Are You and Your Seat Recorded?

[AnnLeslieTravel]

I realize there is open seating on the train for Coach, but once you choose an available seat, the Car Attendant goes around, sometimes views tickets if they haven't done so already, and uses their electronic device (pda) to scan your information, followed by placing a card above your seat indicating your Destination.

My question is once they scan and note your location on the train, is that information then recorded in the system so they know "Jane Doe" sat in "Car #1230 and Seat 22", for instance?

The General Information number says that this is called the "Conductor's Manifest" and is different from either the Reservation or Check-In Manifest.

Anybody?

 

[jis]

The electronic device is actually an enhanced iPhone.

The information about your seat is not recorded in the device AFAIK.

 

[the_traveler]

AFAIK, no this the reason for the seat checks (tags), and why the conductor goes thru the train and says to you "PHL in 10 minutes" or "KEL in to minutes". It is especially important if you have a middle of the night stop like SLC or NDL or PGH. I don't think you would like to hear announcements over the PA at 2 am, or to be woken up at 4 am and asked "Where are you getting off at?"! And you say "Denver at 7 am"!

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

AFAIK, no this the reason for the seat checks (tags), and why the conductor goes thru the train and says to you "PHL in 10 minutes" or "KEL in to minutes". It is especially important if you have a middle of the night stop like SLC or NDL or PGH. I don't think you would like to hear announcements over the PA at 2 am, or to be woken up at 4 am and asked "Where are you getting off at?"! And you say "Denver at 7 am"!

I know what you're talking about. I really dislike middle-of-night stops and I will go to extreme lengths to avoid a 2 am arrival.

 

[gmushial]

It is recorded - and for which I'm thankful - but it's unclear if it's in the scanning device, or, on paper. ... but I do like the idea of being able to sleep until 3 or 4am and 10 minutes before LNK or OMA being awaken. Yes I've had my ticket scanned and have had the OMA or LNK or SAC or DAV put on a paper tag over my seat... but have also seen the evening before LNK or OMA the conductor update a grid on a piece of paper showing where each person is for each stop for that night. Whatever the answer is, the system works well.

 

[battalion51]

The only record of where you're sitting is the seat check and on the attendant's diagram, but they do not record names though. To be clear though, the Conductor is the one that scans your ticket, not the Car Attendant. The only people who have their location recorded is Sleeping Car passengers.

 

[the_traveler]

AFAIK, no this the reason for the seat checks (tags), and why the conductor goes thru the train and says to you "PHL in 10 minutes" or "KEL in to minutes". It is especially important if you have a middle of the night stop like SLC or NDL or PGH. I don't think you would like to hear announcements over the PA at 2 am, or to be woken up at 4 am and asked "Where are you getting off at?"! And you say "Denver at 7 am"!

I know what you're talking about. I really dislike middle-of-night stops and I will go to extreme lengths to avoid a 2 am arrival.

But if you're headed to Lincoln, NE or Elko, NV or Columbia, SC or Chico, CA or Kingman, AZ or Yuma, AZ or Palm Springs, CA or St Cloud, MN or even Cleveland, OH or Pittsburgh, PA - you don't have a choice!

 

[railiner]

And if you leave your seat, say to try to stretch out in the lounge car or elsewhere, woe unto you if you miss your stop....... :unsure:

 

[gmushial]

AFAIK, no this the reason for the seat checks (tags), and why the conductor goes thru the train and says to you "PHL in 10 minutes" or "KEL in to minutes". It is especially important if you have a middle of the night stop like SLC or NDL or PGH. I don't think you would like to hear announcements over the PA at 2 am, or to be woken up at 4 am and asked "Where are you getting off at?"! And you say "Denver at 7 am"!

I know what you're talking about. I really dislike middle-of-night stops and I will go to extreme lengths to avoid a 2 am arrival.

But if you're headed to Lincoln, NE or Elko, NV or Columbia, SC or Chico, CA or Kingman, AZ or Yuma, AZ or Palm Springs, CA or St Cloud, MN or even Cleveland, OH or Pittsburgh, PA - you don't have a choice!

One of the "advantages" when #6 is running late... one can get off in OMA, or maybe even LNK, after sunrise ;-) besides getting closer to a full night's sleep.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

AFAIK, no this the reason for the seat checks (tags), and why the conductor goes thru the train and says to you "PHL in 10 minutes" or "KEL in to minutes". It is especially important if you have a middle of the night stop like SLC or NDL or PGH. I don't think you would like to hear announcements over the PA at 2 am, or to be woken up at 4 am and asked "Where are you getting off at?"! And you say "Denver at 7 am"!

I know what you're talking about. I really dislike middle-of-night stops and I will go to extreme lengths to avoid a 2 am arrival.

But if you're headed to Lincoln, NE or Elko, NV or Columbia, SC or Chico, CA or Kingman, AZ or Yuma, AZ or Palm Springs, CA or St Cloud, MN or even Cleveland, OH or Pittsburgh, PA - you don't have a choice!

But you don't have to ride a train to those places. So I do have plenty of choices that don't require a middle-of-night stop.

Now, I do realize there are places on the EB route which are only served in the middle of the night and otherwise you have to drive US Route 2, but I've never stayed on those places and I probably never will.

 

[fairviewroad]

But if you're headed to Lincoln, NE or Elko, NV or Columbia, SC or Chico, CA or Kingman, AZ or Yuma, AZ or Palm Springs, CA or St Cloud, MN or even Cleveland, OH or Pittsburgh, PA - you don't have a choice!

But you don't have to ride a train to those places. So I do have plenty of choices that don't require a middle-of-night stop.

Touche!

 

[the_traveler]

I wonder if you can get to Alliance, OH or Maricopa, AZ by bus? :huh:

 

[Peggy]

And if you leave your seat, say to try to stretch out in the lounge car or elsewhere, woe unto you if you miss your stop....... :unsure:

This raises a question to me. I saw a guy across the aisle get his seat jacked by another guy.

He asked was it taken, and both I and the man next to me said the window seat is taken but not the aisle. And a destination tag was still in place. The original seat holder had gone to the diner or something.

This other guy walks away, then comes back with all his stuff. He put his laptop in the pocket of the window seat in front of him, then stretches out across both seats, puts his coat over his head and goes to sleep.

My neighbor and I just shrug at one another. When the other guy came back, we told him what happened, and he just shrugged and went to another seat somewhere and came back later for his bag in the overhead, the seat thief still sleeping.

So I guess if this happened in the evening as opposed to daytime, you would in fact need to bring it to an attendant's attention?

 

[Bob Dylan]

I wonder if you can get to Alliance, OH or Maricopa, AZ by bus? :huh:

And Sanderson, Alpine and McGregor, Texas etc. etc.??? <_<

 

[The Davy Crockett]

And if you leave your seat, say to try to stretch out in the lounge car or elsewhere, woe unto you if you miss your stop....... :unsure:

This raises a question to me. I saw a guy across the aisle get his seat jacked by another guy.

He asked was it taken, and both I and the man next to me said the window seat is taken but not the aisle. And a destination tag was still in place. The original seat holder had gone to the diner or something.

This other guy walks away, then comes back with all his stuff. He put his laptop in the pocket of the window seat in front of him, then stretches out across both seats, puts his coat over his head and goes to sleep.

My neighbor and I just shrug at one another. When the other guy came back, we told him what happened, and he just shrugged and went to another seat somewhere and came back later for his bag in the overhead, the seat thief still sleeping.

So I guess if this happened in the evening as opposed to daytime, you would in fact need to bring it to an attendant's attention?

I wouldn't care what time it happened, day or night, I'd find a conductor, explain that someone delibrately took my seat when they had been told the seat was taken, and let the conductor deal the the 'seatjacker'- :angry:

- unless I didn't like my seatmate!

 

[fairviewroad]

I wonder if you can get to Alliance, OH or Maricopa, AZ by bus? :huh:

And Sanderson or McGregor, Texas etc. etc.??? <_<

Swadian didn't say he had to use a bus. Both Alliance and McGregor are on the outskirts of cities with commercial

airline service (Akron and Waco respectively).

As far as Maricopa, based on the general belly-aching around here, I'd say most people heading to Maricopa are actually

trying to get to Phoenix, a city with an abundance of travel options.

And based on ridership figures, I don't think even Amtrak riders are trying to get to Sanderson.

Anyhow, of those four examples only Alliance really has middle-of-the-night service which is what Swadian said he

tries to avoid.

 

[SarahZ]

And if you leave your seat, say to try to stretch out in the lounge car or elsewhere, woe unto you if you miss your stop....... :unsure:

This raises a question to me. I saw a guy across the aisle get his seat jacked by another guy.

He asked was it taken, and both I and the man next to me said the window seat is taken but not the aisle. And a destination tag was still in place. The original seat holder had gone to the diner or something.

This other guy walks away, then comes back with all his stuff. He put his laptop in the pocket of the window seat in front of him, then stretches out across both seats, puts his coat over his head and goes to sleep.

My neighbor and I just shrug at one another. When the other guy came back, we told him what happened, and he just shrugged and went to another seat somewhere and came back later for his bag in the overhead, the seat thief still sleeping.

So I guess if this happened in the evening as opposed to daytime, you would in fact need to bring it to an attendant's attention?

You can bring it to an attendant's attention any time of day. Someone did that to me when we stopped at KCY (a long stop), and I told the car attendant about it when we got back on board. I said there were some empty seats a few rows back and I'd be happy to move, and he said, "Oh no... I LOVE waking people up when they pull this nonsense. You just sit tight and wait for me to come back." So I hung out in another empty seat until he came to get me.