New No Smoking Policy Coming to the Auto Train

[The Davy Crockett]

I'm sorry if having asthma and allergies makes me "selfish", and I apologize if I don't want to reek of cigarettes after a long trip. I think smokers who don't care about other people's lungs or clothes are selfish.
It's like the "smoking" section in a restaurant. Anyone who thinks the smoke stays in that one area is delusional. It creeps through the ventilation system and escapes when the door is opened.

If we could put similar bans on perfume and Glade plug-ins, I'd be a happy girl.

What loved was the SCA I had on one of the Silvers last year who thought spraying Lysol everywhere and often was a good idea. :wacko: I'm not that sensitive to stinky stuff, but it was a disgusting, heavy cloud, almost the entire journey. :angry2: Nothing like the smell and taste of Lysol in the air of the Carolinas early in the morning. :blink:

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I'm sorry if having asthma and allergies makes me "selfish", and I apologize if I don't want to reek of cigarettes after a long trip. I think smokers who don't care about other people's lungs or clothes are selfish.
It's like the "smoking" section in a restaurant. Anyone who thinks the smoke stays in that one area is delusional. It creeps through the ventilation system and escapes when the door is opened.

If we could put similar bans on perfume and Glade plug-ins, I'd be a happy girl.

What loved was the SCA I had on one of the Silvers last year who thought spraying Lysol everywhere and often was a good idea. :wacko: I'm not that sensitive to stinky stuff, but it was a disgusting, heavy cloud, almost the entire journey. :angry2: Nothing like the smell and taste of Lysol in the air of the Carolinas early in the morning. :blink:

I sometimes think the odor eliminators/cover ups are worse than the odor they're supposed to be getting rid of/hiding. I think thier smell lingers longer than the offending odor.

 

[fairviewroad]

I'm glad our guest Amarsh has weighed in. It's not clear whether s/he has taken the Auto Train, but s/he has been on at least one LD train,

which gives him/her more LD rail travel experience than the average American. And while a lot of us (including myself) come down on the

opposite side of Amarsh when it comes to the smoking question, I think it's worthwhile remembering that smokers are, in fact, fare-paying

customers and have the potential to base their travel decisions accordingly.

Now, I happen to feel that the upsides of the new Auto Train smoking policy far outweigh the downsides, but I also think Amarsh represents

a not-lunatic-fringe viewpoint that includes tens of thousands of potential Auto Train customers. So the policy change is not entirely free of

consequence.

To Amarsh: Welcome to Amtrak Unlimited, by the way. Hope you'll stick around!

 

[SarahZ]

I'm sorry if having asthma and allergies makes me "selfish", and I apologize if I don't want to reek of cigarettes after a long trip. I think smokers who don't care about other people's lungs or clothes are selfish.
It's like the "smoking" section in a restaurant. Anyone who thinks the smoke stays in that one area is delusional. It creeps through the ventilation system and escapes when the door is opened.

If we could put similar bans on perfume and Glade plug-ins, I'd be a happy girl.

Eh, at least in restaurants in VA, it's not much of an issue since they passed the ventilation law a few years ago (a smoking area has to be on a separate system from a non-smoking area and there has to be close to total isolation).

Oh, that's different. I was talking about restaurants that are one, big room. If the smoking area is a separate room with separate ventilation, then I simply request a table as far away from the door to the smoking room as possible.

 

[SarahZ]

Now, I happen to feel that the upsides of the new Auto Train smoking policy far outweigh the downsides, but I also think Amarsh representsa not-lunatic-fringe viewpoint that includes tens of thousands of potential Auto Train customers. So the policy change is not entirely free of

consequence.

Agreed. While I am happy about non-smoking policies, I do understand they can affect revenue. On the flip side, I go to restaurants and bars more often now that I don't have to worry about cigarette smoke, so while they may lose some patrons, they may also gain some.

Anyway, I get what you're saying. My boyfriend smokes, and he decided he'd rather face his fear of flying for our trip to SF than take the CZ and wait 12 hours between smoke stops. ^_^

 

[JayPea]

The state of Washington has adopted a policy of allowing no smoking in public buildings at all. Not only that. but smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of doors. That leaves smokers who work along Main Street in my town at a bit of a disadvantage as Main Street is set in a narrow canyon which is shared for most of its length by a river. All of which leaves smokers with few options. I have seen Amtrak personnel make smokers at smoke stops here in Washington stand at least 25 feet from open car doors on Amtrak trains.

 

[BCL]

I'm sorry if having asthma and allergies makes me "selfish", and I apologize if I don't want to reek of cigarettes after a long trip. I think smokers who don't care about other people's lungs or clothes are selfish.
It's like the "smoking" section in a restaurant. Anyone who thinks the smoke stays in that one area is delusional. It creeps through the ventilation system and escapes when the door is opened.

If we could put similar bans on perfume and Glade plug-ins, I'd be a happy girl.

What loved was the SCA I had on one of the Silvers last year who thought spraying Lysol everywhere and often was a good idea. :wacko: I'm not that sensitive to stinky stuff, but it was a disgusting, heavy cloud, almost the entire journey. :angry2: Nothing like the smell and taste of Lysol in the air of the Carolinas early in the morning. :blink:

I sometimes think the odor eliminators/cover ups are worse than the odor they're supposed to be getting rid of/hiding. I think thier smell lingers longer than the offending odor.

I've got a coworker who bought a used car. I immediately noticed that it smelled heavily of stale smoke with attempts to cover up with something. He said when he bought it the thing smelled of the air freshener, but then it faded and the odor of smoke was prominent. It reminds me of a lot of hotel rooms that I've stayed in.

It's a temporary fix and one that smells really odd after a while.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I'm sorry if having asthma and allergies makes me "selfish", and I apologize if I don't want to reek of cigarettes after a long trip. I think smokers who don't care about other people's lungs or clothes are selfish.
It's like the "smoking" section in a restaurant. Anyone who thinks the smoke stays in that one area is delusional. It creeps through the ventilation system and escapes when the door is opened.

If we could put similar bans on perfume and Glade plug-ins, I'd be a happy girl.

What loved was the SCA I had on one of the Silvers last year who thought spraying Lysol everywhere and often was a good idea. :wacko: I'm not that sensitive to stinky stuff, but it was a disgusting, heavy cloud, almost the entire journey. :angry2: Nothing like the smell and taste of Lysol in the air of the Carolinas early in the morning. :blink:

Reminds me of Robert Duvals Line in "Apocalypse Now"" "I Love the Smell of Lysol (or Fabreze) in the Morning, it Smells Like...Crap!!!"

 

[BCL]

I am really glad to see the end of smoke within the trains, and I bet the Amtrak janitorial employees are too. Smoke is really nasty to clean up. I suppose nobody thought much about it in the days of coal-burning trains, when there was a whole 'nother sort of smoke to clean up!

There's a miniature steam locomotive really close to where I live set up in a public park and rides are open to the public. All their locomotives and cars were built on-site and aren't mass-produced. I was talking to one of the engineers about the fuel they use (#2 fuel oil) and asked if they ever burned anything else. He said they formerly used coal and that their oldest locomotive was converted to burn oil. Apparently they'd have to keep one car empty near the front since the soot was so heavy that it would darken the white dresses that girls would typically wear on the train.

 

[Ann]

I have been taking my grandchildren on the auto train for the last 3 years. I am delighted they are stopping smoking. Even though it was only allowed in the lower level of the lower level of the lounge car, it always came upstairs. We could not even stay there to watch the movie for the smell. We are goijng again this year in the summer and will be really happy to be in the lounge car. Thank you, Amtrak!!!

 

[battalion51]

I think there's a strong parallel between Auto Train discontinuing smoking and the hotels going smoke free. I've flipped a few hotels to smoke free, and it's a pretty messy process. There's a small segment of the population that's unhappy, but it's a lot easier to tell a smoker to go outside and burn one, than it is to put a non-smoker in a smoking room on a sold out night. Will there be some attrition of smokers who go to another property now, sure. But for what it saves us as a company in cleaning cost, service recovery costs on sold out nights, etc. it ends up being more profitable. It seems like Amtrak's present intention is to just make the penalty box into additional seating space. But if they were to add an amenity like a Playstation or XBox then that could end up attracting new passengers. In today's society it is generally more profitable to gear your services towards the non-smoking crowd.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

I always figured that the Auto Train was the last Amtrak train to allow smoking because of demographics. That the folks who rode it tended to be older and grew up in the age when smoking was ubiquitous in society. But I guess - GASP - that that generation is declining in numbers - or the ones that are left don't smoke. They are also reaching the age where they now live in Florida, or where they are originally from, year-round. Therefore they have become less of the Auto Train's clientele, to the point where risking alienating them is now less of a concern than alienating the 'younger' generations where smoking is less prevalent.

As The Who said: "I hope I die before I get old bed-ridden..."

 

[battalion51]

Most of the old smokers are dead. :giggle:

I think it was really a hold over from the fact that they had the most effective penalty box (compared to a Smoker Coach and the Amfleet II penalty box) and that they don't advertise making a stop. But with the market research, additional costs, etc. it was time to pull the plug. And for that, I applaud them.

 

[Bus Nut]

Seems silly to me to end having a designated smoking lounge, since Auto Train doesn't have any scheduled stops. And I thought that the Auto Train did have multiple ones that were non-smoking, and it was only just one per each Auto Train that was smoking? Well, just goes to show how anti-smoking groups are selfish, and always try to press for more excessive anti-smoking laws(i.e. New York state, where a law passed prohibiting smoking on open air areas(of all places, even if you're away from the station house doors/windows) of commuter rail platforms a little over a year ago). And that you'd think Amtrak would allow employees upon request to not work cleaning the designated smoking lounges, if they weren't comfortable with(or sensitive to) smoke. I'm sure I'll get major disagreement from some for having this opinion, but don't care.

Excuse me, but you are flat wrong about Amtrak's motivations. Please read the PIP report on the Auto Train. It was a completely customer-service oriented move. Less people smoke today than did in the past, and Amtrak found that the air quality was not what it should be with the Smoking Lounge despite attempts to segregate the air and clean it. Amtrak fields many, many complaints annually about the odor and air quality. Conversely, the no smoking on the train policy on all other LD routes has been working well, and no domestic flights in the US allow smoking on board.

Amtrak appears confident that this move will enhance revenues and customer satisfaction.

 

[the Other Mike]

1)Many years ago ( heritage fleet) when on the CNO, I asked why I saw some people that seemed heading to the baggage car, if they were going to smoke a joint. I was told by the Amtrak employees that the best place to "smoke" was to stand on the toilet of the restroom in the dining car but make sure you hold on to the joint because the exhaust fan was THAT strong.

2)One night in the "penalty box ", it was standing room only with a line waiting to get in. There was a horrible smell that came through the "box" and I said outloud....what the hell is that.....one older woman rolled her eyes and said....we hit a skunk. No one left the room but just kept hotboxing their smokes.

3) I always use the patch for train travel because I always considered myself a considerate smoker and never smoked in the sleepers even when legal. Even when it was legal to smoke in resturants, I usually went outside. I remember sitting on a bench outside of a resturant in Scranton when one jackass crossed the street to give me hel about smoking.

4) What's wrong with electronic cigarettes in your own room ?

 

[battalion51]

Mike I think it's the whole "can of worms" philosophy. For example, my mother if she saw that would flip her lid even if it was odorless (this is the same woman who was beyond peeved when we went to a restaurant in Texas because we haven't outlawed smoking as a state in restaurants, good thing she lives in California). Then someone goes to the Conductor and complains someone is smoking on the train, then geese are being chased, etc. I give Amtrak credit for keeping it simple.

 

[Moot]

Just do what I do.

Smoke and e-cig in your roomette or room with the door locked and the curtains drawn.

They can't see you doing it, and have no way to prove it since it leaves no smell or smoke behind.

I've been doing it for years, and will continue to do so.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Odds favor you being found out one of these days, hopefully you wont be out in the Big Nowhere (Dessert, Praries etc.) when you're Put Off the Train!! Have you heard of Patches, Nicotine Gum or even Heavesn Forbid, Quitting this Addictive and Nasty Habit?? :help:

 

[Ryan]

Yeah, I don't think that advocating breaking the rules is good advice to follow unless you want to be standing out in the middle of nowhere watching a pair of markers get smaller in the distance.

 

[SarahZ]

There's no smoke, but there is vapor. My friend smokes those, and I can see the steam from 10 feet away. If your curtains aren't drawn quite tightly enough and/or aren't flush to the wall and window, someone could see the vapor as they pass by.

You've been lucky so far, but I would never, ever encourage other passengers to take this chance. The consequences are fairly serious. I do not smoke, but I'd rather wait for a smoke stop, chew nicotine gum, or use a patch than take a chance on getting dumped in the middle of nowhere. If your nicotine addiction is so bad that you simply cannot use an alternate method between smoke stops (and I do realize some smoke stops are as many as 12 hours apart), then perhaps you should consider driving or flying.

 

[fillyjonk]

Slightly OT:

The college campus I teach on went "tobacco free" (no smoking anywhere on campus, allegedly) last year. I notice I have become FAR more sensitive to cigaratte smoke now (in the sense of if someone is smoking anywhere nearby, I can smell it and find it unappealing) than I was before.

Back when I first rode the TE, there was apparently a smoke lounge on one of the cars. One time when I was riding coach I wound up with a seat mate who both insisted on sitting in the window seat (overnight) and who wanted to get up every hour to go have his smoke. I wasn't real happy about that. Then there was the time on the crowded train when they put me in the car with the smoking lounge, even though I had asked not to (I have allergies and low-grade asthma). I wouldn't have an issue with the e-cigarettes; my understanding is they don't make smoke per se. Especially if it was someone in their own compartment doing it. (I wouldn't feel the same way about conventional or "herbal" cigarettes, because they do leave a lingering odor)

The thing with smoke (and stuff like Axe body spray, which I also hate) is that it does invade other people's space. I'm generally okay with people doing what they want provided it doesn't adversely influence others, but once it starts to invade my breathing space (or hearing space, like someone playing loud music on the train), I begin to become irritated.

 

[DET63]

I have been taking my grandchildren on the auto train for the last 3 years. I am delighted they are stopping smoking. Even though it was only allowed in the lower level of the lower level of the lounge car, it always came upstairs. We could not even stay there to watch the movie for the smell. We are goijng again this year in the summer and will be really happy to be in the lounge car. Thank you, Amtrak!!!

". . . the lower level of the lower level of the lounge car"? That sounds like one of the_traveler's rides!

 

[SarahZ]

The thing with smoke (and stuff like Axe body spray, which I also hate) is that it does invade other people's space. I'm generally okay with people doing what they want provided it doesn't adversely influence others, but once it starts to invade my breathing space (or hearing space, like someone playing loud music on the train), I begin to become irritated.

Don't even get me started on perfume... and Glade plug-ins... and scented candles... and scented hand sanitizer/lotion... Every single one of them gives me an asthma attack, and 99% of the time, they smell awful. "Berry Cherry", my foot. :angry: It smells like a bottle of Cherry Coke fell into your gas tank.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

Slightly OT:
The college campus I teach on went "tobacco free" (no smoking anywhere on campus, allegedly) last year. I notice I have become FAR more sensitive to cigaratte smoke now (in the sense of if someone is smoking anywhere nearby, I can smell it and find it unappealing) than I was before.

I've noticed this too. Which intrigues me because I actually kinda liked the smell before.

 

[battalion51]

Using e-cigs is also strictly prohibited by Amtrak's policy. You may have been lucky in the past, but nothing says you will be in the future. You would likely be warned if you were caught, but they could put you off the train...