Quick question.

[boyce]

I am a smoker. Am I just out-a-luck on the Sunset.

 

[AlanB]

Someone else may know better, but yes I do think that you are out of luck on the Sunset. As far as I know, you can only smoke at the longer stops.

 

[coachseats]

You might get lucky and have a coach on the train with a downstairs smoking lounge, but I don't think that they are usually on this route. Just think of this as an opportunity to quit cold turkey!

 

[Amfleet]

According to B-51, who sees the Sunset Limited consist on almost a monthly occurance, that train has been running with a Coach Smoking car. This is due to the fact that full Coaches are needed for the Auto Train, which meant the Sunset had to sacrafice one full Coach for a Coach Smoking. Not a bad deal and gives you smokers a chance to light up when ever you feel like it instead of having to wait hours for designated smoking stops or try to sneak a smoke in the vestibule.

 

[Anthony]

Unfortunately, for the poor souls seated in the upstairs section of the Coach Smoking car, they get to smell cigarette smoke for days as it finds its way upstairs.

 

[Amfleet]

Unfortunately, for the poor souls seated in the upstairs section of the Coach Smoking car, they get to smell cigarette smoke for days as it finds its way upstairs.

In both directions on the Capitol Limited, the upper-level of the Coach Smoking was tolerable and the cigarette odor was not too strong. However, others have their own tolerances on cigarette smoke.

 

[Anthony]

In both directions on the Capitol Limited, the upper-level of the Coach Smoking was tolerable and the cigarette odor was not too strong. However, others have their own tolerances on cigarette smoke.

It's pretty bad on the SW Chief on the second night going west...

 

[Amfleet]

What exactly causes the smoke to get into the upper-level. When the Coach Baggages were re-built into Coach Smokers I thought a seperate air system was installed that baisicly sucked all the smoke filled air from the smoking room outside and then brought in new fesh air. Thus creating a constant circulation and not allowing the smoke to drift elsewhere into the car. The Auto Train Lounge has the same concept and I could never smell it on the upper-level.

 

[battalion51]

Well the difference is this, on the Smoking Coaches the door can stay open, not the case on the AT lounges (automatic door). As for the Sunsets exact smoking policy, the timetable states that there are smoking stops, this can vary on the actual crew though. Other crews will allow the smokers to use the lower level of the Snack Coach as their smoking room, but again it varies by crew and consist type.

 

[AMTRAK-P42]

Unfortunately, for the poor souls seated in the upstairs section of the Coach Smoking car, they get to smell cigarette smoke for days as it finds its way upstairs.

I had this problem really bad on the Empire Builder a few years ago. It was as if I was sitting in the smoking lounge itself!

 

[Amfleet]

Well the difference is this, on the Smoking Coaches the door can stay open, not the case on the AT lounges (automatic door). As for the Sunsets exact smoking policy, the timetable states that there are smoking stops, this can vary on the actual crew though. Other crews will allow the smokers to use the lower level of the Snack Coach as their smoking room, but again it varies by crew and consist type.

If I remember correctly, on the Coach Smokers the door that leads into the smoking lounge is the same as the doors that lead to the next car on the upper-level (which can tend to stick or slide close very slowly). The door on the Auto Train Lounge is not automatic, but does shut all by itself (like a door leading into a shopping store).

 

[Amfleet Fan]

On my trip back in July we had a Coach/Smoker on the South and Northbound Texas Eagle.

The Southbound had a door which took a while to close and the smoke odor did manage to get upstairs.

Since I am a smoker whenever I was down there I did try to make sure the door closed behind me.

On the northbound trip, the smoking lounge must have had a superior ventilation system because there was virtually no smoke in the lounge and no odor that made it upstairs.

I think sometimes it depends on the condition of the car and it's vent systems on how well the rest of the coach fares from the smoking lounge.

 

[jccollins]

I refuse to sit upstairs above a Superliner smoking coach and that is where the crew attempts to seat me on EVERY trip I take between Reno and the SF Bay Area. Every superliner train I have ever been on has an intolerable smoking stench above the smoking room - it is bad enough to have to walk through the upstairs holding my nose, I refuse to be seated there!

I traveled the Sunset Limited rt from LAX to ORL in July and the crew did NOT permit any smoking anywhere onboard for any portion of either trip. There didn't seem to be any problems eastbound, but after making an announcement just past Tuscon on the westbound trip that anyone caught smoking on the train would be thrown off, the conductor did indeed detrain a lady in Maricopa that did not/woulod not adhere to the policy.

Smoking is GROSS and it should NOT be allowed on ANY train, under ANY circumstances, ANY where! The fact that Amtrak still permits it on certain trains and tries to force people to sit in the coach above it, knowing that it drifts upward is unbelievable and frankly unacceptable.

:angry: :angry: :angry:

Every other form of public transportation has put strong anti-smoking bans into affect for the protection of their mainstream passengers and Amtrak needs to roll into the 21st century and adopt its own similar policies.

 

[battalion51]

But Steve you are under a different set of circumstances on a train. While airline flights are generally 3-6 hours, train trips can be up to three days. While they should and do permit smoking stops, every smoker thinks every stop should be a smoking stop, regardless of how long it is. Planes however very rarely make stops, so there is less oppurtunity in a smokers mind. But on trains like Silver Service they should actually print that no smoking because there is a 44% chance that there will be no smoking on the train.

 

[Amfleet]

The policy should be this. If there is a designated enclosed smoking lounge on-board then passengers are free to smoke 24-7 in that area. If there is no enclosed smoking lounge on-board the train then the crew will make their best effort to allow designated smoking stops (stations) every few hours. I think we all have different tolerations to cigarette smoke. In some states there is no smoking in any public areas, but in others its allowed. I guess growing up and living in an enviroment where people are allowed to smoke in restaurants and public places I can deal with it. I can understand how you feel JC and I know some people who are just out right allergic to smoke.

 

[battalion51]

I've learned to deal with cigarette smoke when I expect it. When I know people are going to be smoking I deal with it and don't notice it. When it comes out of left field and I'm not expecting it though I'm like a Police K-9, but that's just the way I am.