Lounge Car Experiance

[Bob Dylan]

at least the lounge lizards dont use it like a barand and try to pick up every women they meet in the lounge

:giggle: :giggle: :giggle:

You just havent been on that many LD Trains if you think this is True! :giggle:

 

[white rabbitt]

at least the lounge lizards dont use it like a barand and try to pick up every women they meet in the lounge

:giggle: :giggle: :giggle:

You just havent been on that many LD Trains if you think this is True! :giggle:

jim just the Texas Eagle last year

 

[Rail Freak]

at least the lounge lizards dont use it like a barand and try to pick up every women they meet in the lounge

:giggle: :giggle: :giggle:

You just havent been on that many LD Trains if you think this is True! :giggle:

jim just the Texas Eagle last year

:unsure: :wacko: !!!

 

[TimePeace]

I've been one of those buskers (well, not passing the hat, just playing for fun). Mostly I am traveling alone and don't really try to put on a show, more like, just sit there and strum or pick softly. It's a great conversation starter. Now and then if someone asks me I will sing a song or two.

Once my son, who also plays, and I were on the CZ in the SSL and it was pretty full - a couple from Alaska the previous night in the dining car had asked to hear us so we played a few. Everyone seemed to like it ok...

I'd never keep playing if anyone seemed put out, or asked me not to, etc. On a Northeast Regional a conductor once told me in no uncertain terms to put it (the guitar) away. I did. What a grouch he was though...

 

[the_traveler]

. On a Northeast Regional a conductor once told me in no uncertain terms to put it (the guitar) away. I did. What a grouch he was though...

Must have been a conductor from NYP-WAS. The ones from BOS-NYP are friendlier.

Not to generalize (yes I am :giggle: ), but I have taken #66 out of WAS many times. The conductor announces EVERY stop over the PA until NYP! :angry: (Remember that this is between 10 pm and 2 am! ) Then the conductors change and they make no announcements until PVD, but sometimes KIN. (That is acceptable since it's after 6:15 or 7.)

As hard as it is to believe, some people on an overnight train may want to SLEEP!

 

[chakk]

Now you mentioned a "party" crowd.. if you mean loud and obnoxious (lots of profanity and such) that is something I am NOT a fan of and I totally understand your complaint. That happens from time to time... but I would say it's the exception, and not the rule.

If passengers in any of the cars -- not just the SSL -- are being loud and obnoxious (lots of profanity and such), complain to the conductor. He/she will advise them once to tone it down. The second time he/she will have them removed from the train at the next station.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I'm kind of surprised that Amtrak allows passengers to sleep in the SSL like they do. I'm surprised that Amtrak hasn't been sued by somebody who tripped over one of the many sleeping bodies on the floor. Considering that Amtrak seems to micromanage every aspect of passenger behavior, I wonder why they allow this.

I can't have a nice dinner with my spouse without sharing a table, I can't switch seats in coach, or sit in "blocked off" coach seats, but I can just sprawl on the floor & take a nap, forcing everyone to just crawl over my supine body?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

There have actually been times when I wandered into the SSL on a long distance train late at night and been the only 1 in there-that almost borders on being spooky. And the couple times I've ridden the Heartland Flyer when a SSL has been in consist, it too has usually been mostly empty because most pax either didn't know about it or didn't care.

 

[BCL]

It all depends on the crowd on the train. If I'm riding home on the CS (just from EMY-DAV/SAC if I miss the last CC) then I usually just bring my laptop with me into the SSL and put in my headphones. It can be a bit loud and the last time there was a guy trying to unscrew a light out of the celing so he could sleep but this is from 10pm-Midnight so it's a slightly different atmosphere than the day time.
The time before that when I was riding south was Superbowl Sunday followed by train 14 striking a pedestrian causing us to be delayed. People were drinking all the beer until it was sold out (by SLO) followed by trying to get every last piece of food once we were stopped.

Other than those examples it has been nice for the most part. No real problems... and some routes even have narration in the SSL as well depending on the time of year.

Man - I miss out on all the fun (not someone getting hit by a train mind you). I did spend my partial ride home on Caltrain with a six pack of Corinitas and sleeping kid. All while following the score of the Super Bowl.

 

[MiRider]

Buskers featured in the National Train Day 2013 video around the 0.32 mark

 

[leemell]

We've got maybe 25,000 in long distance Amtrak trains and have never seen rowdy or even a noisy SSL. Maybe we were just lucky or not depending on your outlook.

 

[Bus Nut]

. On a Northeast Regional a conductor once told me in no uncertain terms to put it (the guitar) away. I did. What a grouch he was though...

Must have been a conductor from NYP-WAS. The ones from BOS-NYP are friendlier.

Not to generalize (yes I am :giggle: ), but I have taken #66 out of WAS many times. The conductor announces EVERY stop over the PA until NYP! :angry: (Remember that this is between 10 pm and 2 am! ) Then the conductors change and they make no announcements until PVD, but sometimes KIN. (That is acceptable since it's after 6:15 or 7.)

As hard as it is to believe, some people on an overnight train may want to SLEEP!

Amen to that. I once took 66 from Quantico, VA to Boston, MA (actually Rte 128). I did not get much sleep until we were almost to New Haven, CT. It was during the winter holidays. Not only were the conductors loud but when we pulled into NYP they opened doors onto cold air and shut off head end power meaning no heat on the train. This large, very loud party crowd from NYC boarded. I wish they would have reserved a coach for thru passengers and kept the doors on that coach shut. (It was a long train, so I'm sure there was a coach full that wasn't getting off or on at NYP).

66 has issues. Maybe someday they will make that train more pleasant. Speaking of comparative crews, about 10 years ago the NB NEC trains from Richmond were habitually late and the crew in WAS would take their sweet time, killing all the schedule padding and then some. However, the BOS engineer and conductors with the help of MBTA dispatchers would tear the wheels off the train trying to get home on time. I smelled the odor of burning brakes between PVD and BBY more than once. The New York crews seemed efficient to me but since I was raised in that area I was used to their expectations (and snippiness).

Now, NJT conductors did seem rude to me. But given how easy it is (or at least looks) to fare jump, I could see why they had an attitude. A few sets of turnstiles would really improve everyone's day!

 

[jis]

66 has issues. Maybe someday they will make that train more pleasant. Speaking of comparative crews, about 10 years ago the NB NEC trains from Richmond were habitually late and the crew in WAS would take their sweet time, killing all the schedule padding and then some. However, the BOS engineer and conductors with the help of MBTA dispatchers would tear the wheels off the train trying to get home on time. I smelled the odor of burning brakes between PVD and BBY more than once. The New York crews seemed efficient to me but since I was raised in that area I was used to their expectations (and snippiness).

What MBTA dispatchers? The NEC is dispatched by Amtrak out of Boston CTEC between new haven and Boston.

Now, NJT conductors did seem rude to me. But given how easy it is (or at least looks) to fare jump, I could see why they had an attitude. A few sets of turnstiles would really improve everyone's day!

Easier said than done. Where would youplace said turnstiles in New York?

 

[zephyr17]

I'm kind of surprised that Amtrak allows passengers to sleep in the SSL like they do. I'm surprised that Amtrak hasn't been sued by somebody who tripped over one of the many sleeping bodies on the floor. Considering that Amtrak seems to micromanage every aspect of passenger behavior, I wonder why they allow this.
I can't have a nice dinner with my spouse without sharing a table, I can't switch seats in coach, or sit in "blocked off" coach seats, but I can just sprawl on the floor & take a nap, forcing everyone to just crawl over my supine body?

Depends on the crew. Some crews tolerate it, but I've seen some wake people up late at night and tell them to return to their seats. No crew I've seen allows people to sleep in the aisle.

Personally, I don't think overnight sleeping in the SSL should be allowed.