Nervous First Timer with some questions.

[Barb Stout]

The first time I rode coach, I was surprised at how cold it got at night. I wasn't expecting that at all because it was mid-May in the desert southwest. After that, I discovered Amtrak's "sleep kit" that they sold in the cafe car at the time (don't know if they still do) which consisted of an airplane-type blanket, eye mask, ear plugs, and a neck pillow. It doesn't get cold like that in the sleepers maybe because one can close the doors to the roomette thus limiting airflow.

I also found on some trips, they keep some pretty bright lights on near the exits/entrances between cars during the night. So if you don't want that, don't sit right next to those exits, but they might help with your embroidering, but the observation car does sound like a better choice for late night embroidery.

 

[Railspike]

Lounge Lizards are not popular. It's one thing to spend a great amount of time in the SSL, it's another to camp out day and night and hog a seat for an entire trip. I've seen conductors make people go back to their room or coach seat to give others a chance to enjoy the lounge. Especially on the Zephyr.

 

[stevie]

1.) Are small scissors allowed? I plan on embroidering to kill the time and need snips to cut thread. The snips I plan to bring have 1” blades. Will those get confiscated?

Very good question. One thing you don't have to put up with when travelling on Amtrak is airport-style screening. There will be no lines to stand in and no searching of your person or belongings. I have seen people doing needlework/crochet, making jewellery, etc. Not once on my many trips over the past couple of decades has anyone inspected my bags.

I have never travelled in coach, so I can't comment on that experience, but I agree with others here about the Sightseer Lounge (observation car). It's a great place to spend some time, have a coffee/tea/cocktail/snack, enjoy the scenery, and meet some really interesting people. I further agree that you should take an extension cord for your CPAP, and ask a conductor/attendant if there is any expected interruption in power. It's never happened on any of my trips, but it's a good idea to ask so that you can plan accordingly.

Try not to be nervous. It's nothing at all like the intrusive, crowded, rushed, and stressful experience of air travel.

Do try to relax and enjoy the trip! Wishing you a happy journey.

 

[zephyr17]

I further agree that you should take an extension cord for your CPAP, and ask a conductor/attendant if there is any expected interruption in power. N never happened on any of my triips, but it's a good idea to ask so that you can plan accordingly.

There will be an interruption in power between Portland and Grand Forks at Spokane. They put the Portland and Seattle sections together at Spokane and HEP will be off while they do it.

I use a CPAP, too, and it going off in Spokane always wakes me up.

 

[stevie]

There will be an interruption in power between Portland and Grand Forks at Spokane. They put the Portland and Seattle sections together at Spokane and HEP will be off while they do it.

I use a CPAP, too, and it going off in Spokane always wakes me up.

Thank you @zephyr17 -- I am sure that will be helpful information to @lauramcconnell76.

 

[stevie]

You are more generous than I am. I call it a cross between Motel 6 and camping.

In any case, it's still much better than flying, in my opinion.

 

[carol149]

Hi, everyone!

I am taking a long distance trip next Friday, from Sacramento to Portland, the. Portland to Grand Forks. I have never been on an Amtrak train before and have some questions.

1.) Are small scissors allowed? I plan on embroidering to kill the time and need snips to cut thread. The snips I plan to bring have 1” blades. Will those get confiscated?

2.) I sleep with a cPap machine, will the machine in its case count as one of my personal items or is it like flying where the ADA guarantees us the right to take our medical devices without it being counted against you?

3.) What’s the one thing you had known on your first long distance trip?

My friend traveled coach Seattle to DC. Was on her early 60s. She found not being able to stretch out totally very uncomfortable.

 

[Paniolo Man]

Lounge Lizards are not popular. It's one thing to spend a great amount of time in the SSL, it's another to camp out day and night and hog a seat for an entire trip. I've seen conductors make people go back to their room or coach seat to give others a chance to enjoy the lounge. Especially on the Zephyr.

Last I rode the Zephyr eastbound, around 50 retirees got on in Roseville and headed straight for the SSL, many didn't even know where their seats were. They stayed there all the way to Reno where they had a reservation at a casino. Couldn't get a seat the whole way through the Sierras.

 

[stevie]

Thank you everyone for all your replies!! I’m in coach, because poor college student, lol. Will I have access to my bag to change clothes in the morning? Or should I assume not?

You will have access 24/7 to any bags you take on board.

Amtrak has information here:
Amtrak Carry-On Baggage Policy

Have a great trip!

 

[Brian Battuello]

Hi again! Hope you are getting excited about your trip on Friday.

A bit more Amtrak seat info. As mentioned, when you board, either a car attendant will help you pick a seat, or you can choose any empty seat yourself. But before taking a seat, look to see if there is a little paper tag, called a "seat check" hanging from the luggage rack above the seat. See the picture below. Note that in this picture, there is only one tag on the 57 Window side. This means the window seat is taken but the aisle seat is available. Either the color code or a written station name (3 letters) will tell the conductor or car attendant where you should get off, so they can make sure you are awake and ready.

If you want to switch seats, *generally* you can, just pack up your stuff and move to another seat without a tag, and it is okay to move your tag yourself. Every now and then you'll run into a conductor or car attendant that tries to keep pairs of seats available for couples or families boarding. If they don't want you sitting there, they'll ask you to move back or find another single seat. They shouldn't get annoyed with you as long as you cooperate and move back.

It is a bit more of an issue if you move to a seat in another car. Often car attendants will group passengers getting off at a certain stop in one car, so they don't have to wake people in multiple cars. Also, they may know that a large group is boarding at a station ahead, so keep a group of rows open for them. So don't assume that because there are a bunch of empty seats in another car that you can grab one. It never hurts to ask nicely, though, especially if your car is too cold, too hot, or has some noisy people.

And as also mentioned, you can hang in the SSL lounge *almost* as much as you want. If the car is full it is polite to leave for a few hours. If not full, you can look less like a lounge lizard by not taking too much stuff with you. A small bag with your id/wallet/phone/knitting supplies is fine. Your main luggage over your seat will be perfectly safe. In all my years of travel I've never encountered a luggage thief, they have better things to do than ride trains. Another way to avoid being a lounge lizard is to occasionally move from a table to a sideways facing seat, so that people enjoying a snack can use the tables.



p.s. In another post, we can discuss the loose relationship between your train's scheduled departure and arrival times and any known version of reality...

 

[lauramcconnell76]

I am so excited for my trip. I don’t sleep much anyway, so I’m up late and still usually manage to be up before sunrise. I’m looking forward to getting some nice views early in the mornings. I’ll likely just stay in my seat during the day, because I’m working on a large project for a person I’m visiting back east.

I hope the people on the train are as friendly as you lot!

 

[lauramcconnell76]

One more question I thought of. How safe is it to leave your things (like iPad, etc) at your seat when you run to the bathroom or the cafe car? Or should I plan to take that stuff with me every time?

 

[zephyr17]

One more question I thought of. How safe is it to leave your things (like iPad, etc) at your seat when you run to the bathroom or the cafe car? Or should I plan to take that stuff with me every time?

When it comes to small electronics at the very least you should put it away and not leave it in the open. This might mean as little as slipping it into the seat pocket.

When it comes to a purse or wallet containing cash, credit cards, I'd keep that with you.

With that said, with hundreds of trips and many thousands of miles on Amtrak, I've never had a problem, nor met anyone who has. While most of my overnight trips have been in sleeping cars, I also have taken many day trips in coach.

 

[stevie]

I am so excited for my trip. I don’t sleep much anyway, so I’m up late and still usually manage to be up before sunrise. I’m looking forward to getting some nice views early in the mornings. I’ll likely just stay in my seat during the day, because I’m working on a large project for a person I’m visiting back east.

I hope the people on the train are as friendly as you lot!

I think you'll find that to be the case. Enjoy and please let us know how it goes!

 

[chakk]

If you do leave your suitcases in the luggage rack on the first level, definitely DO NOT leave anything valuable in them. A friend of my daughter many years ago lost all of the cash that she had left in her suitcase. Had I known in advance what she was doing, I would have insisted that she carry the cash and other valuables on her person at all times.

 

[zephyr17]

If you do leave your suitcases in the luggage rack on the first level, definitely DO NOT leave anything valuable in them. A friend of my daughter many years ago lost all of the cash that she had left in her suitcase. Had I known in advance what she was doing, I would have insisted that she carry the cash and other valuables on her person at all times.

Agree with that. I don't put anything valuable in the bag I stash downstairs. Plus I pack dirty undies, if any, on top as a further disincentive .

My rules of thumb are:
1. "Downstairs" bag, just clothes, toiletries.
2. Upstairs my "toy" bag with small electronics, books, etc. I don't carry it around to the Lounge, diner, etc, but I also don't leave anything in it sitting out.
3. Cash, credit cards, identity documents, etc on my person at all times.

 

[ratinthekitchen]

Does this upstairs/downstair theme apply to sleeping cars as well? I will be (solo) in an upstairs roommette, carrying a roughly 20x14x9 roller bag and a backpack. The roller bag has TSA locks. I'm hoping the two items will fit OK in the roommette. Maybe open the upper bunk, put the roller bag in it and close it back up again? I have some relatively expensive camera equipment and am a bit concerned about the inability to lock the compartment when leaving it. I figure I can lock the camera stuff in the roller bag, but worse case might have to leave it (locked) in the downstairs luggage space. Would a locked bag be risky in that situation?

(also a nervous first-timer)

 

[zetharion]

I only have 8 trips under my belt but like others with far more experience than I have indicated, theft isnt really a huge issue. If its locked on the luggage rack it should be fine. Trains are usually arranged so that coach passengers don't travel through a sleeper car and other sleeper passengers just dont mess with other peoples stuff in my experience.

Do you know what train you will be taking? If you are in Arizona it will be a Superliner so the bunk bed will be able to hold the roller case if you put it down to the second notch. Just be aware that your mattress is also up there so you will have to move your stuff for the attendant to get your mattress down to set your bed.

 

[ratinthekitchen]

Yeah, it's a Superliner, the Southwest Chief, but I'm flying to LA to catch the beginning of it. 4 am in Flagstaff is not my thing. I'll talk to the attendant about the upper.

 

[zephyr17]

The roller bag sounds like it is small enough that will probably fit underneath the seats/bed. The backpack you may be able to hang up on a hook. You will not be able to put much of anything on the upper and be able to close it, certainly not thr roller bag.

I used to routinely carry a 35 mm SLR with a couple extra lenses. I always kept the camera case in my roomette, I never left on the downstairs rack. But I didn't carry it everywhere with me either. I often had the camera, but the other gear I left in the room, simply out of plain sight even if the curtain was opened.

 

[Rasputin]

Does this upstairs/downstair theme apply to sleeping cars as well? I will be (solo) in an upstairs roommette, carrying a roughly 20x14x9 roller bag and a backpack. The roller bag has TSA locks. I'm hoping the two items will fit OK in the roommette. Maybe open the upper bunk, put the roller bag in it and close it back up again? I have some relatively expensive camera equipment and am a bit concerned about the inability to lock the compartment when leaving it. I figure I can lock the camera stuff in the roller bag, but worse case might have to leave it (locked) in the downstairs luggage space. Would a locked bag be risky in that situation?

(also a nervous first-timer)

I would advise you not to overestimate the amount of luggage that you can get in a roomette. When we travel we each have a modest size backpack that we have in the roomette. The larger bags or suitcases we leave in the luggage rack downstairs and we access those from time to time but not often.

You want to avoid having to sleep with your luggage.

 

[stevie]

Does this upstairs/downstair theme apply to sleeping cars as well? I will be (solo) in an upstairs roommette, carrying a roughly 20x14x9 roller bag and a backpack. The roller bag has TSA locks. I'm hoping the two items will fit OK in the roommette. Maybe open the upper bunk, put the roller bag in it and close it back up again? I have some relatively expensive camera equipment and am a bit concerned about the inability to lock the compartment when leaving it. I figure I can lock the camera stuff in the roller bag, but worse case might have to leave it (locked) in the downstairs luggage space. Would a locked bag be risky in that situation?

(also a nervous first-timer)

You will be fine travelling solo with a suitcase and backpack in your Roomette.

I wouldn't be too worried about theft. As @Brian Battuello has posted here, thieves have 'better' things to do than ride around on trains.

I have been on dozens of trips in sleepers and have never had an issue. I would just recommend keeping small items that are especially difficult to replace (e.g., keys, identification, cash, credit cards, passports, phone) on your person all times, just as one would do with any other form of travel.

Try not to be nervous. Relax and enjoy the dining car, the scenery, the camaraderie with fellow passengers, and the rhythm of the rails.

 

[drdumont]

I traveled ten days in coach recently and spent all my waking hours in the observation car. I always invited others to share my table that seats four which gave me some control over who I spent hours with. My suitcases stayed on the luggage rack on the first level, my pillows, blanket, and tote bag with stuff I wanted easy access to on the overhead rack above my seat, and I wore a really small cross body bag 24/7 with ID, cards, cash, and phone. Definitely need pillow/s, neck pillow, eyeshade, earplugs for sleep. I found it easier in the window seat where I could lean against the wall. Then I could control the window curtain. Some people kept the curtains closed day and night which is why the view was better in the dome car. I brought a short extension cord for when I was in the aisle seat; the outlet is on the wall. Then I didn't have to reach across or ask to plug stuff in. Have a great trip!

Amazon and others have a short (<>3') extension cord with USB sockets. Mine has a flat plug, fairly heavy duty cable, and on the end are three ac sockers and two USB sockets. Perfect for roomettes, coach seats and the Sightseer lounge. I also have a small LED reading light, rechargeable, clip on. Kinda looks like a small music stand light. Adjustable brightness.

I would advise you not to overestimate the amount of luggage that you can get in a roomette. When we travel we each have a modest size backpack that we have in the roomette. The larger bags or suitcases we leave in the luggage rack downstairs and we access those from time to time but not often.

You want to avoid having to sleep with your luggage.

The classic Viewliners had a shelf next to one seat which would hold my rollaboard. Even a strap to hold it. Don't know bout the new ones. Also had a shelf near the ceiling. Will have so see if I can find some pix of the new Viewliners.
As to Superliner Roomettes, you can put a small case in the upper bunk and close/latch it halfway. But don't forget to duck!

Thank you everyone for all your replies!! I’m in coach, because poor college student, lol. Will I have access to my bag to change clothes in the morning? Or should I assume not?

You have 24/7 access to bags in the downstairs rack. I have yet to have any issues of pilferage, but of course I don't leave valuables there. Although the car is called "Coach" seating, it is exponentially better than "Coach" on aircraft, to which I refer as "Steerage". Take a sweater or light blanket no mater the weather. Be prepared to "strip down" to just a shirt (and pants and stuff, of course). And comfortable shoes. No barefooting or stocking feet when walking about. The HVAC setting and performance is <ahem> variable. You will be surprised, however, that no matter how many diversions you bring along, you will spend quite a lot of time just watching the scenery go by. But your mind in Neutra and just enjoy. It's fun to daydream even at night.
Let us know how you got along on your trip!

 

[lauramcconnell76]

Quick question for anyone who’s awake. I’m on the train and in the lounge, is it okay that I left my cPap back at my seat in coach?

 

[lauramcconnell76]

Quick question for anyone who’s awake. I’m on the train and in the lounge, is it okay that I left my cPap back at my seat in coach?

Never mind. Decided it against it. Thank you all for your valuable advice