Hot Water in Coach

[Meghan]

Hello, all! After a while of just being "Guest Meghan" I finally registered!

I was just wondering if I bring my own travel mug if the person in the cafe of the train is likely to give me hot water to make my own tea. I saw a few comments about it over in the FAQ and first time rider section, but nothing very recent. Last year my husband and I traveled from WAS to PDX on the Capitol Limited and Empire Builder (in coach!) and my only regret was not having brought tea! We're leaving to do it again tomorrow, so I thought I'd ask if it was even worth it to bring the tea bags and mug!

I did buy one cup of tea, on Christmas morning going through the Columbia River Gorge... the heat was out in the Sightseer Lounge and cafe, so the cafe guy gave it to be for free. Being Christmas (and that he was freezing) I left the cost of the tea as a tip!

EDITED TO ADD: I gather from the older posts on it that the water isn't boiling hot. I'm not picky!

 

[Shanghai]

I think my wife was able to get hot water for tea on the train.

 

[PerRock]

I believe officially no they will not fill up your mug. However you may get a friendly attendany who will. That being said you can get water for free on the train (little spicket near the trash) And for a couple bucks you can buy a plug-in hot water heater for your mug (like this). Last time I took an overnight trip we took one and found it very useful for making tea, instant oatmeal, ramen, etc.

peter

 

[guest]

I've been carrying a thermos with me the past couple of trips on the CL and NE Regionals 94/94. The cafe attendant usually fills it with hot water. But in the past, before I started doing this, I've seen attendants refuse others passeners' requests for hot water in non-Amtrak provided containers.

I like the thermos because I can fill it with enough hot water for several cups of instant coffee.

If they won't fill your mug, you can always buy a cup of their hot water, if you want tea badly enoughy.

 

[leemell]

I believe officially no they will not fill up your mug. However you may get a friendly attendany who will. That being said you can get water for free on the train (little spicket near the trash) And for a couple bucks you can buy a plug-in hot water heater for your mug (like this). Last time I took an overnight trip we took one and found it very useful for making tea, instant oatmeal, ramen, etc.

peter

If you get one, be careful, they get very hot and they draw a lot of electrical current. They work fine, just be a cautious. Don't plug one in and then leave it, always monitor.