More non-smoking trains

Effective 1 November, all Amtrak trains except Auto-Train will be non-smoking. This means that the Silver Meteor, Silver Star, and Crescent, the last three regular long-distance trains with smoking lounges will lose them with the fall timetable change.

That is absolutely UnAmerican!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell that to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, whose 403(b) trains are all non-smoking.

I can recall a 2001 AT passage in which I had the privilege to meet some "heads up' people. After first sharing a bottle of Viognier with them in their Standard, we then convened to the Diner, where the comp Williamsburg Cabernet was quite "acceptable'. After dinner, we then convened in the Lounge where our discussion topics ranged from Bridge, Wine, and even "a touch of' politics. Well now it is time for that @#$ $#@@$* movie. I suggested the lower level lounge, but she smelled the smoke; party over!!

Oh and why didn't this cardiologist and his nurse wife have a Deluxe - no one from Amtrak even told them about one reportedly stating that the Standard was just fine for two people. On this journey, there were no Deluxes avilable for on-board upgrade.

As they hopped in their Bennie next morn @ SFA, I bid them farewell after selling them at cost my second bottle of the Crysallis Viognier we had the night before. I had quite a wait to get my L-- back; and in fact collected the "booby" prize (a sunshade) for being last auto off.

Tobacco use in not illegal in the United States.

I have the right to use this product in designated areas.

You want to eliminate something.....do something about alcohol sales and unruly drunks onboard trains.

The key phrase is, of course, "designated area." There is one for every train in the Amtrak network. Anyone care to guess what it is?

It had better be on the train and not a outside platform stop.

Here's another key phrase that ClubCar wrote:Tobacco use

Smoking and "tobacco use" are not the same thing. There are other ways to use tobacco that don't produce smoke. I don't see any grounds for complaint. Tobacco use? Designated areas? No problem.

Mr. ClubCar...

I'm sorry; but I have no sympathy whatsoever. Matt suggests an option.

BTW, I am not an "anti."

Respectfully I do not agree with you position Mr. Perkowski.

As a person, I am by choice anti-alcohol on the train.

As for what Mr. Fels suggests, I don't care for alternative uses of tobacco.

I have the right to smoke (i.e. use of a legal product, just like alcohol) in a designated area where I do not offend anyone else.

Such a policy works in Canada.

Don't believe me? Check it out:

http://www.viarail.ca

Here is the specific Via thread:

http://www.viarail.ca/planner/en_plan_abor_taba.html

ClubCar wrote:I don't care for alternative uses of tobacco.

The correspondent framed this issue in terms of legal rights, not personal preferences. Let's keep the focus there. Tobacco is indeed a legal product; its use is not, and won't be, banned on Amtrak trains. Tobacco use and smoking are not the same thing.

Such a policy works in Canada.

Quite literally, that's un-American.

You can split hairs and over-legalize this all you care to Mr. Fels.

I'll state now and I will continue to state that I have the right to have a designated area on the train when I can us a legally sold product.

"Splitting hairs"? No. The correspondent asserts a right to use a legal product (tobacco) in a designated area. And nothing prohibits him from doing so. It's that simple.

There are lots of legally sold products that one can't use on a train. Firearms, lawnmowers, pets, etc. I bought my parakeets legally, yet Amtrak won't let me take them on board.

Smoking lounges are expensive to maintain, and don't always do an effective job of keeping the smoke contained. This leads to complaints from non-smoking passengers. Since Amtrak banned smoking on their western long-distance trains, apparently they found that any lost business (if there was any at all) due to the loss of smoking cars was outweighed by cost savings from not needing to maintain/clean the smoking rooms, and possible additional reservations from non-smokers that didn't want to ride on a smoking train. Evidently the policy of designated smoking stops works well enough that they'll try it on the last three normal long-distance trains.

Anti-smoking policy is "unAmerican?" Please, spare me the emo.