Chatter: no more the bane of train travel

Amtrak's quiet cars are a welcome refuge from the cellphone conversations of other passengers.

from the October 12, 2007 edition

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In an age when one can barely hear oneself think – with all the beeping, buzzing, ring tones, and other sonic bric-a-brac in the air – the idea of a snug harbor where silence reigns is nothing less than revolutionary.

But my poor son! When our train boards, I whisk him along the platform in a desperate search for the quiet car, which is not labeled (note to Amtrak: mark this car in big red letters). "Anton!" I sing out. "Shake a leg! Get a move on! We have to find the quiet car. The quiet car!"

Time being of the essence – because the competition for seats can be keen – we charge through the train with our luggage until we arrive at the oasis of calm, the refuge of an endangered species that reads newspapers, does crossword puzzles, gazes out the window in voiceless reverie, or dozes the hours away.

My son indulges me because I buy him off with snacks and promises of other largess at the end of the line. In the interim, he reads, naps, and does Sudoku to the best of his ability.

What's even more wondrous than the fact of the quiet car is that the Amtrak conductors actually enforce the principles of this compartment: no audio devices of any kind, no loud conversations, and yes, no cellphones. I recently put their vigilance to the test when the young man sitting behind me blithely took out his cellphone and began a discourse – con bravura – on the shoes he had just bought at Filene's.

I immediately signaled the conductor. "Sir," I said, jabbing a thumb over my shoulder, "please do your duty." He didn't hesitate, advising the malefactor to either turn off the phone or move to another car.

Witnessing this scene, my son turned to me and asked, "Do you know how they name bridges and tunnels after people?"

"Yes," I said with a nod.

"Well," he said, "maybe they'll name this train car after you."

Wouldn't that be nice.

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