Sightseer Lounge etiquette

[Brian Battuello]

I've been riding Amtrak for 50 years and for 50 years the crews have been hogging tables. Some things just aren't going to change.

 

[OmahaRoad]

I've been riding Amtrak for 50 years and for 50 years the crews have been hogging tables. Some things just aren't going to change.

Thanks for sharing your experience--that is very interesting to me, since usually what I read makes it seem like they only started hogging tables and blocking off areas in the last couple of decades!

 

[railiner]

Thanks for sharing your experience--that is very interesting to me, since usually what I read makes it seem like they only started hogging tables and blocking off areas in the last couple of decades!

I would agree somewhat…in the earlier years, when diner’s were fully staffed, every table was in full revenue service. It was only after the last meal was served, and the car was ‘closed’, that the overnight crews would set up their “office” at tables near the pantry, where the steward left them a fresh urn of coffee…

 

[trimetbusfan]

I still don’t get why crews block these tables on trains that have an office and crew lounge in the trans-dorm…too far to walk?

Some trains (like the starlight and susnet) haven’t regularly run with a trans-dorm in recent years…

 

[railiner]

I would think with the modern way of scanning tickets, and electronic record-keeping, the need for spreading out gobs of tickets and trip report pouches over a table would be eliminated...why take up that space?

 

[dlagrua]

The lounge and cafe cars are often taken over by the "lounge lizards". In the cafe cars you find people on their laptops taking up a table for most of their trip ( w no food BTW). As for the SSL some believe that its the sleeping car. I believe Amtrak needs rules that would allow everyone equal access to these cars. This can be done by have a simple clause under T's and C's on tickets. The rude may not obey it but its a start.

 

[JoeRids]

The lounge and cafe cars are often taken over by the "lounge lizards". In the cafe cars you find people on their laptops taking up a table for most of their trip ( w no food BTW). As for the SSL some believe that its the sleeping car. I believe Amtrak needs rules that would allow everyone equal access to these cars. This can be done by have a simple clause under T's and C's on tickets. The rude may not obey it but its a start.

They should reserve half the lounge for people actively consuming food or drink; the other half should be 2 tables for crew (which is more than enough) and the rest for open use.

I was on the CZ once about 10 years ago and they reserved the lower level tables for food and beverage consumption only; I thought that was a great policy.

 

[trimetbusfan]

I was on the CZ once about 10 years ago and they reserved the lower level tables for food and beverage consumption only; I thought that was a great policy.

That’s technically still Amtrak policy, per the service standards manual.

 

[zephyr17]

That’s technically still Amtrak policy, per the service standards manual.

Ah, the Service Standards manual, a work of unintended comedic genius.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

They should reserve half the lounge for people actively consuming food or drink; the other half should be 2 tables for crew (which is more than enough) and the rest for open use.

I was on the CZ once about 10 years ago and they reserved the lower level tables for food and beverage consumption only; I thought that was a great policy.

I disagree. The Crew should not be permitted to take up any tables. The cars were traditionally called "lounge cars" - which meant that passengers should be permitted to lounge with or without food and drink.

 

[zephyr17]

I disagree. The Crew should not be permitted to take up any tables. The cars were traditionally called "lounge cars" - which meant that passengers should be permitted to lounge with or without food and drink.

I completely agree. But the rub lies in the "permitted" part. Crews appear to be "permitted" to do anything they darn well please. The Official Amtrak Book of Jokes (aka, the Service Standards manual) notwithstanding.

 

[Eric in East County]

Back in late June 2018, we were on Southwest Chief No. 4 heading east for Chicago. It was a full train and the conductor asked passengers to please limit their stay in the Sightseer Lounge Car to two hours as many people wanted to have the opportunity to spend some time there, too. This request was apparently a voluntary thing that would only work if everyone cooperated. (We were able to find two seats together during the passage between Lamy and Trinidad which has some of the best scenery of the entire trip.)

 

[crescent-zephyr]

We were able to find two seats together during the passage between Lamy and Trinidad which has some of the best scenery of the entire trip.

Was the lounge otherwise 100% filled? 60% filled? I've often found that announcements like this actually keep people from using the car. Isn't a full lounge a good thing? You want the passengers to use it.

To be fair... I'm a certified "Lounge Lizard" the SSL is by far the best place to enjoy a train ride and I paid for the experience and will enjoy my seat as long as I want unless they force me out haha. Which has recently only happened on Alaska Railroad where a high-school tour guide was on a bit of a power trip.

 

[flitcraft]

They should reserve half the lounge for people actively consuming food or drink; the other half should be 2 tables for crew (which is more than enough) and the rest for open use.

I was on the CZ once about 10 years ago and they reserved the lower level tables for food and beverage consumption only; I thought that was a great policy.

On our recent trip westbound on the Builder, there were frequent announcements to that effect, and once a plaintive warning that people using the space for consuming food they brought on board would be removed from the area. (How, they didn't say...)

 

[zephyr17]

I've always used the term "lounge lizard" to refer to those who set up a sleeping camp in the Sightseer, not those who just spend a long time enjoying the car.

I am like @crescent-zephyr, I always spend a good amount of time in the Sightseer, including the less scenic parts (like eastern Montana on the Builder). But I do not consider myself a "lounge lizard".

Also, per the Service Standards, it is policy that personal food can be consumed upstairs in a Sightseer. But then again, since when has OBS ever felt constrained by published policy?

 

[Eric in East County]

Was the lounge otherwise 100% filled? 60% filled? I've often found that announcements like this actually keep people from using the car. Isn't a full lounge a good thing? You want the passengers to use it.

This was in Pre-COVID days and I think that there were four (4) coaches (mostly filled to capacity since it was a sold out train) in the consist. There were a lot of Scouts onboard for that trip, and many of them were in the Sightseer level of the coach. It was quite full, and we had to check back several times in order to find two available seats together. We were just there for the scenery and only stayed for two hours. (But what a two hours they were!) On our last few trips, we’ve been content to stay in our bedroom, particularly if our window is on the left or “fireman’s side” of the train, which provides pretty good viewing while passing through the Santa Fe National Forest.

I should mention that on our trip East on No. 4 last summer, there were only three (3) coaches, and the SSL had to be used for overflow seating.

 

[Deborah Sells]

I guess I would ask, "Could you Please tell me where I can some myself?"

 

[Brian Battuello]

It could be worse. 40 odd years ago my very smoke allergic girlfriend and I were in a non-smoking lounge car. The conductor walked in, flipped the sign to "Smoking" and lit up, along with half the people in the lounge.

 

[MARC Rider]

Also, per the Service Standards, it is policy that personal food can be consumed upstairs in a Sightseer. But then again, since when has OBS ever felt constrained by published policy?

I've never seen OBS in the upstairs part of the Sightseer Lounge, so I've never seen anyone getting dinged for eating their personal food there.

 

[zephyr17]

I've never seen OBS in the upstairs part of the Sightseer Lounge, so I've never seen anyone getting dinged for eating their personal food there.

I haven't seen it either. I was responding to flitcraft's post immediately before mine:

On our recent trip westbound on the Builder, there were frequent announcements to that effect, and once a plaintive warning that people using the space for consuming food they brought on board would be removed from the area. (How, they didn't say...)

From the context of the thread at that point, I assumed he was talking about the upstairs, since the thread was on occupancy upstairs at that point and there had also been some comments about the downstairs seating frequently being walled off with trash bags.

 

[railiner]

I've never seen OBS in the upstairs part of the Sightseer Lounge, so I've never seen anyone getting dinged for eating their personal food there.

When the SSL first went into service, during busy times they would have a second LSA staffing the upstairs bar. That use faded away rather quickly, but it was nice when it lasted, as they would take turns taking breaks, so one was always open except overnight, although the upstairs bar was mostly for drinks and packaged, non-heated snacks....

 

[Devil's Advocate]

When the SSL first went into service, during busy times they would have a second LSA staffing the upstairs bar. That use faded away rather quickly, but it was nice when it lasted, as they would take turns taking breaks, so one was always open except overnight, although the upstairs bar was mostly for drinks and packaged, non-heated snacks....

I've never seen them in their actual intended use. I'm unsurprised Amtrak quickly abandoned the upstairs bar but you'd think they could have removed it after determining it would probably never be used again (so more customers could be seated and enjoy a less restricted view) and deleted them from the second order of Superliners. If they had done that only the SL1's that had never been refurbished would still have unused upstairs bars blocking seats and views today.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I remember seeing the upstairs bar used on the Empire Builder in the early 2000's I believe (2001 /02?).

It was also somewhat used when the SSL was used as a Pacific Parlour Car once when I rode the starlight.

 

[OmahaRoad]

When the SSL first went into service, during busy times they would have a second LSA staffing the upstairs bar. That use faded away rather quickly, but it was nice when it lasted, as they would take turns taking breaks, so one was always open except overnight, although the upstairs bar was mostly for drinks and packaged, non-heated snacks....

Thanks for sharing this info, because as a younger person who has only been riding Amtrak since 2018 or so, the SSL upstairs weird bar area has always confused me, and I have wondered how it was originally intended to be used. It's felt like a strange and kinda sad vestige of a time long since past.

Like Devil's Advocate said above, I am surprised, given how quickly they fell out of use, that they never refurbished and removed the bar area to add seating. It's really odd and I feel like new passengers still get a little puzzled as to why that (large) area is just sitting there unused.

 

[railiner]

Thanks for sharing this info, because as a younger person who has only been riding Amtrak since 2018 or so, the SSL upstairs weird bar area has always confused me, and I have wondered how it was originally intended to be used. It's felt like a strange and kinda sad vestige of a time long since past.

Like Devil's Advocate said above, I am surprised, given how quickly they fell out of use, that they never refurbished and removed the bar area to add seating. It's really odd and I feel like new passengers still get a little puzzled as to why that (large) area is just sitting there unused.

Good question. I would guess that for several years, Amtrak wanted to keep their options open, to have the ability to staff it if warranted. When that apparently didn’t happen, it may have been simply that they considered it too costly to modify…