# Thing's i learned riding on the Texas Eagle



## white rabbitt (May 6, 2012)

first after having a roomette i would never want to go coach,

i am a coffee drinker, with my roomette the SCA allways has a fresh pot of coffee brewing

in coach it would cost a small fortune buying coffee 5 or more times a day at the cafe.

2-the meals are free in a roomette, i could never afford to eat in the diner if i had to pay for them

breakfast is the crown jewel of meals on the eagle, the eggs, breakfast taters and bacon

are as good as it gets, lunch is cheeseburger that is so huge u cant eat it all and the chips

that come with it are crunchy and good, a ice tea tops off a great lunch, and supper what ever the seafood catch of the day is makes a good meal, just dont drink the coffee in the diner :lol:

the people u meet on the train are some of the nicest people i ever met, jim hutson told me about the sightseer lounge and it was everything he said it was, i think with the red caps give u rides to the sleeper, and the metropolitian lounge in chicago, coach would be a big let down for me, in the sleeper every roomette i saw had laptops and people watching movies playing cards or writeing something,, mybee other people find coach better, but from chicago to austin or san antonio roomette is my choice.


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## the_traveler (May 6, 2012)

Anyone (coach or sleeper) can use the Red Caps, but I agree with you on all the other points!


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## white rabbitt (May 6, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> Anyone (coach or sleeper) can use the Red Caps, but I agree with you on all the other points!


traveler agreed the red caps are for everyone just seems special


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## Rail Freak (May 6, 2012)

I totally agree & I appreciate the ability to sleep horizontal and taking a shower before that morning cup of coffee!!!


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## Devil's Advocate (May 6, 2012)

wabbitt said:


> in coach it would cost a small fortune buying coffee 5 or more times a day at the cafe.


How much is a coffee at the cafe and is it real coffee or is it that Douwe Egberts crap from Sara Lee?



wabbitt said:


> 2-the meals are free in a roomette, i could never afford to eat in the diner if i had to pay for them


Technically they're just included in the cost. The only time the word "free" is really applicable is when you're being offered something just for showing up. In other words, things like train schedules and luggage tags that you can pick up no matter who you are or why you're there. Everything else is funded through a portion of your purchase, such as your roomette fare.



wabbitt said:


> breakfast is the crown jewel of meals on the eagle, the eggs, breakfast taters and bacon are as good as it gets. lunch is cheeseburger that is so huge u cant eat it all and the chips that come with it are crunchy and good, a ice tea tops off a great lunch, and supper what ever the seafood catch of the day is makes a good meal...


Catch of the day? I've seen trains hit cattle and sheep but never any sea creatures.


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## white rabbitt (May 6, 2012)

Texas Sunset said:


> wabbitt said:
> 
> 
> > in coach it would cost a small fortune buying coffee 5 or more times a day at the cafe.
> ...


:lol: :lol:lol lol lol that is funny


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## MiRider (May 6, 2012)

Well, maybe a roomette makes you and others feel special but, personally, I couldn't eat or drink $195 (roomette to SAS) worth of food, drinks, or coffee on a 32 hour trip - might be worth it food-wise for 2 people but the comfort level doesn't cut it and the value goes down, imo, when you start throwing bedrooms in the mix.

I barely spend $100 on my overnight LD trips and that includes my very generous tips to the Cafe Car attendant and Dining Car staff - I buy all of my food and drinks on board and always have my meals (breakfast and dinner) in the Dining Car.

On my return SWC trip, I sat with some special sleeper pax and one coach pax that stiffed our server



so I tipped for the entire table (after they left) - Breakfast the next day was quite nice





After one expensive overnight roomette experience (almost $500 just for the roomette) that , imo, was not worth it by any stretch of the imagination I've decided I can spend that money better elsewhere so I travel Coach.

I don't expect to sleep like I'm at home on a train, so coach is just fine.

A nice hotel, if I'm staying at one, at my destination is worth more to me than Amtrak sleeper service.

Besides that, how am I going to have fun, interesting conversations with the Conductor in wee hours of the moning in the SSL if I'm holed up in a little nook that I paid too much money for?





As for Red Cap service, when I board in Chicago, I'm on a cart at the gate and on the train as soon as the doors are unlocked - no sleeper needed.


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## MiRider (May 6, 2012)

Texas Sunset said:


> How much is a coffee at the cafe and is it real coffee or is it that Douwe Egberts crap from Sara Lee?


$2, same for soft drinks and it's the DE coffee.

Hell, 10 cups of coffee ($20), 2 steak dinners ($51.50), 1 breakfast ($10.75), and 1 lunch ($11.75) paid for in cash is $94, add a minimum of 20% for tips and you're barely at $115.

I'm basing this on a single traveler, as I said the roomette tariff for the food might be worth it for 2 people but the sleeping accommodations are not - again, jmo.


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## MiRider (May 6, 2012)

wabbitt said:


> in the sleeper every roomette i saw had laptops and people watching movies playing cards or writeing something


Just so you know, it looks like that in just about every seat in Coach too, it's not something exclusive to the sleepers.

Some people even have big expensive Macs



with them in the seats of the unwashed masses.

I'm usually catching up online with my wifi hotspot or watching movies I downloaded on iTunes on my, lil' ol' poor person in Coach, iPad.











Just so you know, I'm glad you had a good time but, imo, you could have spent your - what you described yourself as - limited resources in a much, more frugal manner and had just as much fun, had just as much food, had just as much coffee, and then you could have gone on another round trip train ride to San Antonio for almost the same amount of money.


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## thully (May 6, 2012)

I'd say I basically agree on the sleeper vs coach - with the exception of AGR trips and (in some cases) bottom bucket roomettes, I feel like coach is the way to go, particularly travelling alone. I just don't see myself paying the normal going rates for a roomette (and definitely not a bedroom) - round-trip, many trips would end up topping $1000! Even a shorter trip (I.e. TOL-WAS), one could easily spend over $700 roundtrip. So far, I've done sleeper twice - once was when I was coming west on the LSL and wanted to make sure I got enough sleep to work that day, and another was when I got rock-bottom low bucket on the LSL BOS-TOL ($144 plus railfare, I believe). I manage to sleep OK in coach through the use of a sleeping mask and earplugs (a must for anyone going in coach overnight). Travelling with someone else may change the equation - but in that case I'd be worried about us fitting in a roomette (and I definitely don't see ever doing a bedroom on anything except AGR). However, I will say that I did coach for 5 days this winter, and I had a great trip

With that said, I do plan to redeem some AGR points for a LD roomette sometime - I definitely want to experience it on a longer trip at least once, and it would be particularly cool to do it on the Coast Starlight because of the Pacific Parlour Car. However, if it's not AGR or rock-bottom low bucket, I'll be opting for coach - as I am for my upcoming WAS trip. Business class on the ther hand - that can be frequently worth it, particularly if the upgrade is inexpensive and you are looking at a route that consistently offers 2x1 seating (such as the Wolverines or #66).

Then again, if you have the money and/or can't sleep at all in coach - by all means go for the sleepers. It all depends on you, though. Personally, I wish they offered something in between existing coach and sleeper offerings that works better for single passengers - such as a berth in a shared space or lie-flat first class seats. I'd probably be a lot more willing to pay half the current going roomette rates for something like that...


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## Ryan (May 6, 2012)

JoanieB said:


> Texas Sunset said:
> 
> 
> > How much is a coffee at the cafe and is it real coffee or is it that Douwe Egberts crap from Sara Lee?
> ...


Of course, you also get privacy and a place to lie down flat for that money.


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## MiRider (May 6, 2012)

Ryan said:


> JoanieB said:
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> > Texas Sunset said:
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The only thing I need privacy for, on the train, I do in the bathroom like most other people - I can also change and freshen up at my leisure quite easily in the dressing room baths.

Lying down flat on a train is overrated and, also, overcharged for.... again, jmo.


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## roomette (May 6, 2012)

JoanieB said:


> Ryan said:
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> > JoanieB said:
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I seem to always get stuck next to a smelly snore fest in coach.


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## Swadian Hardcore (May 7, 2012)

I agree too that a Sleeper is much better than Coach. A low bucket sleeper is worth every dollar. The meals are just too expensve if you're in Coach. They also run out too fast.


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## TML (May 7, 2012)

I agree with your assessment on sleepers. Although I've only been on sleepers back in my native China, I have taken Greyhound overnight, and those experiences prove to me that if I ever travel on Amtrak and the trip involves traveling overnight, I'd be sure to book a sleeper. Sleeping an entire night in a "seated" position is simply too uncomfortable for me.


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## WhoozOn1st (May 7, 2012)

TML said:


> I have taken Greyhound overnight, and those experiences prove to me that if I ever travel on Amtrak and the trip involves traveling overnight, I'd be sure to book a sleeper. Sleeping an entire night in a "seated" position is simply too uncomfortable for me.


I've never taken a bus overnight and hope I never do, and I'm in general agreement on preferring a sleeper over Coach. There's a fair amount of recline on Amtrak Coach seats, though, so they're not as vertical as Greyhound's, and I think it's safe to say that if one must go overnight Coach by train (and I have), it still beats the daylights out of any bus.


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## Ispolkom (May 7, 2012)

WhoozOn1st said:


> TML said:
> 
> 
> > I have taken Greyhound overnight, and those experiences prove to me that if I ever travel on Amtrak and the trip involves traveling overnight, I'd be sure to book a sleeper. Sleeping an entire night in a "seated" position is simply too uncomfortable for me.
> ...


Oh Amtrak coach is vastly better for overnight than Greyhound. Seats are wider, have bigger pitch. I did Greyhound overnight *once* when I was in my mid-20s. I'll still do coach overnight on Amtrak, when I'm nearly twice that age.


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## RampWidget (May 7, 2012)

thully said:


> I'd say I basically agree on the sleeper vs coach - with the exception of AGR trips and (in some cases) bottom bucket roomettes, I feel like coach is the way to go, particularly travelling alone. I just don't see myself paying the normal going rates for a roomette (and definitely not a bedroom) - round-trip, many trips would end up topping $1000! Even a shorter trip (I.e. TOL-WAS), one could easily spend over $700 roundtrip. So far, I've done sleeper twice - once was when I was coming west on the LSL and wanted to make sure I got enough sleep to work that day, and another was when I got rock-bottom low bucket on the LSL BOS-TOL ($144 plus railfare, I believe). I manage to sleep OK in coach through the use of a sleeping mask and earplugs (a must for anyone going in coach overnight). Travelling with someone else may change the equation - but in that case I'd be worried about us fitting in a roomette (and I definitely don't see ever doing a bedroom on anything except AGR). However, I will say that I did coach for 5 days this winter, and I had a great trip
> 
> With that said, I do plan to redeem some AGR points for a LD roomette sometime - I definitely want to experience it on a longer trip at least once, and it would be particularly cool to do it on the Coast Starlight because of the Pacific Parlour Car. However, if it's not AGR or rock-bottom low bucket, I'll be opting for coach - as I am for my upcoming WAS trip. Business class on the ther hand - that can be frequently worth it, particularly if the upgrade is inexpensive and you are looking at a route that consistently offers 2x1 seating (such as the Wolverines or #66).
> 
> Then again, if you have the money and/or can't sleep at all in coach - by all means go for the sleepers. It all depends on you, though. Personally, I wish they offered something in between existing coach and sleeper offerings that works better for single passengers - such as a berth in a shared space or lie-flat first class seats. I'd probably be a lot more willing to pay half the current going roomette rates for something like that...


Wouldn't two lie-flat seats take up the same amount of space (roughly) as a 2-berth roomette? Of course, it wouldn't need plumbing or walls...


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## MiRider (May 7, 2012)

Ispolkom said:


> WhoozOn1st said:
> 
> 
> > TML said:
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I'll probably try a sleeper again someday, if I can get a super cheap onboard upgrade or an incredibly low bucket.

Just for the sake of comparison...

Greyhound seats on the new buses






Coach seats on Amtrak


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## MiRider (May 7, 2012)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> I agree too that a Sleeper is much better than Coach. A low bucket sleeper is worth every dollar. The meals are just too expensve if you're in Coach. They also run out too fast.


How can the meals be too expensive because you're in coach?

You're not getting free food because you're in a sleeper.

You're paying coach fare plus sleeper fare - the meals are built into that price.

Also, I've always been able to get a reservation for dinner and lunch (if required).

I don't recall the Dining Car ever running out of food - limited selections due to low passenger load, but that's been my experience.

On my last TE trip, they had a total of 8 sleeper passengers and when I had dinner, there were 6 of us in the diner - trust me, they wanted anyone and everyone to eat in the diner.

It was one of my favorite dining experiences as the LSA and I hit it off and had a great time.


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## fillyjonk (May 7, 2012)

I vastly prefer the sleeper myself for two reasons:

1. Being able to lie flat to sleep. (I have a very hard time sleeping even partly sitting up)

2. I am a "crazy magnet" and I like being able to close the door and not have to talk with other people. If that makes me a misanthrope, fine. I've heard more than enough sad stories of botched operations, kids gone wrong, people claiming they were unjustly arrested/imprisoned to last me the rest of my life. I don't know why I attract people who want to tell me their life's story, but I just do.


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## russianrail (May 7, 2012)

Having done lots of travel (but not enough) in both coach and sleeper, I can and do do both. When I can do sleeper - either AGR or someone else is paying the coach fare and I have a little extra, I will up for the sleeper. It really helps out with meal times and if trains are late. Extras like the PPC are true joys. I also enjoy the lounges as a place to store luggage for the day and to snack. My big gripe about coach is that almost all of the time on longer distance trains, the crews are assigning seats and usually as a solo traveler this means getting an aisle seat or stuck with a very poor window (or as in one Cardinal trip, no window at all as I was placed in the very front row of the car).

I do wish we had some more European/Russian Style Sleepers - 4 or 6 people to a room with flat beds at night. Great for getting a good night's sleep, but not that pricey.


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## VentureForth (May 7, 2012)

It's hard to pay full price for a sleeper. But I agree with russianrail - if I have a discounted way of being a roomette passenger, I will snatch it up - especially if I have a layover in a major city like WAS, NYP or CHI with access to their lounge.

I get extremely ADHD when travelling. I get my scanner out, my maps, timetables, GPS, etc. I hate imposing that on my coach seat neighbor. It's nice to leave my laptop & gps out and running and to be able to leave my seat without as much fear of it getting stolen. Being able to sleep on the top bunk and keeping the lower seats intact is also very nice - especially on a Viewliner where there is a window on top.

I agree with all that the meals are a great bonus and that we do, in fact, pay for them. The juice, coffee, and bottled water is very nice, too. Although, I would rather have the 16.9 (500 ml) bottles of water than the little tiny 12 oz bottles. Powdered drinks are designed to the half liter bottles.

I get plenty of passenger interaction in the lounge and diner. And the best part is that I can turn it off if someone suddenly thinks that I'm their best friend in the whole wide world and they want to tell me their life biography.


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## JayPea (May 7, 2012)

I've done a long - distance trip by coach (only because of cancellations and it was either go coach or not at all) and I much prefer the sleeper. I don't sleep well sitting up and I'm antisocial enough to prefer my privacy. I'll go coach if need be but prefer not to.


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## Texan Eagle (May 7, 2012)

I guess the discussion is not at all about whether sleeper or coach is the *preferred* way to travel overnight. I believe the verdict is unanimous on that- if you give me a choice of a coach seat and a sleeper on a platter to choose one, I'd obviously choose sleeper. The question is, *how much* is the extra money spent on sleeper worth? At what point does sleeper stop from being a great value for extra money paid to becoming an expensive luxury.

I agree with everyone who said Amtrak needs to have a sleeper class where tickets are sold by berth, not by rooms, so that solo travelers can also consider paying something extra over coach fare to get a flat bed to lie down on. It amazes me how often this suggestion comes up in all sorts of threads but nobody at Amtrak has considered this.


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## Trogdor (May 7, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> nobody at Amtrak has considered this.


How do you know that?


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## Texan Eagle (May 7, 2012)

Trogdor said:


> Texan Eagle said:
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> 
> > nobody at Amtrak has considered this.
> ...


Well, because that class does not exist on Amtrak; and the future orders that Amtrak has placed also do not feature a couchette/bunk sleeper class.


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## thully (May 7, 2012)

Agreed - with the caveat that in some cases when travelling with another person, coach may be preferable to a roomette (though not a bedroom) due to the cramped space in the latter. However, to the how much question, I'd have to basically say low bucket/AGR or situations where you really need to get sleep are the only times it's really worth it, particularly when going alone.

Take for example my upcoming WAS trip - I ended up paying $208 coach TOL-WAS roundtrip (with a connecting bus to ARB) for Memorial Day weekend. However, if I wanted a sleeper, I'd have to pay over $400 total fare one way for a roomette - and coming back roomettes were sold out, so I'd be paying over $500 for a bedroom+railfare. In this case, it was definitely not worth $1000 roundtrip for a 13 hr train ride- though had low bucket roomettes been available, I might have at least snagged one for the return leg (with early AM arrivals, I like having the sleeper). The only way I might consider paying that much would be if I were going cross-country - and even then I'd be reluctant.

(Granted, I may have saved $ by booking early - but most of my plans only come together a few weeks in advance. However, when I first looked a few months ago it would have still been $700+ for RT in a roomette - and only slightly less on another weekend.)



Texan Eagle said:


> 1336409779[/url]' post='365746']I guess the discussion is not at all about whether sleeper or coach is the *preferred* way to travel overnight. I believe the verdict is unanimous on that- if you give me a choice of a coach seat and a sleeper on a platter to choose one, I'd obviously choose sleeper. The question is, *how much* is the extra money spent on sleeper worth? At what point does sleeper stop from being a great value for extra money paid to becoming an expensive luxury.
> 
> I agree with everyone who said Amtrak needs to have a sleeper class where tickets are sold by berth, not by rooms, so that solo travelers can also consider paying something extra over coach fare to get a flat bed to lie down on. It amazes me how often this suggestion comes up in all sorts of threads but nobody at Amtrak has considered this.


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## Trogdor (May 7, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Trogdor said:
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> > Texan Eagle said:
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You do realize that there is a significant difference between "considering" something and implementing something, right?


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## Ryan (May 7, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Trogdor said:
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> 
> > Texan Eagle said:
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That doesn't mean that they haven't considered this.

Considering the fact that they used to offer this class of service and phased it out in the 1990s (?), it's a safe bet that they have considered this and have no interest in pursuing it.


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## Texan Eagle (May 7, 2012)

Ryan said:


> Texan Eagle said:
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> 
> > Trogdor said:
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Sorry I should have phrased it better- I know there is a difference between "considering" and "implementing"; I also know many moons ago Amtrak and pre-Amtrak rail companies offered this class, what I meant was, it is sad that Amtrak is not *re-considering* introducing this class. They may have done a survey in 1990s and found few takers for this class, but United States in 2012 is a different country than 1990s, with increased interest in taking the trains owing to airlines not being the nice experience they used to be and driving costs going up day by day. I wonder aloud, is this the time for Amtrak to re-consider their decision and bring back the intermediate sleeping class? Would it get enough takers in today's times? My gut feeling says yes, but then I am no expert.

PS: Please don't bring the standard Amtrak-has-no-money-and-nothing-new-is-gonna-come angle. I know that, but railfans can dream, right?


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## AlanB (May 7, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Sorry I should have phrased it better- I know there is a difference between "considering" and "implementing"; I also know many moons ago Amtrak and pre-Amtrak rail companies offered this class, what I meant was, it is sad that Amtrak is not *re-considering* introducing this class. They may have done a survey in 1990s and found few takers for this class, but United States in 2012 is a different country than 1990s, with increased interest in taking the trains owing to airlines not being the nice experience they used to be and driving costs going up day by day. I wonder aloud, is this the time for Amtrak to re-consider their decision and bring back the intermediate sleeping class? Would it get enough takers in today's times? My gut feeling says yes, but then I am no expert.
> 
> PS: Please don't bring the standard Amtrak-has-no-money-and-nothing-new-is-gonna-come angle. I know that, but railfans can dream, right?


While I of course like Amtrak and I'm also willing to admit that there are plenty of things that Amtrak does wrong and/or gets wrong, I can't imagine that Amtrak spent all that money on the new fleet plans without at least considering the idea. It was the perfect time to consider whether or not there was enough demand to warrant keeping around a second type of sleeping car. I rather doubt that they were relying on some survey from back in the 1990's.

I mean it costs them nothing extra to suggest buying that type of car, even if they never actually get that type of car. So why not at least look into the idea? The fact that it doesn't appear in the fleet plan says to me that the benefits didn't outweigh the costs of buying & maintaining two styles of sleeping cars.


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## lthanlon (May 7, 2012)

Rail Freak said:


> I totally agree & I appreciate the ability to sleep horizontal and taking a shower before that morning cup of coffee!!!


Sleeping horizontal is more refreshing than I ever imagined. One trip, I rode coach going out and had roomette coming back -- and being able to stretch out flat made all the difference. It's heaven.


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## Ryan (May 7, 2012)

Texan Eagle said:


> Sorry I should have phrased it better- I know there is a difference between "considering" and "implementing"; I also know many moons ago Amtrak and pre-Amtrak rail companies offered this class, what I meant was, it is sad that Amtrak is not *re-considering* introducing this class.


Then we're just back to the difference between considering and implementing. I'm sure that they could have re-considered it without your knowledge.


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## Shortline (May 7, 2012)

I think this thread has gone way off topic, but I'll add to that anyway. For me, it's sleeper or nothing for anything over about 6 hours. I like the quiet and privacy of the sleeper. I'm looking at a trip to SAS in a few weeks, was going to fly, but think I'll take the train just for fun. If I go, I will be in a roomette for the 7 hours on the TE. If the HF had a sleeper, I'd buy a room in it too for that 4 hours. I wouldn't even consider an overnight trip in coach anymore. (I did a long one back in 1992, Spokane-Chicago-Little Rock) but I was young, just coming out of USAF SERE school at Fairchild AFB where I slept on the ground for most of 2 weeks.....Coach was doable then, especially since back then, the OBS folks weren't too big on checking ID's in the bar. Not so much for me now.


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## PaulM (May 7, 2012)

russianrail said:


> I do wish we had some more European/Russian Style Sleepers - 4 or 6 people to a room with flat beds at night. Great for getting a good night's sleep, but not that pricey.


I'm a great fan of couchettes as well, but only for a 10:30PM to 7:30AM ride. The problem with them here is that LD trains all involve quite a bit of day time travel as well. Would you like to ride is a couchette all day long?


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## jebr (May 7, 2012)

PaulM said:


> russianrail said:
> 
> 
> > I do wish we had some more European/Russian Style Sleepers - 4 or 6 people to a room with flat beds at night. Great for getting a good night's sleep, but not that pricey.
> ...


Those lay-flat seats that I keep seeing for airline first class/business class seems to be a good middle-of-the-road alternative. They turn to seats during the day, so that problem would be mitigated.


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## Tony D (Jun 17, 2014)

Of course it's better in a sleeper, it's even better in a private jet. I just don't understand how it's justified unless money is not a concern. On an overnight for a family of four it's $600.00 in coach and $2,500 in a family room. That's $1,900.00 difference, you can't eat half the difference including as much coffee you can drink. " It's better in a sleeper", well DUH!


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## Ryan (Jun 17, 2014)

I'm glad that you brought this 2 year old thread back to life to express that opinion, even if it isn't entirely grounded in reality. Single overnights in the Family room are available for significantly less than $2500 (less than half that on some days).


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## ehbowen (Jun 18, 2014)

We took a Big Family Trip from Houston to L. A. (Disneyland) with five adults and six kids (ages 1-13) in 2006. By booking early and catching the low buckets, we took the entire group in four roomettes and the family bedroom for just a smidge over $3300. Round trip.

Yes, the prices CAN be exorbitant, but if you're flexible and shop around....


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## Anderson (Jun 18, 2014)

11 people round-trip for $3300 in sleepers? Not bad! That actually sounds plausibly competitive with airfare...and a steal once you factor in meals, hotels, etc. for a few days.


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## ehbowen (Jun 18, 2014)

Fares have gone up since, and half of our party was half-fare kids (and the baby was free); still, I think we caught a heckuva deal. The kids still talk about it 8 years later.


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## the_traveler (Jun 18, 2014)

But even with fares going up, that's only $300 per person, with beds and meals. I may be wrong, but I don't think airlines have kids fares - I think it's all or nothing. And many kids won't think about "the time I went on Piedmont or Republic or Eastern Airlines" but most remember "that train trip I took years ago"!


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 18, 2014)

I agree with Dave and ehbowen! Good family memories are like that Credit Card Commercial, Priceless!


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## neroden (Jun 18, 2014)

I actually remember the "romance of the air", the excitement of particular plane trips, but it's kind of totally dead now. "Security" pretty much eliminates it.


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## VentureForth (Jun 18, 2014)

I'm not that old, yet I remember when my parents insisted that I dress in a suit when I flew...


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## ehbowen (Jun 18, 2014)

the_traveler said:


> But even with fares going up, that's only $300 per person, with beds and meals. I may be wrong, but I don't think airlines have kids fares - I think it's all or nothing. And many kids won't think about "the time I went on Piedmont or Republic or Eastern Airlines" but most remember "that train trip I took years ago"!


Round trip airfares at the time were running about $300 or so, but you are correct that there was no discount for children. The baby could have flown free as a lap infant, but we would have been looking at about $3000, plus fees. I think checked baggage fees had already been introduced by then, and it would have run us a bunch...we traveled with a mountain of luggage! (Plus strollers and car seats!)

Still, with only a 10% base line difference between first class on Amtrak and coach on the airlines...easy call!


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## seat38a (Jun 19, 2014)

VentureForth said:


> I'm not that old, yet I remember when my parents insisted that I dress in a suit when I flew...









This image is from my discussion in the airline forum that I follow. Now that is a DC 10 with only 8 seats across. This is a picture from a Northwest Orient Airlines (Yes that was their name back then) DC 10 in the 70's while most of the people in the picture are nicely dressed, there still is the one guy with his feet up on the seat in front of him. It does not matter what decade your in, there is always someone without class. Not sure how old you are but my mom made us get dressed when we flew and that was in the mid to late 80's.


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## cirdan (Jun 22, 2014)

Devil's Advocate said:


> Catch of the day? I've seen trains hit cattle and sheep but never any sea creatures.


Didn't the Sunset Limited fall into a bayou once?


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## jis (Jun 22, 2014)

A train has also fallen into the muck of Hackensack River from the Portal Bridge between Newark and New York too! Mostly an AEM-7 and a baggage car of the Fast mail early one morning way back when.


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## Ryan (Jun 22, 2014)

cirdan said:


> Devil's Advocate said:
> 
> 
> > Catch of the day? I've seen trains hit cattle and sheep but never any sea creatures.
> ...


That's one way of putting it, yes.


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## George Harris (Jun 23, 2014)

RyanS said:


> cirdan said:
> 
> 
> > Devil's Advocate said:
> ...


You are probably thinking of the barge hits bridge then train hits shifted bridge that happened in 1993 on the CSX railroad line where it passes along the north side of Mobile Bay. This is also called the Big Bayou Canot derailment. It was along the east of New Orleans portion of the Sunset Limited route that is no longer running. Also, there is no reason to avoid a train route due to an accident that happened over 20 years ago. How many roads would you have left to drive on if you avoided all roads on which there had been fatal accidents during the last 20 years?


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## William W. (Jun 26, 2014)

I would never do coach on an overnight train. I value sleep, a shower, and privacy too much. When I took the CZ, there were people who went all the way from EMY to CHI in coach. I could not ever imagine doing that. Then again, it's probably all they could afford, but at that point, I'd probably just fly Spirit or Southwest.


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 26, 2014)

William W. said:


> I would never do coach on an overnight train. I value sleep, a shower, and privacy too much. When I took the CZ, there were people who went all the way from EMY to CHI in coach. I could not ever imagine doing that. Then again, it's probably all they could afford, but at that point, I'd probably just fly Spirit or Southwest.


Believe me its much more comfortable to do this trip in an Amtrak Coach than on any Bus!!!! And of course if you can get s cheap fare flying is an option but some people can't or won't fly for various reasons! 
I've been on one week excursions in Coach back with the North American Rail Pass was still offered ( Amtrak and VIA ) but One night in Coach would be about all I can handle now and I wouldn't do an overnight LD Bus trip no matter how cheap!


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## JayPea (Jun 27, 2014)

William W. said:


> I would never do coach on an overnight train. I value sleep, a shower, and privacy too much. When I took the CZ, there were people who went all the way from EMY to CHI in coach. I could not ever imagine doing that. Then again, it's probably all they could afford, but at that point, I'd probably just fly Spirit or Southwest.


I would never do it by choice, either. Three years ago I was booked Chicago-Seattle by way of the the CZ and CS. However, the CZ was cancelled the day before I was to depart. The only alternative was to go coach to Los Angeles on the SWC. Or not at all. We (my uncle, his granddaughter, and I chose the SWC. It was doable, and might have been even more tolerable had the guy next to me not reeked of cigarettes and body odor. And had he not yakked on his fricking cell phone at all hours. I survived, but would rather not do it again. In August we three along with another of my uncle's granddaughters are going Chicago-Glacier Park by way of the SWC, CS, and EB. Bedrooms all the way. I think I will like the SWC portion of the trip much better this time


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## William W. (Jun 27, 2014)

If I was ever forced into coach after having booked a sleeping accommodation, I'd ask for shower access and free meals, haha. That seems like a reasonable compromise.


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## fillyjonk (Jun 27, 2014)

When the sleeper I was on derailed (long story involving an ice storm), we all got moved to coach. I still got my meals comped. I didn't bother asking for a shower because I only had a few more hours (or so I thought; the train wound up being 8 hours late).

I did get a refund of the sleeper for the time I wasn't using it, and a $75 voucher for my frustration.


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## VentureForth (Jun 27, 2014)

I actually read that as "involving an icecream" rather than "ice storm".

Had it been about icecream, may be ready to sit back and read the long story!


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## William W. (Jun 27, 2014)

cirdan said:


> Devil's Advocate said:
> 
> 
> > Catch of the day? I've seen trains hit cattle and sheep but never any sea creatures.
> ...


If you mean violent derailment with exploding locomotives and fires that killed 47 people, yes.


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