Thanks for sharing that story, and especially for the pics. I don't blame you for being put off by the loud discussion, especially when you paid extra to be in the quiet section. If there was a conductor or attendant around, they should have asked them to dial it back or move to another car.
This reminded me of my own train story, though it's not nearly as interesting as yours. I was in Cambridge between Christmas and New Year's a year ago and got to take the high speed train down to London and back for a day of sightseeing. Really enjoyed the train ride, and finally seeing some of the historic spots in London I'd always wanted to see was great. It was a very good, albeit long, day. Anyway, as we're speeding down the tracks toward London at about 100 mph (160 km/h), what should I see out the window but a big blue JW-dot-org sign put up in someone's back yard, obviously put there to "witness" to the train passengers. I wonder if the homeowner is a JW just doing his bit, or if a local congregation paid someone to put it there. Unfortunately, it whizzed by too fast for me to get a shot of it.
Shoot! All this talk of trains makes me want to go back and finish reading The Girl on the Train. There goes the morning...