My original post was in response to a trip taken. After reading your responses I believe that I was on the receiving end of a great deal more attention (for tips?, still my question) than is customary and for which most people would not complain. It was exceptional service. There was an instance of cheesy (an understatement) but very human behavior from an employee and I’m letting it go at that without disclosing the details and setting off a brouhaha. I am a very approachable person which is probably not wise on public transportation. In another situation one station agent followed me down the platform to apologize for another employee’s behavior (even though I was not offended). A dining room employee apologized for the wiseacre remark made by another employee obviously displaying symptoms of short-timer’s disease (indifference).
Experiences vary widely on Amtrak and a woman's may vary even more than a man's. I have read many posts on these forums and wondered if we were traveling the same company. Mine have certainly varied from some of yours. We have different concerns. Thank you everydaymatters for getting the point...and to whoever removed the fubar remark. The fubar comment provided an insight (albeit an age-old response) into one of the obstacles one would face if one pursued an issue.
I enjoy train travel and want to see it survive, and promote it to rental car people and people who've never tried it. Even in smaller towns, people aren't always aware that they have train service. Where Amtrak fails miserably is marketing its treasure.
Working for Amtrak cannot possibly be a piece of cake with the constant funding concerns, the delays, the ordeals faced by employees traveling to/fro besieged cities and dealing with boatloads of people under stress about their cities. Make that trainloads. To that end I hope that Amtrak has confidential assistance programs in place for employees to deal with the stresses (much like the Postal Service does). I do hope that all employees are trained to spot the symptoms of PTSD in each other. It is a phenomena occurring heavily in both Katrina survivors as well as the military. To say that, "you signed on with us and it's going to be tough" is not enough. I also hope that they have charitable programs in place for those who are experiencing other traumas to reduce the odds of an employee who might want to increase their income in unwise ways.
My concern with the manual was to find out for myself what is normal and what is not.
To caravanman: I did not start out looking for faults. Quite the opposite.
had8ley: A lot of change has occurred in 36 years. It's a different world and there are different constraints on the dissemination of information for good reason.
To the comment re:attendants being like housekeepers. I don't view them that way at all. They are more involved with you on a personal level. They know when you leave your room, what you are eating, if you're grouchy, if you're unhappy you didn’t find a hooker in the town you just left (yep, overheard it), what you say on the phone, your bodily functions, etc. When something makes you unsettled it makes you aware of just how much they do know about you. You are their concern in an accident. They likely know what you wear to sleep if you boogie down the hall in it after dark and clean up after men who miss as well as the stupid drunks. . They strike me as being possessed of greater discernment and discretion than the average bear, yet they are human. Many probably come out of the hospitality industry to Amtrak. Those from Reno, San Francisco or New Orleans may have a wider tolerance for behavior considered aberrant by Virginia, Missouri or Iowa. It doesn't surprise me that one would watch a couple in an intimate embrace in silence (another poster). Some are quite accomplished in their lives away from Amtrak and then some are probably lonely. I wasn't expecting to know that much. I thought it was just another form of transportation. In the end men are men and women are women regardless of their pursuits.
If there's a woman looking for guidance: Shut your door and close your curtains when your eyes are closed if the ac is working. Keep your purse tucked under you if you are sleeping or on your person at all times (advice from an employee- who reminded me that not all Amtrak employees are honest). If a he goes into the room across from you without appearing to settle in, shut your door or you may awaken as I did (not Mr. Cheesy) to find someone staring down at you. Being grouchy at that moment I told him to move his caboose elsewhere. Remember that your conversations carry. Discard your personal information (address and the like) away from your room. If you're carrying a magazine with your address on it, remove the address sticker. Know your personal boundaries before you get on the train, although the ones who need to hear this aren‘t likely to be reading this. Stay sober. Keep your mammaries under cover. Travel with the smaller carry ons (luggage) that can more easily be stowed out of site in your room. Read the safety instructions on the window, close your eyes and see if you can imagine doing them in the dark. If you want to know why, read the chilling story by the employee/survivor of the Amtrak that went into the swamp and described the scene as being straight from Dante's Inferno. Close your door curtain AND the window curtain when you want privacy and switch off most lights. This way you'll avoid mooning/flashing cars stopped at crossings in small towns and keep down your silhouette from the hallway.
Enjoy your trips.
Jody
