"No talking in the quiet coach"

Oh dear - I thought it was no electronic gadget noises/no mobile phones, not no talking full stop!

WZS!

I was stuck in a "quiet coach" the other day - either that or no seat at all - and it was hellish. Because personal stereos were banned, for once I actually had to sit and listen to other people's utterly banal conversations, and the result was sheer aural torture for half an hour.

Give me the noisy coach any day!

Surely it's the quiet coach not the silent coach, it's too early for people like that

I hate these coaches with a vengeance. Who invented them and why? Life doesn't stop because you get on a train, in fact it's often the best time to catch up on phone calls etc. I've always accidentally sat down in one and often you can't move again in rush hour so are stuck there.

I agree though it's "quiet" not "silent". I would talk to people I'm sat with (obv if I know them!) and listen quietly to my music in headphones but not use my mobile for calls.

But I would also never complain if anyone else made a noise as I think they're stupid!

I didn't think personal stereos were banned, just the use of mobile phones?

I love the quiet coach and i do tell people to shut up if they are too loud. saying that, i only tend to travel on long journeys post 7pm so tend to miss the rush hour/no seats issue.

personal stereos/mp3s aren't banned, but people aren't meant to listen to them at earsplitting volume. if i have to make a phone call, i'll step outside the carriageinto the passage way (whilst feverishly hoping that my coat/newspaper won't be swiped).

when i have told someone to be quiet, it's normally because they are yapping away at full volume. i actually told two women to be quiet twice, as their conversation about york races had taken on a brayingly loud volume that other people were cringing.

i've also been told to shut up because i was too loud and i did. because i was in the quiet coach and thems the rules.

(writes stroppy of stockport. i think i'm a 70 year old daily mail reader waiting to break out...)

Definitely banned - believe me, I checked!

Ooops, I use my iPod. But I'm not one of those eejits who play it so loud that everyone else can hear my cheesey muzac ?

I am a big fan of the quiet coach but I wasn't under the impression you can't speak in them! I really hate listening to other people shouting into their phones - CAN YOU HEAR ME?! ARE YOU THERE? - every five minutes when you go through a tunnel, so for me they're bliss.

I have been known to use my ipod in there though, as I've got noise-reducing headphones now so don't need it to be so loud that everyone else can listen along too.

They were invented for people like me who hanker for the peace and quiet of the pre-mobile era and who hate (with a vengeance) having to listen to people making usually totally unnecessary calls. Even when mobile phones were first invented people had the courtesy to excuse themselves from company and take the call outside and those who didn't were glared at by all. So whoever invented these quiet carriages deserves a knighthood, if not canonisation. Yes, I'm a grumpy old woman and I make no apology for that. And we grumpies deserve our own carriage. ?

Sparkley I could hear your Take That megamix and I wasn't even on your train ?

God what a silly caaaaah, who made her the train police? Of course you can talk. Would she prod someone who was snoring do you think? ?

Ooh why are you in Leeds, Soaps? Don't forget to have cheesy chips!

All right Nana? bought your Scholls yet? ?

Less of your lip, young lady, or I'll take my hairbrush to the back of your legs.

??

It's catching - I have just told off some wanker for using his mobile phone ? (AM on my way back now, no timne for cheesy chips) - "Hi, this is Nigel from KPMG" - tosser.

AM quite enjoying caling him names whrn he's sat right opposite me.

Ooh i'll join in. Yeah Nigel you waaaaaanger.... ?

I love the quiet coach. If people could have mobile phone conversations at normal volume it would be OK but they seem to need to SHOUT ALL DETAILS OF THEIR PRIVATE AND WORK LIVES WHEN ON THE TRAIN and it annoys me.

I thought quiet talking was OK and personal stereos are fine as long as I can't hear the music sitting next to you. Personal being the operative word.

Pass the grumpy stick.

I fecking hate Nigel. I heard he has a spotty ***.

I don't like talking in quiet coaches. I don't think it makes any difference whether I can hear both sides of convo or just one.

Nigel now sleeping the sleep of one exhausted by cuntishness. Do you think I can tell him off for snoring? ?

Bus Train wankers ?

Nah, I reckon write to$$er across his forehead instead.

Yes! wake him up and say in your snootiest voice "I think you'll find this is the quiet coach, kindly refrain from snoring like a fog horn". He will hate you (if he doesn't already) but it'll be worth it.

?? A good point - he hates me already so what do I have to lose?

Am quite tempted to meet Sophie and Nigel off the train now ?

Totally agree with this. It is impossible to read a newspaper when there is someone shouting down a phone. When I take a call on a phone I speak quietly....thats the wonder of modern phones, you don't need to shout although many do.

The HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? is usually followed by the whole carriage sighing "yes!"

There was a woman in my carriage last night who decided, for reasons known only to her clearly distressed and mentally addled self, to ring up her hairdresser and berate him/her at some length and volume for (and I quote) fucking up her hair.

I swear that phrase got the entire carriage listening avidly - you know those conspiratorial side glances you make just to establish that you're not the only one? - and we were rather sorry when she got out at the next stop (still ranting down the platform), as it was the most entertaining on-train phone conversation I'd heard in a while.

Her hair actually looked perfectly normal to me, but I suppose "perfectly normal" isn't quite what you want when you've spent HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF POUNDS on it over the last six months. Anyway, she wants compensation, and lots of it.