Business Amenities on Heartland Flyer?

[nirtak]

I will be taking the Heartland Flyer from DFW to OKC for a business trip. I hope to get some much needed work done on the train. Is this train setup to do that? Is there a Café Car with tables and plugs for my 17" laptop? What about the seats, is there a fold down tray large enough for my laptop and plugs at the seats?

Thanks for the assistance, this will be my first trip on this train.

 

[R30A]

There are plugs at the seats, with standard tray tables which I have no trouble using my lap top on.
There is no table section to the cafe car- It is simply the lower level of a coach. Also, no Wifi.

 

[wwchi]

you should have a tray table and outlets at your seat. I work on the train all the time. I suppose how much actual room you have will depend on what type of train you are on. And all the cafe cars I have seen have tables and plugs though I doubt you could spread your stuff all out and take up a whole table yourself. And like R30A said above in the double deckers there's no table section to the cafe car.

If you are on a superliner (double decker train) the seats have a lot of room. If you are on one of the single level trains it will be a little tighter if the person in front of you reclines. I always get business class just because I have more room to work. I bring my own wifi though my trains do offer it.

 

[nirtak]

Wow, fast responses, thanks. I didn't see business class on this train, too bad, or I would have booked it.

Maybe the train won't be packed to the gills and I can spread out a bit with two seats.

Any suggestions on where to sit on the train to take advantage of two seats to myself? I know that's a silly question, but I thought I would ask.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

When it comes to 17" laptops there's also the matter of weight to consider. I ended up dropping to a 15" in part because the 17" was simply too heavy to avoid damaging the tray and/or hinge or airlines. I never took it on Amtrak so hopefully their trays and hinges are stronger than commercial aircraft. These days I'm all the way down to a slim 13" for easy traveling. Still looks big compared to the iPad/Surface tablets other folks are using.

 

[wwchi]

Wow, fast responses, thanks. I didn't see business class on this train, too bad, or I would have booked it.

Maybe the train won't be packed to the gills and I can spread out a bit with two seats.

Any suggestions on where to sit on the train to take advantage of two seats to myself? I know that's a silly question, but I thought I would ask.

Ask the conductor when you get on if there is a car that is less crowded as you have to work during the trip. I've often gotten 2 seats to myself which is great, but my train is busy in the summer so not possible then, but in winter when it's less crowded I usually can. Just ask!

 

[Shortline]

Another tip-Get to the station early. They generally just trickle board, rather than one mad rush 10 minutes to departure, and you can go to the platform anytime in FTW. I recommend the right hand side of the train, the sun will be on the left going North, however the best scenery, is on the left going North- there is a fairly scenic part of the route along the Washita river.

Also, as this train turns daily, half the seats face forward, the other half backward. Best chance for 2 together, on a more than half full train, is in a backwards seat, as most people generally prefer to ride forward. I have used a 17" laptop on this train many times, no issues. There is no wifi, and even cell service is spotty in the rural areas, for about half the trip. And maybe an hour out of the 4, with no cell service at all, something to keep in mind. Some days are busier than others. I've been on sold out trains between OKC and FTW, and I've been on it once, when I was one of just 4 or so people going north. Had almost a whole car to myself.....As with all things Amtrak, it all just depends.....But as others have said, no tables, except the few days a year they put a full sightseer lounge car on, for the annual OU/Texas game train.

 

[Palmetto]

This train doesn't originate in Dallas. You'll have to take TRE over to Ft. Worth to get the train. Maybe you know that, but your reference to DFW signals the airport, not the train station.

 

[seat38a]

The tray tables on the Superliner are NOT laptop friendly. Because of the elevated perimeter, laptops 15+ will slide around and can easily fall off. I've had my 15 min macbook pro on it but I took it off due to the instability and moved to the regular business class car which has a different more laptop friendly tray table. On the Heartland Flyer, you only have the Superliner so moving is not an option. Just be very very careful and don't go away with the laptop unattended on the table or when you come back, it might be on the floor.

 

[nirtak]

Oops, I meant to say that I would be departing from Fort Worth. I usually fly out of Dallas (DFW), so that's what my fingers typed.

I'm traveling this coming Monday. I guess I need to figure out something to lay ontop of the tray to prevent the laptop from sliding?

I'm trying to look and see what time they start boarding for the trip north?

 

[PVD]

a rubber mat or 2 mouse pads, just be wary of where the vents are on your laptop, if underneath, make sure air can circulate.

 

[nirtak]

Good point, thanks PVD.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

As mentioned earlier, it is very likely you will be able to get a "2-pack" to yourself, and even if it should leave FTW every seat full, by the time you reach Ardmore there should be a pretty good thinning out. No tables in the cafe; you go to the counter, get your items and return to your seat. The cafe attendants have ALWAYS been very helpful and friendly, as have the Conductors.