Behaviour on trains

It's the people on phones who talk loud that annoy me, why do these folk think everyone wants to here their conversation.

On a cruise one time when we were sat on a table for eight persons ask an American man to try talking a few octaves lower so others on the table didn't have to hear his sermon.

He didn't speak for the rest of the meal there were a few smiles round the table.

I’m enjoying reading about the various activities observed on trains. When I said that the application of makeup makes me feels squeamish, I’m not talking about a dab of creme puff, more like a full Kim Kardashian tutorial . On a recent holiday with a good friend, again travelling by train, I was horrified when she pulled out nail clippers and proceeded to clip her finger nails all over the tray table. Is it me ?

@anxiousgran - subtle perfume applied at home is fine. It is the strong chemical propellant sprays used in public that are an issue. Even if I wasn't allergic, I think it is something to be used at home.

Eggs really do give an awful smell, its one of those things that if your eating them you arent aware. Its the people who are in close proximity that smell the awfulness.
I really like eggs but know not to eat an egg sandwich in such a confined space.
I have witnessed people losing it on packed trains its scary to witness.
In fact I once lost it with a group of tennagers who were just plain nasty nasty nasty rude vile and I'm pretty easy going .
Everyone condone it and let them continue the abusive racist remarks .
I just snapped Im not sure who was more shocked them or I.
They immediately stop the barrage of nasty filth.

In the seventies we travelled on a train from East Berlin to Prague. About halfway through the journey a family came into our compartment who were travelling on to Warsaw. They took out a camping stove and put it on the table and proceeded to cook a full meal. The smell in the closed compartment was overwhelming but appetising. The only food the rest of us travellers could get (despite a lengthy menu) was a stale roll and a can of beer which were slung at us by the guard. They obviously knew something we didn't.

To add to my post @14:0 today, I have travelled widely on Britains rail network for work purposes since the mid-90s. In that while often standing in the Buffet Car (when they existed) always found people could be very chatty even when you have never met them previous.

On one occasion travelling back from London the train, I was standing in the Buffet Car at the end of the counter enjoying a small glass of cider when a young woman started struggling to get on board the train while stopped at Reading with two large holdall bags. I gave her a hand to get the bags into the luggage rack in the next car and then returned to my drink.

I then found that the woman had followed me back into the Buffet Car and asked me if I would care to join her in a drink as she had something to celebrate. She then started on the miniature short bottles herself downing two in a few minutes while telling me she had left her husband in the last hour although he would not know that until he returned from work late that evening.

She was speaking in an excited and very loud manner while telling me all the problems there had been in her relatively short married life right down to the "performance" he had expected from her in the bedroom and many other parts of the house.

I could sense that other passengers nearby standing in the car were turning to listen and I began to hope they did not think I was in any way involved in her doing "a runner." She also must have sensed that and began telling them also, and the whole conversation developed between six or eight of us around her marital problems while the Buffet Car Bar did a roaring trade as we all celebrated her "break for freedom".

The woman left the train at Bath to live temporarily with her sister, while we all continued to discuss her situation until I had to leave the train a Yatton in North Somerset. I then decided I would have to leave my car at the car park due to having consumed a few beers while all the above was taking place on the train.

I finally staggered in the door at home very late after waiting in the adjacent station pub for a taxi, only to be reminded by my wife that I had promised she could have my car next day while hers was in for service....Oh Dear.

Ooh I’d live to know what happened next..... otherwise I’ll have to embroider a tale!

I once undertook a rail journey from London back up north. I sat with a lady across the table from me. Firstly she ate an M&S sandwich with 2 of the ready to drink plastic glasses of wine they sell which was understandable. It was a really slow journey so we chatted about life etc during the journey she then got out 4 tins of G&T and a tin of nuts which she also consumed. Each trip to the loo got progressively more unsteady I was just hoping that she wasn't picking her car up from the station carpark as cold sober I was.

Oh dear Saggi I catch up with all my reading on the train - going back to 20 years ago when DG was first in the Royal Free. I always have my iPad with kindle books downloaded and enjoy the 35/minutes or so Virgin train journey to myself!

I once told a snogging couple to stop being lewd in public on a crowded train from Edinburgh to Glasgow. I was sitting at a table seat and the couple were opposite. It was most offputting.
it quite put me off my egg sandwich
They did stop but I moved to another seat at the first opportunity. No-one else seemed bothered!

Try being confined to an 8 seater van on a 2 hour journey with an elderly and incontinent lady who has never heard of Imodium.

Or on the bus from London to Bournemout with a crying baby who also has a gyppy tummy.

Give me boiled eggs any day.

Oh, and you egg haters, never visit Rotorua, it is the most sulphurous place in New Zeland, the whole town smells of boiled eggs permanently.

I am glad you found my post so amusing Bluebelle.
You obviously didn’t get the jist of my message.
I said that in my opinion putting on make up in public is a private thing.

Grandad1949. Hilarious ?

Rotorua smells of bad eggs Bradfordlass!!

I am of the same school as you Maccyt
Call me old fashioned but I also think putting on makeup, washing, combing hair, dressing etc is something you do in private.

And for whoever said that people didn't eat in cinemas, they did and they smoked! Ash trays on the back of every seat.

The old days were no better. It wasn't popcorn but oranges and bananas. The smell of orange peel and fag ends was not pleasant. Maybe we didn't notice it so much when we joined in.

Many thanks Tedber, it was quite a memorable journey. ?

I love make-up and if nicely done would regard it as a free tutorial.

When I was at college I used to catch a slow train there with those carriages with compartments and slam doors, can`t remember what they were called.

I often put on my make-up on the way (journey took about an hour, my make-up took much less!) but never when anyone else was in the carriage. It was a very early train from the country and seldom busy. I rather wish they still had those trains now but I suppose nowadays they would not be considered `safe` especially for women travelling alone.

My daughter got on the underground a couple of weeks ago after work to be confronted by a man on the platform in a balaclava swearing and shouting , pushing people and threatening to stab someone . He jumped on the train my daughter decided to wait for the next she then got held in the tunnel as the previous train had been stopped someone pulling the emergency cord . That’s antisocial behaviour not eating smelly food or applying make up !!

Lizzle10 That must have been a chilling experience for your DD,
I have to say I don't miss those individual carriage trains suzette The ones with the corridor were marginally better but the open trains we have now are far safer.
I am reminded of some very scary moments whilst travelling to school and being alone in a carriage with a very odd man.....

* Lizzle10* - that’s not antisocial, that’s criminal I hope your daughter wasn’t too shaken up by that experience, how awful for her and the other passengers

I think I must be old fashioned as I think putting on makeup should be kept for the privacy if your bathroom, it wouldn't particularly bother me though.

As for smelly food, that's just antisocial. I remember
on a flight back from Lagos many years ago somebody brought on a carrier bag of dried fish and stuck it in the overhead locker above me! I soon got that moved I can tell you ?

Smelly food I might object to but I don't care about makeup. Why would you? I find it fascinating how someone gets on the train half awake and gets off at their destination totally transformed!

I don't like the smell of other people's food in non-food spaces but I have always assumed that was a problem I had and it would never occur to me to try and ban it for others.