will my travel kettle be okay?

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Kami

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I have a little Bonavita Bona Voyage travel kettle, I'd really like to have it on my trip (EB from PDX to CHI, then LSL from CHI to BOS, then 10 days later returning via LSL from BOS to CHI, CZ from CHI to SAC, CS from SAC to PDX, WHOOHOO!) I don't plan on using it much, but I haven't taken it with me in a sleeper before, so any feedback would be great :)

-Kami
 
Should be OK. It could theoretically fall under the household item prohibition. I don't think it would blow out the electrical system. The worst that might happen is they tell you to put it away.

That being said, when I was in Yellowstone I heard a story about how one member of a tour group of Asian visitors blew out the electrical system after plugging in a rice cooker. Their electrical system was really only designed for low wattage lights and maybe stuff like wall warts.
 
Here's a photo of a roomette receptacle. It says "no hair dryer or curling iron", so I interpret that to mean nothing 1,000 watts or more. That said, I've had an SCA (Charles on the Empire Builder) pack along a regular electric teakettle (usually 1,000 watts) for his passengers, and leave it in roomette #1 for our use. I confess, I used it -- and nothing blew up.

superliner-i-roomette-panel-02.jpg
 
Okay, that puts my mind at ease about my 900w kettle :) I'd rather not buy a second kettle if I don't need to...

And really, I was only thinking it might be handy if there was a severe delay and no meal (on my last EB we were 10 hours late, so they stopped and got everyone in sleepers a meal (fast food), but I was still really hungry before we got into pdx, and we had no dining car after spokane so I wished I'd had something.

Maybe for a late night cuppa tea as well. During the day I'd really have no use for it... I can get hot water from the cafe during the day if I want it, and usually there's coffee/juice/water in the sleeper. Really, It's mostly a contingency plan :)
 
BCL said:
Should be OK. It could theoretically fall under the household item prohibition. I don't think it would blow out the electrical system. The worst that might happen is they tell you to put it away.

That being said, when I was in Yellowstone I heard a story about how one member of a tour group of Asian visitors blew out the electrical system after plugging in a rice cooker. Their electrical system was really only designed for low wattage lights and maybe stuff like wall warts.
Click to expand...
What are "wall warts"?
 
crabby_appleton1950 said:
BCL said:
Should be OK. It could theoretically fall under the household item prohibition. I don't think it would blow out the electrical system. The worst that might happen is they tell you to put it away.

That being said, when I was in Yellowstone I heard a story about how one member of a tour group of Asian visitors blew out the electrical system after plugging in a rice cooker. Their electrical system was really only designed for low wattage lights and maybe stuff like wall warts.
Click to expand...
What are "wall warts"?
Click to expand...
Those wall transformers that plug into the AC outlet with a cord to connect to your device (chargers, phones, etc.)
 
crabby_appleton1950 said:
What are "wall warts"?
Click to expand...
It's been answered to some degree, but to elaborate it specifically means some sort of AC to DC power supply without a cable on the AC end. If there's a cable on the AC end, then it isn't a wall wart. The plug is directly attached to the power electronics, although could be fixed or a flip-up plug, and the power electronics hang from the outlet. It could be anything from a generic coax ended power supply (phono plug power supplies are exceeding rare these days) to a proprietary connector, or even just a USB power outlet (or 2/3). There's no hard and fast rule, but I think of them as low power draw devices. If it takes more than 25W, I wouldn't call one a wall wart.

As an electrical engineer, I hate it when someone calls one a "charger". They don't control the charging process. That's always done by the device plugged into the power supply.
 
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Kami said:
Okay, that puts my mind at ease about my 900w kettle :) I'd rather not buy a second kettle if I don't need to...

And really, I was only thinking it might be handy if there was a severe delay and no meal (on my last EB we were 10 hours late, so they stopped and got everyone in sleepers a meal (fast food), but I was still really hungry before we got into pdx, and we had no dining car after spokane so I wished I'd had something.

Maybe for a late night cuppa tea as well. During the day I'd really have no use for it... I can get hot water from the cafe during the day if I want it, and usually there's coffee/juice/water in the sleeper. Really, It's mostly a contingency plan :)
Click to expand...
Well - I keep on thinking of mainland Chinese tourists for some reason. They're becoming notorious for being cheap, and part of it includes bringing and eating instant noodles rather than spending money at restaurants. One hotel in the Maldives allegedly started taking out hot water kettles from their rooms just for Chinese visitors, although they claimed it was only for damaged ones that guests attempted to use to cook.

http://www.ibtimes.com/why-chinese-tourists-are-boycotting-maldives-over-instant-noodles-1122541

Then there was the case where someone was angry at a flight attendant for not returning change in Chinese currency (flying on a Thai airline) after he paid for hot water for his girlfriend's noodles. Dude got so angry that he got belligerent, then his girlfriend threw the hot cup at the flight attendant. I understand he and his girlfriend are now on an official Chinese government travel blacklist handed out to travel agencies.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2874902/AirAsia-flight-attendant-scalded-hot-water-noodles-unruly-passenger-wanted-sit-husband.html

That being said, I myself have bought hot water onboard Capitol Corridor to make instant coffee or tea. The cafe car attendants tell me the water is free, but they charge for the cup. They're not allowed to fill a passenger's cup/bottle.
 
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BCL, thank you for saying that, it is almost always true. (I do have a few small actual chargers,where they monitor the battery that was slid onto the charger and adjust accordingly, but that is usually not the case) The most common one today is "Electric Car Charger" which is actually EVSE (electric vehicle sevicing eqpt). The charging circuitry is in the car
 
PVD said:
BCL, thank you for saying that, it is almost always true. (I do have a few small actual chargers,where they monitor the battery that was slid onto the charger and adjust accordingly, but that is usually not the case) The most common one today is "Electric Car Charger" which is actually EVSE (electric vehicle sevicing eqpt). The charging circuitry is in the car
Click to expand...

A AA/AAA battery charger is going to actively monitor the battery condition for the most part. Proprietary electronics do kind of split the difference. There's active electronics in most laptop and camera batteries, but they simply work with a the actual charger to store information like battery health and estimated capacity.

There are some actual chargers that are more or less dumb power supply circuits. The old fashioned way to charge AA/AAA/C/D was to either have a timer that shut off after a preset time, or regulate the current to a really low rate where the battery wasn't likely to rupture. It wasn't the greatest thing for overall battery life though. I charge my car batteries with chargers that apply the current and periodically monitor the battery. However, I also have a cheap one that is essentially a fixed current power supply with no monitoring. They call it a "manual charger" and it needs to be removed before it damages the battery. I don't use it much, but sometimes the battery just won't charge with a "smart" charger for whatever reason, and I can use the manual one to get it over the hump.
 
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Well, I don't really eat ramen anymore, but I like contingencies. I just don't want to blow a breaker with my 900w kettle, but it doesn't sound like that'd be an issue. Thanks everyone :)
 
I sort of joke about these things, but I do understand that ramen or some other type of instant noodle is a staple for some people. I worked at an Asian company, and we had some training on cultural understanding. For one particular group, we were told that having a package of instant noodles, chopsticks, and a hot water kettle ready would be seen as a sign of respect.

That being said, I was probably off saying that mainland Chinese tourists were cheap. They actually spend a lot on luxury goods while overseas, but apparently aren't adventurous with food. I was at a Chinese restaurant in gateway community for a major tourist site, and the management said that the bulk of their business is large Chinese tour groups dining in their banquet room. I've visited China before, and this is typically how most tour operators feed their customers.

As for your power needs, a single locomotive can supply 800 kilowatts at 120 V. That's more than enough for every passenger on the train to be running one of your kettles. I wouldn't think it would be safe in coach though. A roomette might be different. I don't know how the individual circuits are protected, but it shouldn't be too bad. However, if you need hot water, you can always ask rather than do it yourself. It's provided as part of your service.
 
I do have a roomette :) Got one for every leg (including the CS, PPC here I come!) Also, I'm Irish/Scottish ;) Mostly I hate the cup waste at the cafe, and I don't like making my sca run around, particularly at night.
 
And should real desperation set in, most brands of instant ramen noodles are pre-cooked and edible (I didn't say tasty, just edible) without being reconstituted with boiling water and the flavor pack.
 
Kami, I'd love it if you'd report back after the trip and let us know how it went.

I am a tea lover, too - and I mean, good tea made with boiling water. Even when I used the teakettle that the SCA provided, I made it with my own teabags, in my stainless thermal mug. I also hate the waste in the cafe, and I dislike drinking tea out of their disposable cups, but transferring the hot water to mine loses too much heat.

I would be unlikely on a single cross-country trip to save enough to pay back the cost of the kettle, but it would not be hard at all to get enough pleasure out of having good tea to make it worthwhile!
 
The reason I'm glad I won't need a second kettle is becaise my current one lives at the office already, so it's already paid for itself :)

I'd be happy to let you all know how it goes :) This is a dream trip for me! I'm so excited!!!
 
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