# Can you bring your own food and beer on the Texas Eagle?



## Texas is the Reason (Aug 9, 2016)

Thinking of riding from Dallas to LA - the trip is almost 48 hours, I'd love it if I could bring my own refreshments to save $$$. Is that allowed?


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## chakk (Aug 9, 2016)

Can only consume your own alcohol on all Amtrak trains if you have a room in a sleeping car and you consume the alcohol in your room.


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## chakk (Aug 9, 2016)

You can consume your own food and non-alcoholic beverages on Amtrak trains everywhere except the dining car and lower level of the superliner lounge car.


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## Bob Dylan (Aug 9, 2016)

Be sure and grab a Green Chili Burrito when you get to El Paso from the Burrito Lady by the Station Door! Delicious, Filling and Cheap!

Ft.Worth has a guy outside the Station by the City bus loading area

that has great hot dogs, brats and sells Cokes for reasonable prices! If that's not your thing there is a Subway inside the Station that lots of Coach passengers patronize.

During the layover in San Antonio you can go to the Denny's a couple of blocks away towards downtown on San Pedro for a cheap late supper compared to the Diner or Cafe on the Train.

Breakfast is a good deal in the Diner if you get the Continental or Scrambled Eggs and don't buy juice or breakfast meats.The coffee isn't much good and overpriced!


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## KmH (Aug 10, 2016)

https://www.amtrak.com/personal-food-beverages-medication



> *Bring your food aboard*
> You may bring your own food and beverages onboard for consumption at your seat or private Sleeping Car accommodations. However, you can only consume food and beverages purchased in Dining and Lounge Cars in those cars. Personal food and beverages are allowed in the upper level of Superliner Sightseer Lounges.
> 
> Federal health regulations prohibit Amtrak personnel from handling your food, heating it in our ovens, or storing it in our refrigerators.
> ...


All coach seats and all restrooms are considered public areas.

Also there is a size restriction for coolers: 12" x 12" x 12".

*Real World Note*: I have seen people in coach consuming private stock alcohol, and none of the on-board staff (OBS) said squat to them though their beer was in sight and clearly not purchased on the train - wrong brand and wrong size can.

If you are discrete and don't cause problems you're not likely to attract the attention of OBS.

However, that is not a guarantee.

Amtrak reserves the right to put you off the train at a convenient to them crossing for ignoring their rules.

So no smoking on the train, and being obnoxious or disruptive to other passengers isn't tolerated (sober or intoxicated) either.

Indeed, talking loudly on your cell phone all the time is obnoxious and disruptive to other passengers and will get you put off the train

If Amtrak does decide to put you off the train, expect to spend some time with at least a couple of law enforcement officers from whatever jurisdiction the crossing is in.

https://youtu.be/QGP0STxYlKk

https://youtu.be/l-MH_2GBnoE

https://youtu.be/qdCMFIrEK2E

https://youtu.be/1JlM-kQu8Iw

Being a presidential hopeful doesn't help any either. Not kicked off, just kicked out of the Quite Car for not being QUIET:

https://youtu.be/4CTLh-SvHrM


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## BCL (Aug 10, 2016)

To be fair, a lot of behaviors might be handled with a warning before being put off the train. There might also be a shorter leash given to those who get intoxicated on the train off alcohol not bought on the train. I've talked about this with some conductors who said they might not care as long as the passenger is reasonable. Knocking down shots would not be reasonable I'd think.

I did have a visible six pack off different beers once. It was never opened and wasn't any violation of the rules. So you can bring your own beer, but the rules say you can't drink it except in a sleeper.

If you want a train where personal alcohol is allowed to be consumed, try Caltrain. Conductors have lot of stories to tell about that.


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## Palmetto (Aug 10, 2016)

Metro North had bar cars on the New Haven Line, but I think they're gone now. Dutch can fill us in on that probably.


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## oregon pioneer (Aug 10, 2016)

I will say, my Hubby used to bring his own whatever when we were in coach. He was very discreet (it was booze, and he poured it into a cup, so no labels), he was never visibly drunk (it was just a nightcap to help him sleep in coach), and he never attracted notice of any kind. But he quit doing that long ago, and now settles for one expensive beer in the lounge if he really wants one. I guess when you get a little older, the adventure of breaking the rules doesn't seem so attractive.

We did bring our own food, and still do when we go coach. I go and get a couple of paper towels from the restroom to use as "linens" on my tray table and lap, and we enjoy better quality food than can possibly be bought on the train at any price. For us, that's defined as organic whole-grain snacks, fruits and veggies. To each their own!


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## norfolkwesternhenry (Aug 10, 2016)

I've seen people consuming their own beer/wine in the SSL on the Empire Builder, and when the conductor went by, he glanced at the beer, then the people, then carried on his way.


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## BCL (Aug 10, 2016)

I suppose the problem with an unofficial policy is enforcement can be spotty. You could come across someone new looking to be a stickler for the rules. There's also the possibility of an Amtrak employee who just doesn't like a passenger.

I suppose new employees are probably told that they should be flexible as long as nobody is causing trouble.


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## ScouseAndy (Aug 10, 2016)

I rode between FTW and Los Angeles - the 1st night the conductors didnt mention anything about own alcohol and numerous people were drinking their own stock in coach and the SSL (I may have drank my own Sierra Nevade Pale Ale rather than purchase from the lounge car or may not) However the 2nd night from about 9pm the conductors changed and numerous announcements where made informing passengers no drinking own stock in public spaces and I did witness a couple of young guys thrown off around 1am for drinking in the SSL that clearly hadn't been brought on board. So perhaps some conductor bases are stricter then others I (perhaps wrongly) assumed it was because there was more people on board and more likely hood of disruption?


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## BCL (Aug 10, 2016)

ScouseAndy said:


> I rode between FTW and Los Angeles - the 1st night the conductors didnt mention anything about own alcohol and numerous people were drinking their own stock in coach and the SSL (I may have drank my own Sierra Nevade Pale Ale rather than purchase from the lounge car or may not) However the 2nd night from about 9pm the conductors changed and numerous announcements where made informing passengers no drinking own stock in public spaces and I did witness a couple of young guys thrown off around 1am for drinking in the SSL that clearly hadn't been brought on board. So perhaps some conductor bases are stricter then others I (perhaps wrongly) assumed it was because there was more people on board and more likely hood of disruption?


I'm thinking they could also have an "escalation protocol" depending on how rowdy people are getting. You seem to indicate they were tossed after drinking alcohol purchased on board. If people start getting rowdy, they could possibly just stop all alcohol sales until things cool down.


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## ScouseAndy (Aug 10, 2016)

BCL said:


> ScouseAndy said:
> 
> 
> > I rode between FTW and Los Angeles - the 1st night the conductors didnt mention anything about own alcohol and numerous people were drinking their own stock in coach and the SSL (I may have drank my own Sierra Nevade Pale Ale rather than purchase from the lounge car or may not) However the 2nd night from about 9pm the conductors changed and numerous announcements where made informing passengers no drinking own stock in public spaces and I did witness a couple of young guys thrown off around 1am for drinking in the SSL that clearly hadn't been brought on board. So perhaps some conductor bases are stricter then others I (perhaps wrongly) assumed it was because there was more people on board and more likely hood of disruption?
> ...



As I recall it was from the moment the conductors changed over, it seemed from an outsider that nothing else had changed other than the new conductor was by the book and the previous one was more relaxed.


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## BCL (Aug 10, 2016)

ScouseAndy said:


> BCL said:
> 
> 
> > ScouseAndy said:
> ...


I'm a bit unclear. Was it their own alcohol brought on board or did they buy it from the cafe? Were they being disruptive? When I'm bombed I tend to kind of feel sick, keep quiet, and not necessarily act out on anything. However, that's me. I know a lot of people can become disruptive after enough alcohol.


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## Lonestar648 (Aug 10, 2016)

I have seen people quietly drinking there own, never causing a problem, but I have also witnessed several occurrences when the train stopped at a crossing for someone to be handed over to the police. I wouldn't chance a problem, either buy on board or just do not drink, or buy a bedroom. If you encounter a zero tolerance passenger in Coach, you may have a Conductor to deal with.


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## FormerOBS (Aug 11, 2016)

The rules have been stated.

Non-Amtrak food is tolerated in any public or private areas where food is NOT being sold. It is prohibited in the sales areas, such as dining cars and lounges.

Non-Amtrak alcoholic beverages are tolerated in private sleeping accommodations ONLY.

If employees choose to be a bit lax in the enforcement of these rules, it is generally because the passenger is otherwise behaving properly, and the employees see no point in disrupting a situation that isn't really a problem. But they don't HAVE to be that generous, so don't push it.

I'll never forget the time a passenger was drunk & disorderly, on his own alcohol, in the coach area. An OBS attendant told him to cool it. No luck. Another OBS attendant told him to cool it. No luck. The AC told him to cool it. No luck. The Conductor told him to cool it. No luck. The Conductor told the man if he didn't comply, he would be put off the train. The passenger said "You just try and put me off, Sonny-boy!"

I'll let you guess how that turned out.

Who needs fiction when you've got stuff like this in the ol' memory banks?

Tom


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## BCL (Aug 12, 2016)

FormerOBS said:


> The rules have been stated.
> 
> Non-Amtrak food is tolerated in any public or private areas where food is NOT being sold. It is prohibited in the sales areas, such as dining cars and lounges.
> 
> ...


I don't know about food being tolerated. It's specifically allowed, although I'm sure there are limits if something is patently offensive. Durian would probably qualify. I've also seen personal food being consumed in a cafe car, so that's being tolerated.

Allowing personal alcohol outside of the rules? That sounds more like being tolerated. Kind of like maybe driving 10 MPH over the speed limit and the cop doesn't really care, but do the same and keep weaving in and out of traffic, and maybe he does care.


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## Triley (Aug 12, 2016)

BCL said:


> FormerOBS said:
> 
> 
> > The rules have been stated.
> ...


There are instances of specific areas or cafes on certain trains where you are allowed to consume your own food. As far as liquor/beer/wine goes, I handle it on a case by case basis. I certainly will not enable it by lending you a bottle or wine opener. And I tell people I can not see it in my Cafe car. I try to reason with people that it's just like a restaurant with bar service...you wouldn't bring your own stuff and consume it, putting a restaurant's liquor license at risk, would you? 
I feel a bit uneasy recently with private stuff being consumed onboard at the moment though. For those who didn't catch it in the "What are you doing right now?" thread, my Cafe car was recently pulled out of service at Alexandria on the way to Boston, because of a gentleman who brought his own bottle of wine on board, had two nips of gin bought for him by the passenger sitting next to him, and then threw it all up. Had he not brought his own stock onboard, I could have controlled his liquor intake. Instead, the entire train was punished for the ten hour trip from DC to Boston with absolutely no food service (just water and snacks were made available".


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## FormerOBS (Aug 12, 2016)

Maybe I created confusion by using "tolerated" instead of "permitted". I guess I was just thinking about the fact that Amtrak would rather sell you the food and get a bit of income from it, rather than let that extra income go to Piggly Wiggly. For purposes of this discussion, in my opinion, the two terms mean just about the same thing.

Tom


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## BCL (Aug 12, 2016)

FormerOBS said:


> Maybe I created confusion by using "tolerated" instead of "permitted". I guess I was just thinking about the fact that Amtrak would rather sell you the food and get a bit of income from it, rather than let that extra income go to Piggly Wiggly. For purposes of this discussion, in my opinion, the two terms mean just about the same thing.
> 
> Tom


The food issue is certainly a different one than alcohol. While the income issue is probably an important issue, I always thought if the general prohibition on personal alcohol as a behavioral control. The cafe car or dining car attendant can cut off the supply if someone is belligerent. I suppose the allowance for sleeping accommodations is allowed because that passenger is likely to remain in a personal space.

I guess what is tolerated (even if against the rules) would be bringing food into Disneyland. For the East Coasters, this is not the same policy as Disney World. The rules say no food or beverages outside of medical needs, but it's no big secret that it's almost never enforced. It's kind of odd because they also have a rule on maximum cooler size.


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## bdjjdjd (Aug 12, 2016)

Ya


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## Palmetto (Aug 13, 2016)

Now, there's an insightful first post.


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## PVD (Aug 13, 2016)

There are a few nuances in the rules regarding outside food in café/lounge cars.....Acela, NER and Empire Service represent a very large number of passengers, and quite a few of the Empire trains don't sell food/drinks.

12. Non-Amtrak Food and Beverage (Non Alcohol)
a) May be consumed by passengers in the following
locations.
• Any Coach seat.
• Any Sleeping Car accommodation (both alcohol
and non-alcohol beverages permitted).
• Upper level of Superliner Lounge Cars.
• Acela Express equipment.
• Empire Service equipment.
• Northeast Regional Café Cars.
• Auto Train lower level of Lounge Car when
the service area is in the upper level.
• Auto Train upper level of Lounge Car when
the service area is on the lower level.
b) All other Food Service Cars are intended for the
consumption of only Amtrak provided meals,
snacks and beverages, with the following exception:
• When a passenger makes a purchase from the
long distance Lounge Car, only then may the
passenger consume personal food and beverages
in the lower level of a Superliner Lounge Car.
7-30 Policies & Procedures
• Passengers are prohibited from consuming
personal food and beverage items in all single
level Long Distance Lounge cars.
• Passengers are prohibited from consuming
personal food and beverage items in all
Dining Cars.
c) Amtrak is prohibited from providing any
refrigeration, thawing, heating, cooking or
storage of any food or beverage items brought
on-board by passengers or employees.


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## unitedstatesfan (Aug 14, 2016)

PVD, thank you. The rules are commonsense: it would be difficult to quibble with them.

It isn't Singapore's metro where not even water is allowed to be consumed (amazing for a tropical country!)


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## PVD (Aug 14, 2016)

That ws pulled from an Amtrak Service Manual. One caveat is that it is mot the most current issue, there is a later edition which I do not have stored. That being said, I don't believe that anything in that section has undergone any change, but there are a couple of current employees on this board, if anything has changed I'm sure they will weigh in.


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