to think it's inconsiderate to travel in the quiet coach with small children

[someonestolemynick]

That, really.

I make a point of sitting in the quiet coach, where available in order to be able to work, read or just be alone with my own thoughts.

Today I'm joined by a young family with a baby. Of course, the baby starts crying whenever we go through a tunnel. Arrrgh! I know children make noice, hence KEEP.THEM.OUT.OF.THE.QUIET.ZONE.

AIBU?

[Crocodopolis]

Oh, gosh, yes. Zombies - no manners or consideration whatsoever. Always with the grunting and groaning and shrieking about brains.

Plus, they leave a mess.

On the other hand, they do empty the place of annoying fellow commuters.

[6Musiclover]

Babies crying never bothers me tbh, it's more older kids, especially when they do that ear splitting shirking thing!

I'm no fan of noisy kids when travelling, whether in a quiet carriage or not. However, the worst experiences I've had travelling have always involved men. Whether it's Morons shouting in to their phone about their very important work, pissed up football fans, or the latest experience was just last week.
Three obnoxious specimens of the male persuasion, who were Downing cans of lager ( alcohol should be banned on trains, but that's another thread) spouting bollocks about UKIP being their party of choice, and making derogatory comments about some female or other in their office. I even heard her name and age mentioned.

They were Utter, utter dickheads..
I would choose noisy kids over these any day.

[Bair]

Nowt worse than Zombies in the quiet coach.

[muminhants]

Some people have said that "quiet coach" just means no talking on mobiles/listening to loud music.

In South West Trains the guards ask people to keep noise to a minimum so it is about being loud generally. That may not be the case for other train companies. Also SWT don't do seat reservations on most of its trains so you don't get allocated a seat in the quiet carriage.

The quiet coaches are clearly marked and in the minority so if you want to be loud, it is easy to sit elsewhere unless the train is very full.

[Weebirdie]

This thread reminds me of people who think only businessmen/woman should fly business class. That no one else, even families flying together, should be allowed a ticket because they'll chat to each other and disturb people who are travelling because of work.

I think they forget its just a comfier way of flying than economy and less expensive than first class. That's really all it is for those who use it.

[Aridane]

The worst quiet coach experience I had was a very loud mother and child - child angelic and quiet doing colouring in or whatever - but oh my giddy aunt the astonishingly loud parenting was excruciating. Would have been excruciating in the noisiest of venues.

Eventually an older gentleman asked politely asked her to lower the volume, pointing out it was a quiet coach.

Then we had a full volume repeated diatribe from the mother about how she was booked there, it wasn't her choice - then loud monologue to child about the rude man - then repeated diatribe to ticket inspector about how she was in a quiet coach with child but couldn't move because she was booked there. Ticket inspector pointed out that train was virtually empty, and, yes, she could move out of quiet coach.

Appreciate this is a zombie thread. But there we go.

[Crocodopolis]

Thank you, FindoGask. You are a considerate person.

[FindoGask]

I interpret quiet coach to mean, well, quiet coach. So I wouldn't take my children in there, who at 7 and 4 still find it impossible not to be loud.

[Crocodopolis]

YANBU.

Some people have both an over-developed sense of entitlement and a peculiar interpretation of "quiet".

[snowglobemouse]

how do people even find these old threads to drag back to life?

[sudamericanrocker]

Unfortunately the system does not allow to NOT choose the Quiet Coach... I am dreading a trip tomorrow from Manchester to London with my 13 month old daughter! I hope she does keep quiet....

[Caitlin17]

morethan 2 wrongs don't make a right.

I rarely make phone calls on a train because I don't want other people listening in on my conversation. If I have to communicate it will be by text or e-mail. Unlike you I would never dream of listening to music or a DVD , no matter how "quietly" whichever carriage I was in unless I was wearing headphones.

I don't expect your children to sit like church mice but neither do I expect or want to be "entertained" by them and I absolutely do not wantcchildren tugging at my sleeve, kicking the back of my chair, leaning over the back of my seat or pestering me.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Caitlin

neither are other peoples business calls and noises interesting to me.
I only have one dd aged 10 who I am responsible for now and I can assure you unless her and her choir members are asked to sing is quieter than a lot of the tutting and sighing going on in the carriage.

[tethersend]

[ReginaldBlinker]

Update: I was discussing this thread with dp last night, and he is of the mind that Quiet Carriages are "just full of knobs who sigh and huff a lot but won't ever actually say anything, so by all their tutting, they're making the carriage more loud for the rest of us, so they're all dicks."



I LTB.

[Locketjuice]

Maybe they thought thr quiet would be best for baby and baby didn't agree!

[UptheChimney]

yes, caitlin

[Caitlin17]

upthechomney yes I did wonder about that too.

morethanI don't expect you and your children to sit in silence but just remember your children are not interesting to other people.

[UptheChimney]

any music we play is very quiet, nobody else would hear it

Well it would be quiet to others, seeing as it'd be played through headphones, wouldn't it?

Wouldn't it?

[morethanpotatoprints]

Caitlin

You're probably just jealous that your dc and peers aren't international singing sensations.

Yes, any music we play is very quiet, nobody else would hear it. I wouldn't want dd to hurt her ears with loud music.

The children were requested to sing, they cheered up a lot of people who had previously wondered how the hell they were going to get home.

[Caitlin17]

morethan how very nice you found someone who put up with your children singing. I wouldn't have been charmed. I don't expect children to be as quiet as mice but I no more have to tolerate unsolicited musical performances from them than any other passengers.

And so far as your comment "music is quiet" you should not be playing music on a train. It's extremely selfish with or without children to force other people to listen to your choice of music.

[maggiemight]

Last time I travelled in the quiet coach on virgin some wha wha public school eejit at the back of the coach spouted forth so loudly that I could hear it even though I had earplugs in (always take these on train journeys due to other passengers being irritatingly noisy (not a prob on planes as engines re noisy)) so it isn't just babies.

But the train company should fix these things. It's like supermarkets putting child friendly or disabled parking then ignoring who uses it.

[Ubik1]

I've won the thread

ner ner ner ner ner

morethanpotatoprints how lovely

[morethanpotatoprints]

UptheChimney

Thank you, that's very nice of you.
The way you describe is the way we act though. Very few parents let their dc run wild, whichever carriage they are in.
Music is quiet, others couldn't hear it, talking quietly etc.
You still get hushed though, believe me.
Hence, my statement of not sitting like a mouse.
I refuse to do this when I have bought a ticket.

A few weeks ago the people in the quiet coach were asking my dd and her friends to sing for them. It was the last train out of our area and all others had been cancelled, the day of the bad weather.
Got talking to a posh man, who asked where the dc had been, when we told them he said "Oh do get them to sing for us". I asked them, the kids said yes and they did. They managed the first half of the concert before some of our party left the train
Even the quiet coaches like a bit of entertainment when times are bad

[tethersend]

I want to keep my own crying, running child out of the quiet coach AND THEY WON'T LET ME