 2100!

 

[cirdan]

hopefully all the cars with evidence of Amtrak's smoking days will be gone by 2100!

I do hope museums will hang onto a representative selection of cars from all periods.

 

[dlagrua]

Reading this thread has been entertaining. It just goes to show how much rail travel has changed during the Amtrak period. What would be nice if Amtrak would go to the headset satellite TV's that many airliners offer. On a long coast to coast rail trip it would certainly serve to make the trip more pleasant. I really miss news, reality and sports events while riding Amtrak. On this years trip to Seattle I am hoping to get 4G internet service on at least 35% of the trip but that might be a stretch. Is anyone familiar with how cell service is on the EB route?

 

[Braniff747SP]

Don't both Superliners and Viewliners have little metal plates to cover where the little ashtrays use to be?

I have this suspicion that artifacts of little ashtrays are going to somehow out live smoking itself. It'll be 2100, smoking is illegal everywhere, and somehow there's still little ashtrays in the seats of suborbital supersonic airliners.

Most don't have it in the seats, but there need to be certain ash trays onboard for the airplane to operate legally.

 

[TraneMan]

Reading this thread has been entertaining. It just goes to show how much rail travel has changed during the Amtrak period. What would be nice if Amtrak would go to the headset satellite TV's that many airliners offer. On a long coast to coast rail trip it would certainly serve to make the trip more pleasant. I really miss news, reality and sports events while riding Amtrak. On this years trip to Seattle I am hoping to get 4G internet service on at least 35% of the trip but that might be a stretch. Is anyone familiar with how cell service is on the EB route?

Honestly, I have not missed the TV/News on our trip on the EB. I spent lot of my time enjoy the company of the people in the lounge car, enjoying the view of the country gong by, quiet time with my other half just talking about life, and just get a break from everything in the "rushed life style" we have now days.

We had movies loaded on to our iPad, and never watched it.

We did have good coverage here and there on our AT&T service, enough to get email, and updates status on FB.

 

[the_traveler]

I for one hope Amtrak never puts in Satellite TV on trains. A train trip is relaxing and you can get up and move thru out the train. On a plane you mainly stay in your seat. To me, the best show on a train is out the window. And on a train your much more likely to talk to other travelers !

 

[Ryan]

Nobody would force you to watch it.

It'd be great to have more amenities available onboard, it's much easier to take the train when you're not cut off from the world while you're onboard.

 

[Ispolkom]

Nobody would force you to watch it.

It'd be great to have more amenities available onboard, it's much easier to take the train when you're not cut off from the world while you're onboard.

If people want to watch television on the train, that's great. I just wish that more people with noise-making electronic devices would use headphones. I personally don't mind being out of touch on the train. In my experience, any crisis that arises can wait my return, but I realize that I live a placid life.

 

[rickycourtney]

Nobody would force you to watch it.

It'd be great to have more amenities available onboard, it's much easier to take the train when you're not cut off from the world while you're onboard.

As I mentioned a previous topic I don't see Amtrak installing monitors in the back of headrests. It's not the current trend in the transportation industry.

I do see them going the route of Southwest Airlines and Greyhound and installing a system where users can watch live TV or server-based video on the laptops or iPads they bring with them simply by connecting to the trains WiFi system. It would be up to Amtrak if they choose to offer cellular or satellite based on that same system.

The beauty of using one of these "bring your own device" systems is that you get all the profit of selling the content without the costs associated with maintaining 70 personal TVs in each car.

 

[fairviewroad]

Nobody would force you to watch it.

Depends. If the TV screens are in private accommodations, then you are correct.

If the TV screens are in a common area, then you would have a harder time avoiding it. I'll grant you that it's highly unlikely

that Amtrak will install seat-back monitors anytime (if ever). But if you've ever sat next to someone watching a seat-back TV

on a cross-country red-eye, you know how hard it can be to truly avoid it. Yes, you can turn your own off, but the rapidly changing

images just a few feet away from your face are hard to completely ignore. Now instead of a 5-hour red-eye think of this on a

LD overnight train in coach. Eye masks help, but not entirely (IME).

Even in a lounge car it would be hard to avoid. I know Amtrak used to show movie in some of their lounge cars (also, in coach

cars on the Cascades). Those were easier to avoid if you went to the other end of the lounge, but it still intruded on public

space (IMO). [Compare this to the lower level movies on the PPC, which are a single-use space]

Another example of "nobody forces you to watch" are the incessant "airport channel" broadcasts at departure gates the world

over. Yeah, you can look in the other direction but you are certainly forced to listen to the drivel.

 

[rrdude]

Nobody would force you to watch it.

It'd be great to have more amenities available onboard, it's much easier to take the train when you're not cut off from the world while you're onboard.

As I mentioned a previous topic I don't see Amtrak installing monitors in the back of headrests. It's not the current trend in the transportation industry.

I do see them going the route of Southwest Airlines and Greyhound and installing a system where users can watch live TV or server-based video on the laptops or iPads they bring with them simply by connecting to the trains WiFi system. It would be up to Amtrak if they choose to offer cellular or satellite based on that same system.

The beauty of using one of these "bring your own device" systems is that you get all the profit of selling the content without the costs associated with maintaining 70 personal TVs in each car.

Yep. It's a BYOD world for entertainment, and even ringing up your groceries while in a store, on YOUR iPhone or Droid, and coming very soon, (in BETA test now) ringing up your own food order on you own tablet or phone,,,, while sitting in a restaurant or bar

 

[Jackson Whole]

Don't both Superliners and Viewliners have little metal plates to cover where the little ashtrays use to be?

I have this suspicion that artifacts of little ashtrays are going to somehow out live smoking itself. It'll be 2100, smoking is illegal everywhere, and somehow there's still little ashtrays in the seats of suborbital supersonic airliners.

Waay back in 1968, British scifi author John Brunner wrote a novel titled "Stand on Zanzibar" where he depicted the world in 2018. Tobacco use was banned, illegal, but marijuana was widely accepted and marketed. From the looks of things here in Colorado, he nailed that one. I wonder how Amtrak plans to deal with passengers who board the CZ in Denver or Glenwood Springs, and then proceed to imbibe their now-legal stash in one of the sleeping cars?

 

[Ryan]

It still isn't legal to smoke onboard, no matter what is in the pipe.

 

[guest]

In the sleepers, the placards that say "120 VOLTS - RAZOR ONLY" are definitely outdated. Lots of people carry stuff you can plug into that outlet nowadays

I would guess that is to prevent somebody from plugging in a hair dryer...

Or a leaf-blower

 

[fairviewroad]

It still isn't legal to smoke onboard, no matter what is in the pipe.

Marijuana doesn't always come in smokable forms. I can't find this issue addressed on the Amtrak website, but from a practical standpoint,

it will be nearly impossible to enforce a hypothetical ban on edible marijuana products, especially those consumed in private accommodations.

Even in coach, a marijuana brownie wouldn't stand out as contraband unless the consumer drew attention to his or herself.

 

[Beverly in Agura Hills]

There are people here, who if were your seat mate, would report you. :lol:

 

[Ryan]

It still isn't legal to smoke onboard, no matter what is in the pipe.

Marijuana doesn't always come in smokable forms. I can't find this issue addressed on the Amtrak website, but from a practical standpoint,

it will be nearly impossible to enforce a hypothetical ban on edible marijuana products, especially those consumed in private accommodations.

Even in coach, a marijuana brownie wouldn't stand out as contraband unless the consumer drew attention to his or herself.

That's why I didn't say anything about edibles.

 

[fairviewroad]

It still isn't legal to smoke onboard, no matter what is in the pipe.

Marijuana doesn't always come in smokable forms. I can't find this issue addressed on the Amtrak website, but from a practical standpoint,

it will be nearly impossible to enforce a hypothetical ban on edible marijuana products, especially those consumed in private accommodations.

Even in coach, a marijuana brownie wouldn't stand out as contraband unless the consumer drew attention to his or herself.

That's why I didn't say anything about edibles.

It wasn't clear to me that you were aware of edibles, since you responded to a question of how Amtrak plans to deal with Colorado passengers

who use marijuana on the train by simply saying that smoking is illegal regardless of the substance. Obviously that's true but it didn't really

answer the question.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

We have had SCA's use the door buzzer before. It has been a while though. I think all the music channels in the sleeper are pretty outdated.

Music channels on Acela doesnt work either and Acela is fairly modern.
Or whatever that thing is anyway.