Power source and payphones in trains
 

Are there any electrical power source (plugs or sockets) and public pay phones in the different trains in Europe?

In UK, power supply point for laptops etc at the seat is only fitted in newer intercity coaches, like Virgin Trains' Pendolino between London and Manchester. It's 230V only. Because of the universal use of mobile phones, I haven't seen payphones on the trains.

gokings,

Some trains have power in-seat power supplies, but it's not that widespread. What routes will you be taking?

There used to be payphones on many trains, but as Alec mentions, now that cell phones have become so popular, most if not all of them have been removed.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Germany's ICE trains have payphones, usually in the bar car, that work with phone cards you can buy on the train from the conductor (they may work with other phone cards as well; I only know about the ones sold on the train). They are ridiculously expensive (about 1 euro per minute the last time I used one to call my husband in Belgium) and don't work particularly well. I would only use them for emergencies (in my case, I used them to let my husband know the train would be 45 minutes late and the battery on my mobile had died).
I have found power sources on some Thalys trains, but not all, and only in first class.

Think first class and think high speed in terms of the trains you want in tersm of power sources...I suggest you power up the battery in the computer...before you get on for the ride.

Mobile phones are so ubiquitous in Europe (only the pets don't seem to have them) that I can see why people woudn't bother with payphones on a train.

We want to re-charge our camera batteries (especially when we are taking the sleeper trains) during our trip. There will be times when we won't be staying in hotels during the day & night and we want to make sure we will still be able to use our cameras the following day without having to waste precious time waiting for the batteries to charge the next day. As for the pay phones, we are still thinking twice about whether to bring our cell phone or not.

All Virgin cross-country trains (eg from Reading to Edinburgh) also have power at every seat.

And virtually all British inter-city built before about 2000 have one power point at the bottom of the luggage rack in each carriage (it's there for the cleaners, but can be handy in an emergency).

gokings,

I would assume that "real" sleeper compartments (not couchettes) have a power socket for shavers and the like since there is a wash basin in every compartment.

There are obviously pay phones all over the place once you get OFF the train - so I'm not sure why that would be such a major factor in deciding whether to take your cell phone or not (I would definitely take it if it works in Europe BTW).

Hope this helps,
Andre

First class fast trains in Italy DO have power sources...not sure about the public pay phones but your cell phone will in fact work on the train (if it works outside of the US, of course).

Thanks so much for all your replies. We appreciate it!

A regular German phone card worked on the phone in an EC from Frankfurt to Basel for a call I made to Milan. The connecting train from Basel to Milan was Swiss and the German phone card would not work in the phone on that train.