There are no hot water dispensers. I am a tea drinker and bring my own tea. The SCA either gets me hot water from the dining car or I get my own from the cafe car. Years ago, the coffee makers had a hot water dispenser. I miss that. I believe the Auto Train has hot water dispensers.
Thanks, I'll just plan on taking a hike to Cafe car.
No hot water in the sleeping cars, alas. You'll need to beg some from the dining car, and YMMV about how cranky they are about that when you're not sitting for a meal in the dining car.
Agree about the bottles of water. But most times when I ask for hot water for tea, unless I'm sitting in the dining car having a meal, staff treat it like it's a really special favor and one they'd rather not be bothered with. I consider that an "issue."
Let's leave it that way.
I remember reading here of people using immersion heaters in a room. As long as multiple users don't turn on at once, it shouldn't overload the circuit (I've even read of people using hair dryers in their room).
I guess the LSA's have gotten me well trained, and I stopped completely even wasting my time asking for a second soda, six or seven years ago. Good to now learn that I can attempt to break that training.
But what about asking at the Cafe car? Is that ever a problem? Will I need to bring my own cup?
I really don’t think you’ll have any issue whatsoever getting hot water from the Cafe car. And for safety/contamination reasons, not only do you not need to bring your own cup, but they will actually almost certainly require that they provide the cup.
I like ice tea for lunch and they always serve in smaller type cups. Several years ago I started ordering 2 when they take drink order or the whole order. I get a look, always smile, stay firm and explain if necessary that I will being needing a second one anyway and this saves them a trip. 80% of the time I get 2 and the rest I have to ask for another.
I'd assumed they gave out bottled water because the water in the lavatories was (to put it nicely) not intended for drinking. Not true?
Back when RR passenger cars 'dumped' directly on to the track, there were 'potable' and 'non-potable' water tanks on each car. In some areas of the country, local water sources are not drinkable due to bacteria or whatever in the water. That mindset has continued in the building of RR cars, and even the Viewliner Is have a 'drinking water' faucet in each roomette and bedroom. One is lucky these days if one is in a room that anything comes out of the drinking water faucet.
I remember the SCA using a garden hose at the station, to refill the water in our Viewliner. Personally, I never think of "hose water" as being "potable water", but that is based on my experience, and not any heath dept regulation.
But was the nozzle on the ground as well? Indeed it shouldn't be, but the water is suppose to be run for something like 2 minutes (hey, I don't know! I'm a spoiled LSA who works locals and doesn't have to after his car!), to flush anything and everything out of the hose before being used.
Growing up in the 60s and 70s, we thrived on hose water during the Summer; no one died
Just remember to let it run long enough to cool off and get rid of the "hosey" taste!Back in the 80's, I used to water the cars of the SFZ and CZ at the old Denver station. We had hydrants for potable water roughly every two car length's. The hoses had to be made of FDA certified food quality rubber. Each nozzle had a ring around it that kept the nozzle off the ground, if set down, and in addition had metal nozzle guards attached with a chain.
