Behaviour on trains

If they serve food and drink on that mode of transport (train, plane) then surely you can consume them?

I have personally no objection to women putting on make-up in a train. I just assume that they are had to rush to catch the train and are on their way to an important appointment.

My colleagues and I were once on a train that was so badly delayed that in order to be on time for a performance we had to change into our costumes and do our full theatrical make-up in the train. I would honestly have been offended if anyone had complained.

I was brought up to think it bad manners to eat on a train, unless you offered the rest of the passengers a share of the food. No-one does that any more, but I think if I was sitting facing fellow travellers, I would say, "I hope you don't mind, but I am absolutely famished, so I must have a sandwich." I would, of course, expect the other person to reply,, "No that is quite all right".

I honestly feel people are becoming too precious, for want of a better word, if we no longer can eat or drink in a train.

I like many others object to loud telephone or other conversations, noisy children, passengers with their feet up on the seat, and people pushing and shoving.

Just seems that people are so insular these days that they don't care what other people think anyway!

Perhaps the people who complain about others putting on make up etc. are being just a little insular themselves.

As others have said, live and let live.

I was on a train from Morpeth to Kings Cross last week and I was worried that the rocking motion would result in me being scalded by my own coffee. There's no way I could've applied make-up under those conditions! Respect for the lass's steady hand! I would've emerged looking like Jack Nicholson as the joker!

I seem to recall that applying lipstick and powder in public became a fashion statement in the twenties, along with expensive looking compacts. That would have been unthinkable pre 1914, I think. The best compromise could be to get on the basic primer and foundation while scrambling into one's clothes, and do the rest on the train. Keep all the pencils, brushes and mascara etc in a plastic box to prevent spreading. When I had to drive 16 miles to work for 20 years, there was no way to do one's face. Often, shocked colleagues in the early morning asked if I was ill
Hard boiled eggs with sandwiches used to be popular fodder when neither trains nor stations could supply any food. Actually, boiled eggs during rationing would have been an enviable luxury.

There is a time and a place for everything, unfortunately these days some people think they can do what they like, when they like and where they like, regardless of other people - total bad manners.

Many countries ban eating and drinking on public transport as well as putting feet up on a seat. Regardless of whether it's boiled eggs or whatever - as far as make up is concerned I am allergic to many of the ingredients not to mention perfumes and have a hard time travelling as it is without others exposing me to these things unnecessarily on public transport, am sure there will be just as many agreeing with me as disagreeing. But it's a bit like smoking - that was considered normal at one stage and has fortunately been banned. To be honest, I am not totally against someone having a discreet bite or applying a bit of lipstick on public transport but to totally spread out is def not acceptable in my thoughts.

I never use trains myself, I can’t say applying makeup would particularly bother me, I would be amused by it I think. Mobile phones would though. One of my daughters overheard a girl give out all her details once on the phone. The upshot of it was, she was going on holiday, and had forgotten to inform someone, and she gave out her address and everything, for all to hear, plus all her bank details, and here’s me thinking it’s just the elderly who are vulnerable in that way. My son once heard someone trying to do stock market deals over the phone, you know, “ go high, put in at least a million”. Then his phone rang?!! It’s people like this who keep the rest of us amused?

I commute all hours and I would say putting your make up on is the least on the list of bad behaviour. I have seen too many people putting their feet on the seats, one man in the summer took off his sandals and put his bare feet on there. Dogs sitting on seats. People clipping their nails!!I have witnessed a fight, heard a million phone conversations even when the train isn't full and been verbally abused. And also heard a man spitting constantly on the floor. We sure do live in a selfish world but
harm is there if you are expert enough to be able to put your make-up on a moving train?None at all on my eyes.

Aha, it seems that egg sandwiches are a sure way to gain some elbow room then!

I remember my daughter ( now 44 ) saying no one would sit next to her on school coach trips as she always took egg and salad cream sandwiches.

Surprised that no-one has complained about sitting near someone who is a heavy smoker.
I have lost count of the number of times I've had to move to avoid the stench of smoke-saturated clothes!
Are smokers really unaware that they carry the smell around with them?

BradfordLass72
It is NOT an offence to eat a boiled egg on a train BUT an offence to abuse the person who is eating the boiled egg.

No problem if people want to apply makeup or eat as long as it is not excessively smelly. What I object to is threatening / abusive behaviour.
Several years ago, on the day Wales won the Rugby 6 nations, a very intoxicated and verbally abusive man and his drunk friend were sat in front of me on the last train back from Liverpool to London. Whilst the train was boarding he kept shouting Wales and was also making lewd comments to young women in the carriage. I was with my son who was about 14 at the time and I thought we were in for a very unpleasant journey. All the seats had been reserved and people were standing. I went and complained to the guard who was in his 'office' in another carriage (as I was getting up the man was verbally abusive to me 'you can f* off'). The guard went and got a policeman from the platform and both the man and his friend were quickly ejected from the train. It was such a relief and their seats were quickly taken by some other passengers and we subsequently had an uneventful journey home.
Btw I have nothing against the Welsh or them winning the rugby six nations. My DH was born in Wales.

I once had a girl next to me applying coat after coat of nail varnish for the whole 1 hour train journey, it make me want to vomit but I was reticent to complain.

I avoid sitting at a foursome table if poss for all the reasons above. And I delight asking someone ‘is anyone sitting there’ on a busy train when someone is obviously being selfish spreading their stuff about.

There is a man who gets on our local bus who absolutely stinks, he usually sits at the front so if I see him at the stop I nip up the back, but his smell fills the whole bus.

Oh, nowdays my bete noir is feet on seats.

When in a brave mode, I do ask passengers to remove their shoes (with feet in them!) from seats and most understand and seem happy to comply.

Apologies to the general public of north-west London c1967-8 who used the 113 bus. I am the person guilty of daily chomping on a boiled egg.

Yes, I knew it was antisocial but being young (and obviously slightly stupid) I really didn't care. As long as I had my extra few minutes in bed, I was happy!

I would give my old self an enormous lecture on the value of good nanners if I could!

It would not bother me. I understand the rush it can be getting out in the morning. I often do mine when I get into work.

This exact scenario happened to us. The contents of her make up bag were strewn across the shared table. Not something I want to watch but worse still was her unruly child who constantly kicked me under the table!

@jaylucy I used to have to get a 5:45am train from the south coast up to the North in one day every now and then with my job, I'd have starved had I not eaten and had a coffee en route, although never anything that would have produced an irritating/nauseating smell!
Excessive noise, smelly food etc. I can understand but makeup isn't a bother to me, again if you're getting up early and need to commute it makes a bit more sense, although spreading out loads neither sounds hygenic for her makeup and tools nor fair on anyone else sitting down there.

As an aside, I got the bus last week and had to get off early because a man got on with so much cologne on I felt violently unwell, headache, could hardly breathe... I know that sounds dramatic but my god he must have used nearly an entire bottle. I did open a window but he kept passive - aggressively getting up to shut it again. Equally as unpleasant to be sat next to someone on the other end of the spectrum who smells of BO or other less than lovely smells... I know sometimes it can't be helped but well, it's still a bit yuck isn't it

No I don’t think it is ok to apply make up on a train.
Putting on make up is a private thing like brushing your teeth or going to the loo. Something to be done in the privacy of your own home.
I think it is a ‘look at me’, quite narcissistic thing to do.
I can understand the woman getting annoyed by the smell of the eggs being eaten, but she obviously overreacted.
I hate smelly McDonalds being eaten on late at night trains, crisps being crunched loudly and people who sniff and don’t blow their nose.

Once on a tube commute into London I sat opposite a very pretty black girl who had a skin condition which meant that her face was totally mottled - dark and fair. She spent the whole journey painting the lighter bits with a dark foundation. It was incredibly painstaking work, done notwithstanding the endless bumps of the Northern Line. It took a good half an hour and I certainly didn’t resent her using her journey time to do it.

To add, got the train from Liverpool Street and a man opened up a Tupperware tub of awful cold stew and as he had headphones on he ate so loud. Make up my own daughter does it usually if she is running late her makeup is lovely so maybe I would get some tips if I saw this.

I’m just glad I didn’t spend the day with her, mmm wonder why everyone in the office has disappeared and I have wind x

As a young woman and a student I travelled by train regularly between London and Edinburgh. Being chatted up was a burden. Particularly by men travelling south from Aberdeen off the oil rigs and starved of female company. It was no good being hoity toity but if you started asking them about their wives and children, they would give up and become more respectful. One told me that there were women on these trains that were there deliberately to roll them for their money. Goodness knows if that was true. An old grandad once bored on for hours and then turned the conversation to doubtful films set in women’s prisons. So it was all ages really. One young man who was my own age and seemed nice told me he had been in London for a medical appointment and was terminally ill and would I have sex with him because he would like to experience it before he died. It seems unlikely now but I am still not sure if he was lying. But I declined of course. There is something about trains. A very respectable looking middle aged man once offered to carry my case at King’s Cross. I said, “No thank you”. He then asked me if my boyfriend ever spanked me before hurrying off. I suppose this was in what is now referred to as “other times”. An end to all this has been one of the good things of becoming old.