There is something about the quiet car . . .

[MARC Rider]

I'm of the opinion that "if you wanna talk on a cell phone, don't sit in the quiet car, and if you do, the conductor should tell you to move to another car."

On the TE, when I've ridden it (I ride in sleeper most of the time) they regularly announce that "during quiet hours, if you are going to make or receive a phone call, please go to the lounge car." I wonder how many people actually abide by that - the last time (about four years ago) I was in coach, there were people who seemed to want to call their loved ones every half-hour to report on the progress of the train. I get placing ONE call when you are a certain distance out from the station for a "Hey, I'm almost there, come get me" but every half-hour? Really?

It is reasons like this I wish the cell phone had never been invented, or was licensed for legitimate commercial/business use only; a large majority of people who have them have no legit reason to have them.

What's a legitimate reason to use the telephone, in your not so humble opinion? Long before there were cellphones, people made phone calls just to chat. Long before there were cellphones, train passengers talked to each other, and the conversations weren't always business or urgent.

If you're not in the quiet car, the problem isn't people using cellphones, it's people talking too loud. And some clueless people do that with their seatmate, no phone required. If you're not in the quiet car, your desire for utter silence places no obligations on anyone else to not converse -- in normal tones -- with anyone they want to, sitting next to them or on the other side of the world, about any damned topic that pleases them. hboy:

Some years ago, riding the Northeast Regional -- NOT in the quiet car -- I found myself sitting next to a gentleman who turned out to be a physician. He decided to use his Amtrak seat as a rent-free annex to his medical office. He went through his entire patient list making calls like the following:

"Hello. Mr Robert Jones? [not a real name.] This is Dr, Kronkheit [not his real name]. I just got your STD tests back. What the hell were you doing during that trip to Vegas?" [Then I learned more than I cared to know about the treatment options for several ofthe more common STDs.]

"Hello. Sam? This is Kornkheit here talking about your patient Mary Smith [not a real name]. Just went over the Pathology reports you sent me. Boy,does she have trouble!" [continues with graphic description of pathology report.]

This is probably a HIPPA violation or something, not to mention the fact that it was spoiling my appetite for my snack from the cafe car.He wasn't being loud or obnoxious to me, it's just that, as his seatmate, i couldn't avoid listening to him.

When they started up with the quiet cars, I was sure pleased.