"You have to return to your place now"

[KmH]

I didn't say to ignore the attendant.

Ask why you can't stay there and look out the back window, particularly if in the past it has never been an issue.
If I get an answer I think is over stepping their bounds I would ask the attendant to summons the Conductor, the person in charge of the safety of the train and it's passengers, to verify what the TA-C is saying.

 

[Skyline]

Does anyone know Amtrak's official policy regarding guests in a bedroom or roomette? Not for sleeping of course, just occupying a vacant seat to share private conversation and perhaps a drink...

I ask because a SCA stopped me and an invited guest recently on the CL.Told me a guest could not be in "his" car. We did not argue, but I wonder if there is a regulation backing him up. It seems heavy handed and unnecessary.

 

[jebr]

Unless they have a sleeper ticket for that train, they're not allowed to be in the sleeper cars even with permission from a passenger with a valid sleeper ticket. If it's known in advance and you're expecting them to stay for most of their trip, an open sleeper ticket is the same price as the lowest "value" fare ticket and would allow them access to your room as long as the room is not booked to capacity. This also entitles them to the amenities of the sleeper car and any meals while traveling on that open sleeper reservation. (However, they would not have a coach seat to use, but they'd be welcome to sit in the lounge car.)

 

[Steve4031]

I asked the sca ahead of time if I could show my room to a coach passenger for a short period of time. In my case he said no problem. I understood before I asked him that he could say no. If he had said no I would have respected his decision.

 

[fairviewroad]

I didn't say to ignore the attendant.

Ask why you can't stay there and look out the back window, particularly if in the past it has never been an issue.

If I get an answer I think is over stepping their bounds I would ask the attendant to summons the Conductor, the person in charge of the safety of the train and it's passengers, to verify what the TA-C is saying.

I didn't say to ignore the attendant. I simply said that questioning the instructions of a crew member could be misinterpreted as disobedience/belligerence, and that the situation could escalate in a direction the passenger may find highly unfavorable.

There are some on this forum who would relish the opportunity to engage in this manner. But "always question authority" may not be best course of action for everyone. Just my two cents. That said, I appreciate the fact that some people are willing to speak out.

 

[Skyline]

Unless they have a sleeper ticket for that train, they're not allowed to be in the sleeper cars even with permission from a passenger with a valid sleeper ticket. If it's known in advance and you're expecting them to stay for most of their trip, an open sleeper ticket is the same price as the lowest "value" fare ticket and would allow them access to your room as long as the room is not booked to capacity. This also entitles them to the amenities of the sleeper car and any meals while traveling on that open sleeper reservation. (However, they would not have a coach seat to use, but they'd be welcome to sit in the lounge car.)

Obviously in my example this would not work. The invited party was someone I met randomly on board and struck up a conversation with. Not someone I could have purchased an "open" ticket for in advance. Bad timing, I guess, that we encountered the SCA at the exact moment we entered "his" car? Often they are nowhere to be found if you wanted or needed one.

It's not as if he was trying to get a free meal from the diner by posing as a sleeping car passenger (however that would work). To better explain, we were both disappointed with Amtrak's poor selection of liquor. I had some decent brandy I was willing to share while we continued the fascinating convo that had begun in the SSL. We had two cups of ice with us clearly in view that would add credence to that scenario.

I do not see the purpose of this policy, if it is an official policy. But we didn't argue...

 

[Texan Eagle]

Ah you got to witness the commonly-seen species known as AmtrakAttendus PowerTripus

Other behavior of this species also includes forcing passengers to sit in specific seats or one half of the coach even when it is half empty, refusing to honor requests for window seats and at times shouting at paying passengers for no reason.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Last summer I travelled with my dad and his wife on the CL from Chicago to Washington. I had a coach seat and the two of them had a roomette. The staff both at the station and on the train was very helpful in this case. I was able to board from the Metropolitan Lounge and at the same time as sleeper passengers. I spent virtually the entire trip in the Sightseer Lounge, although I was allowed into the sleeper whenever. I ended up using it to shower and on approach to Washington, rather than returning to the coach seat I didn't use. That part was very important because I doubt that my dad and his wife would have been able to navigate Washington Union Station alone without getting lost.

 

[railbuck]

I ended up using it to shower and on approach to Washington, rather than returning to the coach seat I didn't use. That part was very important because I doubt that my dad and his wife would have been able to navigate Washington Union Station alone without getting lost.

Would they have been able to navigate their way out of the car and onto the platform, where you could meet them?

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

I ended up using it to shower and on approach to Washington, rather than returning to the coach seat I didn't use. That part was very important because I doubt that my dad and his wife would have been able to navigate Washington Union Station alone without getting lost.

Would they have been able to navigate their way out of the car and onto the platform, where you could meet them?

I'm sure we could have figured something out if necessary. My point is that the helpfulness of the crew made the process far easier.

 

[PaTrainFan]

A few weeks ago I was on the TE during its reroute between Austin and Longview. We made a stop in Palestine to pick up a group of Boy Scouts and their sponsors, reportedly members of the Rotary Club, to ride to Longview. I am guessing there were a good 30 to 40 of them. They evidently "rented out" the SSL as it was closed to all other passengers and made themselves at home. During the next few hours members of the group were continually traipsing through the sleepers, taking their own tours. On this train, at least, there were no signs "Sleeping Car Passengers Only" as I have seen fairly often. But frankly it became very annoying.

 

[chakk]

All you had to do was mention the situation to your SCA, and a sign would have been promptly posted on the entry door to your car. And being good scouts, they all would have obeyed the sign.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

All you had to do was mention the situation to your SCA, and a sign would have been promptly posted on the entry door to your car. And being good scouts, they all would have obeyed the sign.

You have much more faith in Amtrak staff then I do. It seems if the SCA was missing in action enough to not notice large groups of scouts walking through the sleeper... He probably wouldn't have done anything if asked. I could be wrong!

 

[KmH]

Then have some other OBS, like the LSA, get the head honcho - the Conductor.

 

[Steve4031]

On the Texas eagle the the sleepers are usually in front of the diner. The scouts had no business there and should never have made it to the sleepers. I would have said something to the conductor.

 

[Lonestar648]

If the scouts rented the SSL that is where they should have been. The bathroom should have been available for them so they didn't have to walk into other cars. If Amtrak promised them a tour of the train, then it should have been done by Amtrak employees in small groups. But in no way should they have inconvenienced other passengers by being noisy and crowing the hallways.