Seat Comfort

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PJRACER

Service Attendant
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Sep 20, 2010
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This is in regard to the comfort of seats on the Silver Meteor, Capitol Limited and Empire Builder. Are the seats in coach comfortable for someone 6'1" and 180 lbs with a wife 5'5" and 130 lbs. Are the seats the same in coach as they are in roomette's???? Thanks
 
The Coach seats actually recline quite a bit further and have built in leg/foot rests. So long as the seat next to me is empty, I find them to be comfortable and with the right "nesting materials" you can sleep fairly well in them. I'm 6' 185#.
 
For sitting, I actually find coach seats a bit more comfortable than roomette seats. On long-distance trains, the coach seats have legrests and footrests. Roomette seats don't have legrests, and the only footrest is to put your feet up on the seat across from you, which, depending on how I'm feeling, may or may not be the most comfortable position.

Certainly, for sleeping, I find the roomette far more comfortable than coach, but I think that's a given.
 
I have many reasons for preferring Amtrak as my choice for LD travel when possible. High on my list is the comfort of the coach seating compared to other modes of transport. At 6'5", there is no comparison for comfort in a bus or airliner, where my knees tend to take a beating from the seat in front of me. In a roomette, I often forgo putting the bunk down, choosing instead to establish a comfortable incline for sleeping.
 
Bring something soft to put between the small of your back and the coach seat. I find that when the seat is fully reclined and the footrest up there is a gap there. The coach seats are very comfortable and you will be amazed at the legroom. I'm, 6'2" 220 lbs.
 
I would say that the coach seats are very comfy indeed. Rather like armchairs that recline, with tons of leg room too.

Take a seat, dude!

Ed :cool:
 
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As said, I much prefer coach seating during the daytime. I prefer a sleeper at night, but if you can sleep in the recliner while watching TV at home, you'll have no problem sleeping in a coach seat on a LD train!
wink.gif
 
I disagree with the Traveler on sleeping in a recliner. I just slept in my recliner through the whole 3rd quarter of the Packers vs Bears game. In my home I'm not moving, cellphones ringing, babies crying, no smelly feet but my own, no PA announcements etc. I finding sleeping in coach quite miserable no matter how comfy coach seats are. If possible, I try to have a roomette for overnight travel. Coach is fine for me during the day, but at night, I love having a bed and much more peace and quiet than what coach offers up.
 
RailFanLNK said:
I disagree with the Traveler on sleeping in a recliner. I just slept in my recliner through the whole 3rd quarter of the Packers vs Bears game. In my home I'm not moving, cellphones ringing, babies crying, no smelly feet but my own, no PA announcements etc. I finding sleeping in coach quite miserable no matter how comfy coach seats are. If possible, I try to have a roomette for overnight travel. Coach is fine for me during the day, but at night, I love having a bed and much more peace and quiet than what coach offers up.
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I completely agree with RailFanLNK. I do feel the seats in coach are more comfortable than the seats in a roomette,

but for overnight travel, I prefer the roomette.
 
Long distance seats on Amtrak are very comfortable. I'm 6'4" and have no problem with them even for days of travel. They're similar to flying domestic first class on an airline (minus the center arm rest). The hard part of traveling coach over long distances on Amtrak is the other passengers, not the seats.

Short distance seats on Amtrak are less comfortable if you're tall. The trains mentioned in the original post will probably have a mix of long and short haul cars, and the OP didn't specify the length of travel. That said, most people aren't going to bother springing for a roomette if you're only traveling 2-3 hours anyway, but some might (the cost difference often isn't really that much on a short trip). I have a hard time sitting in a short-haul coach for more than 3 hours. My experience has been that it seems to be down to luck which type of coach you get if your trip is between 3-5 hours. Over 5 hours and you'll almost definitely get a long haul coach, although I've also heard of people being stuck in short-haul Amfleet or Horizon cars all the way from New York to Florida. The last time I rode the Lake Shore Limited (which was admittedly a while ago), there was one short-haul Horizon car that was being used for long-haul passengers (I glanced at the tickets stuck in the luggage rack on my way through to the cafe a few times). I can't even imagine being one of those people.
 
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I am 6'4 and 290, so not a very tiny guy here. I was quite comfy on the Capitol Limited in Coach.
 
We find the coach seats comfortable for one night, as others have said.

One thing which adds to our comfort is putting our carry-ons by our feet and using them as hassocks to vary from the position of the foot rest. I have a soft thinsulate carry-on 15"x20" which when stuffed is the perfect hassock.

Also, when traveling with a companion in coach, change seats a few times to vary your sitting positions and muscle use.
 
I've done the entire Capitol Limited both ways in coach, a one-night trip, every trip the long-haul coach full. I travel solo, so that means I'm seated with a mate. I'm 5'10'/160 lbs. 40-y/o man. I can get comfortable in aisle or window. In window I lean against the window. In aisle, I put the leg rest up, seat all the way back, fold the pillow over, and rest my head/shoulders on the arm rest. It's comfortable enough if I get situated *just* right. Major annoyances are: children running up and down the aisles. (I would have done this as a child, too, and now I can understand why my parents were always telling us not to run in and out of the house.) Passengers talking late into the night while other passengers are trying to sleep. Most annoying of all, however, is knowing the while the long-haul car is full, the short care is probably only 1/2 to 2/3 full and all those short-haul passengers travelling solo probably have BOTH seats to sleep in, which is absolutely the best way to travel in coach.

I've done the Cap and the Cardinal more times than I can count over the past decade, most of the time all the way from WAS to CHI and back. It's always a one-night trip. The only really long trip I've taken on Amtrak was in 1995, the air/rail deal. I went from RVR to St. Petersburg, FL, stayed two nights. From there to Austin, stayed one night, then on to Tucson. I recall being able to move around in coach and find and empty pair of seats. Once coach had a section in back for smokers. I sat there, being a smoker at the time.

Oh, yeah: One thing on the Cap I've been noticing over the past few years is that the coach attendants have gotten a lot more strict about coach passengers moving from car to another, or even just changing seats. I use to do it all the time back the day, especially slipping out of my assigned seat between Toledo and PGH.

I never travel in the sleeping car because all my trips are on short notice, and I just can't justify spending $200-$300 on one night of travel. I know the low bucket is $125, but I can never plan that far ahead.

One day, though, I do hope to plan a long-distance trip on one of the western trains. I think I would travel the first night in coach, then upgrade to sleeper for the second night.
 
Especially since you are promised the best seat mate in the world (your wife) it will not be as bad as traveling solo. I know many couples who snuggle up and have a much better go at coach than singletons.
 
I guess part of the quality of the experience is who your seatmate might be. I've had some cordial seatmates and I've sat next to Mr. Fat Smelly 'n Obnoxious. If you get the former they can be an unexpected blessing. If you get the later, an unexpected curse.
 
Pastor Dave said:
I guess part of the quality of the experience is who your seatmate might be. I've had some cordial seatmates and I've sat next to Mr. Fat Smelly 'n Obnoxious. If you get the former they can be an unexpected blessing. If you get the later, an unexpected curse.
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Hopefully he didn't marry Mr. Fat Smelly n Obnoxious. I don't know what state has legalized THAT one...
 
ALC_Rail_Writer said:
Pastor Dave said:
I guess part of the quality of the experience is who your seatmate might be. I've had some cordial seatmates and I've sat next to Mr. Fat Smelly 'n Obnoxious. If you get the former they can be an unexpected blessing. If you get the later, an unexpected curse.
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Hopefully he didn't marry Mr. Fat Smelly n Obnoxious. I don't know what state has legalized THAT one...
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ALC,

I passed on developing an intimate relationship with Mr. Fat Smelly 'n Obnoxious :eek:hboy: I just didn't think I could bring him home to mother :blink:
 
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