Electronic smokes on board?

[Reno89502]

I just completed a PHL - KCY trip a week ago, and I had no problem using my e-cig on board. They do NOT leave any kind of odor. In fact, my sleeper attendant told me to feel free to use it in my room, since it does not leave any sort of smell, and just emits water vapor. It works the same way as the nicotrol inhaler, which is a prescription product.

Also, when I do smoke, I do my best to be a polite smoker and I walk far away from the doors. Heres a funny story for ya. The other day I was waiting for my NJ Transit train to depart PHL and I was on the platform smoking with one of the conductors. A female passenger walked by, gave us a look and said, "I wish they would ban smoking outdoors. That second hand smoke is killing us!" I looked at her and said "If they can ban smoking outdoors, I want them to ban cars from going in front of my house, those emissions are killing me!". The conductor then looked at me and said "What do you think is worse for her? Our smoke coming out of our cigarettes, or all of the fumes coming out of that diesel engine parked over there?" LoL

 

[Skim]

There may not be smoke, but E-cigarettes emit vaporized nicotine (see the first reply on this thread). Nicotine is a strong stimulant, which can keep nonsmokers awake for hours.

 

[the Other Mike]

I must say, I've TRIED to be a polite smoker. On a train I walk 1/2 down the car from the doors, in a resturant I leave and go outside ( even when smoking is permitted in the bar ) and walked 1/2 bock away from the door, however, why should I continue to go out of MY way to be polite when people just whine and cry ?

Next time on a train, I won't wear my patches and use smokeless cigarettes. I'll smoke and when someone bitches I'll eat 10 or 12 pickled eggs, a few beers and some cabbage and sit next to the jackass who complains. for the rest of the trip.

Some people should be THANKFUL I travel by roomette but it would be worth sitting next to a whiner and farting all night just to make a point.

 

[guest]

I must say, I've TRIED to be a polite smoker. On a train I walk 1/2 down the car from the doors, in a resturant I leave and go outside ( even when smoking is permitted in the bar ) and walked 1/2 bock away from the door, however, why should I continue to go out of MY way to be polite when people just whine and cry ?
Next time on a train, I won't wear my patches and use smokeless cigarettes. I'll smoke and when someone bitches I'll eat 10 or 12 pickled eggs, a few beers and some cabbage and sit next to the jackass who complains. for the rest of the trip.

Some people should be THANKFUL I travel by roomette but it would be worth sitting next to a whiner and farting all night just to make a point.

Well, aren't you just full of Southern charm and manners. Hope I never have the misfortune to travel around you or your ilk.

 

[Eris]

I'm pretty adamantly anti-smoking and whatnot, asthmatic and pathetic, have thrown an inhaler at an acquaintance who was insisting on smoking at our group's restaurant table (back in the olden days, where you could smoke in restaurants), etc, etc. I've been my share of ass about the whole thing, no doubt about it.

HOWEVER, gotta say, riding on Amtrak... at least the smokers freakin' get off the train along the way! It's like me, and 12 smokers kicking around at the longer stops.

Anyway, the airlines/FAA ban e-cigarettes, too. I bet when they drop that restriction (if they do) Amtrak will, too.

 

[mjaynes288]

For all those who think e-cigs are harmless I can tell you they are not. I was in the Sightseeer Lounge on the CS last year when some guy walked in sat down half a car away from me and started puffing on one. I had no idea what it was. Every time he took it out I started coughing. 10 minutes after he put it away I was fine until he used it again. Can deffenders of e-cigs please explain my physical reaction? Remeber I had no clue e-cigs existed and therefore had no preconcived notion about them. After that trip I looked them up. The FDA found cancer causing chemicals in some cartridges they tested. E-cigs are safer than the real thing but no cigs are even safer. Please keep your cough inducing vapor off the trains I am on. If you need nicotine while on board use some delivery method that does to share it with everyone breathing in the same car.

 

[leemell]

Well Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking aboard the trains, including e-cigs. The SCA was clearly out-of -bounds telling to feel free to smoke the e-cig in the roomette.

 

[Marty]

Of course Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking. The issue is that a personal vaporizer (ecig) is not smoking, so lumping ecig regulations in with smoking restrictions makes no more sense than saying, "Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking, including breath mints."

Smoking and ecigs are only related in that:

1. Both involve nicotine

2. Both involve exhaled gases

If the concern is smoke (combusted material with ash), then it does not apply to ecigs.

If the concern is aroma, then passenger body odor dwarfs the faint aroma of ecigs.

If the concern is (1) above, then nicotine patches and gum should also be banned.

If the concern is (2) above, then asthma and other inhalers should also be banned.

If, on the other hand, the concern is irrational and ignorant mob-like hysteria against anything that even hints at smoking, then the current policy is the correct approach.

Again, this is NOT SMOKING -- at all, so regurgitating that Amtrak bans all forms of smoking is completely non sequitur and misses the point.

 

[Marty]

For all those who think e-cigs are harmless I can tell you they are not. I was in the Sightseeer Lounge on the CS last year when some guy walked in sat down half a car away from me and started puffing on one. I had no idea what it was. Every time he took it out I started coughing. 10 minutes after he put it away I was fine until he used it again. Can deffenders of e-cigs please explain my physical reaction? Remeber I had no clue e-cigs existed and therefore had no preconcived notion about them. After that trip I looked them up. The FDA found cancer causing chemicals in some cartridges they tested. E-cigs are safer than the real thing but no cigs are even safer. Please keep your cough inducing vapor off the trains I am on. If you need nicotine while on board use some delivery method that does to share it with everyone breathing in the same car.

I cannot explain your reaction and my heart goes out to you, because every time I smell seafood I get nausea, sometimes resulting in vomit. I have no clue why I react that way and must take special care when I attend restaurants that sell seafood, usually just avoiding them completely.
It never occurred to me to direct my anger over nausea to those people who enjoy seafood.

 

[leemell]

Of course Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking. The issue is that a personal vaporizer (ecig) is not smoking, so lumping ecig regulations in with smoking restrictions makes no more sense than saying, "Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking, including breath mints."
Smoking and ecigs are only related in that:

1. Both involve nicotine

2. Both involve exhaled gases

If the concern is smoke (combusted material with ash), then it does not apply to ecigs.

If the concern is aroma, then passenger body odor dwarfs the faint aroma of ecigs.

If the concern is (1) above, then nicotine patches and gum should also be banned.

If the concern is (2) above, then asthma and other inhalers should also be banned.

If, on the other hand, the concern is irrational and ignorant mob-like hysteria against anything that even hints at smoking, then the current policy is the correct approach.

Again, this is NOT SMOKING -- at all, so regurgitating that Amtrak bans all forms of smoking is completely non sequitur and misses the point.

Let's try this again with a copy of Amtrak's policy statement:

Smoking PolicyAll Amtrak trains, Thruway buses and stations are entirely non-smoking. Electronic smoking devices, such as electronic cigarettes, are not allowed in any area on trains, on Thruway services, in stations or in any other location where smoking is prohibited.

I think it clearly states no electronic smoking devices. Just so there is no question of the policy. Whether or not anybody likes it, this policy is in force and need to be heeded, else the Conductor can throw you off the train, and if I remember correctly some already have done that.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Nicotine Gum or Inhalers are the answer for those Traveling and unable to quit! Willpower is the Only Surefire Answer to Quiting!

(It's easy to quit Smoking, i did it Thousands of Times during the 35 years i was an Addict! :giggle: )

 

[VentureForth]

Of course Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking. The issue is that a personal vaporizer (ecig) is not smoking, so lumping ecig regulations in with smoking restrictions makes no more sense than saying, "Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking, including breath mints."
Smoking and ecigs are only related in that:

1. Both involve nicotine

2. Both involve exhaled gases

If the concern is smoke (combusted material with ash), then it does not apply to ecigs.

If the concern is aroma, then passenger body odor dwarfs the faint aroma of ecigs.

If the concern is (1) above, then nicotine patches and gum should also be banned.

If the concern is (2) above, then asthma and other inhalers should also be banned.

If, on the other hand, the concern is irrational and ignorant mob-like hysteria against anything that even hints at smoking, then the current policy is the correct approach.

Again, this is NOT SMOKING -- at all, so regurgitating that Amtrak bans all forms of smoking is completely non sequitur and misses the point.

A similar thread to this one has been locked before because of the obvious emotions it inflicts. So, I would like to gently address your rebuttle.

I would like to say that the reason is because of (1) AND (2) combined. You are exhaling nicotene. And it is with every breath/puff you take. Not like an inhaler, not like patches and gum.

Quite frankly, I would like to see them ban chewing tabakky, too. The constant spitting - and when you take in a whiff.... Aaaaaarrrrrg!

And the CHILDREN! Mustn't offend the children by glorifying and glamourizing nicotene ingestion! Ok - maybe not.

 

[mjaynes288]

Of course Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking. The issue is that a personal vaporizer (ecig) is not smoking, so lumping ecig regulations in with smoking restrictions makes no more sense than saying, "Amtrak very clearly bans all smoking, including breath mints."
Smoking and ecigs are only related in that:

1. Both involve nicotine

2. Both involve exhaled gases

If the concern is smoke (combusted material with ash), then it does not apply to ecigs.

If the concern is aroma, then passenger body odor dwarfs the faint aroma of ecigs.

If the concern is (1) above, then nicotine patches and gum should also be banned.

If the concern is (2) above, then asthma and other inhalers should also be banned.

If, on the other hand, the concern is irrational and ignorant mob-like hysteria against anything that even hints at smoking, then the current policy is the correct approach.

Again, this is NOT SMOKING -- at all, so regurgitating that Amtrak bans all forms of smoking is completely non sequitur and misses the point.

Patches and gum do not share whatever chemicals are in them with the rest of the car. Inhalers are medications and studied for safety. E-cigs have not gone through drug studies. Also asthma and other breathing difficulties are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehab Act. The courts have rule smoking is not disability. If you are disabled (unable to do a major life activity: seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, etc.) by nicotine addiction please use FDA approved medications to treat your condition. I have never seen an asthmatic take more than 2 puff every 4 hours on an albuterol inhaler. That is very different than the person puffing on the e-cig for 5 minutes every 20 minutes. I would not want to be in the same car as someone using a nebulizer but if Amtrak made a rule against nebulizers they would have to make a reasonable exception under the ADA for each person who have a disability effecting their ability to breath i.e. people who use a nebulizers.

I cannot explain your reaction and my heart goes out to you, because every time I smell seafood I get nausea, sometimes resulting in vomit. I have no clue why I react that way and must take special care when I attend restaurants that sell seafood, usually just avoiding them completely.
It never occurred to me to direct my anger over nausea to those people who enjoy seafood.

What anger? I am not angry. I support Amtrak's e-cig ban (the only place I have ever encountered them) because I want to continue riding. I do not feel you understand the severity of my reaction. I started coughing so hard I could not catch my breath. It did not stop until the vapor disapated. The equal comparison would be if you vomitted immediately on smelling seafood and could not stop dry heaving until the smell went away. If Amtrak changed the rules to allow e-cigs I would have to find a different way to travel. This is an unemotional analysis of the facts. I would not willingly put myself in a possition where I was exposed to e-cigs again.

 

[mjaynes288]

Sorry about the double post. Is there some way someone can delete one?

 

[AlanB]

Sorry about the double post. Is there some way someone can delete one?

Done!

 

[pennyk]

For all those who think e-cigs are harmless I can tell you they are not. I was in the Sightseeer Lounge on the CS last year when some guy walked in sat down half a car away from me and started puffing on one. I had no idea what it was. Every time he took it out I started coughing. 10 minutes after he put it away I was fine until he used it again. Can deffenders of e-cigs please explain my physical reaction? Remeber I had no clue e-cigs existed and therefore had no preconcived notion about them. After that trip I looked them up. The FDA found cancer causing chemicals in some cartridges they tested. E-cigs are safer than the real thing but no cigs are even safer. Please keep your cough inducing vapor off the trains I am on. If you need nicotine while on board use some delivery method that does to share it with everyone breathing in the same car.

agree!!!

 

[RyFy]

For all of you Complaining, E-Cigs are oderless or smell very good (mint etc). You wouldn't have to deal with the smokey person sitting next to you, you would just have to get the "bad omen" you have about someone smoking near you and realize its not hurting me at all.. I will not get cancer from the vapor... its not blowing in my face it just dissappears...

Until then, your just gonna have to deal with that gross smelling person next to you because you can't get over someone having the right to do something harmless to you in a traincar.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Let us call smokers what they really are...legalized drug addicts. They need help and should seek it anywhere except on my train.. E-Cigs are just another crutch that prolongs their addiction. Society has made great progress in eliminating havens for smokers. Amtrak should stand tough on it's non smoking policies.

 

[the_traveler]

FYI: On my recent trip on Amtrak in October, on numerous trains throughout the US, I heard an announcement that I've heard many times before - with one part that I NEVER heard said before! During the conductor's speech of rules (s)he included the following:

... There is no smoking at all aboard the train. This includes electronic cigarettes! Anyone caught smoking will be put off the train! ...

And this was said by not just one conductor on one train. Sometimes it was repeated by multiple conductors on the same train!
Thus, the answer is no to e-cigs!

 

[me_little_me]

And you can tell that people are not using e-cigs to quit as I have never seen anyone with an e-cig at a "smoke stop". Some of us like to go outside at long stops and it sure is irritating to have to walk through a cloud of lung killer because all the smokers crowd by the door. I guess it wouldn't be right, though, to ask them to keep further from the train - perhaps in the middle of the next track but they could stand down by the middle of the car so non-smokers don't get instant cancer walking past them.

 

[the_traveler]

At one unscheduled "smoke stop" (because of a broken down freight in front of us that had us stopped on the single track main line for over 1 hour), the conductor finally relented and made it a "smoke stop". She then told my traveling partner to step away from the door. The only thing was he was not smoking, and does not smoke!

I have heard many times where the conductor states to "step away ## feet from the train if you wish to smoke"!

 

[Tumbleweed]

I'm the OP....My wife passed away from cancer on February 11, 2012...... She fought it for 8 years and wanted so badly to quit smoking, but it finally beat her....

 

[PerRock]

For all of you Complaining, E-Cigs are oderless or smell very good (mint etc). You wouldn't have to deal with the smokey person sitting next to you, you would just have to get the "bad omen" you have about someone smoking near you and realize its not hurting me at all.. I will not get cancer from the vapor... its not blowing in my face it just dissappears...

Until then, your just gonna have to deal with that gross smelling person next to you because you can't get over someone having the right to do something harmless to you in a traincar.

Except that E-cigs do put off an odor. Some might smell slightly minty, but there is a bad odor that comes from them. and the desire to not have them on board is not just an 'I don't want cancer' thing, it's an odor, visual, and a perception of smoking still exists.

Either way the rules are quite clear, no smoking e-cigs on board.

peter

 

[buddy559]

Let us call smokers what they really are...legalized drug addicts. They need help and should seek it anywhere except on my train.. E-Cigs are just another crutch that prolongs their addiction. Society has made great progress in eliminating havens for smokers. Amtrak should stand tough on it's non smoking policies.

Lets cut off the coffee and see what the body count is in the diner by lunchtime.

 

[SarahZ]

I'm the OP....My wife passed away from cancer on February 11, 2012...... She fought it for 8 years and wanted so badly to quit smoking, but it finally beat her....

I'm very sorry to hear that.