Which stations are smoking breaks?

[EB_OBS]

Empire Builder

Spokane, WA

Whitefish, MT

Havre, MT

Minot, ND

Minneapolis, MN

Winona, MN

If the train is running on-time, then also;

Wenatchee, WA

Pasco, WA

Shelby, MT

Williston, ND

St. Cloud, MN

Milwaukee, WI

 

[EB_OBS]

... however if the train isn't running to badly late the crew usually will allow someone to step off at just about any station, provided they stay near the door.

peter

Horrible information this is. Do not attempt or ask to get off at unannounced stops. That's one very quick way to get on just about any conductor's short-list.

Smoke breaks are typically announced prior to the stop. If you don't hear an announcement informing you that you may step off the train then it's not a good idea to go and ask or attempt to get off.

 

[Texan Eagle]

If you don't hear an announcement informing you that you may step off the train then it's not a good idea to go and ask or attempt to get off.

Yes, do not forget while onboard Amtrak, you are the slaves and the on-board staff are the masters who like to control you with a whip. You should not ask them anything, just do what they tell you to do.

EB_OBS, I know you have been extremely helpful and supportive and not like some of the rude onboard staff we the passengers have to encounter, but this hints of the typical "power trip" attitude that puts off many passengers from Amtrak. Why should the passenger not ask? What's wrong if the passenger wants to know something they don't know? I don't see why the passengers should submit themselves to the often-not-so-great announcements and not question.

 

[EB_OBS]

If you don't hear an announcement informing you that you may step off the train then it's not a good idea to go and ask or attempt to get off.

Yes, do not forget while onboard Amtrak, you are the slaves and the on-board staff are the masters who like to control you with a whip. You should not ask them anything, just do what they tell you to do.

EB_OBS, I know you have been extremely helpful and supportive and not like some of the rude onboard staff we the passengers have to encounter, but this hints of the typical "power trip" attitude that puts off many passengers from Amtrak. Why should the passenger not ask? What's wrong if the passenger wants to know something they don't know? I don't see why the passengers should submit themselves to the often-not-so-great announcements and not question.

What I mean is that sometimes, going to "ask" involves the actions of, waiting until the train stops, then getting out of the seat, going downstairs and being in the way while detraining and boarding passengers are attempting to get on and off, grab and stow baggage and the conductors or attendant are busy working the stop, so one can "ask" if it's OK to get off the train for a smoke.

I didn't mean to imply don't ever ask if one can get off at a stop for a smoke break but there is usually plenty of time in between stops to ask an attendant or conductor if the next stop is a smoke break or not. That's all I meant.

 

[johnny.menhennet]

If you don't hear an announcement informing you that you may step off the train then it's not a good idea to go and ask or attempt to get off.

Yes, do not forget while onboard Amtrak, you are the slaves and the on-board staff are the masters who like to control you with a whip. You should not ask them anything, just do what they tell you to do.

EB_OBS, I know you have been extremely helpful and supportive and not like some of the rude onboard staff we the passengers have to encounter, but this hints of the typical "power trip" attitude that puts off many passengers from Amtrak. Why should the passenger not ask? What's wrong if the passenger wants to know something they don't know? I don't see why the passengers should submit themselves to the often-not-so-great announcements and not question.

What I mean is that sometimes, going to "ask" involves the actions of, waiting until the train stops, then getting out of the seat, going downstairs and being in the way while detraining and boarding passengers are attempting to get on and off, grab and stow baggage and the conductors or attendant are busy working the stop, so one can "ask" if it's OK to get off the train for a smoke.

I didn't mean to imply don't ever ask if one can get off at a stop for a smoke break but there is usually plenty of time in between stops to ask an attendant or conductor if the next stop is a smoke break or not. That's all I meant.

I think that's perfectly fair. Asking well before the stop when the conductor/attendant is obviously not preoccupied with loading passengers should definitely be fine, but getting in the way is not. Sounds fir to me.

 

[Texan Eagle]

If you don't hear an announcement informing you that you may step off the train then it's not a good idea to go and ask or attempt to get off.

Yes, do not forget while onboard Amtrak, you are the slaves and the on-board staff are the masters who like to control you with a whip. You should not ask them anything, just do what they tell you to do.

EB_OBS, I know you have been extremely helpful and supportive and not like some of the rude onboard staff we the passengers have to encounter, but this hints of the typical "power trip" attitude that puts off many passengers from Amtrak. Why should the passenger not ask? What's wrong if the passenger wants to know something they don't know? I don't see why the passengers should submit themselves to the often-not-so-great announcements and not question.

What I mean is that sometimes, going to "ask" involves the actions of, waiting until the train stops, then getting out of the seat, going downstairs and being in the way while detraining and boarding passengers are attempting to get on and off, grab and stow baggage and the conductors or attendant are busy working the stop, so one can "ask" if it's OK to get off the train for a smoke.

I didn't mean to imply don't ever ask if one can get off at a stop for a smoke break but there is usually plenty of time in between stops to ask an attendant or conductor if the next stop is a smoke break or not. That's all I meant.

Fair enough. As long as the staff is co-operative in answering "next stop is a smoke stop or not" query raised by a passenger before the train has stopped without going all "What did I announce? Did you not hear it?" its all good. As you may be aware, the announcements are not always great.. sometimes difficult to hear, sometimes difficult to understand, or both.

 

[user 3575]

Now, about the Coast Starlight and San Jose...

SJC used to be a smoke stop. It's an engineer-change for both #14 and #11, and there's a 12-minute dwell at the station, so there was plenty of time for people to clamber off the train and stretch their legs and/or lungs. But as of June 2012, the folks who oversee Caltrain, or is it the JPB (whoever remembers that they own-and-manage the platforms at SJC at any given time) hung big "NO SMOKING" signs on all of the platforms and informed Amtrak that they weren't to announce a smoking stop at San Jose. Smoking's illegal at county bus stops, so you cant walk out to the bus area for a smoke either...so I've heard people take their break at Salinas.

I still see plenty of people smoking when #11 comes through. And since the smoke-stands/ashtrays were taken away, we've got plenty of ciggie butts on the platform now, and no, the JPB/Caltrain don't clean up on track 1, which is used by the Starlights.

One of our Station Hosts at San Jose is a strong anti-smoking advocate, and he'll rant at smokers. I usually find something more useful to do; we're not law enforcement anyway. If tickets are to be written, let the various agencies fight out the jurisdiction on the platform -- that's always a hoot to watch. We have VTA/Sheriffs, San Jose PD, Amtrak PD, and Caltrain/SamTrans/San Mateo PD all tussling over "who's in charge here, and where"...

 

[EB_OBS]

As you may be aware, the announcements are not always great.. sometimes difficult to hear, sometimes difficult to understand, or both.

Believe me, our PA problems frustrate me to no end. Both as a dining car LSA and as a supervisor. It drives me nuts not being able to communicate to the train effectively when it's needed. But not only just when it's needed but routine announcements and conductor's announcements are severely hampered and ineffective when the PA sucks, as it often does.

Crappy PAs is on my top 5 list for things, mechanically, that must be improved.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Again, not sure of the whole list on the California Zephyr, but ones that are include Reno, Salt Lake City (again, if you are up), Grand Junction, Denver, Omaha, Ottumwa.

But don't get off at any of them unless the conductor announces you can.

I must add Glenwood Springs, Lincoln, and Galesburg. Maybe also SAC.

I am trying to convince my parents to take the Train from Newark NJ to Rocky Mount NC. My mother wants tio drive, and I know it is because she smokes. I could convince her to go if I KNEW the smoking stops, or if there were for sure stops she could get off quickly and get her fix. Please let me know!

The easy way around this would be nicotine gum!

 

[Ana]

Yeah, the PAs are pretty bad. The only announcements I hear super clearly are the breakfast and lunch wait lists which I don't wanna hear. Last trip I taught myself to sleep through 'Larsen, party of two, Peters party of four, Mary, party of one please come to the dining car at this time' etc etc over and over. After two days I felt like I could list by name half the passengers on board. And who was slow at getting on the wait list.

My first big LD trip was on the CS and all the fresh air breaks on day two (sea-lax) were awesome, I missed that on the EB and CZ as we were alway trying to make up time and most were hop on hop off.

To the CZ list I would also add Granby, we had a few moments there. Also the conductor encouraged us to go shopping at the platform store at grand junction. On the cardinal I was allowed off at Ashland KY a few years ago but not sure if coach got to - my car attendant asked me if I wanted to, since I had at all the others and I think he was getting a sleeper passenger there. I find in sleepers the SCA quickly learns who wants off every break and why and they give you a heads up for the necessary not announced (like at night). On the CZ we had a bunch of smokers and me, collecting new states I could claim to have visited

.

It's amusing how different the announcements about them are. That CS southbound trip the conductor reminded us every time that it was a 24 wait til the next train and it would leave us behind.. I pictured the US full of left behind passengers and man did it put a fear of going far from the train, my SCA that trip kept teasing me that with the ten min stops, i could probably risk stepping a few feet away. I spend a lot of the time standing next to the SCA at the door of the car! On the EB one of the conductors them literally spelled it out if we werent to get off. This stop is not, n-o-t, not, a smoke break. Yeah, the EB PA in my sleeper was loud, I remember way too many of those announcements in way too much detail...

 

[ehbowen]

I was once on a Sunset Limited, running ahead of schedule (No! Really!), which made Sanderson, TX into a smoke stop.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Yeah, the PAs are pretty bad. The only announcements I hear super clearly are the breakfast and lunch wait lists which I don't wanna hear. Last trip I taught myself to sleep through 'Larsen, party of two, Peters party of four, Mary, party of one please come to the dining car at this time' etc etc over and over. After two days I felt like I could list by name half the passengers on board. And who was slow at getting on the wait list.

My first big LD trip was on the CS and all the fresh air breaks on day two (sea-lax) were awesome, I missed that on the EB and CZ as we were alway trying to make up time and most were hop on hop off.

To the CZ list I would also add Granby, we had a few moments there. Also the conductor encouraged us to go shopping at the platform store at grand junction. On the cardinal I was allowed off at Ashland KY a few years ago but not sure if coach got to - my car attendant asked me if I wanted to, since I had at all the others and I think he was getting a sleeper passenger there. I find in sleepers the SCA quickly learns who wants off every break and why and they give you a heads up for the necessary not announced (like at night). On the CZ we had a bunch of smokers and me, collecting new states I could claim to have visited

.

It's amusing how different the announcements about them are. That CS southbound trip the conductor reminded us every time that it was a 24 wait til the next train and it would leave us behind.. I pictured the US full of left behind passengers and man did it put a fear of going far from the train, my SCA that trip kept teasing me that with the ten min stops, i could probably risk stepping a few feet away. I spend a lot of the time standing next to the SCA at the door of the car! On the EB one of the conductors them literally spelled it out if we werent to get off. This stop is not, n-o-t, not, a smoke break. Yeah, the EB PA in my sleeper was loud, I remember way too many of those announcements in way too much detail...

When was your last trip? What train was it on?

I was once on a Sunset Limited, running ahead of schedule (No! Really!), which made Sanderson, TX into a smoke stop.

How was Sanderson? I heard its station is probably the worst Amshack around!

 

[Nickrapak]

Now, about the Coast Starlight and San Jose...

SJC used to be a smoke stop. It's an engineer-change for both #14 and #11, and there's a 12-minute dwell at the station, so there was plenty of time for people to clamber off the train and stretch their legs and/or lungs. But as of June 2012, the folks who oversee Caltrain, or is it the JPB (whoever remembers that they own-and-manage the platforms at SJC at any given time) hung big "NO SMOKING" signs on all of the platforms and informed Amtrak that they weren't to announce a smoking stop at San Jose. Smoking's illegal at county bus stops, so you cant walk out to the bus area for a smoke either...so I've heard people take their break at Salinas.

I still see plenty of people smoking when #11 comes through. And since the smoke-stands/ashtrays were taken away, we've got plenty of ciggie butts on the platform now, and no, the JPB/Caltrain don't clean up on track 1, which is used by the Starlights.

One of our Station Hosts at San Jose is a strong anti-smoking advocate, and he'll rant at smokers. I usually find something more useful to do; we're not law enforcement anyway. If tickets are to be written, let the various agencies fight out the jurisdiction on the platform -- that's always a hoot to watch. We have VTA/Sheriffs, San Jose PD, Amtrak PD, and Caltrain/SamTrans/San Mateo PD all tussling over "who's in charge here, and where"...

I was on 11 about two weeks ago, and the crew made it very clear that SJC was not to be a smoking stop. I can recall it being announced 3x over the PA, and my SCA mentioned something about it when I was getting off to walk around.