Since it was my third long distance trip, I didn't exactly consider myself a newbie, but:
I was on the Empire Builder from PDX for the first time last month and I was enjoying the fantastic scenery along the Columbia River gorge from the lounge car. I needed a restroom break and I didn't want to walk all the way to the back of the train, so I decided I'd use the restroom on the lower level of the lounge car. Having always traveled in sleepers, I'd never really been on the lower level of a SSL except to peek at the cafe car once.
It so happened that when I decided to go down there, we were at a stop. I went down the stairs and kind of looked both ways because I wasn't sure where the restroom was. There was nobody down there and I finally realized that the restroom was down at the end of the car. The first thing I noticed was that the restroom looked a lot different than the ones in the sleepers. I guess it's because it hadn't been modernized at all (I remember thinking it looked like a space station toilet).
So I quickly did my business as we were starting back on the move again. When I came out of the restroom, the conductors were sitting at one of the tables at the bottom of the stairs. As I passed the table and prepared to climb the stairs, the female conductor said sternly, "Just to let you know, that restroom is not in service." I glanced back at the restroom door, saw that there was not any type of sign indicating that the restroom was closed, and said "I'm sorry, I didn't see a sign."
The conductor, who was seated at the table facing away from the restroom, without looking reached her arm and pointed backwards a cardboard trash receptacle that was sitting in the vestibule. I then noticed a handwritten paper sign taped to the trash box which said "Closed". I know I should have just said "Oh, sorry, I didn't see that."
But, I was certain that I would not have just walked past that box sitting in the hallway. I realized that the conductors had exited the car from the vestibule door during the station stop, so I said "I didn't see that sign....Is it possible that it was moved out of the way during the stop?".
She gave me a somewhat unpleasant look and said "No, it was there".
Having exhausted any reasonable excuse, I then apologized profusely and assured her I would be more careful in the future. I felt like a scolded puppy and did my best to avoid her for the rest of her shift.