Quiet cars? Newbie Tips?

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morgan51

Train Attendant
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
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54
Location
Lincoln, NE
My granddaughter, 8, and I are traveling in June from Lincoln NE to Reno NV for a few days, then on to Sac and transfer up to Eugene OR for an event, then back home to NE. It's been years since I've been on Amtrak, and she's never ridden the train, so we're looking forward to this trip!

I'm presuming the trip from NE to NV won't be all that crowded (we've had our tix for months already) but the recent news report about the passenger who was removed from the train in Portland OR caught my eye. Is the Coast Starlight between Sac and Eugene usually crowded in June? Has anyone else had a problem with noisy fellow passengers? Normal talk and crowd noise is understandable, but I'm hoping the Quiet Cars will be mostly quiet since we both read a lot!

Any other advice or tips welcome :)

Carol
 
Well, the most important thing to note is that Coast Starlight doesn't actually have a quiet car. :wacko:
 
Quiet cars tend to be on certain corridor trains; not sure any of the long distance trains have them. (Readers, correct me if they do!)

I've never had a noise issue that wasn't resolved by a friendly reminder. But for those rare times where escalation is called for (the story from a couple of weeks ago being a clear case), conductors can and do intervene.

Even though lights are turned down at night in the coaches, I find an eye mask helps. I also carry ear plugs with me, just in case, although I don't always use them. It might not be a noisy passenger, it could be a rattle somewhere.

Watching movies on laptop computers or portable DVD players is quite common, and everyone's plugged into their Ipods, but reading is a wonderful train activity! Add a deck of cards and some puzzle books, and you and your granddaughter should be all set.
 
morgan51 said:
My granddaughter, 8, and I are traveling in June from Lincoln NE to Reno NV for a few days...

I'm presuming the trip from NE to NV won't be all that crowded.
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I live in Reno; feel free to ask any questions you have about the city. The station here is in a long, shallow tunnel/trench that cuts right through downtown.

Lincoln to Salt Lake will likely be pretty crowded, trending towards more crowded around Denver with lots of turnover there. In coach, Salt Lake to Reno is relatively uncrowded-I have reason to travel this section relatively often and they usually shut one of the coach cars between the two cities.

There's never been a quiet car in the Zephyr that I've seen, but the conductors will deal with annoying people if need be.
 
The Journalist said:
morgan51 said:
My granddaughter, 8, and I are traveling in June from Lincoln NE to Reno NV for a few days...

I'm presuming the trip from NE to NV won't be all that crowded.
Click to expand...
There's never been a quiet car in the Zephyr that I've seen, but the conductors will deal with annoying people if need be.
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Aloha

I don't remember any train I have ridden on Amtrak having a "quiet" car. I also don't remember anyone so obnoxious to spoil the ride. Last Summer I took my Granddaughter, Evan 8, on her first Long distance ride. We had a sleeper on the Coast Starlight. She tell her friends the trip was "Awesome" I a sure no matter what the two of you will have an experience of a lifetime.
 
If another passenger is bothering you, just tell one of the staff and they will address the issue. Your complaint has to be reasonable of course (ie- let the person behind you have a 10 minute phone conversation without complaint) but if it's excessive time/volume, they're usually happy to help ensure the enjoyment of everyone.
 
There no such thing as a quiet car on an Amtrak long-distance train. However, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., or so, lights in the coaches are turned down and people are expected to tone things down to let people sleep. Seems like that woman on the Starlight just talked non-stop for 16 hours (although a lot of people have pointed out that there are lots of times when there is no cell service in rural, mountain areas) and became beligerent when other passengers and crew told her to tone it down. I can never understand how people can talk on any phone for long periods of time. I guess I don't have that much to say.
 
Thanks for the answers and tips, everyone! Very helpful. It's been so long since I've ridden Amtrak, and it sounds like it hasn't changed as much as I thought. I grew up in Reno and had relatives here in Nebraska, so I took the route a few times more than 20 years ago. Can't believe it's been that long - we definitely won't wait as long again. You all make it sound wonderful. The portable DVD/CD player is a great idea!

One last question: Do they have coffee available in the mornings without having to go into the breakfast car and sitting down to get it? I.E. a beverage tray maybe?

Thanks!
 
alanh said:
For coach, you can buy coffee from the snack counter in the lounge car. Sleepers have free help-yourself coffee.
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Ok thanks! Love my morning coffee :)

No sleepers. Did that once and found them way too claustrophobic and confining for me, but it's definitely a budget issue for us too.
 
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morgan51 said:
My granddaughter, 8, and I are traveling in June from Lincoln NE to Reno NV for a few days, then on to Sac and transfer up to Eugene OR for an event, then back home to NE. It's been years since I've been on Amtrak, and she's never ridden the train, so we're looking forward to this trip!

I'm presuming the trip from NE to NV won't be all that crowded (we've had our tix for months already) but the recent news report about the passenger who was removed from the train in Portland OR caught my eye. Is the Coast Starlight between Sac and Eugene usually crowded in June? Has anyone else had a problem with noisy fellow passengers? Normal talk and crowd noise is understandable, but I'm hoping the Quiet Cars will be mostly quiet since we both read a lot!

Any other advice or tips welcome :)

Carol
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You should know that the CA Zephyr, the Coast Starlight, and the Empire Builder tend to be quite full in the summer months, usually sold out.
 
Carol, like I would recommend for any newbie, I would highly recommend you check out On Track On Line's First Time Amtrak Travel Tips. Lots of great hints, tips, and insights on there. Unfortunately on most long distance trips, folks are grouped together by destination, not necessarily by demographics. The notable exception where demographics are used is Auto Train. There's usually the "family" coach, the "old people" coach, and then the rest of us. They can do this with Auto Train because everyone has the same origin and destination, plus your seats are assigned when you check in, not trainside like most trains. But, if you have issues with a fellow passenger on your trip just casually bring it up to your coach attendant or conductor and they'll typically address it quickly.
 
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