Passenger Trains > Sleeper car question

Can I get extra pillows or an extra blanket for my bed if I need it? I would imagine the answer is yes, but just making sure! Also, does the train have little bottles of shampoo and little bars of soap like a hotel room? (Yes, I'm packing already!) :) !!!!!

yes, just ask your attendant and he/her will bring it to you.

Chris

Hand soap, yes. They used to offer shampoo, but I'm not sure they still do.

20 plus years ago when I was in my "corporate life" I would be sent to various seminars lasting from 2 days to a week etc. I bought an item called a Freedom Bag
http://www.freedombag.com/index.html
and have used it ever since. It is always packed with everything including a travel hair dryer, all of my cosmetics, etc. It is ready to go----(of course I have to replenish etc) It even includes scotch tape, paper clips, etc. etc. It weighs a ton only because of what I choose to put in it but believe me, it's great for travel because it has everything I use in everyday life in it and it's ready to go when it's time to take off. You don't have to worry about whether or not the usual toiletries etc are there. You have your own if they aren't there and of course it applies to wherever you stay over and etc.
Check it out.
C.
PS--IIRC,if you are in a bedroom with shower etc you have soap and a box of tissues, but no shampoo etc.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/12 20:50 by CarolVoss.

Well, Mudrock has done a lot more train travel than I have. But I can tell you that whenever I've asked for an extra pillow or blanket, 100% of the time I am told that they do not carry them and that they are all in the bedrooms.

If you are traveling by yourself, there is another bed (folds down from the ceiling) where you can take a pillow and steal the blanket from that bed. But as I noted on your blog a few weeks ago, make sure you tell the attendant so that they know that they will have to make up two beds.

My wife is long retired from the "life of corporate adventure", but she still has a purse that has everything one might need on short notice. I'm sure there aren't any sledge hammers, spare locomotive brake shoes or track jacks--it just feels like it.

Few weeks ago on the Starlight no little bag with shampoo, etc., no tissues and no fizzy beverage in my roomette. Soap and towels were available to those who knew where to look.

Whew! Y'all are scaring me! My husband is going with me on the first trip. We planned it during his vacation time. BUT . . we both sleep with two pillows and depending on how chilly the roomette is, we both might need an extra blanket. (I've been told that "elderly" people sometimes get cold and the heat/ac controls don't usually work.) I got an excellent idea from someone about how to block the cold air from the vent, but that doesn't solve the pillow problem. Taking extra pillows from home seems like too much to carry!

beds are made down with two pillows each (one is usually available on the seats when the beds are up and the other is stored with the bedding). Train blankets are warm (and sturdy) so I have never wanted for a second one. Bring your own shampoo, though.

The blankets they use are not substantial. Imagine a "throw" type of blanket you'd see on a couch or over a chair. It's not a true "blanket" and is very, very thin. The bed is only made up with the sheet and the blanket--that's it. If you find that you need an extra one, as a last resort you can buy one in the lounge car (it's an Amtrak-branded blanket). And I also sleep with two pillows, however, when I overnight on Amtrak I have to take both of their pillows and stack them because they are VERY thin and not cushy. I often hear older folks talking about how cold they were last night when I go to breakfast in the diner the next morning.

RevRandy Wrote:
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> Train blankets are warm (and sturdy) so I have
> never wanted for a second one.

Really? It's just a thin little throw blanket--what train were you where they used a sturdy and warm blanket? Seriously---I can't imagine the AmBlanket being called warm and sturdy.

What I have done is bring a down throw - it's about 6'x5' - VERY light, VERY packable (it compresses to about half an inch by 8x8". That allows for daytime use and night time back up. I wouldn't go on a train without it. Another option is the fleece throws, but they don't compress as much, weigh more and aren't as warm. The Attendant told me that he could always get me another blanket(when he saw me during the day with the throw), but I was comfortable the way I was.

Pillows aren't very substantial. If you use pillows to support your back or what have you, I would bring an extra. They too compress. Use space backs (the kind that compress all air out of the back) and you'll be amazed what can be brought. The blanket & pillow are light so that isn't an issue. I have a small throw pillow - use it for my back at times, and for the bed at night.

I would bring my own shampoo and bottle soap - it's cleaner, more familiar, and you won't have issues with adverse reactions (if you have had any before with soaps and shampoos). Since you don't have to worry about the liquids-in-a-one-quart-bag farce, it shouldn't be an issue.

BTW - the above is one indication, but there are many more - all attendants are NOT the same. Some are great, some are lousy, and some are never seen. If you have a good one, make sure he/she knows it.

When I travel on Amtrak I take a small fleece blanket. They roll up pretty good and don't take up too much room. I have used inflatable pillows. When you let the air out they don't take up hardly any room. When I've used them I blow them up all the way, lay down on them and let the air out until they are at the thickness and firmness I desire.

You might want to go to a camping type store (Dicks, Camping World, Bass Pro, or whatever you have in your area. Look at the backpacking supplies. You can find some light items that you might find useful.

Wally-world (Wal*mart), Target, and others have travel sizes of most soaps, deodorants, and shampoos.

Just remember, different experiences on different trip, for different people, and different needs. Just find out what works for you.

John

rswebber is correct. "Not all attendants are the same."

In my travels, I've found that Amtrak's attendants regularly put one pillow out for each bed; I've been told that that's what their service manual tells them to do. Rev Randy is correct in saying that the rooms are set up in day service with two pillows, one on each seat, but I've frequently seen that the two pillows are used at night, one per bed, and that there aren't any more pillowed stowed away in the upper berth. I've also had attendants tell me that they provide one pillow per bed in the Roomettes and two pillows per bed in the Bedrooms, so you never really know what'll be on the bed until you open it. On the Superliners, I've always found that they have extra pillows available in a locker, but the Viewliners seem to have less storage room, and sometimes you get turned down on the extra-pillow request. Train Granny, that would probably apply to you, since I believe you'll be riding the Silver Service trains.

I don't know why Amtrak doesn't just issue enough pillows for two per bed in every room. I've never understood it. I think it was an old "railroad" thing, maybe going back to Pullman, from when pillows were big and feather, and cost some money, and the linens cost money, but pillows aren't expensive anymore, and it's just another pillowslip.

On western trains, especially in Winter, I've found that the attendants will frequently make the rooms with one blanket on the bed and another folded at the foot of the bed, since so many people ask for an extra blanket. I agree that Amtrak's blankets are light.

If all else fails, a folded jacket beneath the one pillow works alright.

Well, I can speak a bit from recent experience.

We left early on the morning of March 17 on the Coast Starlight from Sacramento to Seattle in a deluxe bedroom. Each bed had one thin blanket and there was one extra blanket. I do believe there were four pillows of moderate depth. Even though it was cold and snowy outside in Oregon, room temperature was never a problem.

On the return, we were riding the packed California Zephyr, leaving Chicago on March 23. Although our original room, the "accessible" room, aka, the handicapped room, was deemed out of service due to wet carpeting due to a bad window leak (right next to the seats), we were moved to a deluxe bedroom from Chicago to Glenwood Springs, but then to an economy bedroom (roomette) from Glenwood to Sacramento. Again, 4 pillows and an extra blanket in the deluxe bedroom, but in the economy, there were only two pillows and one blanket per bed. However, that being said, even though the blankets were frightfully thin, we were able to easily control the room temperature, and were never cold. I would question if the car carries any extra bedding other than what's necessary. However, if you should be nice, perhaps another pillow can be found. I really don't know. But the attendants we had on both the Starlight and CZ were friendly and very good. They were tipped well.

As a counterpoint, we also rode the VIA Rail Canadian from Vancouver to Toronto. Had a classic railroad bedroom. 4 pillows, but instead of blankets, VIA now uses a single duvet per bed. At times they seem too warm, but it is Canada after all!

Have a great trip, and if you really need an additional pillow, your best bet is to pack one along. And speaking of pillows, I found Amtrak's to be easier to sleep on than the uber-thick and dense ones on VIA Rail. I'm 6'3", and I slept on the upper bunk far better than the lower one.

Regarding shower amenities, the Coast Starlight had a little gray pouch with shampoo, conditioner and lotion in it. The California Zephyr did not have anything like that. Two bath towels are in the deluxe bedroom shower on the shelf (both of the Superliners we had on the trains had been rebuilt with the new bathrooms, and they have a shelf in the shower room.) The common shower on the CZ had a stack of towels there and a bowl with bars of soap, but you had to bring your wash cloth from your room. (Each economy room has a pair of wash cloths and hand towels.) The Canadian provided a plastic bag with two bath towels and a wash cloth, along with a bottle of shampoo and a round disk of soap. This bag was replaced every day except for the last one (different attendant). In addition in the room is a basket with hand towels, wash cloths, soap, lotion . . . and ear plugs! This basket was changed daily.

Have fun on your trip! (What space do you have on what train?)

Lee Hower - Sacramento



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/12 11:23 by mcfflyer.

We are on the Silver Meteor from Savannah to NYP and back. On the way up there we are in car 9810 Room 2 (Viewliner Roomette), and on the way back we are in car 9712, roomette 8.

Ask when you first board. I have never been denied extra pillows. And an extra blanket should not be a problem.

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Keith Hunter
FOREST CITY, IA

According to section 7-42 -- 45 of this service standards guide (see http://tinyurl.com/44fbbvp ), indeed each bedroom gets two pillows and blankets per berth while the roomette gets one of each per berth.

I seem to recall an extra blanket and pillow in the roomette closet, but I may be imagining that

I purchased a couple years ago in the lounge car of the Coast Starlight a travel pillow with lightweight fleece travel blanket for about $10. Came in their own zippered plastic bag. I now take the set every time I travel on both train and plane -- especially since the latter don't see to keep ANY blankets available any more on their cross-country flights -- day or night. The pillow is non-allergenic, which I often substitute for the down pillows I frequent find in hotels or the extra-thick firm foam pillows, which wake me with a stiff neck in the middle of the night.

I have found it reasonably easy to control the room temperature in the economy bedrooms on the Superliners, through judicious experiment with the heat (the rheostat on the back of one of the two seats) and the A/C (the vent lever in the ceiling). The blanket I had on #2 in January seemed reasonably heavy enough to keep me warm and snug on the mattress as I attempted to "cram" myself into a position that would keep me still and not roll me side to side on curves, which would invariably disturbed my sleep.