Worst Passenger Rail Experience Ever?

[johnny.menhennet]

I think Amtrak would have them go through at least some form of retraining first. Although not overly complicated, the tasks for both are so substantially different that Amtrak would have them trained a little bit more.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

Sleeping car attendant is not the official term used by Amtrak (at least not for 10 years or more), any more than "steward" or "porter".

Just another vacuous comment proffered by a disappearing guest who will shamelessly slink back under their cloak of anonymity while they reassure themselves of their righteousness. Weak.

 

[daveyb99]

My worst experience was watching someone trying to do an "end run" around the conductor an onboard upgrade.

 

[EB_OBS]

While we are on the subject of job nomenclature, are the TA-Coaches, TA-Sleepers and Service Attendants all cross-qualified in their jobs? In other words, could a TA-Coach bid on a SA job and vice versa?

When a new TA is hired they are trained in both crafts, Train Attendant and Service Attendant. The Extra Boards were separate until around 2003 when Amtrak combined them. A TA can bid on any job opening they want. The employee with the highest seniority will get the job. In general the jobs are held by seniority in this order; SA, TAS, TAC.

On the Empire Builder, if you work out of Seattle, it takes about 2-4 years seniority to hold a coach attendant job, 5-8 years seniority to hold a sleeping car attendants job and around 13 years minimum to hold in the dining car as a Service Attendant.

 

[EB_OBS]

Just seems odd that you "can't" travel in the lower level because you get motion sickness...after all, there is LESS motion on the lower level, and most people who are subject to it prefer rooms down there (I'm a TA, which people on this board constantly and erroneously refer to as "SCA"'s...)

Please forgive me if I misunderstand the tenor and meaning of your response, but the impression I get from reading your response, especially since you put "cant" in quotes actually demonstrates what is wrong with the customer service attitude of AMTRAK employees today. You assume that I do not have a valid reason for requiring the accomodations I requested and paid for, but rather believe that I should be satisfied in receiving something less than I had agreed to.

Many people like to bring out the old adage "The Customer is always right." Well, NO, the customer is NOT always right (though in this case he was) but the customer is STILL THE CUSTOMER, and it is your job to make the customer comfortable. The customer pays a fare for transportation and a premium for the expectation of certain accomodations, and when they make it clear what their requirements are (in my case, an upper room) and the company agrees (in the form of issuing me a ticket with a specific upper room designated) then it is incumbant upon the company's representative (in ths case you and your co-workers) to honor that committment, even if it means you have to do more than the minimally expected actions needed to maintain and keep your job.

This is my biggest complaint with AMTRAK OBS crews today. Many look upon the customer as a nusiance and hinderance to them "completing their trip" rather than the reason they have a trip at all to complete.

In my experience and research on the subject, it is as EMDF9A has stated, it's not the motion of the train itself but the view of the motion or ground out the window. If traveling in the lower level the passing scenery or another train, going in the opposite direction, are passing by very very fast. On the upper level the speed is of course the same but due to the distance from the ground, it visually appears to be slower and the effect is lessened.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

 EB_OBS -- Can you clarify whether or not it is incorrect to use the term SCA or Sleeping Car Attendant? Many of us on this board use the term SCA. Amtrak uses it too. However, if it would be more accurate and appropriate to use TA-S moving forward, that would be helpful to know. I'd prefer to use the correct terminology and put this petty argument to rest. Many thanks. 

 

[EB_OBS]

SCA is simply an acronym for Sleeping Car Attendant. The acronym itself seems to be most commonly used on forums such as Amtrak Unlimited simply to not write Sleeping Car Attendant out every time.

Amtrak uses sleeping car attendant all the time although I don't believe I've ever seen it abbreviated SCA.

If you see a job posting or job description it is TAS for Train Attendant Sleeper.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

SCA is simply an acronym for Sleeping Car Attendant. It seems to be most commonly used on forums such as Amtrak Unlimited simply to not write Sleeping Car Attendant out every time.

Amtrak uses sleeping car attendant all the time although I don't believe I've ever seen it abbreviated SCA. If you see a job posting or job description it is TAS for Train Attendant Sleeper.

Thank you. The acronym is just shorthand as I meant to imply that SCA and Sleeping Car Attendant are used interchangeably. I tend to use acronyms as much as possible as do many here. My query was mostly to address the "guest OBS" poster who claimed that SCA/Sleeping Car Attendant was as obsolete as steward/porter and had not been used by Amtrak at any point in recent times. Dunno why people speak as if they're in command of the facts when they don't appear to be. :wacko:

 

[EB_OBS]

Yeah, Steward, in the dining car and Porter, were actual official titles at Amtrak and the railroads before Amtrak. Amtrak retired both those titles in the 90s. As far as I know, "Sleeping Car Attendant" was never an official or unofficial title. It's more of a description and more of a commonly used way of speaking rather than my "Train Attendant Sleeper" as it's awkward both to say and hear.

It's semantics really. I've never seen either term used improperly here on this forum. If you could even use it improperly. It's three words for god sakes. It makes no sense to me why someone would feel the need to question it's use.

 

[AlanB]

While we are on the subject of job nomenclature, are the TA-Coaches, TA-Sleepers and Service Attendants all cross-qualified in their jobs? In other words, could a TA-Coach bid on a SA job and vice versa?

When a new TA is hired they are trained in both crafts, Train Attendant and Service Attendant. The Extra Boards were separate until around 2003 when Amtrak combined them. A TA can bid on any job opening they want. The employee with the highest seniority will get the job. In general the jobs are held by seniority in this order; SA, TAS, TAC.

On the Empire Builder, if you work out of Seattle, it takes about 2-4 years seniority to hold a coach attendant job, 5-8 years seniority to hold a sleeping car attendants job and around 13 years minimum to hold in the dining car as a Service Attendant.

Interesting that a job in the dining car is more coveted than a job in the sleeper. I would have figured that the sleeper would be the hardest job to hold down without seniority.

One other side note, on the Auto Train their contract is different from the rest of Amtrak and an employee can be called to work in any position. It should also be noted that having seniority at the Auto Train does not carry over to the rest of Amtrak and vice versa. You could be a 20 year employee with Amtrak working say the Silvers all that time. Transfer to the Auto Train and you become the new kid on the block as it were and you'll be working the extra board.

 

[EB_OBS]

Generally, the service attendants in the dining car make more in tips than a sleeping car attendant would. There are still plenty of 20 - 30 year seniority employees though who prefer the sleeper for whatever reason.

I mentioned it takes around 13 years seniority to HOLD an SA job on the Empire Builder, if you work from Seattle, last I knew you'd need around 20 years seniority to HOLD an SA job on any train based in Chicago.

Yep, the Auto Train is different. You have to be qualified and proficient in every craft on that train. The jobs on the Auto Train are also protected from bumping. You have to apply to work that train and can be denied.

 

[MARC Rider]

But nothing I've had on Amtrak beats my experience with the Frank Lorennzo Continental Airlines back in 1967, where they cancelled our flight about 20 minutes after we took off, returned us to the airport, and didn't book us out until the next day.

Which is remarkable, since Texas Air (controlled by Mr. Lorenzo) didn't buy CO until 1981.

Whoops. That was supposed to be 1987.

Sorry.

 

[fillyjonk]

I have to also add that most of my "disheartening" or "not-fun" experiences on Amtrak - other than the couple of weather-related ones - were all the fault of other passengers, not Amtrak crew. I've had a few crew members who were brusque or curt, but I figured they were busy and were as tired of dealing with the clueless/rude people as I was.

 

[BCL]

I once traveled overnight from Sydney to Melbourne in a first class car in the Australian winter (late May to early June). It wasn't so bad except that the heat wasn't working in our car. We found out that the other first class cars did have heat and tried moving to empty seats. Then the conductor came in and informed us that we had to return to our assigned seats. We protested about the lack of heat, but he didn't care. We just sucked it up and did the best we could. Most passengers had checked luggage, so we made do with whatever clothing we had. It was pretty cold.

We managed to fall asleep when someone woke us up. The conductor was relieved in the middle of the night, and the new conductor started waking passengers up and telling us to move to another car that had heat. He couldn't figure out why the guy he relieved didn't let us move to another car given all the empty seats.

The strange thing was that for my entire trip I found Australians to be exceedingly friendly and hospitable - except for that one train conductor. The waiter in the dining car was really fun.

 

[Twin Star Rocket]

I truly have never had a horrendous Amtrak experience. I know they happen though.

I've experienced air conditioning failures on the SUNSET and NATIONAL LIMITED in the August heat. I had a manic dining car steward left over from Penn Central days on the NL.

Probably my worst experience was riding the NIGHT OWL in coach northbound. The crew kept the lights on all night. Somewhere north of NYC, a conductor demanded to see my ticket. I had already given my ticket to another conductor earlier in the night. We were headed for words with each other until I produced my USA Railpass. In those days (1976) you still had to get a ticket for each segment you rode. Mine had been lifted by the conductor before NYC and that fact had not been relayed to the new conductor after a crew change.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I truly have never had a horrendous Amtrak experience. I know they happen though.

I've experienced air conditioning failures on the SUNSET and NATIONAL LIMITED in the August heat. I had a manic dining car steward left over from Penn Central days on the NL.

Probably my worst experience was riding the NIGHT OWL in coach northbound. The crew kept the lights on all night. Somewhere north of NYC, a conductor demanded to see my ticket. I had already given my ticket to another conductor earlier in the night. We were headed for words with each other until I produced my USA Railpass. In those days (1976) you still had to get a ticket for each segment you rode. Mine had been lifted by the conductor before NYC and that fact had not been relayed to the new conductor after a crew change.

Wait, if you still had to get a ticket for each segment you rode then how did the USA Rail Pass solve the problem when the other conductor already took your ticket?

 

[Twin Star Rocket]

"Wait, if you still had to get a ticket for each segment you rode then how did the USA Rail Pass solve the problem when the other conductor already took your ticket?"

The fact that I could produce a Railpass backed up my story that I had had a ticket earlier in the trip. I was not freeloading. The new conductor wrote up a new ticket or did something to straighten out his paperwork. There was obviously an incomplete hand-off of information between crews.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

"Wait, if you still had to get a ticket for each segment you rode then how did the USA Rail Pass solve the problem when the other conductor already took your ticket?"

The fact that I could produce a Railpass backed up my story that I had had a ticket earlier in the trip. I was not freeloading. The new conductor wrote up a new ticket or did something to straighten out his paperwork. There was obviously an incomplete hand-off of information between crews.

Would like to have seen the look on his face!

 

[June the Coach Rider]

I have two stories, not that they were "trains from hell" but both were very memorable.

The first one was my trip on the Northeast Direct from Worcester to Baltimore in 1999, it was right after the Columbine shooting, I mean the very next day. We were traveling into Penn Station and an announcement was made "If you are not getting off here, DO NOT GET OFF THE TRAIN" My husband asked why and the coach attendant said because of the crime and to never get off in Penn station unless it is your destination. Needless to say we were very nervous about the people joining us at NYP.

The second was the rude SCA that my M-I-L and I had on our TE to Fort Worth. We saw him maybe once the whole trip, we had to run him down to have the upper berth made up, we had to track him down to get a red hat at FT Worth. Both times when we found him, he said, "I am busy, I will get to you when I can" he was sitting in his room reading. So needless to say, he got no tip and when we did get off, he was standing by the door and my M-I-L said "We are going back on Tuesday, you aren't going to be on that train are you" He said no he was off for two weeks, she said "Thank God" Gotta love 84 year olds.

On the same trip on the LSL, we had the dining car mate from hell, she complained about every tiny little thing, the water was not cold enough, with ice, her beer was flat, there was not enough room for her in the booth, her knees were hitting the post, the lamb shank was cold, it was to dry, the mashed potatoes did not fluff up, but she ate every bite of her food and then asked for two desserts. The complained that the ice cream was melting before she could eat it, she ate her pie first. My M-I-L were glad when this meal was over. but we laughed about her the rest of the trip.

BUT, neither of these were trips from hell, and I am going to travel as opten as possible on Amtrak and I know that everything will not be perfect, but Train travel is the best, you are in a world away from the stress and drama of regular life.

 

[jmbgeg]

Depends on definition of "worst". One was an LSL sleeper to NYP with all bathrooms frozen up (the connecting EB had exit doors frozen that connecting trip that required a sledge hammer to open). Another was a business trip to Las Vegas,where the CS was delayed 10 hours because of a derailment on a bridge. Then, when I got to Bakersfield, the name brand hotel had no elevator and I was on an upper floor. The A/C did not work and the room was an oven. Amtrak paid for the room and meals, but it was crap.

 

[Amtrak Cajun]

The worst experience for me was recently on the LSL from Syracuse to Chicago.

I was in coach on 449, and the train was booked solid, They kept turning on and off the AC all night, the packed car was already hot from all of the people on it. This one guy wouldnt shut the hell up. The conductor told him that it was past 11pm, and that he would have to take his convo to the lounge car if he wanted to continue. He actually tried to argue with her. So needless to say, with the heat issue, and this guy talking all night, *he continued talking after he was told to quiet down some*, and lack of sleep. I was feeling pretty bad when I hit Chicago. I was glad that I had a sleeper on the CONO because I ate supper that night, and crashed hard.

 

[rtabern]

I think the worst trip I had had to be on the Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle combo... I think this was December 2007? Anyway, I was doing the whole #421 from CHI to LAX. The beginning of the trip went well... there was actually a major ice and snow storm out of Chicago and trains were the only thing getting out. For the first part of the trip, the tracks parallel I-55, and we were literally sitting in the Sightseer Lounge watching cars and even trucks veer off the freeway and crash into each other. The train ran on-time all the way down to St Louis and beyond.

Anyway, outside of San Antonio, probably around Austin, I noticed that #1 (which #421 joins after SAS) was showing a "service disruption"... I called the 800 number... and the agent didn't seem to know anything about it and said there was going to be no problems with #1 or #421 west of SAS.

I stayed up most of the night in SAS going to the Alamo and Rivewalk, and heard from a fellow passenger/railfan that there was a derailment of hazardous material somewhere between Tucson and LAX and we'd probably not be getting through. I and this other passenger pondered renting a car in SAS and driving through to LAX, but the cost was over $500 with drop fees and it seemed like quite the drive across TX, NM, AZ, and CA.

So, we decided to stay on the train and see what happened. The next day out of SAS, the conductors kept updating everyone, and saying that it looked like things would be cleared up by the time we got through and there would be no problems... the train kept marching west... and with the lack of eastbound freights coming through... we actually arrived everywhere early.

I went to bed early that night... but was awoken 20 minutes outside of Tucson with the sleeping car attendant turning on the lights and knocking on everyone's doors... saying that the train was going to be terminated in Tucson (around 10PM or 11PM)... and we had 15-20 minutes to get our stuff together and get on buses into LAX. Quite the rude awakening!!!

I asked the conductor if we could just stay on the train with the crew... as it was going to be sitting in Tucson all night... but was denied the option. I was hoping just to sleep in my room overnight in Tucson and then rent a car the next day and drive to LAX.

Anyway, it was one of the worst nights.... the bus driver got lost due to construction on I-10 around Tucson... I had my GPS and actually had to help the driver get on the right on-ramp. Then, the dude kept stopping all night long. There were atleast 2-3 smoke breaks for smokers at various rest-stops on I-10 in AZ and CA. Then, there was some un-necessary 2:15AM stop for a meal at a 24 hour McDonalds... and of course because of all the screwing around and stops... we hit the morning rush coming into Los Angeles and sat in 2 hours of traffic.

I guess if I was a heavy sleeper the bus thing would have been okay... but I need quiet, dark, a flat surface, etc. to sleep... so it was quite a crappy trip.

But, egh, Amtrak and AGR was very nice about it and I got a complete 30,000 refund for the bedroom.

 

[SanDiegan]

Here's mine (posted in September):

In the late '70s, we decided to take a train trip with our two young (sub 5 year old) boys from El Paso to Disneyland. We were taking a sleeper to LA, then renting a car to drive to Aneheim. Now remember, this was in the days long before cell phones and internet.

I dreaded the long drive from LA to Anaheim so, while looking at a map, I saw that I could get off in Pomona, rent a car there, and drive a much shorter distance. So I called Amtrak (no online booking) and changed our destination to Pomona. Then I called the (?) rental car company to have a car there when we arrived. No problem.

The whole trip started out wrong. A friend was taking us to the El Paso station. I had called ahead and Amtrak said the train would be a few hours late. No big deal. We stayed at the friend's house until it was time to go - about 40 minutes before it was due in. When we arrived, there was the train and it looked like just about everyone had boarded. We had the two kids plus luggage and ran as fast as we could to it. Just as we were out of steam (pun intended), we got close enough to reach a car attendant. He told us that the train was the eastbound - on time - and our late westbound wasn't due for 30 minutes as we had thought. On the train ride (Amtrak had really badly maintained equipment in those days), we lost air conditioning, then all power in the car. In the dark, my oldest got sick and threw up on the bed so the next morning we were tired and irritable. Upon arrival in Pomona, we got off. She had the kids while I unloaded the luggage with the help of the SCA and we had plenty with two kids, one in diapers.

As the train left, I looked around the station. It was all boarded up; the only phone was ripped off the wall; the area was desolate and run down and there was no rental car. I noticed an open combination Trailways station/ travel agency across the street so we dragged all the stuff and went there. I explained the situation to the guy there and he let us use the phone to call the car company. No answer. Apparently the nearest office was closed on Sunday and they had forgotten to tell me that. Agghh! So we called Hertz and they agreed to come pick us up, take us to their office and rent us a car. However, they closed at 5:30PM so we'd have to return it 2 hours before our return train arrived.

While we were waiting, I looked around the area of the station and decided this was not a place to be waiting for a train at 7:30PM in the dark (not DST time). I asked the agent if the area was safe. He said "I am the only one here who does not carry a gun". Then he reached under the counter and pulled out the biggest pistol I ever saw. He said "I keep mine under the counter!"

Needless to say, as soon as we got to the hotel, I arranged to return the car at the LA station and called Amtrak and arranged to return home from LA. Good thing! The train was 2 hours late out of LA and we would have been waiting in the dark with no communication for 2 extra hours not knowing when or if a train was coming. Other than the start, it was a wonderful trip. And returning the car to LA was a breeze. Hertz had a drop-box and special parking spots at the station. It was well-lighted and the kids could run around in safety. Amtrak sent me a check for a few hundred dollars in compensation for the hot, dark sleeper.

http://discuss.amtra...post__p__319371

Nothing much has changed in Pomona ...

 

[Bob Dylan]

An 8 year old thread returns, probably been lots of bad trips during the past few years by lots of us!

 

[tricia]

An 8 year old thread returns, probably been lots of bad trips during the past few years by lots of us!

Do unscheduled bustitutions count?