PJRACER
Service Attendant
For those traveling coach...what is provided for comfort....I am talking overnight???? What kind of temps are experienced at night while traveling in coach??? Does one need to provide their own blanket or pillow??
For Coach Passengers
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Yes. Although you can buy the "souvenir" blanket in the lounge car if you want.
Temps can vary. A lot. But you should generally be prepared for the chilly side. Layers, layers.
TVRM610
Conductor
You will get a small pillow for overnight trips. Temperatures vary greatly on the train. I've been way too hot, way too cold, and very rarely just right.
Perhaps a silly question, but do the amtrak cars actually have thermostats? It seems that the air vs. heat is either "on or off."
I know that on the single level coaches the "floor heat" is turned on or off from underneath the coach, or that is how it was explained when I rode the Silver Meteor this winter.
Perhaps a silly question, but do the amtrak cars actually have thermostats? It seems that the air vs. heat is either "on or off."
I know that on the single level coaches the "floor heat" is turned on or off from underneath the coach, or that is how it was explained when I rode the Silver Meteor this winter.
caravanman
Engineer
Hi,
As I am balding, I always find the A/C too cold, and would recommend a wooly hat at night. You should certainly bring a blanket too, just a cheap one from a drug store works well. It's not so much "cold", it is more the need to shelter from the relentless blast from the A/C. Layers of clothing too, as mentioned are the way to go. The coach passengers are issued with a thin pillow free of charge overnight.
Ed
As I am balding, I always find the A/C too cold, and would recommend a wooly hat at night. You should certainly bring a blanket too, just a cheap one from a drug store works well. It's not so much "cold", it is more the need to shelter from the relentless blast from the A/C. Layers of clothing too, as mentioned are the way to go. The coach passengers are issued with a thin pillow free of charge overnight.
Ed
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the_traveler
Engineer
You do get a pillow on overnight LD trains, but it is the small "airline type" size (small)! I myself bring one of those inflatable neck pillows.
As far as heat/AC, yes all cars have them, but what is comfortable for one person may not agree with all 60-70 other people in the car! My recommendation is to plan to dress in layers. You can always add more layers or take some off (to a certain extent).
As far as heat/AC, yes all cars have them, but what is comfortable for one person may not agree with all 60-70 other people in the car! My recommendation is to plan to dress in layers. You can always add more layers or take some off (to a certain extent).
They do, but not like you have at home. It's just a dial numbered 1 to X, not with actual temperatures. So the attendant sort of has to guess at what temp they're actually setting.
TVRM610
Conductor
Just to be clear, when I say "thermostat" I mean a "device that regulates temperature, or that activates a device when the temperature reaches a certain point"
On the Budd RDC cars at TVRM, the temperature is controlled with a dial that has "low heat, high heat, low cool, high cool" in addition there is a fan you can turn on and off, and also floor heat. If the Amtrak cars are like this, it would be very understandable why temperatures are so unpredictable, its not like someone can just set it at 70 and walk away.
I'm not sure exactly what it says on the dial, but it certainly sounds similar to what you're describing. I've not seen the actual unit/device, but it was described to me as being a dial that just had numbers. But much like that dial for the Budd RDC's, you set/point it at a certain place and then hope that you've guessed right for the current conditions.
TVRM610
Conductor
I'm guessing it it similar to the RDC system then.
Now I have to wonder about the other trains.. it seems the Acela trains always have a pretty decent temperature, perhaps they have actual thermostat systems? It's funny, I've never even thought about this until today.
My guess is that Acela has a more modern/normal set of controls. I think even the Viewliner cars do, certainly the individual controls within the room do, so I suspect that the master controls also do. Not that they can't break either; I was on the Crescent about 3 years ago in the summer and you could have kept meat safe in our car. In fact the very wise and wonderful attendant actually ordered extra blankets from the comissary in WAS as we made our way down the corridor because it was so bad.
They also got someone at DC to look at things, which actually made an big improvement although it was still a bit on the chilly side. But most of the extra blankets went unused, thanks to the better temps after they fiddled with things in DC.
Perhaps if Oldtimer2 wanders by this topic he could better explain and detail how the temp is set on the Superliners, since he worked on them for many years.
ScottC4746
OBS Chief
They do provide an airline type pillow and blanket. I would try to pack my own for comfort and warmth.
You do get a chair that reclines, slightly.
Meals are menu prices and reservations are issued to sleeper passangers first.
Beverages and snacks are available in the lounge car at menu prices
Each coach has at least one airline type bathroom.
There are no shower facilites available to coach passangers. Lots of deoderant and easy on the perfume please.
the_traveler
Engineer
Amfleet (single level) coaches have 2 restrooms per car, while Superliner (bi-level) coaches have 5 restrooms per car!
Tumbleweed
OBS Chief
The restrooms are significantly larger than "airline type" restrooms.......
TransitGeek
Service Attendant
Slightly? Now, I've never been on anything but a Superliner, but the Superliner coach seats recline like crazy. It's like a comfy living room recliner that happens to be on a train, complete with retractable leg and foot rests. I find them very comfortable. (I'm going back east this summer... tell me that Amfleet coach is this nice, please!)
Ryan
Court Jester
They are. If they're not the identical same seats, they're darn close.
the_traveler
Engineer
Amfleet II's (LD) are basically the same as Superliner sears. However Amfleet I's (basically NEC Corridor service) has a very tight pitch and not much recline!
TransitGeek
Service Attendant
So- a good night's sleep on the Lakeshore, and a not-so-good night on #66. Good to know.
Ryan
Court Jester
If you haven't, spring for Business class on 66 and you'll get a better night sleep. It's one of the few trains that still has the 2x1 seating for BC.
Cho Cho Charlie
Engineer
Is it possibly like a commercial system, where it maintains a set BTU in (or BTU out)? That's translates to a fixed temperature increase (or decrease) from the outside temperature. I know with such systems, the inside temp tracks the outside temp.
They do recline a bit more than an airline seat, but not nearly as much as my home recliner, which practically lays flat. The max recline of a coach seat is a less than 45 degrees. Also, the leg rest is a nice touch, but virtually unusable if you are 6' or over. I'm 6'1" and there isn't enough leg room for me to use the leg rest in coach.
That being said, the seats are about as wide as first class airline seats, but with more leg room. They're a bit close together however, with no arm rest between them, so if you're on a LD trip and you have to share a seat set with a stranger, lets just say you're going to be far more familiar with them by the time you arrive.
They do pass out small airline style pillows at night, but they're pretty much unusable. Luckily I inherited a brand new full size bed pillow from someone who bought it for the trip but couldn't make it, and that made a huge difference in my comfort level. I also wore a jacket with lots of pockets and a hood for versatility. The hood was good for keeping drafts from my head and light out of my eyes. I also highly recommend ear plugs. I had the cheap, squishy type and they worked well.
PJRACER
Service Attendant
Thanks everybody....I think I found out......you do get a small pillow....and maybe a blanket. I found out more than I needed to know about thermostat's and heating/cooling. Good tip in layers...inflate a small beach ball and stuff in a pillow case for pillow....think we will bring our own blanket's, the roll-up type cheapee's.
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
You don't get a blanket except on the AutoTrain. They used to do this, but phased it out several years ago. I have a bunch of blankets I, uh, borrowed from the AutoTrain. Antics like mine are probably why the service disappeared, come to think of it. Its an awesome blanket, extremely thin yet quite warm. I use it for camping trips, Amtrak trips, and the like. It takes up less space in my bag then a paper back novel- no joke. It says "Property of NRPC" on it, too. The only reason I stole it, quite honestly, is I have never seen a better blanket, space efficiency for warmth, available for purchase legitimately.
Coach is a perfectly fine way to travel, but as others said, the temperature varies extensively. I am usually on the hot side. What I do is usually wear shorts under my overalls and a sweater over them. If its warm, I take off the sweater. If its really hot, I go into the bathroom and remove the overalls, too. Bib-type overalls are really the most comfortable and versatile of garments, and why they aren't universally used I haven't a clue. Red Kap makes the best ones in my experience, but Sears also sells Craftsman brand ones.
Coach is a perfectly fine way to travel, but as others said, the temperature varies extensively. I am usually on the hot side. What I do is usually wear shorts under my overalls and a sweater over them. If its warm, I take off the sweater. If its really hot, I go into the bathroom and remove the overalls, too. Bib-type overalls are really the most comfortable and versatile of garments, and why they aren't universally used I haven't a clue. Red Kap makes the best ones in my experience, but Sears also sells Craftsman brand ones.
Are they unisex on Amfleet, or do they have separate men's and women's facilities?
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