staying in your sleeper til 6:30 into lax on the sl

[Amtrak Cajun]

Riding the train from here to Los Angeles, by the time the train gets in, Id probably be ready to get off anyway, Id want to take a walk to stretch and get oriented with the station and whatnot, but of course, Ive never been to Union in LA.

Phillipes opens at 6am? *takes notes* good to know.

 

[cirdan]

Since I get off the SL in Pomona I am stuck being awake in the middle of the night anyway, and get my real sleep at home. In addition to accounting for the UP delays of the past (and of the future once freight traffic picks up again) Amtrak also wanted to avoid the Metrolink rush beginning in the 6 o'clock hour. Thus this poor option.

I've heard the Metrolink rush comment before and I'm not sure that rationale really flies. The SWC arrives at 8:15 AM every day...in the middle of the "rush". How long does the arriving train (SL or SWC remain at LAUS before moving to the yard? That move certainly occurs during a high traffic time on the West Bank LIne of the River Sub. Both trains, I believe, tend to be put on the higher number tracks when they arrive at LAUS anyway.

Doesn't the SWC arrival time also contain padding, so in reality it should mostly get in before that.

According to the timetable the previous stop is only 26 miles away, but the train is allowed 1h and 41 minutes to cover those 26 miles.

 

[VentureForth]

Not to turn this into yet another tipping thread, but why would an SCA try to rush people off the train? Wouldn'tthis just be an automatic way of losing a tip? There's no way in Amtrakdom that I'd tip an SCA who showed an

inkling of trying to separate me from my paid accommodations before I was required to leave.

In most cases, the SCAs are paid until arrival and not a minute longer. I don't know in the case of the SL if they are actually paid until 6:30 or not. But I'm sure after a nice long run from NOL or CHI, the SCAs care more about getting off that train and home (or to a hotel) than a few tips (Keep in mind, they probably picked up quite a few $$$ at the intermediate stations, so it's not like LAX is where they make all their money - though there is still probably a good chunk available).

If all the sleepers were full, and they all stayed until 6:30, then there could be a situation [possibly] where the crew was paid until arrival (ie: 4:30 AM) and yet they have to keep working for maybe up to an hour after everyone leaves. I don't think any of them would care to work for 3 hours for free, if that is indeed how it works.

Again, and I'm not an Amtrak Manager, it would make sense for me to pay the necessary crew for up to 1 hour after arrival to ensure the best customer experience.

 

[cirdan]

Assuming people tip on average 15$, and 6 people per sleeper get off at LAUS, that's $90 dollars the attendant is walking away from. I doubt they normally make that much in 1 to 2 hours.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Not to turn this into yet another tipping thread, but why would an SCA try to rush people off the train? Wouldn't this just be an automatic way of losing a tip? There's no way in Amtrakdom that I'd tip an SCA who showed an inkling of trying to separate me from my paid accommodations before I was required to leave.

I once heard an SCA remark that he didn't bother to chase tips because people who tip are predisposed to do so regardless of how you treat them. Previously I would have scoffed at such a claim. However, after having read these threads for three full years I'm actually inclined to agree with the SCA. This forum is full of people who have taken dozens or even hundreds of trips while never meeting a single Amtrak employee who performed below expectations.

 

[Linda T]

I'm looking forward to taking the TE/SL into LA in Sept. I did the SWC in 2011 and we were so late getting in that they would only hold the CS for another 5 minutes. It was a mad dash to the CS, but we made it. Basically the SWC's problem with tardiness was the usual too hot, wait for freight, sort of thing, nothing dramatic. I'm looking forward to hopefully having a bit more time in LA to see the station.

It'd be cool to be able to sleep in a bit since I'd still have plenty of time to see the station before the CS leaves; but I'm the sort who once I'm up, I'm up. But it would be cool to just sit on the train and look out the window for a while, I love people watching, and love being on the train, so put them both together and I'm in 7th Heaven. I'm kinda disappointed that US doesn't really have a first class lounge, but oh well... I am really looking forward to this trip, and can't wait for September. TE out, EB back east, and of course CS connecting the two.

 

[fairviewroad]

If all the sleepers were full, and they all stayed until 6:30, then there could be a situation [possibly] where the crew was paid until arrival (ie: 4:30 AM) and yet they have to keep working for maybe up to an hour after everyone leaves. I don't think any of them would care to work for 3 hours for free, if that is indeed how it works.

I don't have any specific knowledge that would contradict that theory, but if that's actually true, then--despite all the talk on here

about the all-powerful employee unions--this would appear to be a case where the employee is getting hosed. I know the

"pay until arrival" rule applies generally to LD trains, but this is clearly a different situation since passengers are explicitly

permitted to stay on board until a time certain.

That said, in my case if an SCA wanted to leave and let me stay on board by myself, I'm perfectly happy with that. But I can

understand why that wouldn't be a terribly good policy.

 

[OBS]

If all the sleepers were full, and they all stayed until 6:30, then there could be a situation [possibly] where the crew was paid until arrival (ie: 4:30 AM) and yet they have to keep working for maybe up to an hour after everyone leaves. I don't think any of them would care to work for 3 hours for free, if that is indeed how it works.

I don't have any specific knowledge that would contradict that theory, but if that's actually true, then--despite all the talk on here

about the all-powerful employee unions--this would appear to be a case where the employee is getting hosed. I know the

"pay until arrival" rule applies generally to LD trains, but this is clearly a different situation since passengers are explicitly

permitted to stay on board until a time certain.

That said, in my case if an SCA wanted to leave and let me stay on board by myself, I'm perfectly happy with that. But I can

understand why that wouldn't be a terribly good policy.

If passengers are permitted to stay til 6:30 then I can guarantee that the attendant is paid til then, maybe eventil 6:45 to allow time for making beds. Any time beyond that has to be documented and approved by management in order to be paid. This would be true for any OBS position.

 

[City of Miami]

I

This forum is full of people who have taken dozens or even hundreds of trips while never meeting a single Amtrak employee who performed below expectations.

Well, that certainly is a hyperbolic statement, DA, pronounced for dramatic effect I suppose. I can't say that my observations on the forum concur with yours. However, I think we can agree that what folks say they do in general often differs greatly from what they actually do in specific situations.......I'm thinking of 'tipping' here.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I

This forum is full of people who have taken dozens or even hundreds of trips while never meeting a single Amtrak employee who performed below expectations.

Well, that certainly is a hyperbolic statement, DA, pronounced for dramatic effect I suppose. I can't say that my observations on the forum concur with yours. However, I think we can agree that what folks say they do in general often differs greatly from what they actually do in specific situations.......I'm thinking of 'tipping' here.

True this!!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

So, if I understand y'all correctly, you're saying folks are actually being routinely disappointed and/or withholding tips for bad service while simultaneously claiming that everyone has met expectations here on AU? I guess I have no direct way of disputing that. In most cases I can only go buy what people say. If they experience one thing and then choose to claim something entirely different then I have no choice but to take them at their word.

 

[Ryan]

I think that there's probably room for a sensible middle ground somewhere between "dozens or even hundreds of trips while never meeting a single Amtrak employee who performed below expectations" and " routinely disappointed and/or withholding tips for bad service".

Personally, I can't recall people making either claim.

 

[Ispolkom]

. This forum is full of people who have taken dozens or even hundreds of trips while never meeting a single Amtrak employee who performed below expectations.

Guilty as charged. I can only say in my defense that I have very low expectations. I don't expect attentive service from SCAs, I don't expect great food in the diner, and I don't expect much civility from conductors. I'm pleased when it does happen (especially the rare jolly conductor), and I'm surprised by how often it happens, but I don't expect it.

ETA: It never occured to me that the SCA might have to wait off the clock for me to leave my sleeper on the Sunset Limited. I assumed that she would be paid until at least 6:30, and am glad to have this assumption confirmed.

 

[zephyr17]

I've ridden Amtrak long-distance trains more times than I can count, and always get a sleeper if traveling overnight. While my expectations are not particulary high, I am not afraid to say I've had some truly terrible Amtrak on-board service crew members in all the service crafts. Disappearing SCAs, slow, surly and incompetent servers (sometimes all three attributes exemplified in one individual). Cafe LSAs that take 2 hour meal breaks and close at 9:30. In one memorable recent example, a Pacific Parlour Car attendant (in a substitute diner-lounge) that was closed most of the time outside of meals and wine-tasting and hid out in the downstairs galley. I knew he was down there because he was playing his iPod through speakers down there.

So, for those who have never encountered a really bad on-board service crew member, keep riding, they are out there.

I've said before on this board that my experience with the onboard service crews pretty much follow a bell curve. 5 % truly outstanding, 15% great, 30% good but not great, 40% okay, get the job done, and 10% awful. 90% of the time I am all right with the service I get, and am very happy when I encounter people in that top 20%. But that last 10% can really take the cake.

 

[cirdan]

So, if I understand y'all correctly, you're saying folks are actually being routinely disappointed and/or withholding tips for bad service while simultaneously claiming that everyone has met expectations here on AU? I guess I have no direct way of disputing that. In most cases I can only go buy what people say. If they experience one thing and then choose to claim something entirely different then I have no choice but to take them at their word.

+1

 

[PaulM]

Where are the "quality control" managers, or whatever they call themselves?

That's the beauty of it. The passengers are the QC department. And they get paid with travel vouchers.

For that matter, where are the equivalent of a shop foreman?

 

[Aaron]

Back on topic for a bit... My wife and kids and I were in the family room on the SL arriving in LAX on 5/20. Our SCA (Yvonne) told us upon boarding that we were welcome to stay in the room until 6:30. I woke up about 2:00am since I've been sick and my sleep schedule was all whacked out, and just read while waiting to arrive.

We arrived at LAX at about 4:40, and I remember hearing an announcement from the conductor at that time. However, I don't know if it would have been in our room because the speaker in our room was turned off. The speaker in the hall would not have been remotely loud enough to wake me up, but I tend to sleep like the dead. For the next hour or so, I only heard vague rustling, never anything super loud. I can say that neither the conductor announcement nor any other noise was enough to wake up my wife or kids.

At 6:00 I woke up my family to start gathering our things to go. At 6:15 there was an announcement that sleeper passengers would need to be off the train by 6:30, and that the train was going to the yard shortly thereafter and it would be a long unreimbursed taxi ride back to LAX if you didn't get off on time. At about 6:25, we got off, and from what I could see, we may have been the last ones off of that car.

My experience may be atypical, but i would have had no problem sleeping until 6:30 had I not already been awake for other reasons. It reinforced everything I hoped about the new schedule. It was better than my last two trips. My most recent trip to LAX was overnight in coach, where we arrived about 5:00 and did get booted pretty quick. The one before that was sleeper, but on the old schedule, so I was getting up at 5:00 to get the "free" breakfast that I paid for before they shut the dining car down. So, with the new schedule, I'm getting dinner instead of breakfast, and I'm still able to sleep in longer than I would have under the old schedule.

 

[fairviewroad]

Thanks for the "trip report"!

Sounds like it worked out well, in your case. The 15-minute warning at 6:15 seems like a reasonable policy.

I guess if your final destination was closer to "the yard" than to Union Station then you might want to, heh heh,

forget to get off the train. :giggle: (j/k)

 

[kt1i]

I know this has been asked before but what are prospects for breakfast at LAX at 6:30 in the morning. I'm taking the CS but the TRAXX Cafe thing starts at 8:30 I think.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I know this has been asked before but what are prospects for breakfast at LAX at 6:30 in the morning. I'm taking the CS but the TRAXX Cafe thing starts at 8:30 I think.

Theres a Starbucks and a Subway in LAX but Breakfast @ Phillipe just up the Street begins @ 6AM and its The Best!!!