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Jody,

Your last two long paragraphs are excellent advice for the single female traveler. Hope it is OK to copy this for a couple of people I know.

Thanks.

George
 
Jody, I have stayed in a room several times. But that's all I can tell you about it. Your observations go beyond the confines of a room on an Amtrak train. They go down the hall, into the washroom, out to railroad crossings in small towns, into Amtrak assistance programs and all the way into the pysche and personal lives of Amtrak employees and into people's minds. That's a lot of ground to cover.

Yes, definitely, men's experiences vary widely from women's. We are traveling the same company, but men treat men different than they treat women. Most women treat women different than they treat men. Times are changing, but it's not going to happen in our lifetime.

Whatever it is that created such a pensive situation for you, I sincerely hope that you can let it go.

Betty
 
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Everydaymatters said:
Your observations go beyond the confines of a room on an Amtrak train. They go down the hall, into the washroom, out to railroad crossings in small towns, into Amtrak assistance programs and all the way into the pysche and personal lives of Amtrak employees and into people's minds.

Betty
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Betty,

MANY Amtrak employees have willingly shared what is going on in their lives when you talk with them and in some cases when you just sit there and don't talk. There's the employee who left his wife after years of marriage for someone else, those whose close relatives have left and they're soon to follow because of Katrina, those who are still living in the hell that is the Katrina aftermath and have shared their loss, etc., etc. In reverse, I've been asked where I was staying (note that several trips are involved and some of my experiences came from different trips, the name of a former fiancee, etc) and it didn't bother me to answer those questions. As I explained to one very young passenger who was lamenting the lack of friendliness on the part of an abrupt Amtrak employee, "friendliness is expressed in different ways in different parts of the country" and the employees (and passengers) are coming from all over the country. Would you have rather me said, "they're just jerks"? When this kind of stuff goes on I step back to get a view of the larger picture as that seems fairer and more compassionate.

Jody
 
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Jody said:
Betty,Would you have rather me said, "they're just jerks"? Jody
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I certainly didn't mean for anyone to say they are "just jerks". This has nothing to do with "them". This whole topic is about you and your questions. I still don't see where you have shared your experience with us in a direct manner that would better help us address your questions and concerns.

Betty
 
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Everydaymatters said:
Jody said:
Betty,

Would you have rather me said, "they're just jerks"? Jody
Click to expand...
I certainly didn't mean for anyone to say they are "just jerks". This has nothing to do with "them". This whole topic is about you and your questions. I still don't see where you have shared your experience with us in a direct manner that would better help us address your questions and concerns.

Betty
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Jody;

We are just ordinary people with a little more knowledge of Amtrak and its operations that your common street person; nothing more, nothing less. We come from all walks of life and many have degrees and specialty professions. I'm just a simple retired railroad engineer but I do have a degree in Safety and Health. Hence, my point. What can I/we do for you in an Amtrak matter? If your past experiences on Amtrak were so traumatic I suggest you go back to the airlines. Greyhound is definitely out of the picture by your dissertations. Somebody has hurt your ego; we are not the ones who want to enhance this hurt nor can we cure it standing by and being bashed with no knowledge of where you are coming from.
 
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Jody said:
Everydaymatters said:
Your observations go beyond the confines of a room on an Amtrak train. They go down the hall, into the washroom, out to railroad crossings in small towns, into Amtrak assistance programs and all the way into the pysche and personal lives of Amtrak employees and into people's minds.

Betty
Click to expand...

Betty,

MANY Amtrak employees have willingly shared what is going on in their lives when you talk with them and in some cases when you just sit there and don't talk. There's the employee who left his wife after years of marriage for someone else, those whose close relatives have left and they're soon to follow because of Katrina, those who are still living in the hell that is the Katrina aftermath and have shared their loss, etc., etc. In reverse, I've been asked where I was staying (note that several trips are involved and some of my experiences came from different trips, the name of a former fiancee, etc) and it didn't bother me to answer those questions. As I explained to one very young passenger who was lamenting the lack of friendliness on the part of an abrupt Amtrak employee, "friendliness is expressed in different ways in different parts of the country" and the employees (and passengers) are coming from all over the country. Would you have rather me said, "they're just jerks"? When this kind of stuff goes on I step back to get a view of the larger picture as that seems fairer and more compassionate.

Jody
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Wow, I'm sorry that you don't live in a world where robots serve you. Forgive me for sounding rude but one of the things that I want from an attendant is personal service. I work in a customer service industry and one of the things that my employer tells me to do is be personal and ask people where they are from, what they are doing while they are in town etc. etc. It's not called stalking it's called guest relations.

As for your talk about needing to keep your door locked and your shades closed, yes that is why there is a door with a lock, and shades to pull! I would also like to mention that I am a single, straight, male and was one time given a bit of extra attention by a gay, male, amtrak attendant. I actually found it funny, and I ended up staying up in the lounge till 3am with this guy talking with him (after I made it very clear to him that I had a girlfriend). I saw nothing wrong with it, and consider him a great attendant. He always stayed very proffesional.

I am not saying that an attendant did not treat you wrong, I don't really know what happened, but I do believe there was probably some inapropriate behavior on part of an amtrak employee. And I am all always sorry to hear that.

As for knowing your adress.. in our day of technology it is pretty easy to find anyones adress if they have your name. So anyone with your full name could look you up. This would include amtrak attendants, dining car staff, conductors, agents, flight attendants, rental car clerks, bus drivers, waiters and waitresses, store clerks, and everyone else when you pay with your credit card.
 
TVRM610 said:
Jody said:
Everydaymatters said:
Your observations go beyond the confines of a room on an Amtrak train. They go down the hall, into the washroom, out to railroad crossings in small towns, into Amtrak assistance programs and all the way into the pysche and personal lives of Amtrak employees and into people's minds.

Betty
Click to expand...

Betty,

MANY Amtrak employees have willingly shared what is going on in their lives when you talk with them and in some cases when you just sit there and don't talk. There's the employee who left his wife after years of marriage for someone else, those whose close relatives have left and they're soon to follow because of Katrina, those who are still living in the hell that is the Katrina aftermath and have shared their loss, etc., etc. In reverse, I've been asked where I was staying (note that several trips are involved and some of my experiences came from different trips, the name of a former fiancee, etc) and it didn't bother me to answer those questions. As I explained to one very young passenger who was lamenting the lack of friendliness on the part of an abrupt Amtrak employee, "friendliness is expressed in different ways in different parts of the country" and the employees (and passengers) are coming from all over the country. Would you have rather me said, "they're just jerks"? When this kind of stuff goes on I step back to get a view of the larger picture as that seems fairer and more compassionate.

Jody
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Wow, I'm sorry that you don't live in a world where robots serve you. Forgive me for sounding rude but one of the things that I want from an attendant is personal service. I work in a customer service industry and one of the things that my employer tells me to do is be personal and ask people where they are from, what they are doing while they are in town etc. etc. It's not called stalking it's called guest relations.

As for your talk about needing to keep your door locked and your shades closed, yes that is why there is a door with a lock, and shades to pull! I would also like to mention that I am a single, straight, male and was one time given a bit of extra attention by a gay, male, amtrak attendant. I actually found it funny, and I ended up staying up in the lounge till 3am with this guy talking with him (after I made it very clear to him that I had a girlfriend). I saw nothing wrong with it, and consider him a great attendant. He always stayed very proffesional.

I am not saying that an attendant did not treat you wrong, I don't really know what happened, but I do believe there was probably some inapropriate behavior on part of an amtrak employee. And I am all always sorry to hear that.

As for knowing your adress.. in our day of technology it is pretty easy to find anyones adress if they have your name. So anyone with your full name could look you up. This would include amtrak attendants, dining car staff, conductors, agents, flight attendants, rental car clerks, bus drivers, waiters and waitresses, store clerks, and everyone else when you pay with your credit card.
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I completely agree. Customer Service is based on dealing with your customers/passengers as though they were guests in your home - within reason of course.

I think something else is bothering the original poster, not just Amtrak employees. Perhaps there is a rational reason for her reclusive behavior, but I would venture a guess that it is not "Amtrak based".
 
OK, I have to jump in and might get beat up over this comment.

I am female, married, and recently traveled with husband across country. I found service on Empire Builder to be wonderful and appreciated the ability to interact with staff. All interactions were appropriate.

Here's my comment: we met a number of people during this cross country trip. My husband and I both commented that all the women seemed to have a baseline anxiety about something. Very hard to describe, but a nervousness that couldn't be attributed to anything we could see. Even with the couples we sat with in dining cars. Husbands seemed like regular guys, wives seemed anxious. Two women we sat with in dining car one lunch were strange (one woman in particular - hated AMTRAK, but wish more people would ride and that if Amtrak had more routes she would ride more, had lived in > 20 places in US and couldn't find one she liked, terrible remarks about diner service, loud and in front of diner staff, just sort of bitter about everything). Every woman we met was just a bit odd (oh, except the mother traveling with her kids...forgot her).
 
wintersummer said:
OK, I have to jump in and might get beat up over this comment.
I am female, married, and recently traveled with husband across country. I found service on Empire Builder to be wonderful and appreciated the ability to interact with staff. All interactions were appropriate.

Here's my comment: we met a number of people during this cross country trip. My husband and I both commented that all the women seemed to have a baseline anxiety about something. Very hard to describe, but a nervousness that couldn't be attributed to anything we could see. Even with the couples we sat with in dining cars. Husbands seemed like regular guys, wives seemed anxious. Two women we sat with in dining car one lunch were strange (one woman in particular - hated AMTRAK, but wish more people would ride and that if Amtrak had more routes she would ride more, had lived in > 20 places in US and couldn't find one she liked, terrible remarks about diner service, loud and in front of diner staff, just sort of bitter about everything). Every woman we met was just a bit odd (oh, except the mother traveling with her kids...forgot her).
Click to expand...
I have found that some of the women who are traveling alone tend to be a bit nervous. Usually it's the ones who don't travel alone much and aren't sure what to expect that seem a little nervous and reserved. Betty
 
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Well as my Grandfather once said: "pigs is pigs."

Translation: "People are people," and some are gregarious, some are quiet, some are shy, some are outgoing, some are confident, and some are nervous. If you take enough long distance trips, you will notice that this is the case among both passengers and On-Board Personnel. Now I'm not telling you something new, I think that sometimes we just forget.

When we were dating, I discovered that my future wife had never been on Amtrak. When we married, our honeymoon trip was a ride from Chicago to LA on the Desert Wind (darn I miss that train). While she was a bit nervous before we left, she got right into riding and we have been doing it ever since. She has even traveled twice on Amtrak trips by herself and enjoys train travel! She was surprised at how much fun it was and we now vacation almost exclusively by train.

Last year we had to fly to Orlando because of a timing snafu, and she said that flying was a hassle (this was the woman who originally said to me there was no better way to travel than to fly) and she really missed the train. I'm just trying to say that if we are all helpful and curteous to one another (Passengers and On-Board Personnel) when traveling, fear and nervousness and whatever problems come up, can be dealt with.

While I'm not sure what happened to Jody, if she felt an Amtrak Staffer was showing too much interest in her, why not contact Amtrak Customer Service and explain what happened, or what she was feeling about the situation?
 
Try this from Amtraks Ethics website:

Every reported violation of the Code of Ethics will be investigated, and every

actual violation will constitute a basis for disciplinary action involving the

person violating the Code of Ethics and may result in civil or criminal action

against that person; and

• Any employee who acts contrary to the Code of Ethics, or who knowingly

gives a false report regarding a violation of the Code of Ethics, may be subject

to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

As part of Amtrak’s commitment to ethics and compliance, all directors, officers and

employees of Amtrak have a duty to promptly report any actual or suspected misconduct.

Failure to fulfill this duty is a violation of Amtrak’s Code of Ethics and may result in

disciplinary measures up to and including dismissal in appropriate cases. Failure to report

actual or suspected misconduct also may expose the Company and its directors, officers

and employees to potential criminal and civil penalties, and damages to the Company’s

reputation.

If you have questions about the Code of Ethics or concerns about someone’s workplace

conduct, first contact your manager. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, you may

contact other Amtrak resources available to you:

• The Amtrak Ethics Information Hotline, or

• Amtrak’s General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, or

• Amtrak's Office of Inspector General.

The Amtrak Ethics and Compliance Hotline (1-866-908-7231)

In support of its Ethics Policy and to facilitate reporting of any suspected misconduct,

Amtrak maintains a toll-free Amtrak Ethics and Compliance Hotline, which is

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-866-908-7231, for individuals to report

actual or suspected misconduct, ask questions, or raise concerns about business ethics and

compliance matters, without fear of retaliation. Amtrak has a non-retaliation policy that

prohibits retaliation against an employee for raising a concern or reporting actual or

suspected misconduct in good faith.
 
I am glad Jody, that you ended up getting some useful answers from your inquiries but still disappointed at those that continue to try and explain away your concerns and perceptions.

Perceptions, feelings, and emotions by nature are unique to the individual. They are not black and white, true or false, or right or wrong.

As a female who has traveled Amtrak since its inception and mostly by myself, I have had a variety of experiences and "perceptions". If you are remotely attractive, you will draw attention from some of the male crew. On the busy NE corridor it is different, since this is more of a commuter trip and there are many business people, stations, turn-over of customers and everything moves at a very fast pace.

Long distance trains are another matter. I am not one of the "jittery" females addressed in a previous post. I have traveled extensively on my own, even thru Europe, but it still does not change the precautions one has to take when traveling, regardless of gender. However, females do have an extra set of guidelines they should adhere to and your suggestionss were excellent.

If there was an attractive female boarding, most male heterosexual employees knew about it thru some magical locomotive grapevine. I have seen it and heard it. You would think these guys have been submerged in a submarine for six months in the South Pacific.

There have been plenty of times that I had to walk thru an empty dining car to get to the sightseeing car and had to pass a group of employees on break. The blatant stares, comments and accidental "sorry I bumped into you" incidents were pervasive. This also happened when the "conductors" or other personnel would be in the lounge car. Sometimes it seemed like a boys night out considering the banter and laugher that kept going back and forth at the expense of some female including myself.

Report it, say the masses! Report what? These things are so common but they are never direct. Audible but not clear. Uncomfortable but not criminal. Insulting but not illegal.

And just to clarify, yikes, in case someone wants to blame me, I never dress provocatively, am friendly but not flirtatious, and am gracious and polite.
 
As someone else said, I think we need a detailed account of what exactly happened. We only have vague descriptions--it would be a huge help if anyone who has experienced what is being discussed would tell what actually happened. After all, with the information given, there isn't much to discuss anymore.
 
I think in this day in age, Jody's remarks/suggestions are on point. My girlfriend took the Lake Shore Limited to NYC several years back to visit a sick family member. Air fares were high, and Amtrak was the only game in town. She would not have taken Amtrak if she had not known me. On her trip to New York, an Amtrak employee gave her too much attention because he wanted to date her. He ignored her signals to be left alone. She handled it well, and when she got back, she asked me what to do. These where the days when they had the liberal Amtrak guess satisfacton guarantees under Warrington. I advised her to complain, and helped her identify the employee's job description. She received a complete refund, which she used for another trip back to New York. Overall, in her time of crisis, she took three round trips to New York using the Lakes Shore Limited, the Penssylvanian, and the 3 rivers. The other trips were OK for her. She noted the samee plusses and minuses that us railfans noted about the various trains. She never has had problems with other Amtak employees, nor has her experience on the Lake Shore soured her on Amtrak.

Identity theft and stalking are real concerns in today's society. Precautoions to protect one's Identity should be taken as each person sees fit. Somebody got my American Express number, and ran up charges even though I still had the card. American Express provided good customer service, and I was lucky. Sombody else might not be so lucky.

I have worked in a large urban school system for 14 years, and have often met nervous type women. I don't always know what is going on, but something caused them to be that way. But they tended to be slow to adapt to new situations. And Traveling does provide many new situations. I too have sat with these types in the Diner, and the meal can be a dull one. But later on, I usually have a better meal with other dining partners. It all works out in the long run.
 
Guest said:
I am glad Jody, that you ended up getting some useful answers from your inquiries but still disappointed at those that continue to try and explain away your concerns and perceptions.
Perceptions, feelings, and emotions by nature are unique to the individual. They are not black and white, true or false, or right or wrong.

As a female who has traveled Amtrak since its inception and mostly by myself, I have had a variety of experiences and "perceptions". If you are remotely attractive, you will draw attention from some of the male crew. On the busy NE corridor it is different, since this is more of a commuter trip and there are many business people, stations, turn-over of customers and everything moves at a very fast pace.

Long distance trains are another matter. I am not one of the "jittery" females addressed in a previous post. I have traveled extensively on my own, even thru Europe, but it still does not change the precautions one has to take when traveling, regardless of gender. However, females do have an extra set of guidelines they should adhere to and your suggestionss were excellent.

If there was an attractive female boarding, most male heterosexual employees knew about it thru some magical locomotive grapevine. I have seen it and heard it. You would think these guys have been submerged in a submarine for six months in the South Pacific.

There have been plenty of times that I had to walk thru an empty dining car to get to the sightseeing car and had to pass a group of employees on break. The blatant stares, comments and accidental "sorry I bumped into you" incidents were pervasive. This also happened when the "conductors" or other personnel would be in the lounge car. Sometimes it seemed like a boys night out considering the banter and laugher that kept going back and forth at the expense of some female including myself.

Report it, say the masses! Report what? These things are so common but they are never direct. Audible but not clear. Uncomfortable but not criminal. Insulting but not illegal.

And just to clarify, yikes, in case someone wants to blame me, I never dress provocatively, am friendly but not flirtatious, and am gracious and polite.
Click to expand...
So if you don't report it to Customer Service:

Then the bad behaviour continues and continues and continues................................

And since numbers of crew personnel are women, I wonder if they've heard or experienced some of the things you talked about? If enough women reported some of the things you just mentioned and threatened either 1) Lawsuits or 2) We will take our money elsewhere, do you think someone might do or say something about it? I think the answer to that is yes!
 
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Guest said:
I am glad Jody, that you ended up getting some useful answers from your inquiries but still disappointed at those that continue to try and explain away your concerns and perceptions.
Perceptions, feelings, and emotions by nature are unique to the individual. They are not black and white, true or false, or right or wrong.

As a female who has traveled Amtrak since its inception and mostly by myself, I have had a variety of experiences and "perceptions". If you are remotely attractive, you will draw attention from some of the male crew. On the busy NE corridor it is different, since this is more of a commuter trip and there are many business people, stations, turn-over of customers and everything moves at a very fast pace.

Long distance trains are another matter. I am not one of the "jittery" females addressed in a previous post. I have traveled extensively on my own, even thru Europe, but it still does not change the precautions one has to take when traveling, regardless of gender. However, females do have an extra set of guidelines they should adhere to and your suggestionss were excellent.

If there was an attractive female boarding, most male heterosexual employees knew about it thru some magical locomotive grapevine. I have seen it and heard it. You would think these guys have been submerged in a submarine for six months in the South Pacific.

There have been plenty of times that I had to walk thru an empty dining car to get to the sightseeing car and had to pass a group of employees on break. The blatant stares, comments and accidental "sorry I bumped into you" incidents were pervasive. This also happened when the "conductors" or other personnel would be in the lounge car. Sometimes it seemed like a boys night out considering the banter and laugher that kept going back and forth at the expense of some female including myself.

Report it, say the masses! Report what? These things are so common but they are never direct. Audible but not clear. Uncomfortable but not criminal. Insulting but not illegal.

And just to clarify, yikes, in case someone wants to blame me, I never dress provocatively, am friendly but not flirtatious, and am gracious and polite.
Click to expand...
If Jody is traveling sleeper there is no reason why she even has to go through the train. She can shut the curtains and have her meals served to her in her room. She IS going to have to have some human contact (conductor collecting her ticket, attendant delivering meals and lowering her bed) but she will indeed avoid what she is hinting at. Both of the preceding can occur in the confines of her room. I feel that we are only getting a small piece of the picture. And please Jody, don't label me as a male chauvinist pig. My wife absolutely, positively HATES Amtrak after she was attacked in the smoking section on the Sunset some years back (downstairs in some re-built coaches). We had watched some seedy characters passing a bottle in earlier hours of the evening while she enjoyed (?) a cigarette. I forewarned her not to go down there for a smoke without me. I even told her to go to the dutch door of the sleeper if she did not want to wake me up. Well, she did what I asked her not to. The only thing that saved her from being raped was someone had been using the downstairs toilet, came out at the right moment and started screaming at the attacker. He was let off in Yuma in handcuffs. Now, what's the rest of your story ???
 
He was let off in Yuma in handcuffs. Now, what's the rest of your story ???

Thank you for these last few replies and sharing some insight and detail. Clearly SOMETHING did happen.

I have been in the position in my professional life of sitting on an ethics committee that had the power of reducing the income of very high profile people down to nothing, knowing it would profoundly affect their future ability to make a living, their reputations and families. In that situation we read what was in the public realm. Sometimes an ethics committee has the ability to initiate an investigation on their own and I have no doubt that some are on here reading these threads looking for clues. To get specific could cause a chain of events to occur that could not be stopped. The burden of proof also becomes an issue. I have never lost on a witness stand, but prefer to stay off them. This is why my name is made up (but reflective of the other person-for those who like mysteries), my time is made up and cities have been chosen that are off the target. I will soon be riding again and don't know what the odds are of getting the same employee. Can someone describe my odds of getting the same person twice. Tell me what to do when something happens that is clearly out of the ordinary. What is the conductor's mindset when a passenger makes an accusation against an attendant in route? Am I going to find myself in the middle of a buffalo pasture in Montana or sitting in the baggage car? Where does the conductor hang out if I need to talk to him/her? You know that denial on the employee's part will occur. If a passenger so stands out (and believe me, I'm astounded at the attention- and you would be, too, in person), that they are recognized in person, the events being described online would certainly narrow it down even more. I pick battles carefully and this isn't one I want to fight. Note that I could lose too. Pounding someone may not always be in one's own best interests. I want you to give me guidelines and let me make my own decision.

The "greyhound is not for you" remark was rotten. I gave up 1st class in a poor country overseas in order to ride 2nd class so that I could be around people. I HAVE ridden Greyhound and will ride whatever takes me to my destination best, including paddling a canoe 26 miles through dead water. On Greyhound I sat next to a hefty bag carrying about 5 pillowcases of goods in her lap and another 4 or so at her feet. She had a don't-mess-with-me look on her face and the neck of a bulldog and I did my best "eyes straight ahead, shoulders scrunched up" sit for 5 hours. She was a great guard. Unless I could have levitated and communicated telepathically, a bathroom break and conversation were not options.

I think I saw the locomotive grapevine in action. It's when you show up and there's one man. He saunters off somewhere and comes back with someone else. Then you get followed down the track as they apologize for some imaginary infraction.

Please don't say "we can't help you because we don't know the details". I asked questions clearly in my first post and believe a straight forward answer would assist others as well to know what to expect as normal performance. It can't be so subjective that there is no job description associated with it.

And on my New Orleans crusade. Go there. Reinvigorate the economy there. Courage is not the absence of fear, but action in spite of fear. Tip heavily on trains going there. Tip those tour guides and ask if they are Amtrak employees and tip again. Betty, in lieu of a cruise, head towards New Orleans. You who are gathering, GO to New Orleans. Google Catholic Charities. They will even house you and assign you a chore. Tell them you want to help an Amtrak employee. I will be eating my own cooking on this subject.

I will be on the trains around the country this year. Be kind.

Let the attacks begin.

Jody
 
Jody said:
He was let off in Yuma in handcuffs. Now, what's the rest of your story ???

Thank you for these last few replies and sharing some insight and detail. Clearly SOMETHING did happen.

I have been in the position in my professional life of sitting on an ethics committee that had the power of reducing the income of very high profile people down to nothing, knowing it would profoundly affect their future ability to make a living, their reputations and families. In that situation we read what was in the public realm. Sometimes an ethics committee has the ability to initiate an investigation on their own and I have no doubt that some are on here reading these threads looking for clues. To get specific could cause a chain of events to occur that could not be stopped. The burden of proof also becomes an issue. I have never lost on a witness stand, but prefer to stay off them. This is why my name is made up (but reflective of the other person-for those who like mysteries), my time is made up and cities have been chosen that are off the target. I will soon be riding again and don't know what the odds are of getting the same employee. Can someone describe my odds of getting the same person twice. Tell me what to do when something happens that is clearly out of the ordinary. What is the conductor's mindset when a passenger makes an accusation against an attendant in route? Am I going to find myself in the middle of a buffalo pasture in Montana or sitting in the baggage car? Where does the conductor hang out if I need to talk to him/her? You know that denial on the employee's part will occur. If a passenger so stands out (and believe me, I'm astounded at the attention- and you would be, too, in person), that they are recognized in person, the events being described online would certainly narrow it down even more. I pick battles carefully and this isn't one I want to fight. Note that I could lose too. Pounding someone may not always be in one's own best interests. I want you to give me guidelines and let me make my own decision.

The "greyhound is not for you" remark was rotten. I gave up 1st class in a poor country overseas in order to ride 2nd class so that I could be around people. I HAVE ridden Greyhound and will ride whatever takes me to my destination best, including paddling a canoe 26 miles through dead water. On Greyhound I sat next to a hefty bag carrying about 5 pillowcases of goods in her lap and another 4 or so at her feet. She had a don't-mess-with-me look on her face and the neck of a bulldog and I did my best "eyes straight ahead, shoulders scrunched up" sit for 5 hours. She was a great guard. Unless I could have levitated and communicated telepathically, a bathroom break and conversation were not options.

I think I saw the locomotive grapevine in action. It's when you show up and there's one man. He saunters off somewhere and comes back with someone else. Then you get followed down the track as they apologize for some imaginary infraction.

Please don't say "we can't help you because we don't know the details". I asked questions clearly in my first post and believe a straight forward answer would assist others as well to know what to expect as normal performance. It can't be so subjective that there is no job description associated with it.

And on my New Orleans crusade. Go there. Reinvigorate the economy there. Courage is not the absence of fear, but action in spite of fear. Tip heavily on trains going there. Tip those tour guides and ask if they are Amtrak employees and tip again. Betty, in lieu of a cruise, head towards New Orleans. You who are gathering, GO to New Orleans. Google Catholic Charities. They will even house you and assign you a chore. Tell them you want to help an Amtrak employee. I will be eating my own cooking on this subject.

I will be on the trains around the country this year. Be kind.

Let the attacks begin.

Jody
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Lots of luck in your travels, but honestly, I have very little idea what you are trying to sell and even if I could figure it out, I am sure I wouldn't be interested in buying. Have fun.
 
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