Making beds in sleepers

[Yumacool]

I rode the Texas Eagle and Coast Starlight roundtrip last week aboard a sleeper and noticed that the attendants provide blankets in sealed bags now, and only make up beds with the sheet. They place the sealed, folded blanket atop each bunk. This is a change from the way beds used to be made up -- with both sheets and blankets. Is this a new policy on Amtrak sleeping cars across the country?

 

[Train2104]

I rode the Texas Eagle and Coast Starlight roundtrip last week aboard a sleeper and noticed that the attendants provide blankets in sealed bags now, and only make up beds with the sheet. They place the sealed, folded blanket atop each bunk. This is a change from the way beds used to be made up -- with both sheets and blankets. Is this a new policy on Amtrak sleeping cars across the country?

Yes - Amtrak's intention was to reassure the passengers that the blankets were clean and fresh.

 

[Yumacool]

When did this new policy go into effect?

 

[Railroad Bill]

I believe it has been that way for at least a year. We had sealed blankets on our trip to Florida last January and all of our trips in 2015

 

[Yumacool]

I traveled overnight on the Coast Starlight this past June and do not recall receiving sealed blankets -- the beds were made up with both blankets and sheets ...

 

[Anderson]

I've got to put this somewhere high on my list of new pet peeves about Amtrak. I don't mind being provided with the blankets in the bags, but I wish like hell that I could ask the attendant to at least make up the top bunk in a Superliner bedroom (which is awkward as heck to make up on your own once the bottom bunk is down). Fine, let me see the bag...and then can I hand it back over and actually get my bed made. [/rant]

 

[me_little_me]

I've got to put this somewhere high on my list of new pet peeves about Amtrak. I don't mind being provided with the blankets in the bags, but I wish like hell that I could ask the attendant to at least make up the top bunk in a Superliner bedroom (which is awkward as heck to make up on your own once the bottom bunk is down). Fine, let me see the bag...and then can I hand it back over and actually get my bed made. [/rant]

Have you tried asking the attendant and explaining the situation? A good attendant should, IMHO, do that for you.

 

[Bob Dylan]

All six of my LD Trains in the past two weeks ( including the Transdorm)had the blankets sealed in plastic and the bed made up with just the sheets.

The usual coffee, ice, water, juice inconsistency was the one constant!

The scorecard on SCAs, One Excellent,Four adequate, One MIA Invisible Man.(no tip)

As for Diner Crews, one of the BEST EVER ( NY Based) between NOL and WAS on #20, with Outstanding Food, and Five Routine Crews with OK food off the Standard National Menu. The Salmon was especially good as were the Breakfasts and the Steaks.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

It doesn't take 2 seconds to remove the blanket from the plastic and toss it on the bed, and likely in the Summer you do not even need it. This policy has not bothered me at all.

 

[FormerOBS]

This is all news to me. When I retired 16 months ago, the policy was to make the bed fully for the passenger. This new policy may reassure the passenger that the blanket is clean, but it doesn't address any questions about the sheets, which are in closest contact with the passenger's body. Seems to me like a solution in search of a problem, initiated by some office-dweller.

I used to make an attractive and comfortable bed for my passengers, and I took pride in that. I recall a time when I was making beds in my sleeper and one of the diner crew members passed by, paused in the doorway, and said "You sure make a pretty bed, Tom". This was high praise from a veteran, and I took it as such. I can't imagine presenting a very "pretty" bed to the passenger under this new policy.

Where's the pride?

Tom

 

[Yumacool]

I've spent many a cold night in a sleeper bed, especially on the top bunk. That goes double for my wife, who is much more sensitive to cold than me. Our policy is always to ask the attendant for a second blanket when we board. And, for the record, I think it's better to get in a fully made-up bed rather than one you have to fix yourself.

 

[crabby_appleton1950]

Just my 2¢. On my roundtrip ABQ~SAN this past May:

Westbound the blanket was laid atop my bed still in the bag

and eastbound it was taken out and put on my bed.

 

[FormerOBS]

Latest information from a friend "in the trenches" says it was started as a limited test on some train somewhere, and the practice spread to the Auto Train during the past summer. My friend doesn't know whether it is current system-wide policy or not. On the plus side, it does guarantee a clean blanket for each user, but that could be accomplished by simply adjusting the allotted supplies for each car.

"'Tain't complicated, McGee."

 

[PVD]

I've had both in the past year. Maybe it has something to do with where the train is stocked. On one trip I opened the sealed bag and the blanket was covered with lint. I got a new one from the SCA and we shared a good laugh about the "clean and fresh" concept.

 

[Lonestar648]

On both my trips this summer, all blankets were in plastic bags, but one SCA asked if I wanted him to put the blanket on the bed when he made down both beds. I said yes and tipped him accordingly, he was one who knew when we needed something before we did.

 

[Montreal Ltd]

Blanket in plastic bag on 27 last night.

 

[OBS]

It is systemwide. A memo was issued as such probably about a year or so ago...

 

[sakers]

This most likely came about because of the negative press that hotels received a few years back since some chains only wash blankets and comforters quarterly.

 

[busboy]

I rode the Texas Eagle and Coast Starlight roundtrip last week aboard a sleeper and noticed that the attendants provide blankets in sealed bags now, and only make up beds with the sheet. They place the sealed, folded blanket atop each bunk. This is a change from the way beds used to be made up -- with both sheets and blankets. Is this a new policy on Amtrak sleeping cars across the country?

Yes - Amtrak's intention was to reassure the passengers that the blankets were clean and fresh.

So Amtrak is suddenly concerned about proving the blankets are fresh and clean? Following that logic, whey aren't the sheets also delivered in plastic bags and thrown on the bed for the passengers to make?

This sounds to me like a cost/labor savings initiative being sold as something else.

 

[PVD]

You have the same SCA, and instead of blankets coming in one big bag, now they come individiually wrapped which almost always costs more. It is hard to imagine how that saves any money

 

[CoachSlumber]

I rode the Texas Eagle and Coast Starlight roundtrip last week aboard a sleeper and noticed that the attendants provide blankets in sealed bags now, and only make up beds with the sheet. They place the sealed, folded blanket atop each bunk. This is a change from the way beds used to be made up -- with both sheets and blankets. Is this a new policy on Amtrak sleeping cars across the country?

Yes - Amtrak's intention was to reassure the passengers that the blankets were clean and fresh.

So Amtrak is suddenly concerned about proving the blankets are fresh and clean? Following that logic, whey aren't the sheets also delivered in plastic bags and thrown on the bed for the passengers to make?

This sounds to me like a cost/labor savings initiative being sold as something else.

I think it is because people assume linens are washed for each use but they know from reporting on hotels that blankets and spreads are not .

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Interesting. I rode Amtrak's CONO and California Zephyr on multiple segments in January, May, and June this year 2015 and on every segment the bed was completely made including the blankets. Have never seen the single blanket in a bag so far. Just the same, how much trouble is it to open and throw the blanket over your bed? I'm also curious if on the two night trips does the SCA make the bed up with the blanket for the second night or supply a new fresh blanket in a bag. Now that would be interesting.

Just for the record, I have ridden the Coast Starlight a few times and my experience was that those SCA's were the most invisible and least worthy of a tip. In fact on one northbound trip the SCA in my car slept most of the morning in his roomette 001(I was in 002). I had to make my own room up for daytime and then helped a elderly couple in 004 make their roomette up for daytime use since it became obvious that our SCA apparently had to stay up on our 4 hour late trip from San Jose to Sacramento while the adjacent SCA slept. Seems they should have helped in our car with the daytime duties under the circumstances but they did not.