Restrooms in Coach

[steveindixon]

I've heard several horror stories about the restrooms in Coach. I'm going to be in Coach for 50+ hours. Any truth to these stories, or, are they relatively clean the entire trip? Thanks! Steve

 

[Guest]

It really depends on the passengers and the car attendant. It can get messy and a bit overwhelmed but if you take the time to wipe things off and put things in the right place it will help. I only travel sleepers now, and even there the bathrooms can get quite over used. I always take the time to wipe off the counter tops after hand washing or teeth brushing and if I find the trash recepticles are full I bring my hand wipes to another waste can. When I traveled coach, if one car was bad, I would move to the next, not always with great results. If things are not looking good, tell your car attendant. They are busy but they have to be aware of these situations.

 

[RailFanLNK]

Rode in coach on the CZ last week from LNK to CHI RT and the bathrooms were fine. Get a lazy coach attendent and a lazy passenger(s) and you might have trouble. The bathrooms have never been real bad on any train I have taken.

Al

 

[GG-1]

Aloha

Never had one that scared me, but even in sleeper, would not be bare foot. And all I have seen are a little bigger and as clean as one on an Air Plane (heavens those words )

 

[VentureForth]

Worst restroom experience I ever had was when I was in Business Class on the Palmetto in January.

Sadly, the restrooms are only as clean as the person who used it before you.

 

[had8ley]

The most consistent clean rest rooms I have experienced are on the Downeaster. Are the janitorial services contracted out like the cafe car?

 

[Larry H.]

I find that coach restrooms are worse than sleepers due to the load factor. On the Empire Builder the restrooms I used while on board were not pleasant. I think one of the stupidest things ever done was making restrooms uni - sex on bouncing passenger trains.. Even in the sleepers it depends as they say, who just went ahead of you. I always tried to clean up behind my self as was suggested, but I would say most people do not. I had just used one of the sleeper restrooms and told my Mom they were fine, when she got there someone had managed to go all over the seats and floor and just left it of course. I don't know if there is an answer to this except that the monitoring of them should be required to be much more frequently than they evidently are. Roomettes with there own restrooms should be a must in the next set of trains. Who ever came up with that idea never had to get up several times at night to run down the stairs to the restroom half dressed.

 

[transit54]

I've generally never had a bad experience, but the worst I ever saw was the northbound Vermonter on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was packed full with hundreds of students coming back to Burlington and by the time that the train was north of White River Jctn, the toilet in the coach I was in had either clogged or overfilled. Regardless of what the problem was, that didn't stop others from using it, and what resulted was a vile amount of blue-tinged human waste filling the bowl, and a nearly unbearable smell. I quickly found the bathrooms in the cafe car were in a much better condition.

 

[MStrain]

Bottom line: we passengers need to be more considerate when we are on board trains. Alot of the complaints I hear are due to other passengers treating the train like its their personal living room. Riding on a train comes with certain 'responsibilities' as we more often than not are "in it for the long haul" together. That being said, I have noticed that there are handrails in the bathrooms on coach......these are there for many reasons, but I do believe they are there to help us men steady our aim. Use em!

If someone has thrown paper towels about, just pick em up and throw them away. I always take a bottle of hand sanitizer for after the restroom because I end up cleaning the paper off the floor. Growing up a boy scout, I was always taught to leave things better than I found them....that includes trains.

Anyhow....we all have seen other passengers who are probably the culprits of the messy bathroom. They are usually the same ones who put the car attendants in bad moods by singing loudly to their headphones, talk on their cellphones at night, etc...... Too bad they don't throw people off the train anymore........ :lol:

MStrain

 

[AlanB]

Alot of the complaints I hear are due to other passengers treating the train like its their personal living room. Riding on a train comes with certain 'responsibilities' as we more often than not are "in it for the long haul" together.

And that is indeed one of the biggest problems both on the train and in society today. Too many people see to think that they have paid for private maid service in everything they do. The same people who complain about an increase in subway fares are often the one's leaving their trash all over the subway car, never considering that part of the next fare increase was caused because the subway now has to hire more people to keep the car clean.

Accidents do happen, but there is simply no excuse for leaving things a total mess and expecting that someone else will clean up after you. :angry:

 

[Everydaymatters]

I always wipe up the area around the sink and find that it's contageous. I mean, if you keep it clean, the person after you generally will do what they can to keep it clean too.

Betty

 

[VentureForth]

At the risk of asking Amtrak to spend another penny, a disinfectant spray in the lav would be nice...

 

[caravanman]

I find that the toilets on long distance trains mostly need a clean at least once, if not twice. Some require a turd clean.*

Ed B)

* Oops, that should read third clean..

 

[the_traveler]

I find that the toilets on long distance trains mostly need a clean at least once, if not twice. Some require a turd clean.*
Ed B)

* Oops, that should read third clean..

That IS the third clean - for #2! :lol:

 

[Green Maned Lion]

How much justification does conductor need to toss someone off the train?

 

[jackal]

How much justification does conductor need to toss someone off the train?

The conductor is God of the train...legally, he can throw anyone off he darn well chooses. I'm not sure what Amtrak's internal policies are, but I would imagine that due to tradition, union agreements, and whatever else, they'd more likely side with the conductor unless the conductor's actions are obviously egregious.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

So if I support McCain (god forbid), and the conductor really likes holding his job, he could toss me off the train, and Amtrak would back him?

 

[jackal]

So if I support McCain (god forbid), and the conductor really likes holding his job, he could toss me off the train, and Amtrak would back him?

I don't know. All I know is that, in the FRA's eyes, the Conductor can do what he darn well pleases. It's his train, just like the PIC (pilot in command) can do whatever he darn well pleases on his plane. If a passenger sues or complains, the company might look into the matter and take disciplinary action, but traditionally, and I believe legally, yes.

But I'm not an expert (I resigned before being promoted to Conductor and working any passenger trains). Someone here probably knows more.

 

[AlanB]

So if I support McCain (god forbid), and the conductor really likes holding his job, he could toss me off the train, and Amtrak would back him?

I don't know. All I know is that, in the FRA's eyes, the Conductor can do what he darn well pleases. It's his train, just like the PIC (pilot in command) can do whatever he darn well pleases on his plane. If a passenger sues or complains, the company might look into the matter and take disciplinary action, but traditionally, and I believe legally, yes.

But I'm not an expert (I resigned before being promoted to Conductor and working any passenger trains). Someone here probably knows more.

I don't know that Amtrak would back him, especially if you could prove that was indeed the reason that you were tossed off the train, and not for some other reason. However, the simple fact remains that you would be calling Amtrak to file your formal complaint from the side of the road, a train station, or perhaps even a police station. The conductor has the power to put you off the train for any reason and if you refuse, then he/she can order the police to remove you and they can't refuse. Even if they think that it's rediculous and the guy is off his rocker, the police have to comply with his edict. The conductor is lord and master of the train. He has the power to marry you, and he has the power to throw you off the train.

He might loose his job later on, especially if he's had other complaints against him, but your trip would still be ruined.

There was an incident maybe 3 or 4 years ago where a conductor threw someone off the train because of the T-Shirt that he was wearing. I don't recall precisely what it said, but IIRC it was something on the vulgar side. I believe that more than a few passengers complained about the shirt, and again I think that the conductor gave him a chance to change it. But when he refused, the train stopped at a crossing and he was kicked off the train.

I actually find myself laughing sometimes when I read stories about local cops boarding freight trains to hand the crew a ticket for blocking the crossing in their local town. First, the local town have no legal authority to do so. But, secondly the cop is breaking Federal law if he steps onto that train without permission from the conductor. Yes, it's very unlikely that the conductor is going to radio for his company police or State or Federal, but he could and they could arrest the officer for boarding the train without permission. And that officer would loose in court if it went to trial. Again, it's unlikely that it would ever get that far, much less that he'd receive any major sentence, unless he committed some other act while on board.

But again the conductor has ultimate power over his train, any cargo on it, and anyone on it.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

So, for example, a career suiciding conductor could toss Alex Kummant off the train, if he, for whatever reason, had an undying desire to be canned?

 

[AlanB]

So, for example, a career suiciding conductor could toss Alex Kummant off the train, if he, for whatever reason, had an undying desire to be canned?

Yup. As Ricky Ricardo would have said, "he'd have some splainin to do" when his shift was over. :lol: But again, Alex would be off the train somewhere calling his staff to go get the dirt on that guy and get rid of him.

 

[yoohoo]

I have a question: can a passenger on coach use the showers? oh, and where are the showers?

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Not technically, no. But a coach Pax might be able to slip an obliging sleeping car attendant a small tip and get to use one. But that really isn't in accordance with Amtrak's policies or such.

 

[Guest]

"the conductor has ultimate power over his train, any cargo on it, and anyone on it"

In continuing with this OT hypothetical subject, what happens in the unlikely situation of a conductor losing it and needing to be charged by authorities, say, with assaulting a passenger?

Regarding their abilities to perform marriages.... It would seem that the authority to perform marriages is defined by state statute and that those allowed to perform them (as well as who they can legally marry) would be spelled out in the statute. If one state doesn't include conductors and a neighboring one does, would the ceremony have to wait until the train crossed the state line. I recall Rafi making reference to the dry laws (alcohol) in Mississippi and that the train couldn't serve alcohol at certain times while in MS. Are there any state line markers along the tracks for the conductor and engineer? They're usually men, how do they know where they are? :lol: ...sorry...had to add that one.

 

[AlanB]

"the conductor has ultimate power over his train, any cargo on it, and anyone on it"
In continuing with this OT hypothetical subject, what happens in the unlikely situation of a conductor losing it and needing to be charged by authorities, say, with assaulting a passenger?

Regarding their abilities to perform marriages.... It would seem that the authority to perform marriages is defined by state statute and that those allowed to perform them (as well as who they can legally marry) would be spelled out in the statute. If one state doesn't include conductors and a neighboring one does, would the ceremony have to wait until the train crossed the state line. I recall Rafi making reference to the dry laws (alcohol) in Mississippi and that the train couldn't serve alcohol at certain times while in MS. Are there any state line markers along the tracks for the conductor and engineer? They're usually men, how do they know where they are? :lol: ...sorry...had to add that one.

I honestly don't know just what would happen in the case of a conductor going nuts and attacking a passenger. The passenger had best be sure that he/she doesn't strike the conductor though, or they will find themselves in Federal court facing some very serious charges. Returning to the question though, technically only the RR's police can board that train to arrest the conductor. They can then turn him over to local authorities to detain him, but officially the local authorities can't board the train to out and out arrest him if he is the conductor in charge and refuses them permission. If it were an assistant conductor, then the conductor could contact local police to help him out and give them permission to board the train to arrest the AC.

Now turning to marriage again, while I can't say for sure that a state doesn't have some law about a conductor, I would tend to think that they would not. For one simple reason, trains are governed by Federal laws, not state laws. The state can pass any law it wants, but neither the RR, engineer, or conductor has to obey said law. So a state law is technically useless when it regards anything on the rails.

As for the drinking thing, I'm not sure if Amtrak did that out of ignorance, was trying to be a nice neighbor, or just didn't feel like fighting with Mississippi. But again, the Miss laws have no legal standing over Amtrak or any other train operator. If they want to serve alcohol at 9:00 AM on a Sunday morning while passing through the state, there is nothing that the state can do about it.