cell phones

[Wet and tired in Louisiana]

5 wks ago I took a trip from Benson, AZ to Lake Charles, LA on the Sunset.

The train was due in at 2:00 but arrived 4 hours late. I was told ,by the conductor, the station would be open and have a phone. Wrong! The station was closed and no phone available.

Lake Charles station is not located downtown, but 2-3 miles outside of town, and in not so good of a neighborhood. So my wife and I were left there with 2 suitcases each, in the rain and nearly dark. We had to walk quite a ways before coming onto a convenience store so we could phone for a taxi. We were wet, worried, and tired.

SO THE POINT IS; BE SURE AND BRING A CELL PHONE (mine didnt work out of the local area) and I suggest getting the throughout the USA system. AT&T, Verizon etc have it for about $40/mo.

It was hell, hauling 4 suitcases in the rain and dark. I thought my wife was going to have a heart attack.

Hope this helps to prevent others this ordeal

Wet and angry

 

[jccollins]

I am sorry to hear this, but thank you for sharing it with us. I brought up this issue a few weeks (months?) ago on this forum that every Amtrak station really needs to be assessed and brought up to some kind of "minimum standards". The least ANY station should have is a 24-hour accessible payphone, covered shelter area (even if only one similar to a glass-enclosed bus shelter), good bright lighting, and a paved boarding platform long enough to accommodate the trains serving that station. Unfortunately many of Amtrak's unstaffed stations do not fit these "standards" and passengers end up suffering unexcusable circumstances because of it. Hopefully this will change in the upcoming years, but it doesn't look like it will anytime soon.

Regarding the cell phones, many of the nation's best still won't even work at quite a few Amtrak stations. I have endured hours-long waits at the Winnemmucca, NV station (unstaffed, no phone on-site). Calling Amtrak's 800-number from my hotel told me that the train would be on time so I went to the station and sat for four hours one time and two and a half the next time. The first time the crew told me that the tracks had buckled five miles from the station or they would have arrived at the time I was told. The second time the train was delayed a few miles from the station by a Union Pacific freight train. I had no way of calling Amtrak from this station as there was no phone on-site and the ONLY cell phone company that works in Winnemmucca is Cellular One - I don't have them). So I sat wondering and waiting in frustration. At least Winnemmucca has a sheltered area to wait.

Hopefully this will not be your last trip on Amtrak. I have had many great experiences on Amtrak that are enough to counter out the few rotten trips (mostly due to poor station facilities) I have had. I know the Benson, AZ station is even much less accommodating than Lake Charles.

Here's a link to the other thread I mentioned above: http://forums.amtraktrains.com/index.php?a...3f18571d3af2e90

 

[tp49]

All stations staffed or unstaffed should have a payphone and area to wait out of the elements. Also on those phones should be the number of a taxi company also. When I first went to college freshman orientation I was in a Greyhound station that had no phone book and since I had no change to make the directory assistance call I had a hard time finding the local taxi company to take me to the campus. This is especially important in cities where the stations aren't in the nicest of neighborhoods and personal saftey could be a factor.

 

[Wet and tired in Louisiana]

(Hopefully this will not be your last trip on Amtrak)

Not in the slightest. I am a rail buff, and the trip was great other than Lake Charles incident.

I now have AT&T wireless with 'call to anywhere in USA from anywhere in USA' capabilities. I used it last week on a trip to Ca. and through Nevada, Utah, and back to AZ. Made plenty of calls home, and went through everytime. Cant say that it is 100%, but I feel comfortable with it, and definitely will take it next trip on Amtrak (in about 3 months). It does cost about $59/mo., but I travel a lot, so its worth it to me.

I guess labor cost are too much to man every station, and I imagine outside phones are prone to vandalism. Dont know what that answer is from Amtrak's point of view; but my answer is the cell phone.

thanks for your response

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

The phone is inside the little waiting room which should have been open by the damn caretaker i go to that station sometimes.I will say this it is not in a good part of town i would not tell anyone to go there by yourself it is in the middle of the damn getto over there in Lake Charles.When i pass through that area on a train i have all the windows closed because those little punks throw rocks at you.

 

[coachseats]

I would definitely agree with the notion that all Amtrak stations, staffed or unstaffed need to have a working, accessible pay phone. Upon arrival home to Fostoria, OH a few weeks ago on the Three Rivers, I stepped off the train into the dark at 4:30 AM with a temperature of about +10 F to find that the pay phone didn't work. I was VERY fortunate in that the one other passenger detraining here generously allowed me to use her cell phone to call my ride, thus averting a long cold walk home.

 

[Wet and tired in Louisiana]

Yes the area was pretty bad, compounding our problem. Not only did we walk far in the rain, but did so looking over our shoulder constantly.

My question is, can cell phones be used inside the train? Will they work ,and are their regulations against them? It would be nice to call ahead while still in transit. Or call anywhere. Anybody know?

 

[jccollins]

Yes the area was pretty bad, compounding our problem. Not only did we walk far in the rain, but did so looking over our shoulder constantly.
My question is, can cell phones be used inside the train? Will they work ,and are their regulations against them? It would be nice to call ahead while still in transit. Or call anywhere. Anybody know?

Sure - cell phones can be used onboard any of the trains, but they often will not work too far outside the major cities on Amtrak's long distance routes.

The only regululations against using them is if you happen to be riding in a quiet car, only applicable to corridor trains such as the Capitol Corridor in California and Acela Express in the northeast. Even then there are plenty of regular use cars on the trains.

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Just a heads up i have a Nextel phone and i can get a signal from Houston to NOLA without any dead spots.

 

[AlanB]

My question is, can cell phones be used inside the train? Will they work ,and are their regulations against them? It would be nice to call ahead while still in transit. Or call anywhere. Anybody know?

If you've got a signal, then yes you can use your cell phone while on-board the train. There are no regulations against their use on-board a train. Don't be surprised to have a strong signal one minute and a total blackout the next. Generally though, near the big cities you should have no trouble getting a signal.

I also use AT&T, and have had pretty good luck with service while riding Amtrak.

Obviously, unless you have a private bedroom, care should be taken not to disturb your neighbors too much. Certainly calling for a taxi would not raise the ire of your fellow passengers.

 

[Chatter163]

The phone is inside the little waiting room which should have been open by the damn caretaker i go to that station sometimes.I will say this it is not in a good part of town i would not tell anyone to go there by yourself it is in the middle of the damn getto over there in Lake Charles.When i pass through that area on a train i have all the windows closed because those little punks throw rocks at you

Where are there windows (beside the door to board) that can be opened? :blink:

 

[jccollins]

Just a heads up i have a Nextel phone and i can get a signal from Houston to NOLA without any dead spots.

Don't even get me started with Nextel. I had one for less than a month in Reno, NV and their serrvice was HORRIBLE. I had no signal on parts of my college campus (1/2 mile from downtown Reno) and about a mile south and east of the city. It was bad, REALLY bad. Besides that, they have the worst and the rudest customer service on the planet.

 

[AlanB]

The phone is inside the little waiting room which should have been open by the damn caretaker i go to that station sometimes.I will say this it is not in a good part of town i would not tell anyone to go there by yourself it is in the middle of the damn getto over there in Lake Charles.When i pass through that area on a train i have all the windows closed because those little punks throw rocks at you

Where are there windows (beside the door to board) that can be opened? :blink:

Matt, aka BNSF_1088, is a conductor for BNSF. He's refering to the fact that the kids like to use his freight train for target practice. :angry: So he closes the windows on the engine when he goes through that area.

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Just a heads up i have a Nextel phone and i can get a signal from Houston to NOLA without any dead spots.

Don't even get me started with Nextel. I had one for less than a month in Reno, NV and their serrvice was HORRIBLE. I had no signal on parts of my college campus (1/2 mile from downtown Reno) and about a mile south and east of the city. It was bad, REALLY bad. Besides that, they have the worst and the rudest customer service on the planet.

:lol:

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

The phone is inside the little waiting room which should have been open by the damn caretaker i go to that station sometimes.I will say this it is not in a good part of town i would not tell anyone to go there by yourself it is in the middle of the damn getto over there in Lake Charles.When i pass through that area on a train i have all the windows closed because those little punks throw rocks at you

Where are there windows (beside the door to board) that can be opened? :blink:

Matt, aka BNSF_1088, is a conductor for BNSF. He's refering to the fact that the kids like to use his freight train for target practice. :angry: So he closes the windows on the engine when he goes through that area.

And belive me i could go through a lot of water bottles there :lol: :angry:

 

[EmpireBuilderFan]

Don't even get me started with Nextel. I had one for less than a month in Reno, NV and their serrvice was HORRIBLE. I had no signal on parts of my college campus (1/2 mile from downtown Reno) and about a mile south and east of the city. It was bad, REALLY bad. Besides that, they have the worst and the rudest customer service on the planet.

Inside of a major metropolitan area, like NYC or LA, Nextel is great, but as soon as you get out into the boonies (Nebraska, for example), the service does not exist. I don't think the Nextel phones even have the capability to switch to other providers' cell service, whether digital or analog.

The provider with the best service overall is Verizon. Over the last summer, I was with a group of people that had cell phones from Verizon, Nextel, AT&T, and Sprint PCS. As we travelled across the country, those of us with Verizon cell service had the least problems getting some kind of signal. Nextel was the worst.

 

[tp49]

Just a heads up i have a Nextel phone and i can get a signal from Houston to NOLA without any dead spots.

Don't even get me started with Nextel. I had one for less than a month in Reno, NV and their serrvice was HORRIBLE. I had no signal on parts of my college campus (1/2 mile from downtown Reno) and about a mile south and east of the city. It was bad, REALLY bad. Besides that, they have the worst and the rudest customer service on the planet.

Are their Customer Service people ruder than Sprint or AT&T's?

B)

 

[jccollins]

Are their Customer Service people ruder than Sprint or AT&T's? B)

Don't know. I went with Cingular Wireless and can tell you their customer service is excellent - they have treated me like a respected customer, not an inconvenience like Nextel. But I guess I have really gotten us off topic here with my comments about the cell phone service. Sorry Anthony... B)

 

[panamaclipper]

Speaking of cellphones, in three weeks I'll be starting an almost five day trip on Amtrak. I plan on taking the cellphone, digicam and the laptop. I've reserved a standard bedroom for the entire trip per usual. But this is the first time I'l taking along all this electronic stuff. How concerned - if at all - should I be about on-board security with all this high-tech stuff in my room?

 

[Amfleet]

Speaking of cellphones, in three weeks I'll be starting an almost five day trip on Amtrak. I plan on taking the cellphone, digicam and the laptop. I've reserved a standard bedroom for the entire trip per usual. But this is the first time I'l taking along all this electronic stuff. How concerned - if at all - should I be about on-board security with all this high-tech stuff in my room?

You should not be worried at all. Just when leaving your room put all your valuable under a seat and out of sight. Plus, make sure your curtains are drawn and door is shut.

 

[AlanB]

And make sure that you bring along a surge protector, both to plug in all that equipment, but also to protect it.

I've been traveling with my laptop, cell phone, & digital camera for years and I've never had a problem. However, I also never leave any of that stuff visible if I'm not in the room. Cover it up or pack it away when you're not in the room and you should be fine.

 

[Viewliner]

Personally, I keep my cell phone on me at all times, and usually bring my camera with me to the diner. That would be my advice, for you provided the camera isn't too bulky and you remember to take it with you. Otherwise, I'd follow Amfleets advice (the crews generally keep a watchful eye), and most importantly, enjoy your trip.

 

[battalion51]

My reccomendation, get a roll of Manco Duck Tape at Wal Mart before you go. The tape can be used to keep your door closed when you leave the room (just put it up towards the top of your door). It would've helped Jon on Sunday (except I finished my roll off last week) when he needed to tape his GPS Sensor to the window (Packaging Tape just isn't the same Jon :lol: )

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

My reccomendation, get a roll of Manco Duck Tape at Wal Mart before you go. The tape can be used to keep your door closed when you leave the room (just put it up towards the top of your door). It would've helped Jon on Sunday (except I finished my roll off last week) when he needed to tape his GPS Sensor to the window (Packaging Tape just isn't the same Jon   :lol: )

I tried something along those lines on my last trip on the zephyr this summer, as dental floss really didnt do the trick :lol:

 

[Amfleet]

My reccomendation, get a roll of Manco Duck Tape at Wal Mart before you go. The tape can be used to keep your door closed when you leave the room (just put it up towards the top of your door). It would've helped Jon on Sunday (except I finished my roll off last week) when he needed to tape his GPS Sensor to the window (Packaging Tape just isn't the same Jon   :lol: )

Don't get to far ahead of yourself there Sean :lol: , I did have the duck tape in by bag. Though, I learned comming down that it didn't stick to well to the glass, especially when the sun hit it (warmed up the glue making it peel back). The packing tape I bought worked much better at keeping my GPS flat against the window and I didn't have to re-tape once. However, I did use duck tape to keep the hallway window shades shut at night. Without the tape, the shades were just bouncing back up, leaving a 6" gap h34r: . I can tell you it was much better than those useless, paper thin, curtains. B)

So for the future; duck tape for painted surfaces, clear packing tape for glass and plastic.