This discussion reminds me of an early story about Amtrak. One of the new managers saw an old Pullman Co. "Dining Car in Opposite Direction" sign and said, "That's stupid. Why don't we tell people which direction to go, rather than which direction NOT to go?" So Amtrak put up signs saying "Dining car this way". Think about it. There are only two directions you can go on a train. If you do it Amtrak's way, some poor schmoo is going to walk the entire length of the train before he figures out he's going the wrong way. As usual, the Pullman Co. had it right.
This material brings to mind other translations from RR to Amtrakese;
Pullmanese:
Quiet is resuested for the benefit of those who have retired
Amtrakese:
Please remain quet during sleeping hours
RR/Pullmanese:
Kindly flush toilet after each use except when train is standing at a station
Amtrakese;
Please do not flush when st a station
Railroadese:
...Railroad endeavors to furnish satisfactory service to its patrons, and you are requested to report any instance of inattention or incivility on the part of its employees.
Amtrakese:
We encourage you to give us the benefit of any comments, compliments, or suggestions you may have regarding Amtrak service.
There are others that I cannot recall, but when posting let us be mindful that this is an unmoderated, yet "G" rated, site.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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You have a point, Mr. Miami, if a reader did not have occasion to use pre-Amtrak railroad passenger service.
What I guess I need be more mindful of is that each day new Members join the forum, who by grace of age, never had any exposure to railroad operated trains - and for that matter some were not even born on A-Day.
Posts: 9979 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Mr. Norman I think we have a moderator. I have written him several times an have always gotten an answer. BTW your post reminds me of the time we were following the old Oregon trail and stopped for lunch in Guernsey, Wyo. There was a sign in the crosswalk "Yield if occupied" We never did figure out if it was meant for walkers or drivers.As to the Amtrak sign you don't need a PHD to figure out if you are going forward and see that sign you should turn around and go to the rear!!
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Pullmanese: Have you forgotten any belongings?
Amtrakese: None that I remember.
Pullmanese: Travel and Sleep in Pullman Safety and Comfort.
Union Pacificese: Be Specific: Ship and Travel Union Pacific.
Santa Fe: Road of the Chiefs
Santa Fe: Fred Harvey Dining Service
-------------------- The City of Saint Louis (UP, 1967) is still my standard for passenger operations Posts: 1404 | Registered: Oct 2001
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That's a great story from rresor. I guess it illustrates why Amtrak would be foolish to ignore lessons learned in 150 years of passenger travel. Fortunately I think current management seems to be willing to try new things but doesn't forget the past.
Mr Norman, I loved your signs, new and old. Near my desk I have the 'quiet is requested for the benefit of those have retired' sign liberated from one of my last pullman trips. Since I retired a couple year ago it seemed very appropreate.
Posts: 2397 | From: Camden, SC | Registered: Mar 2006
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Pullmanese: Instructions to Attendants of Commissary Cars, 1939 (this is for an attendant in a lounge sleeper, delivering any number of mixed drinks: Place the tea towel on one arm, fold pointed toward passenger as you deliver the drink.
posted
This doesn't seem to be so much an issue of railroadese-vs.-Amtrakese as a general change in American language usage from the heyday of the railroads in the early 20th century. Today we tend to say everything in a simpler manner, that's all. (Except on the airlines, which will not eschew obfuscation if they can help it.)
Not that Dumbspeak is necessarily a good thing. I loved the long, ornate and exquisitely balanced Victorian sentence that would never stop rocking if you tapped it at one end.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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1930's Pullmanese: "Yes Sir, I'll be happy to get that drink for you right away."
early 1980's AMTRAKese: "No, Sah! I's just the POH-tuh -- I'se don't get drinks for people...."
I'm happy to say that the surly sleeper attendants of 1980's AMTRAK are long gone now.......
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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Once I saw a hand-lettered sign posted in an Amtrak car that said: "No Smoking Is Not Permitted"
Did that mean you were required to smoke in that car, or else leave?
Posts: 588 | From: East San Diego County, CA | Registered: Oct 2004
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I have a different take on this. Yes, todays language is simpler. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not. Still, theres no accounting for stupidity or absent mindedness. While on our trip to California, I over heard our car attendants having to give directions on a number of occasions. And a few of them STILL went the wrong way. Go figure. No amount of wordsmithing is going to fix that.
-------------------- Chuck
“Adventure is just bad planning.” - Roald Amundsen Posts: 80 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: Feb 2007
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Over the years, I too have often heard someone ask a question about AMTRAK trains, service, routes, etc. to a train crew person, and have heard the train crew person either not know the answer or give the wrong information to the person asking -- they should ask me!! I have often found myself knowing more about AMTRAK than some of the on-board staff.
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by RRRICH: I have often found myself knowing more about AMTRAK than some of the on-board staff.
The last time we traveled there was a special sale-15% off the companion fare, if I recall correctly. In addition, I had redeemed 45,000 AMEX points for Amtrak gift certs. Can't redeem the gift certs online (which is how I usually reserve) so we headed downtown to the train station. The ticket agent didn't know anything about the sale and had no idea how to ring up the gift certs because "they look different than the old ones." I had to show her how to find the discount code for the sale. It took forever to get our tickets (just ask the people waiting in line behind us!).
Posts: 149 | From: Joliet, IL USA | Registered: Aug 2004
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A memorable moment -- when I booked my 1999 trip at the Orlando AMTRAK station, one of the legs I was riding was the International from CHI to Toronto (which alas, no longer runs........ ) I picked up my tickets, and didn't look at them right away, but when I got home, I saw that the agent had booked me on Train #364 from Chicago to "International Border" then he had me on a bus from Sarnia to Toronto-- I went back to the station and told him it was not necessary to take a bus, since Train #364 went all the way to Toronto at that time, so he had to call AMTRAK and verify that, since he didn't know that, then he re-issued my ticket.
As I said, pretty sad.........
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote:Originally posted by RRRICH: Pretty sad, eh, Miss Vicki?...........
oh, it was. She was so confused-kept telling me Amtrak doesn't inform the agents of specials and such. My DH was getting impatient and told her we would go home, print out the info, and come back. (she kept telling us there was no such thing).
Posts: 149 | From: Joliet, IL USA | Registered: Aug 2004
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It's the same in England now that private companies have taken over from British Rail. Everything is in trendy management-speke rather than plain English. There is a notice up at my local station: "In the preceeding quarter we failed to reach the service level agreement on punctuality" (ie, the train was always late).
Mind you, I recall some 25 years ago waiting for a train and hearing the announcement "will passengers please note that today this train is running backwards" (he meant reverse formation with first-class at the other end) but the greatest of all was in 1980 when I was at Birmingham New Street station (England's biggest city outside of London) when I heard the announcement:
"We apologize to passengers on platform 8 for the late departure of the 17.32 to Walsall" followed ten seconds later by "This is a staff announcement, will the driver of the 17.32 to Walsall please go to Platform 8 immediately because they're waiting for you!!
Posts: 395 | From: england | Registered: Sep 2002
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I have a sign hanging in my bathroom which says "Please do not flush while the train is in the station". People comment on it all the time! (No, I didn't steal it - it's a reproduction my daughter found & gave me for Christmas a couple years ago.)
-------------------- My new "default" station (EKH) has no baggage service or QuikTrak machine, but the parking is free! And the NY Central RR Museum is just across the tracks (but not open at Amtrak train times. . ..) Posts: 337 | From: Goshen, IN | Registered: Jun 2006
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Trains are not the only place signs are verbose. We were following the Oregon Trail and stopped in Guernsey,Wyo for lunch. As we started to cross the street to get to the restaurant we saw a sign "Yield If Occupied" at the crosswalk. We had fun trying to decide if that was for the walkers or drivers.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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