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Urban Legend?

Posted by (Longmont, CO, USA) on

I hope this doesn't come across as paranoid because it really is curiosity more than anything.

We have reservations on 2 overnight trains (Amsterdam - Munich and Vienna to Venice)...private accomodations for just me and my husband. I was trying to find better pictures of the sleeper accomodations on Trenitalia and came across an old blog where the person said that their berth was gassed and they were robbed. I've heard these stories before but always third hand, never from someone that it actually happened to. That leads me to believe that maybe it's an urban legend. Has this happened to anyone here?

It's not going to change my travel plans...again, just curious. Thanks!

Posted by
23297 posts

If you go to one of the urban legend web site, you will find it discussed there. Pure legend but someone will tell you that their cousin's friend was gassed.

Posted by
8293 posts

No, Frank, it was the cousin's friend's hairdresser's brother-in-law.

Posted by
683 posts

Norma--- please be accurate with these things

It was the cousin's friend's hairdresser'a brother-in-law' SISTER'S COLLEGE ROOMMATE

Posted by
4132 posts

This was a kind of joke, and couchette ice-breaker, on my first night-train ride back in 1990.

My compartment mates, who did not speak English, had a lot of fun pretending to jerry-rig the door handle with straps and belts and things to thwart the robbers.

Hey, I just realized: It worked!

Posted by
73 posts

Kari, for our first overnight trip, we did put a bag or tied the handle, I don't remember which, just in case.
However from then onwards, we have not bothered with such things and have had great journeys.
I wonder how such urban legends start in the first place.

Posted by
23297 posts

Actually there is a very tiny bit of truth to the legend according to what I read on one of the rumor debunking sites. About twenty years ago or so it appears that a gang did try to gas a house but were unsuccessful and the story moved to gassing a whole train and from there to the legend. Who knows? If you think about the physics, it would be difficult to do. Where is His Highness when we need him to give us the proper web site reference?

Posted by
18 posts

Thanks for the chuckles! I thought it was an urban legend too but figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I wasn't really worried about it but never the less, you've made this first timer feel better just the same. :)

Posted by
23297 posts

Remember we also tend to see things in movies that often get buried in our minds that we think might be real. Gassing is hard to do. The Russia tried it once with a hostage situation and it failed. But to be safe use a gas mask.

Posted by
18 posts

Oh, the gas mask is already packed. I use it all the time here at home anyway. I mean, who doesn't these days?!?! ;)

Posted by
15100 posts

Not urban legend. I was once gassed on a train.

Offered the guy next to me some Gas-X and then changed seats.

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